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January has been a rough month for us, but it’s coming to an end and hopefully the rest of 2015 is kinder to us. This month we’ve been battling sickness that has made it’s way around the house a few times, we took a trip to visit my grandparents in Kentucky and we said goodbye to my husband’s grandfather, who passed while we were on said trip.
Wow! What happened to the past week?!? I can’t believe it’s New Year’s Eve already! We had a great Christmas with several family gatherings. It’s always a bit crazy, but I love seeing everyone.
The boys wound up with way too much stuff and we’re in the process of putting it all away and deciding what needs to go because it’s not played with anymore. I have the hardest time parting with toys that were once loved, but I desperately need to do it because the house is being overrun with their things that just are used.
This morning we’ll probably be up somewhere between 6 and 7AM. Ideally, the later the better. We’ve all been a little under the weather and could use the extra rest. Hopefully the boys get the memo.
Today we’ll be tearing into our presents, working on our “thank you” words, and enjoying our time with family.
Whatever it is you do today, I hope you have a great day and remember the real reason for today.
I absolutely love Christmas trees! Every year, we go to one of our local tree farms, Cherry Grove Tree Farm, to pick out our tree. I really like taking the wagon ride out to explore the land and pick out a tree that we love. Last year, Owen was only about a month old so we skipped the wagon ride and picked out one from the barn that was pre-cut.
This is actually the same tree farm that we used to go to when I was little. I love being able to take my family to the same places I grew up going to. Creating more memories combined with my own just seems extra magical to me. This year the ride took us way out to a part I’ve never been!
I received a gift certificate in exchange for this post, but all opinions are my own. Affiliate links included.
If you’re not thinking about visiting a Family Christian Store for your holiday shopping, you need to!
As far as getting ready for the holidays, the Little People Nativity is a must for us! I’m so excited to put this out this year and explain things visually to Charlie. And, since it’s Little People, I don’t need to worry about him breaking them. My mom has a beautiful Precious Moments set and I hold my breath every time Charlie goes near it. This year will be worse with Owen on the run. I think Mommom may need one of these as well this year!
I saw something posted this past week that sounds like a great idea for the Nativity Set. It said to place the three wise men in other rooms and move them closer to the manger every day. It also said not to put baby Jesus in until Christmas morning. I thought this was a great idea and something we may be trying this year.
Thank you Minted for sponsoring this post. Affiliate links may be included.
We send Christmas cards every year. Last year we only received about ten cards though. I was super bummed about it and hope this year is better. We live in such a digital age that’s all about social media and email, but I love getting those pretty cards for the holidays. Anytime after Thanksgiving (it’s this week if you haven’t looked at your calendar) I expect the cards to start rolling in.
Earlier this year, I made a beautiful new piece of art for our wall from Minted. While Minted sells a ton of awesome products, I’m talking to you today about their Christmas and holiday cards.
I don’t know about you, but I have THE HARDEST TIME trying to pick out which card to send. For starters, I have four people that need to look good in a photo at the same time. If you’re a parent (you probably are if you’re here), you know the struggle. Once I narrow down a couple of pictures, the problem is deciding which design to choose.
This is a sponsored post written by me on behalf of UPS. All opinions are 100% mine.
The holiday season is definitely one of my favorite times of the year. I love all the food, fun, and especially all the extra family time. For us, since the boys are still so young, it's pretty easy to grant their wishes and make sure there is plenty under the tree for them. I know as they get older this isn't going to be as easy. For many families though, the holidays bring stress and sadness as they aren't able to fulfill their family's wishes and celebrate with all the goodies that we do. This year, UPS has an awesome program that is making it super easy to help out someone in need.
UPS is encouraging everyone to spread holiday cheer by sharing your holiday wishes and stories on Twitter and Instagram. For every wish and story submitted, UPS will donate $1 to one of their charity partners (Salvation Army, Boys & Girls Club or Toys for Tots) up to a total donation of $100,000! How great is that?!? This is such an easy and fun way for everyone to help out this holiday! Take a look at the video below:
This past weekend was the carnival and fireworks. Although it was later than usual, it was still a nice end to the official summer.
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I was finally able to catch a little video of Owen walking!
