New Years Eve

We actually had a really fun New Years!  Our life group hosts decided to throw a kid friendly party, and it was perfect for our little family.

They made carne asada, which is one of our group favorites.  Really, most anything they make is fantastic.  So we all enjoyed a really yummy meal.  Then the play began.

Our friends brought their bounce house.  The kids went between that, the trampoline, the swings, and all the toys in the play room.

A little blurry, but the girls had a great time switching off on the swings and pushing each other.

The adults had a corn hole competition.  A few also competed at ping pong, too.

They built a fire

And we made s'mores

Yum!

After a little while the kiddos settled into the theater for a movie.

When it was about time for the families with babies to leave, we all got hats and noise blowers to count down the new year.

Netflix had a kids countdown that you could turn on at any time. There was dancing and fun and we all counted down. Then we had all sorts of poppers.

It was very noise, and quite messy, but lots of fun.

C'mon, 2017.  Let's do this!

Waco or Bust

The last time my sister visited, we headed down to Waco to see Chip and Joanna.  Only, the silos weren't open yet.  So on this visit we made a plan to spend the day at Magnolia Markets.  It just so happened that it was their Christmas celebration that weekend.

Just like last time, we stopped at the Czech Stop for kolaches. Yum!

I've recently got into podcasts--I know, I'm 10 years behind--so we listened to an interesting one on the way down and back to pass the time.

We arrived!

A peak inside part of the store.  We didn't buy much, but it was fun to look around.

They had a concert there that night for the Christmas celebration, so they were setting up for that. 

It's kind of hard to see, but there is a sign that says Christmas at the Silos.  We both got an ornament that said that as well.

There was a line to get into the small bakery, but it moved quickly.

Someone was a little excited about her treats. ;)

We walked around and shopped at some of the other stores in the area, and then came back and ate at the food trucks.  We split a yummy gourmet grilled cheese and a brisket sandwich.

After shopping and eating, we left and went to Spice Village, which was another fun shopping place.  

From there, we went and got coffee at Common Ground (the owners bought a house on Season 1 of Fixer Upper).  After that it was time to head home!

And while we were driving back home, Olivia was at a birthday party for her friend Sadie.  We got back into town and headed to pick her up.  She had a great time. It was the first time we dropped her off at a party and left.  She was a little nervous before hand, but just ran in and made herself at home when Michael dropped her off.  So fun!

Auntie Love

My sister was suppose to visit in October, but had to change her plans due to a work conflict.  So she came the second week of December.

The kids love any visitors, but they especially love their Auntie Ang.

Love!

We did some playing, some shopping, and we made Christmas cookies.

Waiting for the cookies to bake

Time to decorate

The kids had a blast!

We also went to Babes one night for dinner, and then walked around Frisco Square looking at the lights.

Of course the kids enjoyed it.  Especially the fake snow that shoots out every 15 minutes.

It was actually pretty cold that night, so we weren't out long.  But it was worth it!

We ate at yummy places, watched cheesy movies, shopped, played with the kids, shared the latest gossip in our lives, and just hung out.  It was a great distraction from my busy month.

Oh.... and we went to Waco.  There are too many pictures to share here, so you'll have to come back tomorrow. ;)

December Recap

Overall, December wasn't great for me. Which is probably why I didn't blog much.  I felt the pressure bubbling up as soon as Thanksgiving ended.  I kept saying I wasn't in the Christmas spirit.  It took me nearly 3 weeks to figure out what was causing my funk.  In general, I have a lot on my plate... work, MOPS, homeschool, mom and wife life, church volunteering, and more.  I'm sure most moms could say the same.  But then when December hit, each commitment wanted a little more from me.  Work was open later.  Shoppers were crabbier.  There were Christmas parties and extra obligations for MOPS.  My kids expected advent activities, and I wanted to give it to them.  But it was all a lot.

We did have fun, but I'm not sad to be past the holidays.

Logan figured out how to climb out of his crib all of the way.  Once he did it successfully, there was no stopping him.  So we had to turn his crib into a toddler bed.  He's done surprisingly well.

Olivia and Emily in their matching pajamas for the first time.  Look at that smile!

We went on multiple play dates.  This one was for our church, and we made gingerbread houses.

Grocery shopping is not my favorite thing, but I have to admit that these two do pretty good.

Our MOPS Christmas party every year is pajamas for kids and moms alike.  Here I am with my table.  Unfortunately there were a few missing that day.

And the steering team

December is a busy month, but about half of the group leaders got together for a little Christmas dinner and gift exchange.  We had a lot of good laughs, and I needed a night like that!

I had a random Friday night off mid month.  We dressed up and headed out to meet the big guy.

We used a gift card and had dinner at PF Changs.

More white rice!

On our walk to see Santa, we took a picture by the giant tree.

We went to the local outdoor mall this year.  It was perfect.  There was no wait to see Santa, and it was about half the price as other malls.  Score!  The kids were thrilled to finally get to see him and talk to him.  And since there was no line, he actually took time with each one of them. 

From there we went to the free carriage ride they offer.

It was a perfect night to get us in the Christmas spirit.

One day Olivia mapped out a plan for her and Michael to complete for me while I was gone.  Then they reenacted her vision.  Can you guess who they are? :)

We built gingerbread houses.  We've done the house and the train in the past. This year I bought the village so each of us had a small one to do.  I also got smart and hot glued them together first, so we didn't have to worry about them fall apart mid decoration.

I had lunch out with the steering team for MOPS.  We did a favorite things gift exchange and I got a candle.  I'm totally into candles recently.

We went and looked at Christmas lights one evening.  The kids had egg nog (an all time favorite) and gingerbread cookies as a treat in the car.

We went to a play date where there was a photo area with props.  They also did Christmas crafts and played with new to them toys. Always fun.

Our life group had been doing a marriage study, so we ended the semester with a date night to a vineyard.

We took the last two weeks off of school, but that didn't stop us from doing lots of read alouds, coloring, and crafts.

We ended the month with a picnic at the park.  Now it's time to get back on schedule!

I'm sure there is a lot more that went on, but those are the pictures I have.