Show and Tell: Christmas Decorations

Good morning! This is one of my favorite things to do, look at other peoples decorations. Maybe I'm nosy, who knows. 

We have a small house so I don't put up a lot. I feel like too much would make it look even smaller. I've collected some favorites over the past 10 years and I just put them out. 

Welcome to my house! 

Our mantle. I bought these WISH stocking holders a long time ago and they are perfect for our family of four. Poor angel gets left out but at least she gets a stocking :)

I bought us new stockings this year with our names on them and I love them!  Hi Choo Choo!

We got this nativity scene last year and my kids love it. That angel gets pushed at least 16,756 times a day. 

Sitting on Santas lap thru the years. We haven't gone this year yet. Cross your fingers we don't have another screaming one this year!

I love this Santa cookie jar. He holds holiday Oreos. Mmm

Our little kitchen table

I meant to take a picture of the tree at night and totally forgot. Oh well. Landry pretty much did the whole thing herself and I just had to look away and give up control. 

My little entryway

Bye! Thanks for stopping by!

Turkey Day Festivities

Another Thanksgiving has come and gone and it was such a good one! We have three Thanksgivings between our two families. Luckily not all on the same day! 

Thursday morning we all got up and had breakfast and watched the Macy's Thanksgiving parade. I have watched this every year that I can remember. Landry and Hayden loved it. We had to leave before Santa made his appearance and Landry was upset so I recorded it for her to watch over and over!

Thursday for lunch we went to my great aunts house with my dad's family. The only picture I got is of my adorable nephew in Hayden's old turkey onesie! 

Then we loaded up in the car and headed to Tim's aunts house. Some of us napped the whole way there!

Landry was so excited because Tim's cousin and his wife and son came this year. We only usually see them at Christmas so my kids loved having another kiddo there to play with!

Tim's sister loves playing with all these kids!

This would be my kids the whole way to my parents house!  They were exhausted!

Friday was a day with no plans. Tim and I had promised Landry we would take her to see The Good Dinosaur so my mom tagged along and we ate lunch and watched the movie

Saturday mom and I got up early and started making our food for that night. We started a long time ago doing my moms family's thanksgiving on the Saturday after. It works out great and gives us a break in between all the other festivities. The only pic I got was my sweet cousin Chase coloring with Landry. Landry loves the big boy cousins just as much as the little cousins!

Such a fun long weekend with my favorite people! 

Grateful

Being grateful. 

What does it mean? 

That's a huge lesson I've learned this year. I have really felt grateful lately. I have felt good. I know my life isn't perfect but God is good. So here are just a few things I am grateful for. 

Grateful for my husband. He works really hard to provide for our family. He fully supports me staying home with our kids. He never questions the decisions I make. He's always willing to give the kids a bath or take them out on a Saturday to run errands when I'm ready to pull my hair out. He loves me for me and he is still adorable to me. 

I'm grateful for my babies. They love me unconditionally. They follow me everywhere I go. They smile at me and make me feel important. Landry always tells me she wants to be just like me. Hayden says mommy at least 50 times a day. They make me feel like I can be and do anything. 

I'm grateful for my family. My parents who have an awesome marriage and have never made me feel like I was less. They have always supported me and guided me.  They always want to be with my kids.  My sister who tells me like it is. She's my best friend. She supports me.  She loves my babies like they're her own. My brother in law who's my buddy. Who always has a hug for me and is always willing to help me and laughs at the same things I think are funny. My new nephew who I'm in love with. Who smiles at me. Who is an answered prayer to our family. My in laws who love me like a daughter. Who are always willing to let us eat dinner with them when I have nothing to cook. My sister in law who loves me like a sister. Who loves my babies. Who is always willing to help me with the kids. 

My friends. All of them. Who show me what it's like to be a mama. Who let me text them and ask them random questions. Who are guiding me in my faith. Who show me what it's like to live out your faith fully. Who know me for who I am (and love me anyway). Who I'm lucky enough to do life with and raise our kids together with. Who's husbands guide mine and show him how to be a man of faith. 

My faith. I'm not sure why I have felt so grateful lately. It could be because I feel so content in my life. I have really felt like God has taken care of me lately. I have some pretty big prayers going up right now and I think sometimes I feel like they are bouncing off the sky. Like God isn't listening. But he is. He is all these things to me that I am grateful for. My caretaker, my cheerleader, my parent, my supporter, my buddy, my friend. 

So this Thanksgiving I am thankful for a lot. I have so much to be thankful and grateful for.  We are healthy. We have all we need. I hope when I look back on this time in my life I look back with a smile. I'm a pretty lucky girl. 

Happy Thanksgiving!

What's up Wednesday

Happy Wednesday! Today I'm participating in the What's up Wednesday series with Mix and Match Mama, The Larson Lingo and Pinterest Told Me To. I love these posts. A unique way to look into people's lives! 

What we're eating this week: 

Well with this being Thanksgiving week we are not cooking much. I made spaghetti on Monday night and our favorite breakfast burritos last night. Tonight we are headed out to dinner with my family. We do this every year on the Wednesday night before Thanksgiving. And then tomorrow is the best eating day of the year! And we celebrate twice so I get it on Saturday also! 

What I'm reminiscing about:

I was thinking the other day about Hayden and Landrys first Thanksgivings. Wow, just look at my babies!

What I'm loving:

I'm taking a new workout class on Tuesday mornings with a friend and I love it! We concentrate on one part of the body for three rounds and move on. I joined a new gym about six months ago and I love the classes they offer. 

What we've been up to:

Decorating for Christmas, planning my food for tomorrow and helping Landrys class with their Thanksgiving feast yesterday. 

What I'm dreading: 

Hmm, I actually am boring this month. I really don't have anything I'm dreading except maybe wrapping the rest of my presents. But I have a love/ hate relationship with that. 

What I'm working on:

I'm creating our Christmas cards this year so I've been busy putting those together. We got our pics back last week and I adore them.  Everyone looking and smiling, I'll take it!

What I'm excited about:

Tomorrow! I absolutely love Thanksgiving. Plus we have family coming in that we don't usually get to see so we are excited about that too! Here we are last Thanksgiving. Wow! It's crazy what a difference a year can make!

What I'm watching: 

I absolutely love Christmas movies. I've been known to watch them at other times of the year too. But this year Landry is really into them too and made us a list and we started with her favorite last night

What I'm reading:

My bestie Shay had some awesome book recommendations on her blog and I wrote a few down to pick up. I'm not usually much of a reader other than my quiet time but I do want to start. My mom and sister are big readers and my Maw Maw was an avid reader so it runs in my family. I just need to take the time to do it! 

What I'm listening to:

Oh I love this station! It's on my kindle or phone at all times. I'm a huge Christmas music loving girl. Tim, not so much. But he's really great about turning it on for me to listen to. 

What I'm wearing:

This month I had a random assortment of outfits. Some were gym days, some running errands days and a few event days. I've said this before but I try and wear clothes that are comfortable but cute. 

What I'm doing this weekend:

We are headed to my parents house tomorrow night to stay the weekend. We have another Thanksgiving on Saturday with my moms family and then we might try and get some shopping done on Friday. I love getting out on Black Friday to shop but I wait until after lunch when the really dedicated people go back home and sleep!

What I'm looking forward to next month:

Christmas! I love December. On top of Christmas it's also my hubby's birthday month. So I get to celebrate him too! 

What's your favorite Christmas tradition:

Hands down its looking at lights. We load up with our Starbucks wearing our pajamas and drive around looking at lights. My kids are really into it this year and I can't wait! 

Happy Wednesday!