Well, we didnt cut our tree down

Since we got our tree two days before Christmas last year, my kids were not risking even letting me think we could try and cut it down this year.  They know that I am the worst procrastinator ever and that we could end up without a tree for most of the holiday season so they made me go to a lot.  A LOT.  UGH.  I mean, nothing against a Christmas tree lot, I just want to keep the only tradition that we have had for (most) of our family life and I have already blown it two years in a row.  And Jeff was wearing shorts when we got it because it was so hot that day.  Its fine.

(Enough of my pity party.  The tree is up and thats what matters...)

This is Shea's new posing stance.  I think she is trying to copy when the big kids spread out their hands and it just cracks me up.


And our scale is a little off.
In the tree farms that we have been to before, the trees are really small because they haven't actually grown for that long.  In the lot, we thought we got a fairly small tree, but turns out, it was HUGE in our house.  This is after we trimmed it down (not because it was so big but because it kept falling and we couldn't figure out until two days later that it was actually our stand...).  We can barely see around it or get light in through our window but it def lights up the neighborhood through our window.


And then we starred it and called it done.  It was fun actually seeing all the homemade ornaments again and see how neat it really is to be able to see them every year and remember that year we made them.  So maybe the memories will live on if we dont cut down our tree with our bare hands.

I also added the buffalo plaid runner that I got from Becca's sale to the table and IM NEVER TAKING IT OFF.  Buffalo plaid is now Barstad Plaid thanks to Katy and its a year round staple.

The youngest three and I did some sight seeing downtown after lunch after church the other day and did some holiday picture taking along the way.


That side smile, tho.

And we went to holiday in the park with the Yorks (where Ben got lost a little at the end, but we found him, whew!) and it was so much fun.  Loved every minute of reliving my childhood going every year with my cousins.  Cant wait to make that a, you guessed it, tradition!

And we got these two gorgeous babes together and then took a cute pic of all my kids.

Win, win, win.

Annual Heather Pictures

There are never the right words for how grateful I am for every time Heather takes our pictures.  Never.  They just make me cry and mean more to me than I can ever say.
And y'all.  A few of our chickens  made it for the christmas card pic.
It was eggciting. (had to)
The others would have been in the pic but they were in a foul mood. (cant stop)


















Notice our wear whatever you have clothes theme going on and who cares if it doesn't match or if it is too small or your sisters... And clearly the hat and I are one. We can never be a part.  And there were  few that had to go because I look like I am trying to stuff myself into someone else's baby clothes, but the holidays with sick kids and laziness overall will do that to you.  These photos should be my before pics.
Thank you heather for everything.  Every single documentation of real life with chickens and baby's and bottles and no shoes. We love you more than we can say.

December is officially over (a month ago)

Alternate titles for this post- oh christmas tree and wake me up when December ends (just for fun).

We did in fact get a tree to hang our homemade ornaments on.  The only minor thing was that we got it on December 23.  But at least it was before Christmas.  and it cost $1.08.  It pays to be late.  (That is clearly a new life motto.  or a shirt.  or both.)  (and looking at that sentence I see lots of space between the period and the next sentence and I hear that is controversial now-why?  I like the double space.  I on the side of the space.)

We decorated it,

and took a self timered (almost) group picture in front of it.
I say almost because this was the year that everyone got lice.  and multiple viruses in a two week period where everyone had two separate rounds of fever (hence the wake me up when december ends title).  So avery was on her first round of fever and in bed.
We started off with my dad's birthday dinner, where we got some amazing news from my brother and sister in law about MY FIRST NEICE OR NEPHEW FROM MY OWN SIBLINGS!! Just so excited for them and for the head of hair that beautiful child will possess.

That is me and shea super excited and red eyed.

And shea announcing she is going to be a big cousin this summer.
The next night we had the best christmas pageant ever at church that truly did make me cry the entire time and was just incredible.  The kids did such an amazing job remembering and belting out their lines.  It was well written and executed.  Loved it so much.

We came home from that and did some lice treatment.  Fun. Times.
(and if you have had lice you know that this nit picking lasted every day for hours with a headlamp for the next two weeks.  I was a newby and didnt realize what all went into lice evacuation.  It is not for the faint of heart)

Santa came the next morning and brought us a camper. That they are all sleeping in right now because I dared them to. On one tiny pallet.  I am so mean, but they are making memories! And they were so excited.

Then, we went to my parents and for some reason I have no documentation of that.
Then, we tried to go skiing, but got everyone who was with us violently ill, and so we all came back home.
We opened our memory jar on NYE by ourselves with little outside fun (due to our sickness).

It was really fun to open the memories and read them out loud.  Some we remembered, and some I didnt.  It was funny to look back on things we thought would be engrained in our minds forever, and then they weren't; and the things that we thought were in passing, but ended up being a big part of last year.  Definitely a tradition now.
Then we ended the year with a fever, and Jan started with a bang, but it has been a lot better so far.

Let's do this 2015.

It's a Shorrrrt December...

Oh Counting Crows reference.  

The 90s are back, anyway right?

What am I saying. Of course they are.  My Facebook feed, just this week was full of people coveting and/or buying Doc Martins and Keds.

The two most opposite of the 90s shoes by the way.  One much too light to last and the other will never die thanks alone to its steal toes.

And that has nothing to do with anything.

But this is how my brain has been the entire nov/dec months.  It's like a car wash in there.  Stuff is being washed away just as I think of it and then put on another side of my brain. Then, even though at the end it should be clean, its just more muttled and cloudy than when I started the day.  How is that for a metaphor.

Back to whatever I was going to say before I said anything.

We have had a great December so far but it is going much too fast.  Too fast to get presents and have christmas parties and too fast because I will have a one year old at the end of it.  Just can not wrap my head around that one. 

Speaking of one year olds,

We went ahead and turned this kid around.
We thought like all parents do, that seeing us would lead to incredible excitement and peace in the car, but of course it has only made her more mad that she can see us and we won't let her out or look at her the entire drive.  She is a mess.

It was also my birthday and I loved it like I do every year.  Just the best.  And linds got me the awesome scarf and let me hold this angel as long as I wanted.  Heaven.

I have truly failed my kids as a mom this year.
We dont have a tree yet and this is the only santa we have seen.  Santa Claus did actually come to our town in the form of a parade and it was so much fun.  The parade was amazing and he threw snow-until he got to us and he ran out.  And then I begged them to go talk to him after the parade and they just wanted to go home.

But it was magical while it lasted.

And we got a group pic (jeff was working.)

We also went down to Tyler for Hilltop Get's Lit.  It was so much fun seeing everyone and everyone was wearing the shirts I had made in the past and it literally made me want to cry.  I love that crew so much.


blurry, but documented.



The kids were adorable and have the whole routine down.  It was just so much fun.  It gets better every year.
We didnt get to see Brooke and Will because we were in and out, but they did come in town for our friend Ryan's bday and we forgot to take a pic.  But I LOVE YOU GUYS!! And thank y'all for letting us crash your lunch!

We have been making a lot of sweatshirts and it has been so much fun.  I seriously love it so much.

Thank you guys so much for being so supportive!!
And I have had a lot of help.

We went to Sams to get a table to work on (that jeff spent his entire off day on that ended up being too tall.  wa wa) and we barely fit on the way home...

Luckily Jeff had a lot of help putting it together.

She was more the morale booster than the actual help.
I guess that about covers it.  Shea is almost one and I have absolutely nothing for her birthday except holiday decor that is already up (minus the tree).
I hope I can pull it together before everyone comes over and I dont even have a cake, because that is how its looking as of now...
December, please slow down!