Five on Friday

Happy Friday, friends!

Linking up again with some of my favorite gals to share what five things I'm loving this week.

In honor of Christmas, I thought I'd share my five favorite holiday traditions.
We are currently on the road headed to Texas, and here's what I'm looking forward to most when we get there.

1. Festivities with friends

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I am so thankful for all my Dallas friends!
We have grown up together and been friends since elementary school.
I love that no matter how far away I move whenever I come home it's as if we haven't missed a beat.
Each year the Saturday before Christmas we have a mother daughter happy hour.
Sadly my mom has a wedding tomorrow night so I'll be solo, but so looking forward to catching up with my besties.
Then each year on Christmas Eve we take all the husbands and kiddos and head out for a Mexican lunch.
It's one of my favorite traditions and has become highly entertaining the more kids we all continue to have!

2. Christmas Eve Candlelight Service 

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Probably my favorite tradition has to be the Christmas Eve Candlelight Service.

It is so special to take time during all the holiday hustle and bustle and truly reflect on the meaning of the season.

Now being a mom, this means more to me than ever.

I cannot wait to watch G's eyes light up as we sing "Silent Night" and hold up our candles.

Knowing him, he'll shout out, "Happy Birthday, Jesus!"

And I'll absolutely love it.

3. Christmas Eve Pajamas

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Every Christmas Eve after we get home from church my mom says we can open one present.
When we were kids it took a few years to catch on, but now we all know what that one present is.
Christmas pajamas!
I love this.
My brothers?
Not so much.
My mom wraps up matching pjs for all the guys and matching pjs for the two of us.
Love that now my soon-to-be sister-in-law gets a pair too!

4. Twas the Night Before Christmas

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Once we're all decked in our pjs {after much coercing of the guys} we sit around and my dad reads "The Night Before Christmas."
I love that this tradition will now carry on with my kiddos.

5. Cinnamon Roll Competition

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And the highlight of our traditions...
Our cinnamon roll competition!
My family is very competitive and loves food.
I'm not sure how many years ago this started, but my mom used to always make her homemade rolls on Christmas.
One year my dad got a wild hair and decided to make a batch of his own, and thus the competition was born.
Anyone can enter and we invite over family and friends to come Christmas morning to taste and vote.
Still haven't finalized which recipe I'm entering, but I have a few up my sleeve with some secret ingredients {booze!}.
Will keep you posted!

So what are your favorite Christmas traditions?

Quick and Easy Holiday Cookies

If you're anything like me you may be feeling this holiday season has just gotten away from you.

Between holiday shopping, Christmas card sending and soiree socializing, there is little time to get it all done.

However, this time of year I think it's so important to find ways to recognize those who have blessed you. 

So, if you are needing something quick and easy to whip up for teachers, friends or anyone you want to wish a Merry Christmas, check out this yummy {but more importantly quick and easy} cookie recipe.

Red Velvet Crinkle Cookies

1 box red velvet cake mix

1 egg

1/4 cup of water

1/4 cup of oil

Powdered sugar 

Mix the first four ingredients together in a bowl.

Scoop out onto cookie sheet.

Sprinkle with powdered sugar.

Bake at 350 degrees for 15 minutes.

Doesn't get much easier than that!

Just package them up and you are all set.

So what are you sharing this holiday season?

Christmas for the little ones...

I don't know about you guys but Christmas can be overwhelming.

Especially when it comes to shopping for gifts.

And really, that's the last thing we should be focusing on this time of year.

I'm so thankful my boys are little and get excited about a bouncy ball from the dollar aisle at Target.

B and I started a tradition last year and are continuing this year and hopefully for years to come.

Not counting Santa {still gotta have a little something under the tree from the big guy}, the boys will get four gifts.

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Something they want,

Something they need,

Something to wear,

Something to read.

I love this!

It makes gift giving so much easier and helps keep things in perspective.

Can I also throw out that I got a lot of the boys' gifts from Diapers.com.

Do you guys use this amazing website??
One stop shop.

I was introduced shortly after G was born and used it strictly for diapers and wipes, but quickly realized it has so much more to offer.

Free shipping {usually two days later!} and for Tennessee, no sales tax!

It is such a lifesaver!

So mamas out there, what are you doing for your little ones??

Happy Birthday, George!

I have a two year old?

No way.

How can my little man be two??

They say the first year goes by so fast, but I have to say, I think the second year goes by even faster

{here's hoping this isn't the same for each year to come!}.

The first year was all about survival mode and milestones.

I laugh that we documented every month with a picture and update, and now I look back on this past year for G, and it's all a blur.

Luckily I've been journaling and documenting little bits here and there, plus emailing him often {yes, he has an email!}.

I want to soak up every moment with this little man because he is simply perfect in my eyes.

He has grown so much this past year, and I am so proud to call him my son.

He is sweet and loving.

He is gentle and cares for others.

He is funny.

Really funny.

He is a ham and loves to dance.

He thinks.

He is well-mannered.

He is the most amazing big brother.

He is smart.

He has an incredible vocabulary, and I could listen to him talk forever.

He is playful.

He plays by himself or with others and is content.

He has grown and continues to grow into the most beautifully well-rounded little boy.

He is all I could have dreamed of and so much more than I prayed he would become.

It is my prayer that each day he would continue to grow and know just how much he is loved.
Happy birthday, George! 

Scenes from the weekend...

Croup plus two year molars is not a good combination.

Our poor G was down for the count this weekend.

So much so we had to cancel his birthday party.

We spent the weekend cuddled up on the couch and endured many Doras, Guppies and Mickeys.

In between coughing sessions, meltdowns and snot sessions, B and I were able to break away and enjoy a fabulous holiday party with some of our dearest friends.

As sad as I was to cancel his party {we rescheduled so stay tuned!}, I have to admit it was pretty nice to just have a relaxing weekend loving on my boys.

We are now back in full swing with a crazy week ahead.

G's birthday, Christmas program at school, last minute shopping and packing all to be ready for our road trip come Friday.

Bring it on!

It's the most wonderful time of the year...

Viva Las Vegas

B's job certainly has its perks, and one of them is me getting to tag along on his trip to Vegas for the American Country Awards.

We had the best time.

Not only did we enjoy the show itself {how amazing was LeAnn Rimes' tribute to Patsy Cline??}, but we took in a little NFL action on the big screen at the Sports Book {the highlight of B's trip}, indulged in amazing meals {here, here, here and here} and most importantly had some time just the two of us to kick back and act like wild and crazy kids {although we were back in the room by 10pm two out of our three nights!}.

Sadly we were not so lucky when it came to the tables.

After my first night proved to only make $1.09 I decided to just stick with people watching instead of gambling.

Sadly, B did not follow my lead.

What happens in Vegas, stays in Vegas...

Our money.

Oh well, it was money well spent as I loved every minute of watching my man roll the dice, mingle with dealers, hit, stay and double down.

However the highlight was definitely watching him attempt the bull.

I think it just might have been the highlight of the night for everyone at the Mandalay Bay that evening.

Here's looking forward to our next crazy adventure!

Holly Jolly PJ Party

Greetings from Vegas!

Taking a break from my gambling ways to join these gals for an oh so fun pj party.

Nothing cuter than kids in Christmas pajamas, right?

Here are my sweet boys rocking their festive jammies.

These two really do make it the most wonderful time of the year!