Christmas 2016

How is it that holiday weekends always fly by SO fast!? Ours was so busy, but so good. While I have loved having a little baby at Christmas the past few years, this year was really the first time that Jackson got super excited about things. While the concept of 'Santa' has not fully sunk in, he totally knows who Santa is, as well as Baby Jesus, Christmas trees,  the 'candy door' on our advent house, and of course, nothing else can top his precious snowmen this year! Lincoln is at such a sweet age as well, that this Christmas really was one of the most magical years I can remember having in a long time!

On Friday, I had the day off from work and had some errands to run. I met my parents for breakfast, which is something they just love to do with the boys. Jackson can put down breakfast sausage and pancakes like no one's business, and he had a fun meal seated between his bapa and nia.

My mom and I ran some errands before town got too crazy, and were home around noon. I had the rest of the afternoon to finish making some cookies, clean up, and spend some time with my boys.

On Friday night my brother and his wife who live out of town came over to see our house for the first time, and it was fun to finally show them! I was also amazed how much cleaning I got done in the ten minutes before they arrived ;-) I really need to have people more often, just to get myself cleaning!

On Saturday, we went to town bright and early, and really my sole mission was to pick up the snowmen I purchased online and had waiting for me in the store. Holiday stuff was 60% off online at Target, which is even better than the after Christmas sales! I got a duplicate of Jackson's 'daddy snowman' and bought the smaller version as well. And in case you were wondering, yes daddy snowman has already suffered some damages. Tough love by Jackson!

Just a little family of snowmen.

Saturday afternoon we went over to Mike's parents for their Christmas. It gets louder and busier every year, but it is so much fun as more kids are added to the mix! Jackson and Lincoln both took solid naps while we were there, which was amazing! Jackson also enjoyed a cake pop and about ten too many cookies ;-)

Once we headed home, we decided to drive out to one of the local houses that has lights synced up with music, and I am so glad that we did! I had seen a video online set to 'Let It Go' and wouldn't you know, I told Mike let's stay for one more song and then we can go, and that's the one that came on! It was seriously so cool, I have never seen one of those houses live before. Jackson stared out the window in awe the entire time. I am definitely thinking it is something we will have to do every year! Once we got home, we got the boys right into bed, and exchanged gifts. Mike got me a drink making tool kit, so I went right to town making us some mojitos! We watched a Christmas episode of The Office and set out all of the gifts before calling it a night!

Christmas morning, Jackson was pretty excited to see the goodies under the tree. Of course, he was more focused on stacking the gift boxes to make a robot, haha! He was so excited about all of his gifts, but wouldn't you know, the highlight of the morning was sitting in the box filled with a bunch of plastic balls ;-) I am so in love with how easily (and cheap!) it is to entertain kids! The rest of the morning, we lounged around, enjoyed some egg bake, and tried not to get too overwhelmed by the mountains of toys everywhere ;-)

I decided to use our ten year old camera on Christmas. I cannot believe how washed out the photos are with it! I think a Canon Rebel may be on next year's Christmas list!

After naps, we headed over to my parents for my family's Christmas. I honestly think that Christmas this year was one of the best in a long time. Everyone had fun, there were lots of laughs and great conversations, and my boys had so much fun.

We enjoyed our annual seafood dinner, including shrimp, lobster tails, and crab legs! YUM! We topped off the meal with my moms ice cream cake, which is seriously ten times better than anything I have ever had from the store. Everyone request she make one when their birthday rolls around, because it is so delicious!

We finished off the night with a fun game where we had to open a present wearing oven mitts. We added to the fun by competing in pairs, and it was pretty darn loud and high energy by the end! Mike and I won, and have a giant tub of jelly beans to prove it :-) We got the boys packed up and headed home, before the roads got too slick. Because oh yeah, we live in Minnesota and are covered in snow but it downpoured rain all day long. Probably the craziest winter weather I have seen!

New PJs for me and the most perfect tee that I got Mike for Christmas.

On Monday, both Mike and I had the day off, so we all stayed in comfy clothes all day, I didn't fold or put away a single load of laundry, and there were about a million toys scattered in every corner of our house. It was perfect :-)

Looking fresh after afternoon nap!

