A Few Random Things

I can't believe tomorrow is already New Year's Eve! This year has truly flown by, we only have a few days left in Vegas but to be honest I miss my house haha. We love our families so much but it will be nice to get home and get back into a routine. 

Yesterday, I went shopping with my sister, niece and mother in law to find a dress for our ball at the end of the January. I tried on a few (even some that I shared with you) but I fell in love with one that I was unsure of when seeing it on the hanger:

Can't wait to wear it!!!

I am looking forward to tonight because my sister and I are finally going to see this:

We love anything and everything related to Disney. I have heard amazing things about this movie.

On Saturday we got to take these two cuties to the Children's Discovery Museum. It was 3 stories of amazingness haha. I'm not sure who had more fun them or us. 

I hope you all had an amazing weekend and have a great day!

Dress Shopping

Since we found out that our battalion is having a formal at the end of next month I have been on the hunt for the perfect dress. I haven't found anything that I'm in love with but my sister, niece, mother in law and I will be going shopping this weekend for me to find one in Vegas. These are some that I found online that I like:

I want something relatively simple, hopefully I can try these dresses on at Dillard's. I am too picky for my own good sometimes. 

We also decided that we will be taking 2 vacations next..one to Hawaii in June and then Florida in September for my brother's retirement ceremony from the Air Force. We are really excited!!!

Happy Friday and I hope you all have a great weekend!

Family Time

Christmas was a wonderful day spent with family! We started out at my sisters house to see the kids open all their gifts. They had fun and loved all their goodies from Santa. We even got a chance to go down and see the tree we had planted in honor of my Mom.

Right after lunch we headed over to my in-laws house for more family time. I even got to spend an hour or so snuggling our newest niece.

It was a wonderful day! 

Also, if you could all say a quick prayer for my brother. He went into the hospital yesterday and any good thoughts would be appreciated!

Christmas Spirit

Normally when we go home for Christmas it tends to be chaos. It is hard to give equal time to both sides of the family but this year it has been surprisingly easy. We always put more pressure on ourselves we don't want anyone to feel left out.

As I sat back yesterday reflecting on this year I realized just how amazingly lucky we are to have two families that love us so much. We may fight and have tough times throughout the year but the bottom line is we all love each other. Through blood and marriage I have an amazing family! We are also blessed with friends that have become family and they are so precious to us as well.

To all the amazing ladies I have met through blogging, thank you for an amazing year!

One huge piece that is missing is of course my Mom. We are planning to go down to her tree today and take some flowers. She was always the foundation of our holidays and we miss her so much. We know she is looking down on all of us and smiling. 

I may not get a chance to post tomorrow but I wanted to wish everyone a very Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays! However you are celebrating I hope it's an amazing time with those you love.

Vacation So Far..

I figured I would stop in and share a quick update from our trip so far. I will use pictures instead of a lot of words. :)

We got to meet our new niece, Holly, finally! :)

Santa came to visit!

The girls with Santa

The boys with Santa

The gorgeous wreath my sister made us. :)

My inlaws came over to my sisters house to deliver Christmas gifts to the kids. :)

Bowling! We go bowling with my sister and her family every time we are in town.

Kylie and her gingerbread house that we helped her with.

We have had a wonderful visit so far and we know it will just keep getting better!

:) Happy Monday!

Christmas Tag

I was tagged by the awesome Kelsey at Pardon My French and Alex at Munchkins and the Military to answers some fun Christmas questions. Thanks ladies!!

Questions:

1.What do you love the most about Christmas time?

There are so many things I love about Christmas time. I love the time with family, decorations, baking, Christmas movies and let's be honest I love everything about Christmas time.

2. Do you celebrate the holiday in style or is Bah-Humbug for you?

Oh we celebrate in style! We go all out with decorating, we always try to attend any Christmas events going on where we live and we definitely enjoy it. 

3. Are you leaving anything out for Santa Claus this year so he remembers to leave your presents?

We most likely will, we will be staying at my sisters on Christmas Eve so we will make cookies with the kids to leave out. :)

4. What is the one gift you are most looking forward to GIVING? {It can be to your kids, another family member, etc – remember to be discreet if they read your blog!}

I'm excited to give the ornaments I made for everyone. I really hope they like them.