For this week’s Wordless Wednesday, I wanted to share what little bit I was able to snag on video. Why is it kids never do tricks when we want them to?
And he does actually walk much better than this, but I’ll take what I can get on video!
I received a gift card for sharing this event information as well as one to giveaway.
School is starting back soon, but the Hungry for Happiness mobile tour is still going!
The tour was just in Philadelphia last week and now it’s coming to Baltimore! Since I’m located right between the two, they’re both local for us! That also means another giveaway for you!
In Maryland, almost half-a-million individuals have reported food insecurity, or the inability to consistently access food. That means nearly 1 in 8 people experience hunger, and for children, that figure increases to 1 in 6. The Arby’s Foundation, the charitable arm of Arby’s Restaurant Group, Inc., in partnership with Share Our Strength’s No Kid Hungry® campaign, is committed to helping kids get the food they need.
My grandparents are here for a few days and I love the connection they have with my boys. I grew up being very close to them and couldn’t imagine it any other way. It’s been about 8 years since they made the move from Maryland to Kentucky and I absolutely hate the fact they’re so far away. Whenever they come to visit, I try to just take it all in and squeeze in as much time together as possible.
Growing up, I had one great grandparent. My boys currently have 7. That amazes me and they’re extremely lucky. Honestly, I don’t think my husband knows how blessed he is to have all of his grandparents still here with us. I’ve been at two for quite some time and when that changes, I know that my entire world will come to a stop.
Anyway… here’s a picture of Charlie with “Mommom ‘Tucky” at Pizza Hut this week!
Charlie loves calling my grandparents and talks to them on the phone often, but he eats it up when they’re here in person!
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This weekend was our anniversary weekend. Charlie and Daddy went camping with a church group Friday night and then I picked them back up on Saturday afternoon. They had a lot of fun and we can’t wait to go camping again.
Saturday night, everyone was exhausted and we tried to crash early, but the boys weren’t having it.
My grandparents came up for a quick visit from Kentucky. After church on Sunday, we all went to the Havre de Grace Seafood Festival. It was our first time going (even though I’ve lived here forever) and we’ll definitely be returning next year!
Today is our 4th Anniversary and for the first time in those four years, I woke up on August 9th alone.
Charlie and Daddy went camping with a local church group last night and they’re having a blast. Owen and Mommy get some alone time to hang out and just play.
In 4 years of marriage, we’ve been very busy. We’ve been blessed with two awesome little boys that keep us on our toes every day. I can’t imagine our life any other way.
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My sister was visiting from Kentucky last week. She returned home late Sunday evening, but we had to take a few pictures before she left!
Deborah took a picture of Owen and I snoozing before dinner. It was a long week!
Monday is Children’s Day at the Cecil County Fair. Last year, Charlie landed his cute self in the paper while digging for pretend bugs in a garden. This year seemed to be a bit more crowded, but it’s still so much nicer to go during the day before it really gets packed for the evening. The rides and carnival games aren’t open during this time. I know some people see this as a bad thing, but I love it. The 4-H groups, churches, and other organizations have activities just for children that are FREE! If the games and rides were open, the kids would be begging to do them. And trust me, they’re far from free.
So… after that wordy intro, here’s Wordless Wednesday! And don’t mind my grossness- it’s the County Fair, which means walking around in 90 degree weather, in the dirt and mud, sweating, petting animals, still sweating, and petting more animals- but I wouldn’t miss it!
Weekends seem to fly by lately, right? It can’t just be me. This weekend I attempted to hit a couple yard sales with the boys. I remember why I like consignment shopping so much! We went to several yard sales that advertised they were “huge” sales and they were not even worth stopping. I seriously did a drive-by at quite a few. I think we ended up getting out at 3.
Charlie was thrilled with his find of the day: a skateboard ramp with a little magnetized skateboarder for $0.25! I was pretty happy finding 2 new sets of Toy Story pjs for him for $1.25 total!
Sorry for the really crappy picture, but I wanted to show you what he got. I can’t find the skateboard, but I’m sure he knows right where it is. For $0.25, it’s perfect! I’m looking on ebay for some more pieces. It’s called Rolly Dome and apparently it’s related to the X Games.
