Christmas Countdown 2018: 3, 2, 1...

Christmas Christmas time is near.... time for joy and time for cheer! ONLY THREE DAYS LEFT (technically, as I'm typing this, there's only a few hours until the big day arrives....)

Only 3 days until Christmas – it’s Mommy’s favorite night; grab some popcorn, put on pjs and under the tree we’ll sleep tonight!

This really is one of my absolute favorite nights of the season and honestly, I'm not sure how many more we have left. The kids are literally outgrowing the pallet on the floor all shoved together so I will cherish it as long as we can make it happen. 

And don't be fooled by these angelic faces... 

Radley's pjs were three sizes too small... but I still required coordinated pjs and big smiles in front of the tree while we try to master the self-timer as I say joy-filled things like, "can you just be normal?"... Seriously. Just. Sit. Still. And. Smile." and ... "We will sit here as long as it takes..."

This is me. Pretending to be a soft spoken mom-type that smiles all the time. 

But by 10pm when we've all fallen asleep next to a movie we have memorized, I look up and just cry.  Absolutely nothing sweeter!

Only 2 days until Christmas –  What’s something fun YOU want to do?? Kid’s choice!!

Y'all. This was THE MOST FUN. The kids have discovered "Minute to Win It" on Netflix so they organized a mini-competition between me and Gigi vs Ryan and Pops. Chaos ensued. Laughter was heard. Fun was had by all! You really just have to watch... 

Only 1 day until Christmas – Get dressed so we can get cooking! SANTA COMES TOMORROW! 

It's not Christmas until the meatballs are made... 

and it's a family tradition we are sure to keep alive for many years to come!

Merry Christmas everyone! 

Christmas Countdown 2018: 6, 5, 4...

It's funny how these activities hardly change each year but the kids still look forward to each and every one and I look forward to spending all this time with them. 

Only 6 days until Christmas – let’s eat popcorn for dinner and go see a movie!!!

This night is always one of my favorites because I love going to the movies and also popcorn for dinner is always a good idea. We were hoping Ryan could make it in time to join us but UPS is unpredictable so just the four of us got to enjoy a night out. We showered and bathed, threw on some pjs and headed to the theater!

I was a lot nervous about this whole "Mary Poppins Returns" things but it was so so so good and fun and charming and imaginative and colorful and happy and just so stinking great! 

Only 5 days until Christmas –  Let’s go see some lights!! 

We got bundled up and headed to a local park to walk around and enjoy their annual light display. The evening ended up being perfect for a little stroll and the chill that was in the air was easily kept at bay with all the ooey gooey warmth in my heart. 

These #wee3kings are just the ultimate gift each and every day and while I will never claim to be an easy going, go with the flow, all the time happy, Momma... I will never deny the blessings of time with them!

Only 4 days until Christmas – School is officially done, let’s go out to dinner for lots of fun!

Do you see a theme? As Christmas gets closer, I think of more and more excuses to not have to cook - ha! Ryan DID get to meet us for a quick dinner out at our favorite breakfast for dinner spot. The whole family ate for under $30 and we were home and in our pjs by 7:30pm! 

And just like that, there's only three days left... 

Christmas Countdown 2018: 9, 8, 7...

Our countdown continued with some of our favorite activities... 

Only 9 days until Christmas – Light 5 candles at church for people that need prayers

We don't have any pictures of this one, because not every single moment needs to be documented. But I do want to remember the family we lit a candle for. A mom and her two kids that we see every week in church - we arrived a little late on Sunday and the pews are more crowded this time of year so we couldn't find a pew that would fit all 5 of us. This momma noticed and moved back to free up space in her pew so we could sit down. I hope we always remember the simple kindness in that gesture and  instant difference it made in our day. May we all live our lives so that people light candles to bless us back. 

Only 8 days until Christmas – Game on! Let’s make breakfast for dinner and play our favorite games!

