34 years young

 Dearest Boys,

You're both big fans of birthdays and you love being part of a good celebration.  When I asked how we should celebrate Dad's birthday, you answered so quickly that I wonder if you'd been planning it together for a while now!?!

Luckily for you, your dad is up for just about anything with y'all so Top Golf it was!

Although we didn't make any special reservations (thinking, how busy can it be on a cold Tuesday night?), we got seated in a sweet bay!  It had a comfy couch with a heater right above it!  

Your celebratory dances before, during, and after each turn were a birthday treat in-and-of themselves!

 Jax, you showed no mercy to the birthday boy and you beat all of us!

While the dancing and golfing looked fun, I spent most of the party on the heated couch trying to convince our favorite 34 year old to snuggle.

 

I look forward to hearing your plans for his next birthday!

Merry Christmas!!

Dearest Gifts,

Grandma and Grandpa invited us to their church for Christmas Eve.  You both enjoyed their praise band but you were most excited to "light" your candles!

Dad & I were up late on Christmas Eve night and I collapsed in bed about 73 seconds after this picture was taken.

We missed out on your "first look" as you two both disregarded the baby gate we set up in your hallway and totally peeked in the early morning hours while we were still sleeping!

I like to wrap things in boxes where they don't belong....you didn't actually receive a box of fiber bars!  :)

Of course Santa's foosball table had to get tested out before we relocated it to the game room.

Then we connected with Grandpa, Grandma, Uncle Mike, Aunt Jess, & Hailey via computer and opened gifts together that way.

We didn't bother changing from our pajamas before we went to Grandpa and Grandma's house that afternoon.

We opened presents, ate Grandma's traditional feast, and played and played and played (and I might have given myself the gift of a nap!).

We returned home, squeezed in one last holiday movie before bedtime (Dad was snoring on the floor while we barely moved on the couch!), and declared Christmas 2015 a success!

Decor & More

Dearest Jackson & Colton,

You two were both so excited to help decorate this year! Christmas spirit is alive, well, and enthusiastic in both of you & it was contagious!  We started strong the weekend after Thanksgiving and, after dragging about a dozen boxes downstairs from the attic, we emptied quite a lot of them.  But then we had to start getting ready to return to school/work and that's all it took to zap us of energy so 3 or 4 boxes sat untouched.  We eventually admitted defeat and returned them to the attic as full as they came down.  All that to say that our house wasn't exactly decked from wall to wall this year nor did it cast a blinding light on neighboring houses.  But what we did unpack and place made us happy for over a month.  For both memory's sake & as a cheat sheet for the future, here's a tiny tour:

Our front porch had a memento from a fun shopping trip in Canton as well as the first snowman in my "collection" (not to be confused with actual collectors, I simply like snowmen).

Senji was there to greet you as you walked in as was our garland lined staircase hung by our favorite engineer with the finest of zip ties!

To your right, our formal dining room housed a special tree.  I'm not sure how the snowman topper, Christmas card display, and holiday book basket go together...but aren't they sweet?!?

The dining room table suggested we iron the runner next year...

My favorite nativity got a table all to itself!

Down the hall, this was displayed right outside of our master bedroom.  I couldn't help but smile each time I walked passed it and saw the proof of your growth over the years.

This area of our living room held some precious treasures.  Each shelf had a different decoration and the large Santa figurines were the newest additions as they were shared with us after your Great Grandpa passed away. 

The mantle was Bass Pro Santa headquarters but I'd like this changed up in the future.  I want to frame your Santa photos altogether in one big frame instead.

The living room also had the pleasure of hosting the main family tree.  Now that the two of you have so many ornaments of your own, decorating this was/is your favorite!

The kitchen table was happy to keep the snowman theme going.

The kitchen itself also wanted to be inclusive.

 The playroom upstairs was the perfect spot for our "fun tree"

And this nativity got its own table too!

Last, but not least, you two kept tiny trees in your bedrooms all season.  

Christmas decorations just might be my love language and I think it's awesome that you speak my language!!  

Cookies!

Dearest Boys,

The Fletchers hosted a cookie decorating party at their house so we knocked out our cookies for Santa in the company of fun friends!

I neglected to take a picture of the final products :( 

But, trust me, Santa liked them!

Carriage Tradition

Dearest Colt & Jax,

We hit the jackpot this year at our annual carriage ride!  We were one of the first in line so we didn't have to wait long and we had great entertainment while we waited!

First, there was this lovely group of carolers.

 Next, this stilt walker had y'all in awe!

 And then it was our turn for our lap around the block.

 You're my favorite carriage companions!

Lights!

Dearest Colt and Jax,

Our holiday traditions continued as we went on a light tour.  While I absolutely love the houses in our neighborhood, most folks around here are super traditional and we're surrounded by perfectly outlined rooftops all in white and/or red.  There is an inflatable every now and then but not much to stop and stare at so we followed yonder star over to Addison to take in the lights at Vitruvian Park.  This was a first for us so we weren't aware that there was so much space to walk around.  Next year we will all dress more weather-appropriate so that we can enjoy the lights a bit longer.

 

 Our favorite finds were the houses with lights set to music.  While difficult to photograph, here were our Top 5 this year:

Grandma & Grandpa win coziest house award!

Of course, we had to stop to admire THE tree too!

 

 Maybe, if we start decorating now, the outside of our house can be one worth admiring next year?!?

Party, party, party!

Dearest Jackson and Colt,

We had a few fun parties on our calendar this year and they really added to our holiday spirit!  The first was "Friends-mas" and the Facklers hosted it at their house.

When you weren't decorating cookies, eating dinner, or taking this picture, we tried to keep y'all upstairs so that us adults could do a gift exchange and play a hilarious game of cards downstairs.

Up next were the parties in your classrooms.   After asking if you wanted us to join you for it, Jax you told us no so I grabbed this shot from your teacher's twitter page.

 Colt, you made it known that you wanted me to party with you so I sneaked away from my class for a little bit and joined your fun.

Unfortunately, your dad's company decided against partying this year : (

My "company" celebrated with a fun dinner at a teammate's house -- but families weren't included : (

Our final party was hosted by our neighborhood association at a ranch right down the road.  It was fun having so many neighbors in one spot & there was plenty to do that night!

(Not pictured:  the game room, the yummy buffet/bar, and the awesome live band!)

 These parties were inspiring...now I'm thinking that maybe we should host a little something next year!?!!