Goodbye 2020

 Last post of the year is dedicated to the biggest change in our lives right now. Our house. I got a drawing of our house, before construction started. So we could always remember the way it was. We loved our house. We just needed a little more space. Functional space. We wanted to keep the feel and vibe of our home. We can't wait to move into a newer, more fresh, more spacious version of our house. In the meantime, I am BUSY!!!!!! Busy!  

Making every selection, running a million errands, and spending too much time of my phone. Shopping. It is so fun, and I am certainly not complaining. I look forward to not having so much on my to-do list. But, for now, it is worth it. I am thankful that the kids understand what I am doing. So they don't think I am ignoring them. They know I am investing time into serving our family in other ways. My prayer is that they will feel the love, intention, and thought I put into our home. The home that will carry our lifetime of memories. 

I have brought the kids with me to lumber yards to pick the right wood for the mantle, the hood range and more. I have had them help me pick this and that. They are involved in the process. We go to the house a couple times a day. They get excited every time. So, as we close 2020...we are ready for 2021 to be the year that we go HOME. That we bottle up these apartment memories, and we go HOME with bigger, more patient, more grateful hearts than ever before. Goodbye 2020. You were weird. But, we grew. We learned. And we are ready for 2021! 

Merry Christmas 2020

We tried to have as many as normal moments as possible. My high school girl friends met for our annual party. Much smaller than usual, but it was perfect and simple. We were so excited about Christmas Eve. I had a big surprise in store. We woke up and ate brunch at Beau and Kate's house. We played with their new puppy, Winston. Enjoyed our brunch and low key gathering. 

Then, we went to the outdoor church service. It was nice, but I sure miss normal church. We got home to a surprise for the kids to open. We got them tickets for the Polar Express!!! They were pumped. I got them matching pajamas, gave them their golden Polar Express ticket and we hit the road. To Palenstine,Tx! I got them Christmas movies to watch in the car for the 2.5 hour drive. 5 hours total in the car. But worth every second. We stopped and ate dinner near the Polar Express...and Santa was in the bar. haha! It was a pub type place with steaks. It was priceless and so "small town." I'm glad my kids got to experience that. 

It was freezing. So, we bundled up and headed to board the Polar Express. It was so so cool. Such a treat. Just like the book...the waitresses danced, there was hot coco, and we stopped at the North Pole where Santa got on the train to give everyone their own bell! 

It was a perfect Christmas Eve. A great way to turn an unusual day into a memorable one. We missed seeing our family, but I did not want to sit in the apartment alone. So, I'm glad we planned this fun night. We made it home close to midnight!!! The kids hurried to bed, while Scott and I turned into "get ready for Christmas morning" mode.

Santa brought the kids all new bikes. Fantastic bikes!! They got a few other Santa goodies. But, my favorite thing to watch is when they open their presents from each other. They get so excited when they open their sibling gifts. They each get one sibling to shop for, and they try so hard to keep their gifts a secret. So, they are so eager to finally open the gifts. Love these simple, beautiful moments.

Sweet Mimi, the kids great grandmother, sent the kids $15 each! She called to explain that because of covid, she didn't want to go into the stores to shop this year. She is so precious. We adore Mimi. One of our friends painted FaithAnn some amazing pictures for her room. And Scott got me an electric scooter, which I am so so excited about. Then, the last gift of Christmas was a big surprise!! We are going skiing. For spring break. So, I wrapped a picture of where we are going inside a ski hat. They are beyond excited, we are too. We haven't been skiing as a family. Stay tuned for that! 

Gigi, Scott's mom, came in for Christmas dinner. She did everything, since the apartment is limiting my hosting skills, lol. She brought dinner, we played outside. It was simple. We rode bikes to the house for them to explore. It was a different Christmas. But, it was still good. We are grateful. Merry Christmas, 2020! We are ready to move on and end this year with a bang! 

Christmas Time

Christmas is here! Scott and I have been saying that we are going to get a Charlie Brown Christmas tree while in the apartment. This is the year that we could celebrate the small, not so pretty Christmas stuff. Well, weeks of talking about it...I come home to THIS tree literally in a box on our front porch at the apartment. What?? It said it was from "Brandi Northern." And it was delivered to me and Scott's first apartment number...just a few buildings over. Apartment #143. We lived there 15 years ago! 

Who sent us our Charlie Brown Christmas tree...to our first address as a married couple?? Who knows? And how did it get on our current apartment front porch? We don't know, but we embraced it! It is slanted with broken lights. But, we used it and loved it. It was perfect for our apartment Christmas. I got a fake fireplace to hang on the wall. It was amazing. So funny, yet so pretty! This was our Charlie Brown Christmas. A year to remember. 

Our usual busy Christmas festivities didn't fill our calendars. Thanks to COVID...we weren't busy with party after party. It was actually kind of nice. Yet, it was sad because we didn't get to see so much of our family. My aunts, uncles and cousins didn't want to gather in a group. So, it was mainly just the 5 of us throughout the month. We enjoyed the Westside Christmas lazy river and visits to see Santa. I should say, because of Covid, we had to stand in front of Santa!  

FaithAnn lost her 2 front teeth, just in time to visit Santa. It was adorable. She showed Santa her missing teeth. Of course, he said "all you want for Christmas are your 2 front teeth." Perfect timing. She thought it was funny, and I captured some great smiles in the moment. We buckled up and got ready for an unusual Christmas. 2020 continues to be unusual, but we are making the most of it!