Coffee Date Friday: Post-Ho, Ho, Ho Edition

Well, somehow, some way, Christmas has come and gone. Although the days after Christmas are certainly much slower-paced than the weeks before, it can be a little sad to pack away all the decorations, throw away all that beautiful wrapping paper, and say a fond farewell to the Christmas season. 

So. Were we to meet for coffee on this post-Christmas morning, I'd ask that we do it in the comfort of our jammies, in a pretty new mug, and in front of a fire. Sounds pretty cheery to me, right? I would ask about YOU, about your Christmas, about your favorite moments, favorite memories, favorite meals. I would then share the following about moi: 

...that, rewinding just  bit, we had a fabulous time last weekend with my hub's "side" of the family celebrating Christmas in Aiken, South Carolina. On Friday, we ventured to the beautiful gardens where my hub and I were married over 10 years ago to take in the gorgeous light display and enjoy hot cocoa and cookies. So fun! Saturday was spent opening gifts, watching Christmas movies, and playing, playing, and more playing, both the kids and adults alike. All of the big cousins had a sleepover while we adults enjoyed (quite a few) adult bevs and played Cards Against Humanity. It was an absolute blast! 

Taking in the lights

 Snuggles with Pop

My babes.

 Happy chaos. 

 My bigs.

 The three musketeers.

 Smiles for Nana.

 Big cousin slumber party

Nana and Pop and their eight grands

...that Sunday and Monday evenings capped off our holiday celebrations, as we went to a delicious steakhouse on Sunday night with four other couples (and I had my first Uber experience. How have I not used this amazing service before?! Genius!) and then had a festive Christmas party with our LifeGroup on Monday. Whew! But so much fun!

...that Christmas Eve and day were SO special this year. I teared up during our Christmas Eve service, and again several times on Christmas morning, feeling I may burst from gratitude for our Savior and for the life and blessings I've been given. On Christmas morning, Banks and Raleigh were filled with delight, taking in the marvels of all things Santa. And Harrison was just as happy as could be, playing with toy after toy and wrapping paper after wrapping paper. :) Our neighbors hosted a Bloody Mary bar drop-in mid-morning, which was really fun! The kiddos played and the adults drank and chatted. We spent the afternoon resting and cooking and prepping a yummy dinner, which we enjoyed as just our little family of five. That night, we headed over to another neighbor's for a little post-dinner drink drop-in. Again, the kiddos played and the adults drank and chatted. I'm noticing a pattern here... ;) Fun, fun, fun!

Christmas Eve service. Raleigh's self-induced pose KILLS me.

Excitement on Christmas Eve! 

Family tradition: Reading "The Night Before Christmas"

Another Christmas tradition: the top of the stairs pic before checking out the Santa loot!

This little guy had an awesome first Christmas!

Quick and easy place cards I made for our Christmas meal. Fresh rosemary +striped thank you cards from the Target $1 bin + sharpie. Done!

Ham! Stuffing! Mashed potatoes and gravy! Green bean casserole! Dinner rolls! Strawberry cheesecake! Two apps! Festive bevs! All made by me...Okay...And Honeybaked Ham. And Sara Lee. But still! Yay me!

...that we have absolutely NO travel plans for the rest of the year. NONE. And I am so excited about it--to just see where the next week takes us without having anything set in stone. Although we originally had big, out-of-town New Year's plans that were made six months ago, 4 of the 6 couples involved ended up having to cancel so we are re-scheduling. So. We'll be sticking around the Mill and enjoying the rest of our time off from school 'round these parts. I think my SUV is going to be confused at the lack of miles the next few weeks. Ha!

...that, last but not least, my precious baby boy turned EIGHT months yesterday. Oh.My.Word. 

Harrison is just a ray of sunshine. I cannot get to him fast enough each morning, feeling as though the excitement of Christmas morning is happening again and again. But it's not Christmas morning (okay, except for yesterday). It's my life. And he's my baby. I am a lucky, lucky momma. He has accomplished quite a bit this month, as he is now crawling, babbling, and pulling up like crazy. He also loves to stick his tongue out and smiles as big as he possibly can when he sees his momma. Melt my heart. Also:

And aside from having dinner with friends tonight, we have absolutely no plans for the rest of the weekend. Cheers to that! Cheers to Christmas! Cheers to the impending close of 2014! Have a great weekend, friends!