'Twas the Night Before Christmas...

and we were in shorts at the park.

The kids were all laughing, awaiting the dark.

 My poem ends here, as I have way too many pictures.  

I'd quickly run out of phrases, because what rhymes with pictures?

Christmas Eve is my very favorite day of the year. 
We attended the 4:00 church service at Lake Pointe...

the girls looked precious...

and Jackson was quite dapper in his button-up shirt and tie.

After a good message, we ended the service by singing Silent Night--my favorite part!

After church, we headed to dinner at Al Beirnat's.  My boys!

Love this man so much.

The restaurant was decorated beautifully and we had an amazing meal.  Jackson and Lila shared a filet and Cami and I shared salmon.  Jared had a meal all to himself.  Everything was perfection, from the steaks to the sides to the desserts.  Such a treat.

We made our way home after that and began the rest of our traditions.

Only 1 day until Christmas!!!  These three were just a wee bit excited.

After they changed into their festive jammies, we put out the cookies and milk for Santa.  I gotta say, I'm surprised that Maverick didn't help himself to a sugar cookie.  He was well behaved, though, and restrained himself!  After that, we put out the reindeer food...

and let each child open one gift.

They were all smiles as they opened the first present of Christmas.

Jackson was super thankful for his airpods.  I was just thankful we'd had an awesome day and night.  Family together.  All getting along.  Sharing the blessings of Christmas with one another.

Merry Christmas to all!

'Tis the Season...

for Santa hats on Mav...

and on Cami!  It's also the season for Elf cookies...

and parties at Calley's house.

Her house is like a child's dream, and this fall, they even added a Gaga Ball Pit!

It's also the season for Sting Christmas parties. 
This one was at Urban Air and the girls did a gift exchange, too.

One of our favorite holiday traditions is going to dinner at the Squiers' house right before Christmas.  Miss Julie served the girls Shirley Temples...

and Cami got to spend plenty of time catching up with Jazzy.

All the kids exchanged gifts...

and then we decorated homemade sugar cookies.  Yummy and so pretty, right?!

Each kiddo got to take home a plate full of cookies, and some we even saved for Santa.

Cheers to good friends and holiday memories!

Christmas Break and Memaw's Birthday

Somehow December just blew right through like the wind!  All of a sudden, it was Friday, December 20th.  Kids had only a few short hours left of school and it was time to celebrate Shelley's birthday.

I just love this mindset for the holiday season.

A few days prior to Christmas break, Hunt Elementary won a local contest.  The prize was this festive sign in front of their school.  Cami's class got to run out on pajama day and snap a cute pic.

On Friday morning, I was so happy to see Miss Cameron as I walked into her classroom. 
She always gives me the best and biggest hugs.

 

Her class was missing 4 kiddos, but the ones who were there were so ready for their party!

I helped get it started and led the kids in making a donut reindeer.

Then I turned over the mic and ran down to Lila's class, across the school.

She has really enjoyed her first semester of 4th grade and loves her math teacher, Mrs. Jeffcoat.

It's also a huge win that she's got so many of her best girl friends in the class.

I watched this girl get all 6 mints onto her spaghetti noodle without using her hands...

then went back to Kinder.  Cami told Ashton to have a good Christmas. (She sort of likes him, but he's all in--telling everyone that he's going to marry her!)...

and hugged Mrs. Martinez in a BIG way!

She just loves her sweet teacher so much.  I do, too!

I took her back to 4th grade to get Lila...

and then we busted out of that joint!

A couple hours later we were in at Deerfield, all bundled up for our carriage ride to look at Christmas lights.

We even brought hot chocolate and wassail this year, to keep us nice and warm.

We sang Christmas carols, stayed cozy under our blankets...

and saw so many beautiful lights.

We got to zip right around the long line of cars, too!

Yay for a great night!

We went to dinner to celebrate Memaw's birthday and these two little cousins did so well.

Happy Birthday to Memaw, Happy Birthday to YOU!

Holiday Parties for Mamacita

 Most of December is spent shopping for presents, but every now and then I get to spice things up.

I took the girls shopping for their little cousins and Lila lobbied hard for us to get this giant stuffed animal.  We had to stay focused, though.  I really needed an ornament for that night!

I had my annual ornament exchange at Brio with Lindsey, Emily, Hayley and Taylor.  We were missing a few friends, but loved our time spent together!

A few days later, I joined some other MMS moms for a leisurely lunch at Jasper's. 
Really great food and so many laughs.

Later that same week, I went to a My Favorite Things party at Mary's house.  She made the most amazing warm roast beef sandwiches, served tamales from Lockhart BBQ, and then Lisa treated us to a fun cocktail.

I loved my time with these Hunt mamas!

The gift exchange was such a great idea, too.

Our girls are in kindergarten together, along with dance and Girl Scouts.  They are about to begin playing softball together as well.  Cami is loving her new friend and I am so thankful for mine!