Wordless Wednesday and the Holiday Spirit

I was going to leave this as just a normal Wordless Wednesday post but I decided to add some words because I just love the Holidays and I absolutely love Holiday decorating/decorations. :)  This is our second Christmas in our home and Holiday decorating in this house is just amazing.  The reason we moved here is because of the cabin-like vibe that the house gave.  The wooden planked ceilings, the warm colors and the stone entry way/wood flooring really makes it feel cozy and more unique than other homes that are in the area.  It is especially cozy around the Holidays when everything is decorated, lit and the glow from the Christmas lights are warm but also bright. 

White lights, though they're beautiful, are not my "cup of tea" for the tree, but I absolutely love them for the (faux) fireplace and for decorating other areas.  Mostly because I feel like the white lights are very classy and they really make the tree pop.  The only other part of my house that has the colored lights are the exterior (of course) and the banister -- because I love the colored glow that shines upstairs at night from the colored banister lights! 

Our pesky & trouble-making elves are also back; Elfie and Sofia.  They've been making their appearance each day in silly places that my children absolutely love.  This morning they showed up hanging from the very wreath that is hanging over our faux fireplace!  My girls searched and searched until they finally figured out that the crazy elves were hiding in plain sight! 

This is definitely my favorite time of the year and I am definitely in the Holiday spirit!  Well, this ended up being more of a wordful wednesday than a wordless one! 

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Birthdays and Christmas Fun

I can't believe that another Christmas is nearly here.  Christmas 2012 seems like it was just yesterday with my kids anxiously opening presents and excited for their new toys.  The Holidays go way too damn fast and it's really my favorite time of year, it has always been. 

 

Even though I spend way too much on presents for my girls and try to have Santa get their entire wishlist, I love seeing the looks on my girls faces when they open their gifts on Christmas morning. I'm more excited about this Christmas because it will be the very first Christmas in our new (beautiful) home. 

 

As strange as this may sound, I have always wanted a home with a beautiful staircase that I could decorate with lighted garland and the Christmas cards that we receive from family and friends.  While many people have had staircases all their lives, I did not.  I grew up in a "mom and daughter" type house, just like the majority of homes in my city.  My grandparents lived upstairs and my mother and I lived downstairs in the two family house.  The house was rather small, often compared to a "shoebox" by many of my friends, but it was home for 28 years of my life.  Now that we moved into a larger one family house with two floors, I couldn't be happier and feel more accomplished for finding it and fighting for that to be our new home.  I was able to (over) decorate it to how I had always dreamed my home to look for Christmas and can't wait to see our brand new tree sparkling on Christmas morning with all of our presents beneath it.  Just one more day left until I can enjoy that.

 

Olivia's 6th Birthday was this past weekend and I had the honor of hosting her family party at my home this year.  We invited 13 family members to the party and planned a nice spread of food that we both got catered and cooked ourselves.  I had the best time and was so proud to have such a beautiful and roomy house to have everyone over.  It was really the best feeling in the world for me.  Olivia got some great presents including a Sofia the First Leap Pad, many other Sofia the First toys, some beautiful outfits and a gorgeous easel from her Grandma and Grandpa, which she can't stop playing with.

 

I can't believe my baby turned 6 on Saturday -- time really does fly when you're having fun raising your children.  I tell this to everyone, including my sister who will soon have her babies, enjoy them while they're little!  It goes way too fast and if you blink you will miss the best and most enjoyable years. 

 

Happy Belated Birthday to my darling Princess Olivia and enjoy the remainder of the Holiday Season to my readers! 

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