As excited as I was about brinner and board games, the night got even better when Ryan showed up at 5:45pm! Y'all - this is just crazy cakes. I mean, that's really not normal on any day but during holiday peak season?!? I was frightened. That was amazing on its own, but we also had the added bonus of Miss Elizabeth and Corey AND I made cream gravy so basically we had the best night ever!

Liz and Corey also brought Radley a belated birthday gift which was maybe the sweetest thing ever - Corey gifted him all of his old Pokemon cards and Radley was so excited! They immediately started using words that I didn't know the meaning of but I didn't really need to... I just needed to know that my kids are loved by lots of people and that's the gift to me. 

I also won the game, but that's not really important. 

;)

Only 7 days until Christmas – Tomorrow is MaMaw's birthday! Let’s go buy a special ornament to honor her!

We headed to HobLob after the evenings crazy of art and gymnastics and I got a little worried that we weren't going to find anything. At this point they have already taken most of Christmas down and what's left is broken, chipped or an emoji which is not the looking we are going for. Emersyn spotted this frame ornament and asked if we could put a picture of MaMaw inside and I think it's just perfect. 

But as we were about to leave, I spotted this angel holding a red bird. MaMaw loved red birds and we love her so the two are a perfect fit, 

Happy Birthday, MaMaw...and Merry Christmas, too!

Christmas Countdown 2018: 12, 11, 10...

I sometimes get frustrated with past Katy... making all sorts of parenting decisions without thinking of the long-term repercussions. The energy I had as a first time parent in my 20s is vastly different now that I'm approaching the big 4- 0. I'm basically waving the white flag half the time around here. 

Except when it comes to Christmas. I can't help it. I love the pomp and circumstance. The ridiculous, over-the-top celebrating, the messy traditions... all of it. And while I may take a bit longer to come up with ideas, I'm so glad that all those years ago, we started a 12 day countdown to ring in the season. 

Only 12 days until Christmas… the big day is getting near! You’re hanging with the Baileys tonight, one of your favorite nights of the year! 

For the past few years, Krista has gifted ME with a "night off." She picks up my kiddos and they feed them, entertain them and deliver them back home precisely at bedtime. I usually spend my evening in the quiet house, wrapping gifts, eating my favorite foods and drinking one glass of wine. This year was no different and while my crew was making pizzas, I was savoring every last bite of my favorite pizza, with my favorite movie, doing my favorite thing - wrapping presents. We were all in heaven!

Only 11 days until Christmas – Spread holiday cheer and wrap some gifts! 

This is a repeat item every year - we gather all the supplies for teacher gifts, wrap them up, sign the labels and get them prepped for delivery. I thought the number would go down this year since Radley started 5th grade, but my kids are GIVERS so we wrapped up their favorite snack (popcorn and m&ms) for THIRTY-FOUR teachers. 

Tis the season indeed. 

Only 10 days until Christmas – Tonight is going to be special – we know you’ll love the plan! It includes singing carols with lots of our favorite friends! And just to make sure we all sound extra sweet, we’ll start with cups of coco for a warm and cozy treat!

I could NOT wait for this surprise!! Ryan headed to HEB SUPER early Saturday morning to load up on the essentials for the evening and the kids were so dang excited about a party! Emersyn has been asking if we can have a "Christmas party" and she was extra thrilled that her wish came true. 

I made homemade hot chocolate...

(6 gallons whole milk, 2 cans sweetened condensed milk, 4 cups heavy whipping cream (separated), 2 tsp vanilla, .5 tsp. sea salt, 1 bag milk chocolate chips. Mix all ingredients in a crockpot EXCEPT for 2 cups of HWC, cook on high for 2 hours, stir, add 2 remaining cups of HWC and turn on low for 2 hours.)

... and Ryan cleared HEB out of sugar cookies and we were prepped and ready for the night!

The kids had SO.MUCH.FUN. singing carols and the best part was surprising total strangers with a little Christmas joy. They just couldn't believe that we were doing this "just because"... 

We ended at our house for treats and coco and enjoyed the company of friends while living out the joy of the season. 

The countdown continues tomorrow!