Merry Christmas!

The gifts are wrapped, stockings are hung, and we are ready to see the excitement on our girls faces on Christmas morning! I'm so glad that I took the time this season to slow down, and really enjoy it. I've been much more consistent to think about the real meaning of all of this, since deciding to actively spend time in Advent with our girls. Miss Hannah and I have really been enjoying The Jesus Story Book Bible again, that post HERE. This year I'm following along with She Reads Truth, and it's been such a blessing.  It's so easy to get caught up in the hustle & bustle of things, and taking time each evening to do a special activity as a family and read together has kept us grounded. This has truly been one of my favorite Christmas seasons to date--I'm so thankful for a restful season full of joy. I'm praying that you and yours are enjoying time together, and that you have a VERY Merry Christmas.

Our gorgeous card was done by Katy Girl Designs--we love her! 

November Happenings...

Well y'all, November was BUSY around here! My blogging became nonexistent, and JUST when I was doing so well with keeping up! Oh well--guess that just means we've been enjoying ourselves lately and have been too busy living life to write about it!

First up... I turned THIRTY. I think I felt a lot of different feelings on my birthday this year--thirty is how I pictured my own parents for so long, and it's how I pictured myself "all grown up" so I guess being here is just surreal.  I will say that I feel blessed beyond what I ever thought I could be at thirty, and that made my day pretty special. It also helped that my sweet girls and Hubby sent me off to a mani/pedi, Starbucks, and some Mama time that afternoon! I got to eat Cheesecake Factory for dinner, and my sweet Mama picked me up a Natasha's Mulberry and Mott cake that was gorgeous! To top it all off, I finally got a Freshly Picked Carryall that I just LOVE!

After my birthday, it was time to head to WALT DISNEY WORLD! We spent 5 days in gorgeous Florida at the happiest place on earth! It was a trip we've had planned for a LONG time and it was even more wonderful that I thought it would be! Brian and I honeymooned at WDW 5 years ago, and this year we both turned 30, and my parents celebrated their 35th wedding anniversary, so it was the perfect celebration! I have SO MUCH to blog about Disney, but that will have to wait until January!

As soon as we got back, it was time for Miss Hannah's Thanksgiving Program at Preschool. It was just about the most adorable thing I've ever seen. Teeny tiny kiddos wearing turkey hats and singing about a Thanksgiving feast, and yelling "Gobble, Gobble, Gobble..."  Too much y'all. Then they all sang about "The Savior of the world coming down--" we LOVE our school! Such an amazing thing to see the foundation being laid for a strong faith in God. I was such a proud Mama! She was well supported by both sets of Grandparents and Great-Gramma too.

This was my first year to host a big Thanksgiving dinner with my Mama's family. The girls we're so excited to play with their little cousins, and I was so thankful to have all our family together to celebrate and enjoy all the yummy food!

A quick family photo, at Brian's parents house (meal number one of the day!) The girls did really well with both meals... they are pretty flexible with nap times lately and so we can push it later, and they usually just fall asleep in the car and we transfer them to bed when we get home. They also tried quite a few new things to eat this year--including pickles, casseroles, and pie!

I am SUCH a sucker for a good pecan pie, and since I was hosting, you better believe we had dessert a plenty! I made a classic Libby's pumpkin pie, pecan pie, homemade whipped cream, and my Pumpkin Chocolate Chip bars too. The best part of the day is relaxing in bed after all the dishes are done, kiddos are in bed, with a big slice of pie and some Black Friday shopping online!

I still can't believe that December is here! This is the first year that I've got ALL the girls gifts and stocking stuffers done before Dec 1st! It's also the first year that I'm not scrambling to finish multiple handmade gifts, or trying to deal with nausea or a colicky baby... cheers to that! I'm going to slow down and enjoy this special season with my girls. We're doing Advent again much like last year--read that HERE. I love that Miss Hannah is really understanding the Bible stories now, and we're enjoying the activities too.

I've got lots of new items being released in January for The Shop, and lots of new blog posts then too. For now, I'll be drinking hot cocoa, bundling up my babes for a ride through Christmas in the Park, decking the halls, and preparing our hearts for the Newborn King!