Those little toes hanging off the chair during lunch just killed me. Please stay little forever.

I hope you all had a wonderful Christmas with your families with lots of food, laughs, and love!

Linking up with Our Pretty Little Girls for Tuesday Talk!

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Friday Favorites

It is officially Christmas weekend! I cannot believe that it is finally here. I swear that I blinked once and the entire month of December is gone! Time needs to slow down a bit. I am off of work for a long weekend, and am so excited to spend today with my sweet boys. I am thinking that some Christmas baking and last minute gift wrapping is on the agenda. And a coffee run, too ;-) I have so many things that I am looking forward to this weekend, but as always I love taking the time to highlight a few of my favorite things that are happening lately!


1. Frosty the Snowman

You guys. Yesterday as we were getting ready to head out of the door and off to daycare, Jackson spotted our Frosty the Snowman DVD. He knows the song and loves it, but to date he really hasn't done much singing. We are so thrilled with his takeoff in speech, and I have known he would eventually start doing some singing when he was ready. I totally wasn't expecting it, and suddenly I looked over at my sweet boy and he was swaying back and forth, DVD in one hand and his beloved stuffed 'daddy snowman' in the other, singing 'FOS-TY -HO-MANNNN'. Over and over. I was a puddle. I whipped out my phone to record his singing and have watched it about a million times. And tear up every time, too. Nothing beats those moments that you know you are going to treasure for years to come, while it is happening right before your eyes. Can I please keep two year old Jackson forever?


2. Leggings
Winter is here, and will be for the long haul, because *Minnesnowta*. I have mentioned my favorite leggings time and time again, but they are seriously the most perfect option for those cold winter days. They are thick, warm, and super comfy. I go with the high-waisted option, as they were perfect during pregnancy, but they also have a thick waistband and provide zero muffin top. They are just the best!


3. Cherry Cookies

via

Confession: I have the worst sweet tooth ever. I basically have zero self control when it comes to sugar. I love pretty much all Christmas cookies, but a few years ago I stumbled across this recipe and they have quickly become a favorite! Rather than drizzling chocolate on top, I let them cool and then dip the bottoms in melted milk chocolate. They are seriously so yummy, if you like cherries and chocolate, these are a must!


4. Cozy Sweater
I have seen this sweater floating around, and finally decided I need to have it! It is oversized, perfect for hiding that post-Christmas dinner belly most of us have going on by the end of the day ;-) It has so many amazing reviews, and I love the neck details! And best of all, you just cannot beat the price!


5. Daddy Snowman
I think I have mentioned a time or two over the past month, but Jackson is OBSESSED with snowmen (see favorite #1). The obsession started when we were at Target around Thanksgiving time and saw this snowman. He affectionately named it 'daddy snowman' and carried it everywhere. Well, daddy snowman was a fragile decorative snowman, and eventually his jolly happy soul was discreetly placed in the trash. I found a replacement at another store, which was a little bit less breakable. But, I just saw that our original snowman is majorly marked down at Target, and I am absolutely going to buy another one. I am deciding if we give him to Jackson or just hold off and hide him until next year. But I have such sweet memories of him falling in love with that snowman, that my mama heart wants it for myself to keep forever. I just cannot put into words the magic that is brought to the holidays once you have children of your own. It warms my heart more than I can say!


I hope that you all have a blessed, wonderful Christmas surrounded by those who you love the most. I cannot wait to check back in next week, share some of the sales happening (which are sure to be fantastic) and hear about how everyone spent the holiday weekend! God bless!

Five on Friday // Oh Hey Friday! // Friday Favorites // Friday Favorites // High Five For Friday

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Christmas Card 2016

Merry Christmas from our family to yours. The front of our card is, in fact, the only picture we were able to capture with both Mike and myself looking at the camera ;-) Don't worry, we made up for the lack of family shots (wrangling two little men for photos is TOUGH) with the adorable shot on the background. I love those sweet babies so much, they are so precious.

