Friday, December 23, 2022

Sugary & Magical & Required

It appears that road trips are one of the only times I can clear out an hour to update this blog. We are currently driving from Dallas to Houston to spend Christmas with my parents and brother, sister-in-law, and their 17-month-old twins. Santa's sleigh is packed and the kids are so excited to spend the holiday with Papa and Gigi and their tiny cousins. Maggie is just excited she made it into the sleigh.
Our lock-in two weeks ago was highly successful and we will definitely be doing it again next year.
I collected everyone's phones, including James and mine, and put them in a drawer and we were all cozy and sparkly and full of stories and memories of Christmases past.
On friday night, we made homemade pizza, decorated the tree, and watched Home Alone.
On Saturday we did a bunch of house projects, went on a walk, made the sugar cookie dough, and all went to cheer on Cora in her basketball game, which we capped off with tacos out at one of our favorite restaurants.
Sunday was sugar cookie baking and decorating, more house projects (hanging! all! the! things!), and a delicious pot of homemade chili simmering in the background.
It was utterly lovely. I love these humans and bulldog and cats so dang much.
One thing that's been hard in the move is starting over with friends and social groups. Everyone has been so nice and warm and welcoming, but it just takes time to work your way into a social or friend circle- to be invited to the Christmas parties or events happening all around us, and for a FOMO-filled extrovert like me it can be REALLY hard to see everyone else doing things you are so separate from. So this year I've focused really hard on soaking up my own party of five and we've all benefitted from it.
Meanwhile Milo is mad that he seems to be the only one who doesn't get a sugar cookie after school.
We had a few more furniture deliveries over the last two weeks: our dining table, kitchen chairs, Claire's dresser, Cora's bed, and more.
Claire is the last one left sleeping on the floor but her bed comes Monday (desk and nightstand in January) and she's loving each piece that arrives over her slow rollout.
I absolutely adore everything that is coming together in our space. It has been such a joy to put together. After 17+ years of marriage and 3 increasingly older kids, we're just at a new phase of our taste and style and use of our home. I have things with history that matter to me deeply, like this ceramic elephant that was in my grandparents' house my whole life (and much of my mom's).
Crazy enough my dad's parents had the exact same elephants, though my Grandpa Jim still has his in his apartment. Everytime I see him in my living room I smile.
And then we have new things that I feel like are so very "me" and "us" and yet they are things I would never have known to pick a few years ago. Like this serene and cozy master bedroom that makes me feel warm inside everytime I walk in.
And these vacation photos above a bench on our landing that bring me joy whenever I walk by.
Speaking of things that spark joy, I've been wearing Bonnie's amazing outfits to all the holiday parties and work events over the last few weeks. I think my favorite was the green plaid shorts ensemble that I wore to our litigation Christmas party, but I've loved them all and love that she gives me the confidence to wear them.
James had his big meet last weekend. The kids and I had planned to just hang out, but I was so inspired by seeing SIX! in early December that I got the girls hooked on the soundtrack and we were listening to it CONSTANTLY and I found myself searching for tickets online and found a set of four for last Saturday that were the very center of the 6th row and I couldn't resist. I called my mom and she was delighted to drive over to see it with us.
We parked in my building, walked to lunch, and were BLOWN AWAY by the show. I had just seen it and I was still caught up in every second. The girls LOVED IT. My mom LOVED IT. Everyone should see it as soon as possible- we're still listening to the soundtrack on our way to Houston. Meanwhile, Landon and my dad went to see the laser 3D extravaganza of Avatar 2 and they seemed very pleased and also full of snacks because that movie is 16 hours long.
James had a great meet. Not as amazing as he hoped, but he went a lifetime best in the 200 Breaststroke and qualified for US Senior Nationals for the first time since *2001*. It's so incredible and I'm so proud of him.
We went out to our very favorite Dallas restaurant to celebrate.
And obviously I wore The Shoes.
It was a delicious decadent meal and at one point I was just so struck by the fact that I was sitting across from this person I've been going on dates with for 21 years and 4 months and there are times I am still just full on giddy inside that he is mine.

---

And finally, in an abrupt change of topic, remember this baby from 15 years ago with his tiny vest and tiny shoes and dapper hat?
Well he and size 12 feet got a learner's permit this week and he is learning to OPERATE A MOTOR VEHICLE and what/how/who/why. I cannot.
Life comes at you damn fast. It's why you need things like Forced Family Fun Time and Magical Holiday Lock-Ins. Maggie hopes you have a WONDERFUL holiday season and that you are staying warm in this crazy weather. It "felt like -5" in Dallas yesterday and Maggie was wearing her Christmas sweater underneath a layer of fleece blankets I pulled out straight from the dryer to swaddle her.
Maggie loves you and I do too.

16 comments:

  1. Is Moose still hiding after the move?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Ha! No he's actually out a lot, and his new favorite place to nap is under the tree like the gift he is, but he prefers not to be photographed.

      Delete
  2. While your shoes are Fabulous, it's your stove and pot filler that I covet!!! Merry Christmas!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I must admit, I do LOVE that stove and pot filler. Every time we have pasta, which is often, I get so excited about using it.

      Delete
  3. Where did your new dining table come from? We've been eyeing a similar one!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Crate and Barrel! It's this one. I love that it extends to seat 12 and the extra inserts are stored under the table: Tate Table.

      Delete
  4. Would love to know where you procured those family photos! So cute! Thanks!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Crate and Barrel! The metal is brass and they're so pretty and sturdy and different. I added a set of 2 11x11 square frames to the mix from the same site. Gallery frames.

      Delete
    2. I love the vacation photos! It's so fun to see your house come together. Did you add the round mats yourself to the frames??

      Delete
    3. No, they're from Pottery Barn (link here; I did the set of 6 18" square frames with grey wood) and they come with two mat options: a 5x7 rectangle or a 12" circle. I just love them!

      Delete
  5. The house is coming together quickly (or at least much faster than mine!). Happy New Year LL!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. It is! We're still missing several pieces, but Claire's bed came Monday so it's nice to have everyone off the floor! Happy New Year to you too!

      Delete
  6. Where is your dining table chandelier from? Looking for something similar for my house!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. That one actually came with the house! We're switching it out for something else (it's great, but too big for the space and doesn't match our room overall), but I don't know where it came from. I know some of the other lights were ordered off Houzz.

      Delete
  7. Cheery family Xmas pics scream, "IF YOU DON'T SMILE FOR THIS PICTURE I WILL NEVER GIVE YOU YOUR DEVICES BACK EVER." I kid, sort of, and may have said this to my daughter myself on more than occasion. ;-) Furniture is cute! Wondering how you've managed to get it delivered so fast!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Ha no, I just told them I'd keep taking pictures until I got one of all of them looking and that took a surprising amount of time given all of their ages.

      We started ordering in mid-October and probably have 75% of it here? We tried to only get things that were in stock, so that helped, but lots of it went out of stock anyway. Our couches will be here in March or so and the gorgeous teal console we ordered for the entryway is set for May, but it's lovely to see so many of the rooms done!

      Delete