Merry HoHo

We sure had an amazing "kissmas" as Joshua would say! :) He would run around telling everyone "Merry HOHO and Merry Kissmass!".. Needless to say Christmas was a huge hit this year! He doesn't quite get it fully but he knew Santa was coming to bring "peasants" after he went night night! He was so excited to run downstairs and tear through them all! This was his big santa gift this year, and oh boy was he excited!

                                           He was so surprised!

He was so excited to use all his new Thomas trains with it, he knows alot of their names so cute..he played with it all day!

                                 

Some of his other favorites included his Thomas tent, an aquadoodle, a cash register, his Story Buddy, his new Polo clothes and shoes from grandma, and another huge hit was Dumbo! It was my favorite movie growing up and we watched it while we ate our big Christmas breakfast and he absolutely loved it!

He got lots of fun goodies in his stocking!

Love my sweet boys!

Ewww this light's up!

                               This pretty much sums up his excitement Christmas morning! :)

Oh and I took all these pics with my new camera the hubby got me!! It's pretty nice going from a cheap digital camera to a super nice one with a lens! I'm so excited!

We lounged around in our pajamas ALL day and then we had a delicious Christmas dinner with our family at our house, it was wonderful!

                                          He loved his Christmas plate!

                 Look at my handsome little man!!..He was SO cute in his Christmas outfit!

Christmas was soo much fun this year, seeing it all through his eyes is the most amazing thing!...and I just know next year will be even more fun! :) Hope everyone had a very Merry CHRISTmas!

Trampoline Fun. In Our Living Room

Yes, we have an 8 ft trampoline in our formal living room...we have never ever used it since we moved in 3 years ago, it was just an empty room with a nice couch in it...we're always in our den...so we decided why not put his favorite thing right now in there for the winter...

and so the hubby and my father in law set his new trampoline up in there..and it was the best idea ever! We have used it every single day since it went up, and it makes for the best naps ever!

He jumps every morning we're not out the door to do something...and almost every night until daddy comes home to jump in and play with him!

...of course we will move it out into our backyard in the Spring when it warms up, but it sure is making for some serious fun (and energy outlet might I add) on these cold or rainy days!

Christmas Card 2011!

Our scanner isn't set up right now, so it's a little blurry from trying to take a copy with my digital...but here's our Christmas card! As I seem to pick every year, another Tiny Prints!

                                                And the Back!...

  We put our favorite picture of Joshua's previous birthday on the back every year!

  
Merry Christmas from our family to yours!

Christmas Traditions!

The hubby and I decided when we had kids we were going to start our own family traditions for Christmas...we pulled a few from ours growing up and added a few new ones!..These are our family Christmas traditions!


*Family Trip To Dahlonega Square: every year near Christmas we take a day trip to Dahlonega and pick our family ornaments and eat at the Smith House...we went this past Sunday and it was soo wonderful! We each picked out an ornament we love (Joshua picked out a "Choo Choo"), and then we headed over to the Smith House to enjoy some delicious food! It's all you can eat home cookin' and oh boy was it good! Joshua was obssessed with the fried chicken and sweet potatoes..It was such a wonderful time, and I love that we are going to go every Christmas season!

*Magical Nights of Lights at Lanier...we started going last year even though Joshua was too young to understand what was going on...but we are going this Thursday night and I cannot wait to see his face when he sees all the light's...it's 7 miles of light's and lit up scenery...and we stop at the holiday villiage halfway for some roasted marshmellows and hot chocolate! We just love it!

*Ride Macy's Pink Pig...this was the first year Joshua was old enough to go and boy did he love it! (So much that we went again yesterday for another 2 rides, my mom really wanted to see him ride it :)...We can't wait to go again next year!

*Santa's Gold Gift...every year when I was growing up my dad would wrap our one BIG gift in gold wrapping paper and that was Santa's big gift...I got soo excited every year to open my one big gold present I couldn't wait...and only the one was gold and all others were a different color...so small and simple but I just loved it and I wanted to continue it with my children...we started that at Joshua's first Christmas, and this year his gold gift is his train table!...Oh and the swingset, but we can't exactly wrap that one! Maybe a big gold bow!

