Christmas(es) 2017

I'm not ready to talk about last night. I probably won't be for a few days weeks. So let me finally publish this post that has been sitting in draft for forever.. 

Oh my goodness Christmas was a whirlwind this year. We had six Christmas(es) to attend and I hardly took any pictures trying to soak in all the goodness of our sweet girl and this special season. I blogged about Christmas 1 & 2 back HERE. Christmas 3 was with my Dad's side of the family. We zoomed down to Sandersville Friday before Christmas when AJ got off work. 

We stayed at my Grandma's in Sandersville that night then headed to South Carolina to do Christmas with my mom, step dad, and step sisters. It was unusually hot for Christmas Eve, so we were sans tights! 

We roasted oysters and had shrimp and grits. Maddie Jane even ate oysters!! They were so, so good.

I had some new flannel pajamas and Mom decided to get everyone else matching ones as well! Love these two SO much. So lucky to have them :) 

And majority of my pictures of MJ at Christmas look like this.. complete blur! 

She LOVED unwrapping allll the presents. Even the ones that were not hers :) 

This guy.

On Christmas Eve it was back to Sandersville for dinner at Grandma's! I feel like this picture is a glimpse into my future... 

For Christmas Eve dinner, Grandma did her traditional Sunday lunch of fried chicken and all the fixings.

All set up for Santa!! Loved having our first big Santa run with my Aunt and Uncle from Arizona :) 

She was like WHAT THE HECK is going on!? And here is a big dumb from opening presents.. 

After a big brunch and a nap we headed over to the Hammocks to finally meet Harper! 

Maddie Jane did much better this time with me holding a baby and even held her too! 

And then Christmas night we had allllll the Jones clan over for oysters and a low country boil and more presents! 

Peyton is Maddie Jane's person. She is constantly glued to his side when he is around and he is sooo good with her :)

Grandma made us all aprons! 

And that night we packed up and headed back to Atlanta. It was late and we were exhausted, but when we woke up the next day at home for some down time, it was all worth it! We thought this Christmas was going to be a little more calm not getting on a plane, but it just gets busier and busier! I think next year we will just get everyone to come to us :) 

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Restoring Grace

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Christmas 1+2

This weekend we had Christmas 1 and 2 of our 6 this holiday season! After spending the past 4 years either in California or on a plane to Georgia, we are not complaining one bit about all the festivities! We are so incredibly happy to spend so much time with family and friends and that the first two events were hosted in our new home! 

Little tiny peaks of our new house before I do a big home tour. That bay window behind the kitchen sink is my absolute favorite part of the house. Every time I look out, I just know I will be watching our kids from that very spot for years to come. #allthefeels

Christmas #1 was with Honey! Those piggies and that gigantic bow. LOVE. And big shout out to Daddy for cooking all the yummy food while we had our photo shoot, ha! 

Honey spoiled us all rotten this year :) 

Maddie's new hand bells! With the lovely addition of a tutu.. ha! 

And my new socks :) 

Saturday we didn't have any Christmas hoopla, but we did spend the entire day trying to obtain a new couch. Kell and I went to Ikea and I bought one I thought was just fine. (See picture below for how cramped we were in the car with that box!!!) Dropped it off for AJ to put together and #1 I bought the wrong size and #2 he didn't like it even if it was the right size. So back to Ikea I went sans Kell with the addition of Maddie and that dang couch in a million pieces to return. And AJ went to Macy's where I had found another couch I liked (That's right by our house and doesn't require assembly. Why didn't we do this in the first place!?). And then I had to go back to Ikea Sunday morning because I needed another frame for Maddie's room. I will be juuuuust fine if I don't go back to Ikea like ever.

Saturday night I ran outside to take pictures of the front door and spotted my sweet baby playing by herself. When did she get SO BIG!? 

Wreath and bows thanks to Mom :) 

And another little sneaky peak at the new house. This is the cozy basement family room :) 

Sunday night we had Christmas #2 with AJ's dad. 

Love seeing all these people gathered around my dining room table!! 

We are working on the whole "cheese" thing haha

Molly girl got presents too!! 

Christmas parties left: 

Thursday: AJ's work 

Friday: Veal Christmas

Saturday: O'Neal Christmas

Tuesday: Jones Christmas

Bring on all the festivities and some much needed rest piled in :) 

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Restoring Grace

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Catching Up

With the 27 sicknesses we have faced this winter and closing on a house and moving.. in the snow.. I haven't really taken any pictures or had a spare minute to blog! BUT I do have these from before all that hoopla that I want to get on the blog! 

The day after Maddie Jane's birthday we took her to her very first hibachi experience and she LOVED it. She was so amazed and kept just looking at me like.. is this real life!?! 

Then we went to downtown Woodstock for her first time meeting the Big Man in red! We have read books and seen shows about Santa, so she was PUMPED.





By the time it was her turn she was a litttttle unsure of him, but once he whipped out some candy she was SOLD.



The next morning we kept the Christmas spirit going and went to a candy cane hunt at the Woodstock Rec Center.







The Grinch is on repeat at our house nonstop, but once MJ saw him in person, she didn't want anyyything to do with him!



The candy cane hunt was so precious and then they had arts and crafts and snacks and we let her burn off all that energy on their really nice playground!



That night we had a little date night for the SEC Championship. We had debated back and forth about going into the city to tailgate, but we ended up at the little bar down the street and had a blast!



I may or may not have shed a tear over this moment. I am just so stinkin proud of the dawgs. Glory, glory y'all.



And then this picture was taken right before the mayhem of Maddie puking, and Mama puking, and ear infections and respiratory infections for MJ and a sinus infection for me, and closing on a house and attempting to move in the snow, then staying in a hotel, then actually moving in 10 inches of snow. LAST WEEK Y'ALL. WOOF. All the praise hands it's over! Fingers crossed I can get some pictures and blogging going on again soon!

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Restoring Grace

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