December fun

I have just been too busy to regularly update the blog...I hate it but we just had too much fun in December! Here's what we've been busy doing:

Essie wrote her letter to Santa this year and gave it to him when she had her pictures made with him! She did soooo good and was so brave.  We got the most beautiful picture of her and Santa.

We went to the zoo with YaYa and Peepaw.

We decorated Gingerbread houses...they were just too gorgeous.

Essie had her dance open house.  She was supposed to be able to give us a preview of her recital but she freaked out halfway through and stood frozen & cried.  Nana, Pa, YaYa, and Peepaw all drove up to see her so we were really disappointed.  I think it was just overwhelming having that many eyes on her at once.  She did much better during the gymnastics session because we were not all in the room.

We made homemade gingerbread ornaments.

Essie had her Christmas program/party at school! Oh wow it was amazing! We had a huge potluck dinner and the kiddos sang for us.  The kids exchanged gifts with each other and Santa even came!  It was such a magical night and we are so blessed to have Jerry & Carol in our lives.  It took a lot for them to host...they even rearranged their entire house for it! They have been the biggest blessing for our little one.

We decked our house with lots of lights...

and spent many nights driving around in pajamas looking at Christmas lights.

And I cannot even count the number of Christmas movies watched, cups of hot cocoa drank, and songs that we sang! :)
I feel this past month we were able to spend so many nights making memories...happiness!

Bobis and Advent

Soon after Thanksgiving Wrapped up, Bobis arrived.  He had a North Pole Breakfast prepared for Essie when she woke up (she had a terrible rash that morning from her new jammies).  She was so beyond excited to meet him again and fell in love with finding him every single morning.  We did a much better job this year with him and he found all kinds of fun trouble to get into!  He brought her surprises and treats all the time. 

Another new tradition this year was we put the Advent calendar Meemaw made last year  to good use.  We are so thankful that she made it for us.  We hung in down low in the kitchen and Essie loved looking at it and counting the tags before December.  Once December arrived, the fun began.  Each day she got to turn over the tag on the tree.  Each day held a small treat and an activity for us.  Our activities ranged from baking cookies to gingerbread house decorating to Grinch parties to looking at Christmas lights.  She loved it and looked forward each day to our fun activity.  It did take some plannin and prep on our end but we cherish those fun moments with her! I cannot wait to do it all over again next Christmas.

Decking the Halls

Since last year we were in full moving mode, we didn't get to really, truly decorate for Christmas.  So this year we were determined to go all out and start new traditions!

I loved having a little helper to assist with decorating!

 

So come on in...

Our main BIG tree this year...done in gold, leopard, and red.  I love how it fits so perfectly in the foyer.  Our ceilings in our foyer are like 20 ft tall so it's fabulous! 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Thanksgiving

We weren't quite sure what to do for Thanksgiving this year due to Meemaw's recent passing.  I had planned to host for the first time so we did just that.  After her funeral we came home and got into full gear getting ready.  It was a really nice time to spend together as a family.  My family and Travis' family all came so we had a blended gathering and I think it was needed by everyone.  We all felt sadness from the one person missing but we were able to eat, laugh, smile, and share some memories.  We stuffed our bellies and told stories and laughed at the kiddos wild antics.  Meemaw sure would've loved it. 

Christmas Pictures

A few weeks ago, we took Essie out to a local park for some Christmas pictures...it was unseasonably warm that day so we also let her play at the park and wade in the water.

Meemaw

I've been off blogger for over a month mainly because I didn't know how to post this...Travis' mom...known to us as "Meemaw" passed away November 16th unexpectedly.  She was diagnosed with breast cancer this past summer.  She had just received her final chemo treatment and we thought she had it beat.  That day, she went to the ER with stomach pain and passed away unexpectedly that evening.  We believe it was due to complications with chemo.  As expected, our family is devastated and have had a really tough few weeks.  However, we are blessed with amazing friends and family members who have lifted us up in prayer and helped us out in anyway possible. Please continue to keep us in your prayers.  We are adjusting to a "new normal" without Meemaw which is difficult, especially during the holidays.  I will try to catch up on all the posts I've missed soon!