I love Christmas and one of my favorite parts is wrapping the gifts! 

Mom and I always try to coordinate our gift wrapping so it will look beautiful beneath the tree. 

This Christmas was such a happy Christmas. Last year was a little rough since I had just lost both of my Grandfathers. I know it will never be completely normal again but with this being the second Christmas without them it was better than the first. Here are some of the highlights from this year! :)

Mom and the sweet baby, Sadie Grace! 

This was her first Christmas and she didn't know what to think about it.... 

except for her dislike of Santa of course!! 

One of my most favorite kids... I don't understand why she insists on growing so much! 

Every time I see Joanna she seems more grown up than the last.

Oh Hunter, he is a wild man and he constantly makes me laugh....

clearly. 

My Aunt Teresa (also one of my most committed readers) and her sweater I 

bought for her! Gotta love Old Navy!  

My Dad and Brother fighting over who just got some cologne. 

....it wasn't my brother.

My fun, festive Christmas nails!!! 

Going to redo these babies tonight, something not so......

bold. ha! 

And drum roll of my two favorite gifts...... 

I literally screamed when I opened this!!! 

eeeeeeeek! 

and of course Mom tricked me into thinking I wasn't going to get this awesome book 

because she "didn't know which one I wanted" 

HA, no idea why I still believe her?!?

NOW I am ready for some New Years fun and I can't wait to have a night out with my girls since their men are both busy. I will gladly stand in and receive a kiss on the cheek at midnight! ;)

A new year...

Hello Monday, I mean Tuesday…. Seriously, that’s how I have felt all day. I was so bummed when I realized it was Tuesday for one reason. No Chicken Enchilada Soup!!!! So tragic, you know the stuff is amazingly good when you wish it were Monday.

However, it is Tuesday which means almost half the work week is gone! I love long Holiday weekends!!!

Back in November I started a new morning and evening devotional with an iPhone app and I sincerely love it! If you have an iPhone and want something simple and short to read on a daily basis check it out! The “Holy Bible” app has a ton of daily devotions to pick from.

I’m currently at on day 29 of my 366 day plan and each day seems better than the one before. Last night before I went to sleep I read from Luke 2:20.

“The sheepherders returned and let loose, glorifying and praising God for everything they had heard and seen. It turned out exactly the way they’d been told!” {The Message Version}

The devotion went along saying that we should copy the shepherds on a daily basis, praising with excitement that God did provide us with His Son for our salvation and how that praise is the sweetest music to Him. Then I read this and I absolutely LOVED it:

“It is not enough to hear about Jesus: mere hearing may tune the harp, but the fingers of living faith must create the music.”

I think that’s so beautiful… that by living my life for Christ it’s as if I am playing music for Him. My prayer for the New Year ahead is for my Lord to hear new songs from me daily. Always growing and not pressing repeat with a song I already know. I want to expand my horizons in every way so I can become closer to Him and His Kingdom.

I’m not sure what that will mean for my life but I have a feeling 2012 will be amazing & I’m so looking forward to it!!!

actually......

via Pinterest

I know I mentioned this last week but I couldn't resist. 

Look for Love and you will find it.....

I'm snuggled up on my couch as I type this about to eat some dinner with my Mom. Pasta with meatballs and a nice glass of wine after a day of shopping definitely sounds perfect to me... especially since I just woke up from a stellar nap! Back to work tomorrow but thankfully it will be Tuesday and NOT Monday which is always nice. I hope you all had a wonderfully perfect weekend filled with a bunch of love! 

Christmas Prayer

via Pinterest

This is my prayer on Christmas Eve. To become more like Mary, 

living by faith and saying YES to what God has called me to do. 

Merry almost Christmas Everyone! 

December in Pictures

Like I mentioned in the first of my WHOPPING 3 posts this month, I’ve been busy. I have seriously been slacking… Here are some fun highlights from the month of December so far!!

My sweet Mom and I at the 4th Annual 

Christmas Ornament Exchange! 

{Even with the tree branch I still love this!}

My favorite ladies in all of the world. 

My mom and her favorite ladies... 

can't help but have a blast with them! 

My DIY Wreath Project! 

Not too "Christmasy" so it can stay up through 

the beginning of the year

And I'm so excited for my soul sister, 

Jocie and her new future hubby, Adam! 

Can't wait for all the fun ahead in 2012!!!