5. What is your all-time favorite Christmas movie?

I have so many. The Nightmare Before Christmas, A Christmas Story, Claymation Christmas, but my all-time favorite is National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation. Definitely a classic!

6. What is your all-time favorite Christmas song?

"I Want a Hippopotamus for Christmas", it drives my sister crazy so of course it makes me love it even more haha.

7. If given the opportunity would you participate in an “Ugly Sweater” party and what sweater would you wear?  Peruse one on the internet or even in your own closet and show us!

YES!!!! I found this sweater and it's pretty much amazing!

8. Have you started any Christmas traditions this year that you plan on carrying forward?

We didn't start any new traditions this year but we always get Christmas pajama pants. It is one of my favorite parts of Christmas.

9. It’s Christmas morning … what does it look like outside where you live?

Since we will be in Vegas for Christmas it will most likely be sunny and not too cold.

10. You just found yourself standing under the mistletoe … who comes up to give you a kiss first?

Either my niece or nephew, they are silly kids! :) I wouldn't say no either.

I'm supposed to tag 10 people but I would rather just leave this open to anyone who wants to participate. 

We are heading to Vegas today, we are excited to see our families but 11.5 hours in the car is not fun no matter how you slice it haha. 

I hope you all have an awesome day!

A Few Christmas Thoughts

A few weeks ago I bought me and Kyle these pretty amazing shirts from Target...haha I mean how could you pass on them?!

Then I ordered the moose mugs from Amazon...yes we have already used them.

Last night we put on our Christmas Vacation shirts and snapped a few pictures in front of our Christmas tree...we have one with Emma and Fishy from every Christmas we have been together.

I swear my husband is amazing for putting up with all of my silly ideas. 

Last night as I was driving I saw this pretty amazing house...I'm pretty sure their power meter is going crazy haha.

I also finished wrapping Christmas presents!! All of these will be making their way to Vegas with us on Thursday.

From here on out my posts will be scheduled...if I don't get back on here before Christmas next week I hope you all have an amazing Christmas and a wonderful New Year.

A Christmas Mug Swap

A few weeks ago I signed up for a Christmas Mug Swap with Sarah at G.I. Joe's Wife. I couldn't pass up this swap because I have a slight obsession with coffee mugs haha. I was paired up with the pretty amazing Allison from The Boutwell's. She definitely did not disappoint, I love my mug plus the candle and nail polish that she added to the package. Thank you Allison!

Our weekend was pretty darn uneventful and let me tell you it was nice! We thought about leaving for Vegas over the weekend but decided instead to push it back to later in the week. Now we have a few days to just hang out and get the house in order. 

I hope you all had an amazing weekend!

Bravo Company Holiday Party

(First I want to say to those that have included me in the Christmas Tag, I haven't forgotten to do it lol. They are posts schedule for next week.)  :)

Yesterday was our holiday party for Kyle's company. Let me just tell you that it was probably the most fun we have had in a long time. We had Santa, secret Santa gift exchange, crafts for kids, tons of food, drinks, music, dancing and great company. It was fun seeing everyone get dressed up and have a great time.

We had it at a ballroom in town and it was perfect! We were the only ones there and we had the run of the whole place which included a huge dance floor and DJ. We opted to go potluck style and everyone brought amazing food. We had so much leftover it was ridiculous haha.

We have been a part of several units but none like this. The soldiers and families are some of the best people we know and we are thankful to be a part of this group, they are definitely family to us.

I hope you all have an amazing weekend!

Wordless Wednesday

From my family to yours!

Have a wonderful Wednesday. :)

Weekend Festivities

What a fun filled weekend it has been! I hate when good weekends like this come to an end. 

Saturday we got up bright and early for the Holiday 8k Run on post. We had a blast! It was pretty cold but it was worth it. Our costumes were a huge hit and we actually had people in cars stopping to tell us how much they loved our costumes. :) Making people smile is the best.

