Christmas Tree

Our Christmas tree is up and decorated.  The kiddos had fun helping with the ornaments and reminiscing with each ornament.  This is such a special time for our family, and our house if full of joy.

Mantel Decorating

I am having so much fun decorating this year.  I added some red glitter stars to our usual mantel decorations, and it looks so festive. Christmastime is here!

OWAN Decorating

Jessica and I had a great time decorating the ballroom for OWAN.  The Vegas glam theme came together perfectly, and the event was a huge success for Old Union.

Halloween Ready

We are finished with the Halloween festive decorations.  Our witch, Esmeralda, is out front to great our visitors.  Bring on the Trick-or-Treaters!

Pumpkin Find

We hit the super large pumpkin jackpot at Sam's.  We bought the four biggest pumpkins we could lift to get ready for Halloween decorating.  The boys were thrilled.

Stocking Fail

I was excited to get our new monogrammed stockings.  My excitement quickly dimmed when I pulled out the huge stockings.  What did I do?  Oh goodness, I ordered the wrong size.  I hung them on the mantle, and I couldn't stop laughing.  They are huge, and Santa has a lot of room to fill.

Christmas Tree

With a little help from some adorable elves, our Christmas tree is up and decorated.  It is very different this year, because we have a new tree.  The red 7.5' tree has been replaced by a dark green traditional 12' tree.  It is the perfect height and shape for our curved staircase.  The boys love it, and Ridley can't wait to pull the ornaments off.  It is starting to look like Christmas.

My Helper

The upcoming week is all about Christmas fun and activities.  It will be the last week of pre-school for the boys before break, so we have lots of parties, decorations, and gifts to finish.  Ryland was all about helping with every detail.  I loved sharing the special moments of chatting and creating festive fun with him.  

A Full Day of Christmas

We started the day with Breakfast with Santa at Town Hall.  I have heard about this event for the past few years, and we were fortunate to get tickets early.  It was awesome, and we will make this a new family tradition.  The breakfast was super laid back, and there were lots of fun craft activities for the boys.  The morning was complete when Santa arrived to visit and take pictures with the kiddos.

After breakfast, we were in full Christmas mode.  We ran some errands, did some shopping, wrapped gifts, and finished decorating the house.  We were all worn out by 7:30.  Goodnight, my sweet boys.

Pink! Pink! Pink!

 

I am starting to think pink.  I have spent a little bit of time looking at nursery bedding, and I am in the decorating zone for the nursery now.  I ordered the bedding and curtains today, and I found the chair and artwork this past weekend.  I love the bedding, and I can't wait to see it in person.  We are using the dark brown crib again, so it will look a little different than the photo.  I picked a different sheet, so we will not have the grey color thrown in the mix.  I am getting excited!

Haulin'

The things I get myself into...I call my SUV and truck, and today it did a little tree haulin.  20 manzanita branches with help of 2 little helpers.  No problem.

Christmas decorating

The Christmas decorating iwas in full force this weekend.  We set up and fluffed the red tree in preparation for the ornaments.  The boys were very intrigued with the process, and they wanted to be right in the middle of the action.

 

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The glass ornaments were hard to keep our hands off of.  Something about being breakable just made them even more fantastic.  The boys loved hanging them on the tree and talking about their meanings.

 

As soon as the tree was finished, the nutcrackers found special places throughout the house.  Ryland and Reed love the nutcrackers and wanted to play with them all.  John Chris told them what each one was and when he got them.  It was a wonderful day of sharing traditions and making memories.

Outside Christmas decorations

The lights are up, and we are decorated for Christmas!  The outside that is.  We pulled out all the outdoor decorations that we haven't used the past two years and added lights to the house.  So very merry!

Dinning room

I started re-decorating the dinning room months ago, and it has been a very slow project.  I knew I wanted something different, but I just couldn't find what I had pictured in my mind.  I fell in love with the rug and the drapery fabric, so I went with it.  I am happy with the monochromatic feel and the variety of textures.

 

Coffee table

 

I remember growing up in a house with lots of pretty knick-knacks.  My mom was really good about teaching us to be careful, not play rough in the house, and to not break things.  I have attempted to teach my boys the same things, so I can keep my pretty knick-knacks out too.  A few months ago my trio of cool candle holders that sat on the coffee table were knocked over.  Not by one of the boys, but actually John Chris broke them.  I have tried to find something to replace them with, but I haven't found anything I am crazy about.

I look at my blank coffee table as a clean slate to decorate, but the boys see it another way.  They see a big climbing box, a performance stage, and many more destructive potentially hazardous ideas.  I figure I have got to gather the reigns now before I lose my ground.  I am just a little hesitant to put anything in the danger zone. 

Fresh new look

I have been looking forward to decorating our home for a while now. Since we moved in, we have had constant construction projects going on, so it was nice to finally do some "fun" stuff. I selected a new wool rug, lots of silk down pillows, sleek accessories, and contemporary artwork. It is completely different, and it seems so fresh and light.
I am still on the hunt for two slate colored urns for the mantle, and I am ordering a glass bubble lamp for the side table. On to the dining room...

Packing the fall

It was time to pack up the fall decorations. The boys were contently playing in the family room, so I slipped into the entry hallway to finish placing everything in the plastic tubs. It wasn't long before my two helpers came to help. It quickly turned into a discussion led by Ryland's favorite word "WHY?". We talked about the seasons, turkeys, and the attic, while the boys crawled all over the tubs and the decorations. It seems to be the simplest chores make the sweetest memories sometimes.

Halloween decor

We added the Boo and lights to our Halloween decorations. The witch, Esmerelda, loves the new glow, and I am really enjoying the decorating this year. We are looking forward to our trick-or-treating fun!

Entry art

We have art! We have been waiting on the perfect piece, and we finally have it. The large wall in our entry has been a big blank eye sore, and it is nice to finally start pulling things together. It is funny how one little thing gives me a bit of excitement and relief. I can't wait until the construction projects are done, so I can put out all of the "girl stuff" aka decorative accessories.

Furniture is here!

The crib and dresser arrived today, and we were so excited to get it in the nursery. It only took 17 weeks! John Chris and I really enjoyed putting the crib together and unpacking the dresser. We are very happy with the finish and overall size. The rocker/glider chair and ottoman still haven't arrived, so we are using a chair from the office for the time being. The letters are striped and polka dotted, and they look great with the bedding.
We put all of Ryland's clothes, socks, blankets, diapers, and other necessities in the drawers. The changing pad is now attached to the dresser, and the cover is so very soft. One of my favorite things in the nursery is the airplane picture. It is dramatic, and the colors are perfect.

This shot is from the nursery door. We can't wait to bring our little man home. We sit in his room at night and talk about our family's future. It is nice to dream and try to vision what our lives will soon be like. The nursery feels cozy and inviting. We love it!