This month has definitely been busy but I wouldn’t have wanted it any other way! I love this time of year and I am so thankful for all the love that I am surrounded by.

It’s wonderful to know that my Lord and Savior came to earth as a baby only to be tortured and killed for me. That’s what this season is all about. It’s not about the special deals you can find on the day after Thanksgiving. It’s not about the gifts that you receive. It’s not even about the gifts that you give… It’s about the one gift that changed the entire world forever. The most selfless gift known to man.

So Merry Christmas and I hope you all enjoy a beautiful day with family and friends! I sure will & I’m going to give all the glory and thanks right back to my sweet Jesus!

All ages of love...

These all make my heart melt... especially sweet 7 year old Bobby! I love all of them but when I read his I got goose bumps on my arms. Kids really are so smart. I love the innocence and willingness of their love.  

“Love is when you go out to eat and give somebody most of your French fries without making them give you any of theirs.” 

- Chrissy, age 6 

“Love is what makes you smile when you’re tired.” 

- Terri, age 4

“Love is when my mommy makes coffee for my daddy and she takes a sip before giving it to him, to make sure the taste is OK.”

- Danny, age 7

“Love is when you kiss all the time. Then when you get tired of kissing, you still want to be together and you talk more. My Mommy and Daddy are like that. They look gross when they kiss.”

- Emily, age 8

“Love is what’s in the room with you at Christmas if you stop opening presents and listen.” 

- Bobby, age 7

“If you want to learn to love better, you should start with a friend who you hate,” 

- Nikka, age 6

“Love is when you tell a guy you like his shirt, then he wears it every day.” 

- Noelle, age 7

“Love is like a little old woman and a little old man who are still friends even after they know each other so well.” 

- Tommy, age 6

“During my piano recital, I was on a stage and I was scared. I looked at all the people watching me and saw my daddy waving and smiling. He was the only one doing that. I wasn’t scared anymore.” 

- Cindy, age 8

“My mommy loves me more than anybody. You don’t see anyone else kissing me to sleep at night.” 

- Clare, age 6

“Love is when Mommy gives Daddy the best piece of chicken.” 

- Elaine, age 5

“Love is when Mommy sees Daddy smelly and sweaty and still says he is handsomer than Brad Pitt.”

 - Chris, age 7

“Love is when your puppy licks your face even after you left him alone all day.” 

- Mary Ann, age 4

“I know my older sister loves me because she gives me all her old clothes and has to go out and buy new ones.” 

- Lauren, age 4

“When my grandmother got arthritis, she couldn’t bend over and paint her toenails anymore. So my grandfather does it for her all the time, even when his hands got arthritis too. That’s love.” 

- Rebecca, age 8

“When you love somebody, your eyelashes go up and down and little stars come out of you.” 

- Karen, age 7

“You really shouldn’t say ‘I love you’ unless you mean it. But if you mean it, you should say it a lot. People forget.” 

- Jessica, age 8

yup..... precious! 

Crazy little thing called Love!

Yes, I’m still ALIVE. December is busy… who would have thunk it? One thing I love about December is all the LOVE! I always make a point to watch Love Actually because lets be honest, I could watch it every single day! LOVE that movie any time of the year but it definitely has as special meaning in December and it always makes me realize all the love that I have around me.

It’s in my Mom’s panic to find the perfect gifts every year even when I tell her I don’t need anything. It’s the random phone calls from friends just to say hello.  It’s the memories that I think of when I miss both of my Grandpas. It’s the memories that I am creating with those I still have in my life. It’s the excitement I feel for my 2 best friends as they start a new chapter in their life as a future wife.

Most of all, it’s the thankfulness I feel in my heart when I read Matthew 2:10-11:

“When they saw the star, they were overjoyed. On coming to the house, they saw the child with His mother Mary, and they bowed down and worshiped Him. Then they opened their treasures and presented Him with gifts of gold, frankincense and myrrh.”

During the past few weeks my church has been teaching about the arrival of Jesus and the different people it affected. Last Sunday the pastor ended the service saying this, “Christmas is about a bunch of rich folks putting their face in the dirt and worshiping a true King” and that’s the truth. We have to LOVE Him enough to put ourselves below Him because it’s not about US. It’s all about Him. He is Love.

Hope you all are having a wonderful December and even with all the hustle and bustle you can stop to enjoy the love around you because it really is all around, we just have to take a second to notice.