Christmas Recap

So Christmas Day ended up being one of the most wonderful Christmas Days in recent history. Those of you with preschoolers can testify that sometimes holidays are anything but relaxing. But this one? Wonderful. Absolutely wonderful.

My two fave gifts that I received?

This... my sweetie knows me all too well. I totally would've picked this pattern and color. It's got lime green accents. Love it!! (This is a cart bag and mine is a stand bag, but I couldn't find a picture of the one I got). Now bring on some warm weather so we can get out there and play together.  

And this, one of my gifts from Lisa (aka Dida or Hobo, whichever I feel like calling her at the moment) who was in town from Houston. HellOOO mascara sampler! She knows how much I love (obsess over) mascara, and now I have the chance to try Sephora's best sellers. And I have promised her that I would blog about my findings. Maybe one per month? I'll do my best to live up to your expectations, Hobo.

                                       

And a few pics from Christmas day...

This one is from Christmas Eve. I had three big helpers making meltaway cookies.

Jax loved his new-to-him Transformers bike (I love Craigslist, and I love that my kids are still at the age that they don't know/care if they get used toys). Poor boy had been riding his sister's old princess bike.

I tried and FAILED to get some good pics of the kids and their cousins while opening gifts. It was too much to try and help keep some order to the gift-opening and snap good shots. 

Happy Birthday to my nephew Parker today! And Happy New Year to you, my blog reader!

'Tis the Season

Christmas Spirit has invaded our house! And they're saying we're gonna get snow on Tuesday! It can't get much better than a white Christmas.

A few of my favorite things this December:

1) Emerson and Jax are old enough this year to really get it. Getting to talk with them about Jesus' birth, reading about it in our morning Bible story book... it's such a privilege to build a foundation with little ones. 

2) The annual preschool Christmas pageant. Poor Jaxeyboy had a terrible cough that morning, so he stayed home with Daddy. Emerson was an angel in the Pre-K portion. As soon as she got on stage, she found me in the audience and put her finger to her lips as if to apply lipstick while giving me a quasi-evil eye. You see, I had told her I'd put a little lip gloss on her as soon as we got to preschool, and I totally forgot. She didn't. 

Right at the end of the program, one of her classmates leaned back and accidentally bonked her forehead. She cried pretty hard but pulled it together (as you can see) for the group photo.

Putting on a brave face through the tears!

This was her third and final Christmas pageant at our preschool. I have many more to attend, as Hot Sauce will be starting next year, but it was still a little sad realizing my oldest will never be on that cute little stage again. 

3) Watching the kids marvel at the trees. What is it about a Christmas tree that just exudes magic? The first thing I do when I get up is turn on both trees... I love a dark room with a glowing Christmas tree. 

4) I know I've blogged about it before, but this year I'm starting to really come out of my "baby fog" and get energy back, so I feel like I'm enjoying this Christmas more than I have in quite a few years. Even though I'm hosting family on Tuesday, I don't feel any stress, and even being out and about during the busy shopping days has been enjoyable. 

5) I can't get enough Hot Sauce singing Christmas carols. Oh heavens, it's the cutest thing. That girl sings all stinkin' day long, but especially now that we are playing Christmas music during the day, she thinks it's her job to keep the songs alive! I talked her into sitting still long enough to sing "Jingle Bells" with her siblings. And you'll have to forgive the lighting in the entryway. It's terrible. Also please forgive the remnants of their PJ party... they love to throw pillows and blankets over the banister upstairs onto the floor below. My favorite part of the video? Emerson cupping her hands around her ears, just like I did during her church Christmas program, trying to get the kiddos to sing louder. Classic.

6) Christmas cards on the fridge. It makes my day to see these beautiful shining faces staring back at me when I get some ice water! I put the folded cards on the door of the pantry, and those too make me happy. 

Merry Christmas from our house to yours!

 

Random November pics

The oldest two had their preschool Thanksgiving parties.

Sisters... partners in crime... and delightfully funny. Both of them.

Trimming the tree in the office.

I got to eat with my nephew Calvin at his school's friends and family day. What a treat!

Finding the perfect place to color. Her sister can't disturb her here.

'12 Family Pics

We scheduled our family pictures with our wonderful photographer Kelly Stocksen in October. Due to unforeseen circumstances, both ours and hers, we ended up rescheduling a crazy number of times... the day we finally settled on, there were 45-mph wind gusts ALL DAY LONG. We met her in the parking lot across from First Baptist downtown, and we just started laughing. Because what do you do? Pictures have to be taken, and Mother Nature doesn't always go along with plans. We discovered that the north side of a tall building was the best bet for a break from the wind. 

Hayden was uncooperative for the majority of the group pictures as you'll be able to see. We just laughed and went with it. My hair is crazy stringy and wind-blown, but everyone else looks great! 

Click HERE to see the session. Password is 111412vanvalkenburg

Partially finished living room

So here's our finished-for-now living room with the Ballard prints, the shelf from a seller on Etsy, and the lantern (on the right) from Pottery Barn.

I have yet to find exactly what I want to go on the shelf. I have a vision of an orange tray with sides that slope up, and I want to put a few decorative balls on it. I have looked far and wide for a tray with the perfect depth and width, knowing I can just spray paint it orange, but no such luck as of yet.

Our next purchases in this room will be new couches (not any time soon... they're wearing down, but I love having old couches with young kids), a coffee table, a table to go between the zebra chairs with a lamp on it, and I'll move the current lamp to the right side of the console.

I broke down and bought a 2nd tree today. Our floor plan has no fireplace in the living room... it's in Jason's office... so I have a 'formal' tree in there with the stockings hung.

Call me Mrs. Bah Humbug, but I have never decorated a tree with family ornaments. And now that the kids are old enough to enjoy helping me decorate (Emerson actually put a Christmas shirt on before helping me on Sunday... that girl knows how to get in the Christmas spirit), I figure it's time to get a family tree and break out the ornaments with special meaning. I'm going to start buying them each an ornament every Christmas so they can start their own collections.

I'm really excited about this Christmas season in general! I feel like it's the first time in a really long time that I have a good amount of energy, I'm not nursing or pregnant, and I've got a lot of gift buying under my belt already. I hate feeling stressed during December. I'm looking forward to our company Christmas party at Michael V's, a cookie exchange party at my friend Cristin's, and the kids' Christmas pageants at preschool. I'd like to go watch the Tulsa Christmas parade this year, too. Just enough activities to feel festive, but not overdo it. I'm not an overdo-it kind of gal. I get cranky. Just ask my husband.

Boomer Sooner!

Saturday was amazing. Perfect football weather, perfect ending to the game. The game itself wasn't pretty, but the WIN is all that matters. Spending multiple hours in the car with my husband with no loud children in the back seat... getting to talk football strategy and laughing hysterically at all manner of people-watching... realizing that I needed to tinkle after I bought popcorn and zipping the ginormous tub of popcorn into my hoodie in the ladies' room... it was one of the best dates ever!!! Maybe one of these days we'll get season tickets. :)