December 1: I had my first book club meeting with my new group. It was such a fun night with new friends and old friends - even the lady we bought our house from is in the group. Henry was so exhausted he fell asleep sitting up!
December 2: Henry and I went to the library and he explored the packages.
December 3: Henry and I enjoyed a morning in Green Hills - Donut Den, Trader Joe's, The Container Store! He is such a good shopping buddy. I went to Holly's house that night to iron 400 napkins for our annual Christmas Tea at church. It was a big job but fun with friends. Wine and treats helped too!
December 4: I volunteered in Evie's classroom - the highlight of my week! We picked up our tree that night at Home Depot - that is our tradition so we just keep going there.
December 5: Henry had his Christmas program at preschool that was just precious. Carl and I had two parties that night in our neighborhood. Both were super fun!
December 6: Evie and I went to The Nutcracker. Henry and Carl went to see The Good Dinosaur! All of us had a fantastic afternoon.
December 7: I went to church to work on place settings and table arrangements for the tea.
December 8: Henry and I went to the zoo with Eddie and Kelly. Evie had gymnastics and it was medal night. She was thrilled to get a medal but it is already broken. The excitement does not last long and things usually end up in drawers or closets!
December 9: Henry made a cookie at school and wanted to send Carl a picture because he was out of town. That tickled me!
December 10: I had a Dirty Santa party with the moms in Evie's class. We have the best group of kids and moms this years. It has been a real treat to get to know everyone so well. I won a sparkly Christmas necklace that has become a staple in my holiday attire this season. Henry went to his friend, Elliott's house while I went to the lunch. I am so excited that Henry has so many kids in our neighborhood that will go with him to kindergarten.
December 11: This was a big day of tea preparations! It was not hard because lots of people came to help! Some of us walked down to White's Mercantile to do a little Christmas shopping after we finished up. Be sure to visit White's Mercantile if you find yourself in Nashville or Franklin! It was my Mother In Law's birthday too. Happy Birthday, She She!!
December 12: Tea Day finally arrived! I parked at Taylor's house and her husband dropped us off at the church because it was a crazy busy weekend with Dickens of a Christmas in Franklin. The tea was a blast and I already excited about helping with it next year too. Everything is more fun with friends! We loaded up on the leftovers to bring home - my kids were thrilled with all the goodies! Cucumber sandwiches, curried chicken salad cups, turkey arugula sandwiches, butter cookies, chocolate cups and more. Carl had prepared dinner and I barely had an appetite after all that food!
December 13: Henry and Evie had Christmas pageant practice after church. Carl took them while I went to brunch with some friends to celebrate a new baby girl that is arriving soon. We enjoyed sprinkling Natalie with gifts for Lauren and eating a delicious brunch with mimosas. Carl and I walked through Dickens of a Christmas with the kids since we were already downtown. It was a bit underwhelming but I have heard Saturday is the best day for the festival. We came home and changed clothes quickly before heading to Eddie's birthday at Chuckie Cheese. It was such a fun birthday - low-key with just a few special friends.
December 14: I had a hair appointment and tied up my last few Christmas strings. Our niece turned double-digits on this day - Happy Birthday, Lucy!
December 15: Henry and I went back to Green Hills for one last Trader Joe's run before Christmas. Look at my sweet shopper! Evie had her last gymnastics class - she is starting acting classes next semester. We celebrated with McDonald's - my kids love that place!
December 16: Henry's last day of school! It was PJ and Pancake day which thrilled Henry's little heart. Henry is a BIG fan of breakfast! We came home from preschool and made four boxes of brownies for Spring Street.
December 17: Henry and I went to Spring Street at our church. It was a busy morning with a lecture on fire safety, a fabulous musician, a delicious lunch and each senior went home with two bags of food. Henry stayed inside while I helped carry the bags out for the seniors. They were heavy so I sure hope everyone was able to get their bags inside safely.
December 18: Evie's last day of school! Henry went over to Anderson's house while I went to school for the party. We did a snowman theme and everything turned out so well. I was able to use some of my teacher skills which is always fun and everything runs better when a teacher helps - the kids knew order to visit the centers and everything was prepped in advance. It was still wild but at least it was organized chaos. Wendy brought Anderson and Henry over to our house while she went to Gray's party and Evie came home with me from her party. That's a wrap on the first semester of first grade - Evie is half way to second grade. We always have pizza and movie night on Friday so that made the perfect evening after a busy day.
