New Year 2016

Happy New Year Everyone! Sorry for being MIA since the start of the New Year! Between the girls getting sick and lots of family events early this month, I have not had much time to blog.  But enough about that...let's do a quick recap of our NYE! 

 We had a really low key NYE this year. We hosted at our house and just had 2 of our good friends come by with their kids. The night consisted of lots of food, wine, and good conversation, while the toddler tornado moved its way through our basement. ;) Seriously…you could barely step anywhere. It was like toys exploded. Ha. Needless to say, the kids had a good time. We managed to snap a few pictures of them in the middle of all the shenanigans. As the night moved on and after the new year, and as the wine kicked in, we decided it was time to karaoke. That was fun. :)  I didn’t snap any pics…Thankfully…Ha. 

 Shifting gears to my thoughts on the new year...whenever a new year starts, like most people, I always try to come up with a goal and think about what I want to accomplish in the next 12 months. I definitely want to focus a lot on ME this year. In all honestly, 2015 was pretty rough for me, personally. Having a toddler and infant has taken its toll. Being a mom is HARD work and I have had my fair share of exhaustion…While I ALWAYS want to put my focus on my family, I also started to realize, that it’s important to focus on MYSELF too. I watched this video recently of an interview by Jada Pinkett-Smith and it really hit me how important this is! Watch the video here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FQK9Ufr4yrY. 

With that, being a mom is such a HUGE part of me, that it will ALWAYS be super important to me to be the best mom I can be to my 2 precious little girls. My heart overflows with love for them and I will continue doing everything I can to cherish all the little moments with them. They are the greatest gift I could ever ask for! 

 Happy New Year everyone!!!

 

Christmas 2015

I’m still smiling. What an amazing Christmas week it has been. I decided to totally unplug myself from work and really focus on the holidays with my family. It was a Christmas for the books. I thought I’d do a quick recap of all things Christmas in our household last week. 

 Christmas Eve is definitely a very special day for us as a family. In our culture (we are Polish), Christmas Eve dinner is a very important event. This year, we did dinner at my sister-in-law’s house. They just bought a new house this year and decided to host. We had an amazing time. The girls always love playing with their cousins and dinner was beyond delicious.  I dressed the girls in little plaid dresses, which I absolutely ADORE on girls for Christmas.  

Later that night, Evie and I made sure we left Santa some Christmas cookies and milk.  And we didn’t forget a carrot for the reindeer too. ;)

 On Christmas morning, the girls hurried downstairs to open presents from Santa (the girls were very spoiled as you can see!)  And, of course, I had to do the matching Christmas jammies.  Disney store for the win this year.  I LOVE their pajamas for kids! :)  

After presents and breakfast, we all went to Christmas Day mass, and then spent the afternoon/evening with my side of the family at my aunt’s house. We had a great time. My cousin’s wife even brought that Pie Face game.  The kids all took turns putting their face into the hole, and it was hilarious. Evie was too scared to play though.  I don't blame her.  Taking some whipped cream to the face is too messy for my fancy girl. ;) 

 The weekend following Christmas was filled with a bunch of lounging around, playing with new toys, eating cinnamon rolls, and drinking hot cocoa. HEAVEN. 

 Overall, Christmas was just perfect. I love that my girls are getting a little older because it means that they really can enjoy the magic of Christmas.  Here's our best family picture...one of these years, we will all look in the same direction. ;)

 And with that, we transition to New Years plans! We will be hosting a small get together for us and one other couple with their kids. Should be a great time. 

 I hope everyone had a FANTASTIC Christmas. Best wishes for an AMAZING 2016!

 

It's the most wonderful time...of the year!

Man oh man. Less than a week until Christmas! The last couple weeks have been one big blur filled with no sleep and constant happenings (hence why my blog has been neglected!) Both girls have been sick with coughs and runny noses and Emi also has FIVE new teeth coming in. Poor kid. She is miserable and we are exhausted. But, the show must go on. While things have been hectic, we have also been enjoying lots of Christmas fun! 

 Let’s start with last weekend. We went to visit a huge Christmas display in a local suburb. Evie and Emi were obsessed with all the Christmas lights. Seeing the girls run around and enjoy the lights really warmed by heart and got me into the holiday spirit. They had a blast and I enjoyed chasing them around snapping pictures. :)  Oh, and aren't these winter hats precious?  My amazing aunt sent them from Poland and I can't help but smile and cry from laughing every time I put them on. They may look funny, but MAN are they WARM.  Thanks Ciocia! :)

 Last weekend we also had Evie’s Christmas recital at her daycare. The kids were absolutely adorable and Evie did great! She recited a poem, sang, and danced! I teared up just watching her. It’s unbelievable to me what a big girl she has become!! 

