best friends and new years

So I'm going to jump out there and just admit that for the last 5ish years Matt and I have had some pretty lame, er I mean quiet, New Year's eves. Mostly the kind where you do all things parentish like stay home all night, watch movies on the living room floor, and set your alarm for 11:58 just in case you fall asleep before the ball drops.

This year, however, we had lots of fun prospects. We were invited to two, yes I said TWO! different parties. Matt was pretty proud of this, it seeming to up our 'cool parent' status a notch or two. So you know what we did to take advantage of this different year? We.....stayed home again!

What? I know. Even with two pretty great parties with pretty great people who we love a lot, we decided to stay home because we had the opportunity to host one of my very best friends in the whole world, and her sweet little family! Once again the plan was dinner and pj's before 8pm, and it was the best! I made some ridiculous party hats that I insisted we wear. We put the kids to bed and played games until close to midnight.

We even popped open the champagne and almost made it until midnight! Sure there was a baby crying here or there, kids who really didn't want to fall asleep, the fact that half of us didn't make it to see the ball drop, but it was about as close to perfect as New Year's eves get!

Christmas 2013

I had thought about back tracking all the way to Halloween, but I've decided it's an insurmountable effort. So, I'll just start with something slightly more recent. Christmas!

This year we made the usual rounds for Christmas...my family, Matt's family, more of my family, and some more of Matt's family.

We spread out the celebrating this year, and cut down on our traveling to and from, and it made for a nice relaxing few days with family. It was nearly perfect.

We've really struggled recently with the awareness that mostly our celebrations of things have become more 'us-centered' and less 'Christ-centered.' I think this year our hearts were much more full this season with more constant reminders to ourselves and to Abbott and Laurelei about the true importance of Christmas. Our church shared the book, The Sparkle Box, this year and I love the idea behind it.

Giving a gift back to God each Christmas through selfless acts and the way that you treat those around you. I hope that as a family we can follow the model this book gives throughout this year for next Christmas. I think that giving a gift like that would just be icing on the cake, and make for a truly perfect celebration next year!

Easter 2013

Happy Spring! While I might have been crazy enough to believe that time would slow down this spring, I was sorely wrong. It has been full of lots of fun things, but also lots of not-so-fun-things. In the interest of reader enjoyment, as well as my sanity, I'll stick to the fun things.

So, Easter. We had a lovely Easter, even considering Matt's gall stones. I hate to make this short and sweet, but I desperately want to share some Easter-related pictures, even with just a tiny bit of time to type tonight! So here we go...

We hunted eggs,

decorated eggs,

found treats left by the Easter bunny,

and celebrated together as a family. Oh how I love them so!

Happy Spring!

Christmas

If I had one picture to sum up our Christmas this year, it would be this...

 Each year we begin our Christmas season nailing down plans. With two very close families and lots of extended relatives, we have so many loved ones we want to see and celebrate the season with. Often times it ends of being a compromise for Matt, me, or both of us, and we don't always get to see everyone. This year, for many reasons, we decided we would try and do it all! That meant 4 Christmases on Christmas Eve, and 3 Christmases on Christmas day. I know, right? I think that as much as we knew it was going to be too much for us all, the universe did too. And what was about to be our busiest Christmas ever just ended up being our sickiest Christmas to date.

Between Laurelei, Abbott, and myself, we spent 7 days with at least one high fever in the house. Both Laurelei and I were out of it on Christmas day. It has been a long time since I have had a fever of 103, and it knocked me out! I think the saddest part of the experience was when Laurelei decided she felt to poorly to open presents.

Despite all the yuck, we still had a great time. We cut back on our travels, and got to nap at home on Christmas day for the first time in years. I didn't even have to change out of my pj's all day, which was a total win!

The kids were so grateful and loved everything they opened. Laurelei is particularly fond of her new 'ipad' as she calls it. Really, it's just a Leap Pad, but having her very own tablet is like the coolest thing ever to her! It was money well spent.

 Abbott mostly enjoyed the food and chocolate. He was a sticky mess all day!