December 19: I took the kids to pageant practice while Carl mowed the lawn. Crazy that he had to mow the lawn in December but it has been so warm which is just fine with me. We stopped at the library on the way home so Evie could have a chance to see the tree. Our kids were wild so we had the babysitter come a bit early so we could escape. Carl and I went to JJ's Wine Bar such a cool place - your glass is filled automatically like a fountain coke and there is a little card that charges your tab. Finally, it was time for Courtney's 40th birthday party at Red Pony. It was such a fabulous night and the surprise was pulled off! It was so good to see her and Christian and their parents. We miss our neighbors so much but know that the move was best for their family! Evie and Henry are oblivious to where we went because they would be devastated if they knew their boys were in town without a playdate.
December 20: It was an early morning for church and the pageant. Evie and Henry did a fantastic job - the most beautiful angel I know and the sweetest sheep too. We had a relaxing afternoon at home before heading back to church that night. Our kids enjoyed a Polar Express party at the church with babysitters while we all went to dinner together to Mack and Kate's. Such a fun night with fabulous friends and delicious food.
December 21: It was a relaxing day at home - rainy and yucky. Perfect for playing inside and watching football!We took the kids to see the lights around town and of course at Sunnyside. Kids enjoyed a Christmas Tree Campout in the living room that night.
December 22: Evie went to Monkey Joe's with her friend Sarah! Henry and Carl went to the marina to look at boats. We all met at the Japanese Steakhouse for lunch.
December 23: I took the kids to decorate cookies with Leah and Eddie. We had so much fun together! That afternoon, we created our candy cottage which is always a treat. Mama had to have a cocktail to keep from changing their house into my house.
December 24: We made our annual Christmas Eve trip to The Fresh Market to get filet mignons for Carl's birthday and a few other Christmas goodies. We did a few things around the house before heading to church for Christmas Eve service. It was packed even though we arrived super early! We picked up Thai for dinner on the way home from church. Evie is a big fan of Thai food just like her parents! We left out cookies for Santa, sprinkled reindeer food in the yard and put out carrots too. Evie was adamant that we all get to sleep so Santa would arrive. Carl spent lots of time in Santa's Workshop preparing some items that were too big to put together in advance while I worked on Evie's iPad. We finally made it to bed about 11.
December 25: Happy Birthday Jesus and Carl!!!! Henry woke up around 7:00 and we patiently waited for Evie to wake up. She woke up and we all went downstairs! Santa came and the kids were thrilled with their loot. It was definitely a fabulous Christmas. Evie loved her American Girl doll house that was a Cyber Monday special and her iPad mini and her Bitty Baby twin, Emmaline. Henry received a gator, a blue microphone and guitar. It was wonderful to see them so joyful! We opened stockings and presents. Then, we enjoyed a delicious breakfast! It was a lazy day opening presents and hanging out until Carl's parents arrived later in the afternoon. We had a little Happy Hour and then opened some more presents! Evie was over the moon with the kitchen for her American Girl dolls and Henry has been playing magnatiles non-stop. Carl prepared delicious steaks for his birthday and we had ice-cream cake for dessert.
December 26: We had a slow start to our morning and then headed out to McKay's Book Mill. I just love that book store and knew Carl's parents would like it too. Afterwards, we went to 12 South and ate some BBQ and Jeni's ice-cream for dessert! We walked through Reese Witherspoon's store, Draper James and it was filled with amazing clothes. I cannot wait to go back and treat myself to something special.
December 27: We went to church and then to Mellow Mushroom for lunch. I met my friend, Phaedra for coffee at Just Love Coffee. Chocolate coffee is always a nice treat. It was a nice day at home with Poppy and She She!
December 28: Carl's parents left bright and early - we had such a good visit with them. Carl took the kids swimming at the Y while I worked out and then we came home for more football!
December 29: We went to the zoo! It was a pretty day for the zoo and Evie rarely gets a chance to go to the zoo. Henry would go to the zoo every day if he could!
December 30: Nana and Ipop arrived for our Christmas with them! Evie and Henry were excited to see more presents. Nana and Ipop got Evie an American Girl horse that has been a wonderful addition to her collection and a gift card to the American Girl store. Evie is already excited to spend her money! Henry loves his new dinosaur box and Lego set - it is a camper set! What a cute idea for a Lego set! We had a nice ham dinner with all the traditional sides for dinner. YUMMY!
December 31: We had a lazy day at home although Carl and I are in competition to get more steps since my Dad gave us Vivo Fits for Christmas. I'd like to point out that my step count is higher but Carl burns more calories each day. My sweet parents babysat while we went to a New Years Eve party! It is such a treat to go out on New Years Eve since babysitters are impossible to find that night. We had a fantastic night with our friends playing Catch Phrase and eating yummy food. Cheers to 2016! It's going to be an amazing year!!!
Wow, what a busy month! Looks like a lot of fun. Wishing you all the best for 2016!
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