Christmas Eve at NaNa's

Christmas Eve at home with my immediate family is something that we have done since I was little. Christmas day we always had Santa and then we went to both side of our grandparents. So Christmas Eve was the special time for just me and my sisters to spend time with my mom and dad and open presents. We continued to do this even when I moved out and as they moved out too. We spend Christmas day running from all three sets of grandparent's now with Scott's family in the mix too. This year was a sad year for our family with the loss of my PaPa. My Grandma has always spent Christmas Eve with PaPa at their house preparing for the next day. This year was different. Grandma was telling us about how hard it was on the night before Thanksgiving since she was alone preparing for the holiday. I just hated to hear her say that. We asked her to join us on Christmas Eve at my mom's house. I was so excited when she said that she would! That made the night special for all of us. It was a perfect evening with the snow. So special! Nana gave the boys a train table with a bunch of trains to go with it. They LOVE it and it was certainly one of their favorite gifts this year. Nolan picked out special presents with his own money for all of the family. We went to Dollar Tree a few weeks ago for our big shopping event. Nolan cracks me up with his gift choices. He is so serious while we are shopping and really thinks about everyone as he picks out their gifts. He picked out some lovely Dollar Tree perfume for my mom along with a new red squirt bottle. Aunt B got a squishy ball, Auntie M received a double pack of hair color, Uncle Conner got a very fancy sport watch. ("Because he just got an i-phone and loves electronics" is what Nolan said when he picked it out.) Nolan even got the dogs people crackers...similar too goldfish crackers but for dogs so they are shaped like people - Nolan thought that was hilarious! Hudson was a maniac about all of the food. Since it was all in places he could reach, he just continued to help himself to dips, fudge and of course cupcakes. I felt like I spent half the night wiping his face! So cute.

Christmas with MiMi and PaPa

This year we did our presents the day before Christmas Eve which worked out perfectly! The past couple of years we have done it on Christmas night after lugging the kids to all of the grandparents and that just makes for a really long and hard day. Four places is too much. We are so blessed to have so much family but at some point something has to give. It was awesome to start off the long holiday weekend with dinner and presents at MiMi's. We were able to relax, enjoy the night and not be in a rush to get to the next stop. We loved it! I hope that we start doing that every year! The boys received great gifts - Nolan's favorite was the Razor scooter and MP3 player and Hudson LOVED his Bass Pro Shops truck, trailer and boat set. Nolan picked out a dusting mitt and work gloves for PaPa and a very nice silver platter and coffee mug for MiMi. The house was filled with loved for sure!

Christmas Surprise!

Becca and I decided to surprise the family with a dead serious portrait of us in our masks. We then framed and wrapped them up and gave them to everyone on Christmas. It was hilarious when we went to portrait innovations to get them taken. We got all dressed up in cute tops and everything. The guy that was our photographer was in shock when we pulled the masks out and told him we wanted to do the whole photo shoot with the masks on. At first I don't think he really knew what to say or do. Then he got into it when all of the rest of the studio workers were standing there watching and laughing at us. He kept taking shots and then saying "beautiful!", he even made us take individual shoots - you know the ones where they have you look over your shoulder and the other shot where they have you look off into the distance with a black background....ridiculous! It was SO much fun just taking them and super hard to then pick out a single pose for our $9.95 package. Ha ha! Our family thought we were crazy. We gave my mom the 10x13 and Scott and Conner the 8x10's for their desks. Even our aunts and all of the grandparents got pics. It was a GREAT way to start of the Christmas season of giving. :)

Merry Christmas

As I sit here snuggled up with Daisy on my cozy couch; the snow is coming down in big waves of white. It is truly breath taking. I cannot believe that it is snowing on Christmas Eve. It is so magical for the boys to have a "White Christmas". It is about 3 o'clock and both boys are taking a nap. My tree is full with wrapped presents waiting to be opened. I am finished with my Christmas baking and the house is warm with the smell of cupcakes. Scott is playing the guitar and it is quiet. It is, dare I say...perfect, around here. Soon the snow will stop, the boys will wake up, the begging and fighting will start again, we will have to get everyone dressed, hair fixed, pack up the car and head out in the cold to do Christmas with my family. But for right now, right this minute...I am blessed and filled with Christmas spirit. Thank you Jesus for this beautiful moment... Thank you Jesus for this beautiful life.

Christmas with the Self's

Holiday in the Park 2009

Sunday night we went to Six Flags with Mike, Nicole and Addyson. Mike's dad retired from there a few years ago but still gets tickets. Mike has invited us the last few years at Christmas and it is always so much fun! We took Hudson for the first time and he LOVED it. Such our little dare devil. He rode anything we put him on and was amazed by all the lights. Addyson and Nolan had a great time too. I love this tradition that we have started with the kids.

Women's Thank You Lunch

I hosted a little lunch at my house on Sunday as a thank you to all my family that have done so much for us this year. Without their love and support I do not know how we would make it. We are so blessed! They say it takes a village to raise a child - well this is our village....



These next two pictures crack me up because they were "silly shots" and I think everyone's faces were too cute.



I gave each person a little goody bag of my favorite things. Kinda like Oprah's favorite things but on a much smaller budget! Ha ha! I gave them each a set of reusable shopping bags from IKEA, my favorite reusable water bottle, a fleece scarf, a Dublin Dr. Pepper, a package of these Olive oil seasoning that we use on everything, a few other little things and a little tile with my favorite quote:

"I believe in pink. I believe that laughing is the best calorie burner. I believe in kissing, kissing a lot. I believe in being strong when everything seems to be going wrong. I believe that happy girls are the prettiest girls. I believe that tomorrow is another day and I believe in miracles." ~Audrey Hepburn