instagram-the latest

BLAST! It appears the blasted camera on my freaking iPhone has finally called it quits today. It won’t focus on anything farther away than about 6 inches and it is making a weird clicking sound constantly. Ugh, just short of my upgrade and I live NO WHERE NEAR a genius bar. My camera, my little buddy, my friend. Let’s hope you are on a brief hiatus and just need a break?

I figured I better share the insta-moments that happened over the holidays because the world is about to be sick of looking at people’s Christmas trees. Seriously.

Yearly tradition of the Holiday Home Tour. The perfect event for nosy people!

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Attending Christmas parties two and three on this night. We have a little photo bomber again!

I thought I was so ahead of my wrapping. This was mid-December. Until it got closer and things just KEPT COMING.

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My little Sunday shopper. Quieted by a cart ride, chocolate milk, and her baboo.

Stay at home sick girl with mommy.

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We did quiet crafts inside during her double ear infection.

Still my baby. Always.

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Ready for Santa to come to her school! (She screamed and would not get near him. There was no Santa picture sent home from school)

Early morning “get out of the house as quickly as possible” walks (for when my girl is being a stinker!).

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Daddy taught her how to use her pockets. So cute!

On this last resort kind of day, I let her do whatever. I am an anxious toddler craft buddy. This day, I let her dump all the glitter, paint her hands, whatever. Big step for me, people.

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Gifts for teachers! Essie polish, matching socks, nail file. Inspiration found here and here.

Christmas coffee for a cold morning at work.

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Cider at home on Christmas Eve Eve.

The prettiest Birchbox of the year! And it came with this amazing gloss!

Christmas party number four.

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This little girl is such a lover, I swear! I want to just eat her up!

Reunited with this world-traveling (to put it nicely) little brother.

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Watching Brave with Mamu. And her little belly sticking out.

Desert moon rises. It looked so much bigger in person.

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Sleep help.

At Buca di Beppo with the fam. Pea LOVES her some Paul and Jaxx.

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No nap girl with amazing behavior at the restaurant = motherhood win.

And this. This is the last photo I (tried) to take with my iPhone. Yeah, Christmas tree bokeh is pretty and all, but not when you are actually trying to take a real, in focus picture and your phone won’t do it. Waaah!

Christmas Cocktails

 

I thought Christmas cocktails was a grand idea. Especially lemon raspberry martinis. Turns out, I’m a big baby and cannot handle anything that is not watered down, full of sugar, or just plain virgin. Hey, it’s the intent that counts, right?

So I sipped on mine for a few and made horrible faces until I switched to good ol’ water. I’m not fancy. I tried.

Playing games with my huge family and extended family has always been a great memory of mine. No matter what you are playing, it’s just fun to sit around and laugh and be involved. We busted out the good old Apples to Apples, which is always a crowd favorite because it requires little to no skill, thinking, or strategy. Literally my type of game.

Our little nugget tried to derail Papa’s Polar Express Train, take ornaments off the tree, fed the dog her food and then complained the dog was eating her food, and dumped all 800 of the remaining cards of the board game on the floor. (I’m not kidding, Apples to Apples comes with over 1,000 cards!)

What can I say, I said we are fancy.

a petit photo bomber

family photo. do you see everyone?

a winter’s eve

wreath making

sweet Olive or “Owis” as Pea would say.

We spent our Christmas Eve just hanging out and eating, isn’t that what you are supposed to do? Papa decided to pile up the leaves that have fallen from the small period of freezing weather we got. And of course, it was the perfect opportunity to introduce Paisley to how it’s really done. She loved every bit of it, even when it was covering her face. Come to think of it, she loves anything she can do with Papa. Jumping in the leaves is one of my favorite fall memories as a child and we have some photos I’ll have to dig up to prove it. At the time, the pile seemed so big and I’m sure that’s how it seems to Paisley as well.

We finally got our Uncle Paul home and I’m not kidding when I say that she warmed up to him within minutes. All she had to say was “Body pay!!” (everybody play), and he was abiding by her every whim, which is right where she wants him. Best friends. He was even patient enough to do bubbles with her, which is a big deal. Can’t wait for the next few weeks of having family time and good meals and just plain being together.