*Christmas Breakfast: Every year my mom comes over after we have done our own family Christmas presents and brings a big breakfast egg casserole (soo yumm!) and Moravian sugar cakes and we gather and exchange presents with my mom and my step-dad and enjoy a delicious breakfast nex to a big warm fire! And of course we stay in our pj's ALL day...Even for our big Christmas dinner!

What are some of your family Christmas traditions!?

What's In Your Purse!?!

I don't know what I'd do without my Mary Poppins purse as I call it...room for all my mommy essentials...here's what stays in my purse...

                                             My Wallet!

                               My Erin Condren Planner!

                                           My Ipod Shuffle!

                                         My MAC Studio Fix!

         My MAC Lusterglass in Fluster Rose and Venetian!

Aveeno Baby Moisture Cream!

             Wet Ones...alcohol free...I never go without!

                                           Kiehl's Hand Lotion!

                              Never without a sippy cup!

       What's In Your Purse!?

Our Christmas Decorations!

I litreally just wait all year to pull all my Christmas decorations out of my armoire! I just love making our house all warm and cozy with the spirit of Christmas! The McDonald house is all Christmas-ed out :)

                           My favorite, Nativity Set with Scripture!

 
                         Icy Tree Candles! (Pottery Barn Outlet)

                           Reindeer candleholders! (Pottery Barn)

Our mantle, (minus mommy and daddy's stocking's being monnogrammed..they're at the shop now and will be done in white to match Joshua's!)

             Our Tree!...(Minus ornaments on the bottom), because someone keeps pulling them off :)

Mr. Snowman!

                                     Love This Cute Christmas Pillow!

           The color changing light up tree, Joshua's favorite! (Walmart)

Joshua's Advent Calendar, he moves it every day! (Hobby Lobby)

                                              
                                            Our Breakfast Table!

                                Our Dining Room Table!

Macy's Pink Pig 2011

So Chris and decided we'd make it an annual tradition to have a family trip to Macy's Pink Pig every year! We didn't go last year since Joshua was too young but we went this year and oh boy did he love it! I'm so bummed I left my camera at home, but i got a few on my phone..It's literally right down the road from us at Lenox Mall...Chris took a half day yesterday so we went at 3 o'clock and there was no line at all (compared to the normal mile long line), so it was perfect! Joshua was a tiny bit hesitant the first time because he had to sit serparately from mommy and daddy but halfway through the ride he looked at me and said "again momma, again"..and so we bought another 2 rides! It was a hit to say the least!..This will definitely be a fam tradition for us! :)

A few of my Christmas favorites...

                 
                                   Mistletoe Yankee Candle!

Starbucks Gingerbread Latte...My Occasional Treat!

Nat King Cole Christmas Album...It's on repeat all of December in our house!

The Grinch Who Stole Christmas! Our fam favorite!

Christmas is just the best time of the year! :)

My First Erin Condren Life Planner!

So I read about this planner on my friend Rebecca's blog (A Southern Boy and A City Girl)...I have always had a standard big calendar I keep in my desk, but when I saw this planner I knew I had to have it! I have a huge Louis that I call my Mary Poppins purse, and I knew this would fit haha! You can get a great deal on it too...It is originally $50, and I used a coupon for get $50 for $25 dollars toward it from Plum District, and then another $10 dollar off coupon on the website..so I ended up paying $15 dollars for it!

It is really amazing, I just love it! I love that it keeps track of every little thing going on in our lives! There's labels and room for everything...And I love that I will be able to sit down on Sunday with the hubby and plan out each day for the whole upcoming week! I am such an organizer/planner and this is just perfect for me! Here's to much needed and wonderful organization in my life! :)


                                                The Cover!

                        Love All The Quotes Inside!

                                            Organization!!

Thanks Erin Condren, I'm excited to have a super organized 2012!