 

We opted out of doing the Polar Bear Plunge because there wasn't a whole lot of information about it (from what I heard it wasn't much fun either). We ended up doing a little shopping and having lunch at Olive Garden. Yum!

Saturday night we headed to downtown El Paso for the Christmas Tree Lighting, it was gorgeous! Not only was there a tree but they had a ton of other decorations as well, including a tree on the side of the Wells Fargo building. We had a blast.

Sunday was spent mostly relaxing which we needed. Later in the day we got to get dressed up for the Commander's Reception at the Brigade Commanders house. I never pass up a chance to get all fancy haha. We couldn't pass up a chance to take a picture in front of our Christmas tree. :)

 It was great seeing all of Kyle's co-workers, never a dull moment with that bunch.

 I hope you all had an amazing weekend!

One Step Closer

A few weeks ago I mentioned that Kyle was applying for fellowships in DC. We found out yesterday that he has been accepted as a candidate! Not everyone is accepted and this is a huge step in the right direction. :) Fingers crossed that it continues to go well. If he gets one it would be a perfect transition from his current job to this.

Not much else to say so I will leave you with this sneak peek of our costumes for the Holiday 8k tomorrow haha. :)

 

Have a great weekend!

Precious Babies

This last week 2 very special babies were born.

On December 1st my best friend Kristina and her husband welcomed precious Hayden William to the world. He was born at only 26 weeks weighing 1lb 4 oz but he is certainly a fighter! Please say a prayer that he continues to get stronger and will eventually be able to go home. I hope to meet my "nephew" sooner rather than later.

Yesterday, December 4th, my brother-in-law and sister-in-law welcomed the adorable Holland Ava into the world. She was a healthy 7lbs 12oz and is absolutely precious. We can't wait to meet her in a few weeks. She officially makes us an Aunt and Uncle of 10. :)

These babies sure do make me smile.

I hope you all have an amazing day!

Busy Times Ahead

I feel like we have so much going on in the next few weeks. Here is a run down of what's coming up!

*Thursday is the Fort Bliss Tree lighting, we try to attend these at every post we are at. Such a wonderful tradition to be a part of.

*This Saturday we have our Holiday 8k on post followed by the Polar Bear plunge and the El Paso Tree Lighting. I am beyond excited about this whole day.

*Sunday we have a holiday reception to attend at our Brigade Commanders house. I picked up this amazing dress at Macy's..the price was too good to pass up.

*December 9th we are seeing Green Day's American Idiot show. Yay!!!

*On December 10th I'm volunteering at an Operation Homefront Holiday Meal distribution. We will be giving out 500 meals to military families in need. 

*December 12th is Bravo Company Holiday Party! We are so excited for this and can't wait to see how it turns out.

*December 14th we are heading back up to the pistachio farm to pick up a few last minute Christmas gifts.

*December 19th we will be on our way to Vegas! 

Last night we saw Trans-Siberian Orchestra and let me just say that they did not disappoint. It was absolutely incredible! If you have a chance to see TSO do it. I didn't take many pictures but here are a few.

I hope you all have an amazing day!

Hello December!

I can't believe it is already December, where has this year gone?!

After a great Thanksgiving the rest of the weekend was spent putting up more Christmas decorations, shopping and baking.

Friday we pulled all of our outside out and got to work. We didn't want to put everything up but we think it looks awesome!

Saturday was spent shopping and relaxing. Since we didn't venture out on Black Friday we wanted to see what kind of deals were still out there. We came home with clothes from Old Navy, golf balls from Dick's Sporting Goods, surround sound from Best Buy, dress from Macy's, and Christmas gifts for Emma and Fishy. We didn't pay full price for anything, score!

We gave Emma and Fishy their gifts..they each got a new collar plus a new sweater for Emma and a play mat for Fishy. They were happy as usual. :)

Sunday was my designated baking day! I made Starry Eyed Christmas cookies, Spritz cookies, homemade peppermint patties and frosted sugar cookies.  All of which will be going to work with Kyle tomorrow.

 

Our fun continues tonight because we are off to Las Cruces to see Trans-Siberian Orchestra. I can't wait!

I hope you all had an amazing weekend!