Matt and I are so blessed to have such wonderful families. We got to celebrate with all of our immediate family, and they were so helpful and understanding through all of the sickness! We are spoiled to say the least! Here is a peak at the fun we had with each of our families!

While we will certainly remember this Christmas for many not so great reasons, I am so thankful for another wonderful year with our families. And most importantly, another beautiful winter day to remember God's love for us!

Happy Christmas!

fall things

Whew. Fall always gets so busy it almost takes my breath away! Matt and I ALWAYS have time to take the kids to the pumpkin patch. Usually we do it more than once, having the luxury to just pick up and go any weekend, at the spur of the moment. It kind of hit me last week that this fall was different. We had to intentionally carve out time and squeeze our annual trip in between a few other things. Fall has been taken up with so many birthdays, showers, babies, photography sessions, schoolness. While all of those things are well worth the time, it's been a little nuts around here!

So, in a nutshell, here are a few of the things I want to remember from this fall...

{And be warned, fitting it all into one post means picture overload!}

We visited the orchard and pumpkin patch with my family. We love to go to Boyd's Orchard every year with my mom and brother. It is always a good time with lots of apple picking, apple eating, and pumpkin hunting. I love to compare the pictures of the kids from year to year. They are growing so fast!

We went Trick or Treating at the Louisville Zoo with Matt's sister Dana, and her family. The kids had a great time. They had various children's characters around to meet and greet and pass out candy. Laurelei is at the age where she thinks every time she meets a character, she is meeting the real deal. It was pretty cute.

We had Halloween, just the 4 of us. At first I was a little upset about this. The night couldn't have started worse. On the way the home to get all dressed up and head out to our parents' houses, Laurelei threw up...everywhere. All over the car, herself, her carseat, clothes, everything. It was very disheartening. Bless her heart though, she was absolutely destroyed thinking she wouldn't get to trick or treat. So after an hour or so of recovering, we let her get dressed up and trick or treat at a few houses on our block. We missed out on Gigi and Poppy's, Grandma and Grandpa's, and that was pretty sad. But, we got to enjoy our little ones all on our own, and that wasn't all that bad. :) Also, we got to give out candy for the first time at our house in nearly 5 years, so that was a little bit fun too!

Abbott was the absolute cutest about trick or treating. Mind you, he didn't actually trick or treat at all. He just bumbled around the side walk, dragging his giant orange pumpkin, refusing to be carried. It was priceless. When someone finally approached him and put candy in his bucket, you'd have thought they were giving him gold! He carried that pack of skittles around all night long. It was precious.

This might just be the first year I didn't carve a pumpkin, or bake sugar cookies, but it was still full of all that really counts! Plus, I have Christmas around the corner to make up for it anyway. :)

Happy Thursday!

a quiet 4th of July

This was our 'quiet' 4th of July in quite some time. For as long as I have been in Matt's life and for many years before that, Matt's parents have always thrown a huge cookout/ party at their house for the 4th. Both sides of their families come. There are games and prizes and fireworks and tons of yummy food. This year however, they decided to take the year off from party planning. So this year, instead...

We spent the morning and much of the afternoon working on projects around the house.

Abbott and I sat on the back porch for a while and retreated in doors when it just got too stinking hot. And Laurelei got a special trip to the pool with Gigi, which she LOVED! After avoiding naptime, L and A shared some cookies while we waited for daddy.

When we were all ready to go, we headed to Matt's parents' house to grill out. We enjoyed some great family time and yummy food.

Oh, and Abbott might have gotten to have a little ice cream too. I was holding him and enjoying my desert until he decided he'd rather have it. So he just grabbed the whole cone out of my hand and went to town. I am surprised how well he managed the cone actually! It was pretty impressive. He is most definitely mommy's boy. At some point daddy insisted I take it away (buzzKill!) and Abby was not so happy about that.

The ice cream social led to an impromptu bath time. Abbott loved taking a bath in the big tub! And because of the fireworks ban in town, we finished off the evening in the dark with glow sticks. Good thinking Grandma! At somepoint L stopped and announced, "This is just so much fun!"

 

It was a nice quiet 4th of July, just what the doctor ordered this year. 

Hope you had a fantastic holiday too!