For the third year in a row, we went with Mixbook for our Christmas cards. They always do a quality job, their prices are fantastic, and turnaround time on shipping is amazing! I will say, my minor complaint this year is that these cards were advertised as 'gold foil', but they are not actually foil. I definitely had a sad moment when I opened the box and was not greeted with pretty gold foil, but rather a glitter print writing. False advertising is frustrating, but overall I do love the look of our cards and am happy with how they turned out! While I didn't use the feature, they do offer to print your addresses on the envelopes for you, which I think I will most definitely be taking advantage of next year! I am always so on top of it when it comes to ordering our cards, but writing out the addresses seriously takes me days, I just cannot sit down and do it all at once! I love that convenience features like that are offered, freeing up those little bits of extra time to truly enjoy time with family during the holidays :-)

I hope everyone has a blessed Christmas surrounded by loved ones, lots of delicious food, and a remembrance of the true meaning of Christmas!

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Friday Favorites

How is it even possible that we are only a week away from Christmas!? Every year, life flies by faster and faster, and I am just trying my best to soak it all in. We are set to get a snowstorm tonight, followed by temperatures with highs below zero on Sunday! That's a Minnesota winter for you! In this season of twinkle lights and cheer, you know there are so many favorite things to share!


1. The Lace Up Trend
Okay, who all has jumped on the lace up trend lately? I have been holding out, but I saw this sweater just came out at Gap and I am in love. But you know me, I am waiting for the perfect moment (and sale) to strike ;-) **UPDATE** I was not even finished writing this post and wouldn't you know, I flipped over to The Gap's website and the sweater is marked at $15 off, and then another 45% off!! So there is the great sale I was waiting for, and it is obviously now on it's way to me. Shhh, don't tell Mike!


2. Wreath Cookies

I go all out with Christmas cookies, and am a little embarrassed to admit we have eaten the entire double batch of kiss cookies, as well as the entire batch of sugar cookies already *cue the monkey covering his eyes emoji* There is not much self control around our house when it comes to sweets. My all time favorite since childhood, though, is Christmas Wreath cookies! Not only are they yummy, but they are so quick and easy because they don't require any dough prep or baking! Melt a stick of butter and a bag of marshmallows, add some green food coloring and corn flakes, and shape on wax paper. Add some cinnamon candies for the holly berries and you are done! To be honest, I never shape them into actual wreaths, I more-so just create a little blob, but while I love to bake, I am also lazy and they taste the same regardless! Mike got home from working late last night and already found them, so it's a good thing I bought ingredients for another batch ;-)


3. Shop Small

I love my big retailers. Old Navy, Nordstrom, Gap, you all have my heart. But there is often something so special about small shops, and the unique/custom products you can find! I found these adorable beanies for my boys, and am just dying to receive them in the mail. I have also been on the hunt for some wall décor for our home, and am certain I will end up finding what I am looking for through Etsy or Instagram. I just love one of a kind pieces that support moms like myself!


4. Ikea Gifts
Okay, when Christmas shopping for kiddos I have never really thought 'go to Ikea'. But this year, after assessing our toy situation and how many pieces and contraptions we have, we are really trying to keep it to more useful, practical pieces. My parents drove down towards Ikea yesterday, and asked if I needed anything. I looked online, and found this table, this art easel, and how cute are these play veggies!? Jackson has been stealing food off of his dinner plate to feed his toy rocking horse (true story) and it will be so fun to give him some outlets for more imaginative play. And as always, you seriously CANNOT beat their prices. $25 for that table!? I know the boys will get so much use out of it, and if they break it or color on it, I won't be totally heartbroken. I just love me some Ikea.