 This month things have been moving at lightening speeds. We are finally…almost…done with our Christmas shopping. Just a few more last minute gifts to go! I can’t wait for the girls to see everything that Santa brings them. I feel SO blessed to have my family around me this time of year. I hope all of you are enjoying this amazing time of year and spending it surrounded by lots of love!! 

Countdown to Christmas!

Even though we are just 2 weeks post-Thanksgiving, it feels like a distant memory at this point. In fact, by my count, we are just 13 days away from Christmas Eve!! The family and I have been decking the halls as much as possible over the last couple weeks and trying to finalize Christmas shopping. 

 One of the highlights of the last week has been visiting Santa Clause! We were all ready to go visit the Santa at Bass Pro Shop, but couldn’t seem to get out of the house early enough. By the time we were on our way, I called to learn there was AT LEAST a 3 hour wait. So, instead, we headed to our local mall and waited half that time to see Santa. Here’s a look at a couple pictures. ;) Emi was so fixated on Santa and would not look at us despite our many attempts. Two seconds later came the tears. Poor Evie was so confused on why Emi was so upset by Santa and couldn’t even muster a smile! Even though we didn’t get a great picture, these still make me smile and are a priceless memory. 

 We also managed to snap some pictures while the girls were in line. They had a cute little snow palace right before you turned the corner to see Santa with a giant ice throne and nook with “snow!” 

 And then, since I was in desperate need of ordering our Christmas card, I attempted some pictures of the girls at home this week by their Christmas tree in our basement playroom. While I got some decent individual shots, it's mission impossible to get a non-blurry picture of these active little muchkins.  Maybe next year. ;)

 

Our Thanksgiving!

Happy last day of November!!  Can you believe we are getting ready to start the last month of the year?  I hope everyone had an amazing Thanksgiving weekend!!  I know I'm still recovering from 5 days off of work and eating WAY too much food.

We actually had 2 Thanksgivings this year!  On Thursday we were at my sister-in-law's house and then Friday was round 2 at my parent's house.  I'm pretty positive I gained at least 5 pounds after this weekend! :/

The girls definitely enjoyed Thanksgiving with their cousins.  It was quite the challenge to try to get them to both sit down for 1 minute to snap their picture.  My best attempts are below. :)  I ended up just putting them both in some navy dresses.  I was hoping to get matching outfits, but it didn't work out.  Oh well, I still think they both looked pretty cute. ;)   

After 2 Turkey days, I attempted to just sit back and do nothing.  But that lasted all of 10 minutes. :)  At least I got to enjoy some hot tea before I decided I NEEDED to do some Black Friday shopping online. :)  We ended up buying a couple things and then going to sleep.  

Then, on Saturday we went to go pick up our Christmas tree!  It's always fun to go pick one out as a family and decorate together.  That was definitely one of our weekend highlights!!!

  

Let the Christmas countdown begin!!!

 

Thanksgiving Prep and Tablescapes

Happy Thanksgiving week!! We are starting to get very excited for turkey day this year! I absolutely love this time of year for many reasons – family, food, festive décor, and shopping! ;) This year, we will be at my sister-in-law’s house. Evie and Emi will have a blast running around with all their cousins, I’m sure. 

Although I will not be hosting this year, I am planning on baking some yummy cookies to contribute, and bringing wine of course. Because what’s Thanksgiving without a glass of vino…? …or two. ;) Although I’m not hosting, I’ve been spending my evenings on Pinterest admiring Thanksgiving tablescapes. I’m obsessed with the rustic look for Thanksgiving tables…with a bit of romantic candlelight. Cue the heart eyes emoji. Maybe I’ll be brave enough to host Thanksgiving one year. But in the meantime, I thought I’d share some of my favorite table setting ideas.  All pictures below are from Pinterest and not my own (although I wish they were! ;)...)

Lanterns?!?!  I'm obsessed.  

Such a cute idea to use burlap and a little leaf embellishment for the silverware!

White pumpkins with a splash of color...amazing!

GOLD GOLD GOLD

Simple white with gorgeous flowers.  I mean....this is just too good.

In addition to drooling over table settings, for the last few days I have been on the hunt for some cute Thanksgiving outfits for the girls. I procrastinated this year and unfortunately don’t have time to buy anything online.  That's BAD news for this online-shopping-crazy-mama. So, I’ve been stopping by stores when I find time to see what I can find…and coming up short. :(  Hopefully I’ll luck out on my shopping trip tomorrow. 

 I can't believe this will be Emi’s 2nd Thanksgiving and Evie’s 4th! I found this picture from last year’s Thanksgiving. It's CRAZY how much my babies have grown in a year! 

While enjoying all the yummy food this year, don’t forget to take a minute to count your blessings!!!  I know I'm feeling VERY thankful this year.  Happy Turkey day everyone!