Happy Birthday, Daddy!!

1. I just realized my "post scheduling" failed me; leaving NO Christmas Eve post. I'll never trust that darn thing again.
2. I have totally skipped out on sharing our holiday festivites.

Excuses? I could think of a few.
Too many photos. Too many visits to document. I'm 38 weeks pregnant [probably my best go-to].

Today, however, could not be overlooked.

It's my daddy's birthday! And yes, I still call him my daddy.

I have already mentioned once before what an amazing father he is, but without sounding redundant he truly is the best man I know [alongside my husband, of course]. Words can never express my gratitude for eveeerryyyytthhiinngg my dad has done for me, for my daughter, and our family as a whole. He's selfless in all ways you can imagine, and has the biggest heart known to man.

He's an incredible grandfather to Audriana, and we are just anxious for our new son to meet this amazing man we call "Pop". 

Happy birthday, daddy!!!! You're by far the most idol man I know, and I love you so much.

Christmas Cookie Craze

With Christmas now only two days away, my winter bucket list is coming to a close.

To conclude it will most likely be on Christmas eve and Christmas day; baking Santa's cookies and watching the classic Peanuts Christmas. 

The most recent check mark, though, was baking Christmas cookies!! What an event. My mother-in-law and sister-in-law had the whole afternoon/evening planned. I can't wait to share the pictures. Literally. So here they are.

Given the spunkiness of them both, they had festive aprons waiting for us when we got there. Adorable.

Dressed and ready... it was on to the kitchen!

She was practically a pro [cough, cough] placing each cookie cutter in the middle of the dough. But whatev. Decorating them was her specialty if anything.

Then it was on to the final fun project! Reindeer cookies. [No I didn't make or cut them. But I shaped them... good enough].

This was the best time, and what better way to share it than with family. I'm so blessed to have such incredible in-laws who enjoy their time with Audriana [I'm sure they enjoy me as much, too] because it warms my heart witnessing these precious moments.

Shade of the Week

It's Christmas time!!! It's actually been Christmas time since December 1st in my mind, but I have held off with the red nails until closer to date.

With that said, this week I'm rocking one of my favorites.

Sally Hansen, Complete Salon Manicure 470 Red My Lips.

It's bold, it's beautiful, and it's festive.

I'm all about that.

Post Birthday Misery

Only one way to sum it all up...

Boom.

Boom. 

[not pictured, steamed dumplings]

Boom. 

...and boom.

The end.

Another Year Older, Another Year Wiser

I once read [by a pretty influential lady, my aunt Vicki] that future years to come don't always have to be counted by a number; as another year older. Yet they can be recognized as another year wiser. She views each birthday as "another year of wisdom". 

I love that.

That statement couldn't stand more true to my own life experiences. I can certainly say I've grown a lot more wiser in these past years; more so than I could have imagined. And I'm blessed for that growth.

Along with a new age, this year I began a new tradition.

A night of food [of course] and ornament crafts!!!

This year was our first trial, and I'd have to say it was a success. Other than the short attendance [due to impromptu scheduling] it was perfect. With that said, we were able to get by with my kitchen table and a separate children's table.

As a way to stay festive, I even made up some cute to-go boxes! Add little tissue paper, and you have yourself a nice little Christmas take-home box for your ornament.

Here were a few I was able to capture at the end of the night.

 Lastly, after some full bellies and crafts, we had dessert.

Compliments of my dear husband! And no I don't mean he made it, but simply ordered it. Thoughtful. ;)

Next year we plan to continue the tradition, but on a weekend to avoid some work schedules. The intimate number [including kids] made it very doable for our first run, but next year I'm hoping we can increase the company. 

Cheers to new traditions, and to another year of wisdom - appreciating such things. 

A Santa Claus Success

I used to think meeting Santa would go something like this.

And I wonder if it's because what they see is this.

But luckily, given her first visit, we had quite a pleasant experience. Literally angels were singing. After standing in line for an hour, you can only hope they at least SIT on the man's lap.

 And she did!

Maybe it was the treat of a candy cane that made this all worth while...

Nonetheless, she met Santa and it was a success!

Now we just have to work on the patience till Christmas morning......