5. Baby Eats
I have spoken a bit on this, but Lincoln seriously hates baby food. He purses his lips and refuses to eat more than one or two bites. It has been a challenge, because while I try so hard to not compare my children, at this point Jackson was eating pretty regular meals every single day. I feel bad that Lincoln hasn't been experiencing food and flavors, but at the same time, he is refusing what we offer to him! So, I made the decision to just let things happen naturally, and not forcing him to eat if he doesn't want to. In the past week or two, I have started letting him try little bites of whatever we are eating, and he has gobbled down pineapple off of my Hawaiian pizza, goes crazy or bits of garlic bread, and he will love you forever if you let him have a bite (or gnaw) of your apple. Last night, we had tator tot hotdish and I decided to serve him some of the veggies and tots, and he went nuts!! I seriously could not feed him fast enough. He seems to have really figured out how to swallow, which was a bit of a challenge in the past month as, while he wanted to eat, he would usually gag on anything that wasn't liquid. I never want to wish away my babies, but I am so excited that we are finally entering the stage where he can really start to explore people food and be a part of our meals with us! Also, Jackson has started eating at the table with us and has gladly passed down his highchair. Nothing makes my day more than when a child pronounces something and it comes out sounding like something totally inappropriate, and in this case it is when he points to Lincoln's 'hass-ho'. Is it bad I don't want him to correct it ever!?


I hope you all have a fabulous weekend. We are off to the extended family Christmas party tomorrow, and Santa will be there! I'd say it's a 50-50 shot that Jackson screams, and fully expect Lincoln to try to eat Santa's beard ;-)

Five on Friday // Oh Hey Friday! // Friday Favorites // Friday Favorites // High Five For Friday

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Holiday Home Tour

 

 

Ah! It is finally time for a holiday home tour! I swear, decorating for Christmas is one of the things I was most excited about in our new house. Nothing breaks in a home and makes it feel cozier than the twinkle of Christmas lights. I continue to build on our collection every year, especially since deciding on a bit of a theme recently! I also realized once I started decorating that we have ZERO table space in our new house! No entryway table, no living room accent tables, no sofa tables, nothing. I mean, dressers and dining room tables do take priority when moving ;-) So, some of my décor sadly just does not have a place to go this year. An entryway table is next on my list for furniture, but unfortunately I probably won't have that before the holidays. Check back in 2017 to see my Christmas village in action ;-)

 

The entryway. I would love to have the stockings by the fireplace, but little hands are iffy. I just don't trust stocking holdings and a toddler yet ;-) But they fit perfectly on our railing off of the entryway!

I bought Michael and myself basic stockings and wrote our names on with gold glitter our first year together, and they just stuck for me. These stockings were like $2 a piece, but I kind of love them. Maybe one day when I know the family is 100% complete I will buy some fancier ones, but I kind of love handwriting the names on my babies stockings.

This was the entryway originally. That snowman was affectionately named 'Daddy Snowman' by Jackson, and is now resting peacefully in the garbage after taking a little bit too much abuse from Jackson :-( Poor boy has been walking around whimpering 'Daddy Snowman' ever since we tossed him. I actually just bought a replacement that is slightly less breakable so hopefully that does the trick!

 

I am in love with our mantle! Both the banner and garland are Target finds this year. I have a Fesh Balsam candle nestled in the garland so our house smells like a Christmas tree even though we have an artificial :-)

I knew I needed the pillow with the first letter of our last name the second I saw it. I am also obsessed with our plaid throw.

Ok so my parents dropped the ball on Elf on the Shelf. We had three elves that moved and got into trouble while we were sleeping as kids before it was even a 'thing'. So instead of getting the mainstream elf, I went online and found an identical copy of the ones my parents have. It is so special to me to carry on the 'original elves' that I grew up with!

I love my countdown house. Jackson caught on quickly and happily repeats 'candy door!' whenever I tell him it is time to open one up for a Rolo ;-)

I am obsessed with these mugs from Hobby Lobby! They have an entire matching dinnerware set actually..I am debating going back for the rest! 

The candy cane holder is passed onto me from my mom. I love having little pieces from my childhood!

 

I love having a fun candy dish in the kitchen. Especially now that I can fill it with all the fun Christmas themed treats!

 

Our garland. We kind of did a sad job of hanging it, but it sure looks pretty lit up at

night!

 

The tree :-)

The view from upstairs. All the heart eyes!

I will never grow tired of how cozy our living room is at Christmas time.

And one more view, because I can't get enough!

 

 

Linking up with Lindsay and Andrea for holiday home tours today!

 

 



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