Christmas Memories 2013 Part 2

This is going to be the longest blog post ever...or at least the longest post that I've ever posted.  I probably should have broken this up into several posts but, that would take more time and effort that I don't have sooooo....and yes, I said post one too many times.

I think if I could put a caption to this picture below it would be, "raise the roof if you are excited about Christmas!!" 

I really enjoy the details of every occasion.  It's not that I am the greatest at bringing them together...truly, it is a great bit of effort on my part to come up with a cohesive vision and I will often tweak things long after I should be done.  But, I do love the look of sparkly and shimmering things around the house.  I love the way the colors play on each other.  I love the visual feast!

I intentionally tried to create an image that captured what it felt like to sit on my couch at 11PM with all the lights off.  I loved sitting quietly by myself and taking in the magic of the Christmas twinkles.  So calming and so peaceful. 

A friend gave me the idea to hang our Christmas cards on ribbons and it is now my favorite way to display them.  Plus it adds a festive touch of decor to the otherwise blah pantry doors.  I love holiday cards so much.  Thank you to everyone who sends them and if you aren't on the pantry in this picture don't fret.  I got so many cards late this year and this picture was taken early. 

We enjoyed our second cookie baking party with our four pack and friends.  Daisy loves getting together with her buddies and it was neat to see that she is fully capable of decorating the cookies almost entirely by herself.  A lot has changed in a year!  The aprons that the host family gave each child were too cute!  And maybe it is due to the fact that we still have carpet under our dining room table but, the thought of having a ton of kids pouring sprinkles all over our floor in our house at this point kind of wigs me out...I'm not proud of that fact either but, maybe when we get wood flooring it will change the way I feel.  Regardless, I'm thankful that our friend's actually enjoy hosting this yearly event.  Thanks C family for such a fun afternoon!

I noticed how careful and strategic Daisy was with her sprinkles...She was really into it!

notice how curly/wavy her hair is in the back!  It gets wavier every day it seems.  I can't figure out if she gets the wave from me as I definitely have the same wavy hair thing going on but, hers is much more obvious than mine.  Perhaps she inherited some of her Gram's curls/waves. 

Little fingers.  Tiny little sprinkles.

Such a fun tradition!  Thank you Chaisson family for hosting this again!

The four pack is not so little anymore eh?  The kiddos will all be turning 4 in the next 2 months!  How crazy is that.  Even though our little group doesn't get together very often it is always a treat when we do and I have thoroughly enjoyed watching these sweet children grow.  

We had an early Christmas get together with Joey's Grandparents and Aunt Kathy and Uncle Mike before they headed down to Florida to spend Christmas with their kiddos.  Daisy LOVES getting together with family and I am so thankful that we have family close by that loves on and spoils her.  Aunt Kathy picked out some pretty perfect things for Daisy.  Daisy especially loves her jewelry box and she puts a necklace on each morning after she gets dressed.  It's pretty adorable.  Thank you Mike and Kathy! 

Below..my hubs actually snapped this picture of Aunt Kathy and Uncle Mike's dog Callie (nice job spouse!) and I edited it with a warm haze.   Pretty beautiful shot if I do say so:). 

Daisy waiting with Great Granddad in great anticipation.  Her first round of presents were just seconds away!

Love this big smile she gave me.  She almost never smiles that big for a picture.  I think she and Granddad were laughing about something.

The jewelry box was and has been a huge hit for our girly girl.  She puts all her special treasures in it now and it sits on her dresser within easy reach.  Aunt Kathy has an incredible gift when it comes to buying perfect gifts for Daisy:).

Thank you Uncle Mike and Aunt Kathy for spoiling Daisy so much.  She loves you guys so much! 

Daisy hanging out with her Great Grandma who we call Beej. 

Grandma Beej got a new outfit and we made her try it on...she probably wouldn't want me posting this but, I think she looks beautiful and so festive:) and I kind of like to remember these fun and silly moments.  I asked her to give me a few model poses and that gave all of us a nice laugh...I'd post those hilarious pics but, then I think she might really want to kill me.  I'll just leave it at this:)

We made a birthday cake for "baby" Jesus again this year.  Technically this is a pie but, we did make a cake...and then ruined it...so this pie was the next best thing and it saved us having to make another cake all over again. lol Thanks Granddad and Beej!  This is one of my favorite Christmas traditions.  It's fun for everyone, tastes good and is focused on the meaning of Christmas. 

There are so many things vying for a young person's attention these days.  Movies, TV, the latest and greatest toys, friends, fashions, amusement parks, pop culture, cell phones and so on.  It is absolutely vital to me that my daughter grows up knowing what a joy it is to know Jesus.  It is my life purpose to pass on to her the truth about who she is in Christ, why she is on this Earth and 

 Sometimes I marvel at how hard it is to take a little time to slow down and focus on Christ during Christmas time.  Anything and everything that can interrupt or interfere usually does but, when I spend time with Christ, I am never disappointed.  Nothing brings me more joy or peace than having these special moments to teach my child about Christ.  Carving out the time is a challenge but, it is always SO worth it. 

And I really do hope that our cake turns out next year.  I am all for pie but, it really wasn't working for me to eat a pie on a birthday. lol  

Around Christmas time I made my friend Emily's spinach tortellini soup recipe and I LOVED it.  So tasty, mostly healthy and pretty!!  Doesn't it look like a festive holiday meal:).  It's not a very kid friendly dinner so I don't know that I could make it too often but, I really enjoyed scarfing down the leftovers all week long.

And here is a Christmas morning family photo of my one of a kind fam after all of the presents had been ripped open.  Keep in mind that we have had no showers...no make up, or breakfast (grouchy!)...and we were really not in the mood to pose for a family photo but, WE DID IT. Hooray!  I swear, for being a photographer you'd think I'd be more excited to get in the picture but, bleh..so much work.
On the other hand when I look at how much Daisy has grown since last Christmas I want to cry.  It goes to fast...Lawd, why does it go so fast???

Group kiss.  Her favorite.

We had one of the most beautiful sunsets in December.  The sky looked like it was on fire everywhere. Daisy loves to exclaim, "Mom, look!! God loves me so much he put pink in the sky!!"  Have I mentioned lately that I just love my little girl so much.  Yes, probably so:). 

Princess Birthday Party Continued...

 This is a rather large picture post from Daisy's princess party.  I figured I'd knock it out all at once as I have quite a few other things that I need to start blogging about:).  As I mentioned in the last post I kept this party simple in comparison to the past two years but, it kept the kiddos just as busy and entertained.  I really do love when activities are self-sustaining and don't require a lot of adult assistance.  It's nice when the adults get to chat and enjoy themselves a little bit too.  Though I will say that it was a SUPER full house and quite noisy.  Daisy had a blast and I had a blast watching her enjoy her 3rd birthday party.  She wasn't happy about wearing her princess dress the day of her party go figure but, when I told her that her buddies were coming over in their dresses she obliged.  Saved! haha  

Thank you to everyone that joined us to celebrate Daisy's birthday this year.  It was such a treat to have so many family and friends with us.  I feel very blessed to have such a wonderful group of people in my life.  

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Daisy loved the jewels that I got for the crowns and shields. I think she used up 90% of them on her own...love that her hair is finally long enough to pull back into one ponytail...mostly.  Love my little princess.

and yes, I seized this occasion as an opportunity to get in a picture with everyone that I could since that so rarely happens. These gals are the four pack mommas that you all are probably familiar with by now if you've followed the blog for a little while. It was such a treat to have all four of our kids and families together at one time. Jenn (far left) had her baby boy a few days ago and he is so cute. So happy for them and can't wait to meet baby Knox! Lindsay recently had twin girls and they are just precious! The Lindsey next to me has two boys and her youngest is over a year old now. I've loved watching our kids grow up together! Thanks hubby for capturing us:)

and below the four pack buddies from left to right: Daisy (who was not in the mood to pose for a single pic...too much sugar is my guess, Lila, Sam and Raelyn. They are all 3 now and I have had a BLAST watching these kiddos learn to walk, talk, climb, hug, kiss, get potty trained, become older siblings etc.  They are such wonderful blessings from the Lord.  

and of course...the only picture that Daisy is actually into it...I cut a kid off....SIGH....:) lol Tis life.