Baby's 1st Christmas!

Wow, am I ever behind! I took some time off from blogging to enjoy being with my family over the holidays, but now I've got a lot of catching up to do! We've spent Rob's time off from school at 'home' with our families. It's been a blast, and we've definitely packed in lots of quality time with each other, our families, and our hometown friends. I'll get caught up with all of that soon, but first, let's talk about Jaqsy's 1st Christmas!

We took baby girl to see Santa the 1st day we were there. She didn't really care one way or the other, and only sat still for long enough for me to snap a picture ;)

not too impressed with the big man
There was also a Nativity scene set up, so of course I had to sit her down there for a picture with baby Jesus and company! Sweetness.

Jaqs was lucky enough to get to open a couple presents from friends early.

Don't you love her baby ring? Haha, I think it's both comical and adorable!

We always do Christmas Eve lunch with Rob's mom and brother, but J was napping, so she had to miss out. I guess that explains why I have no pictures of that ;)

That evening, my grandparents came over, and we all went to Christmas Eve service together. They came back to my parents' house for dinner and games afterwards! We love game nights in this family!

Jaqs with Nana & Papa

We woke up on Christmas morning to find that Santa had visited my parents' house! What fun!

I'm so sad that I don't have a single picture of G-Pop & Grammie-Claus from Christmas day! We were all busy being little elves, enjoying the moment, and okay, corralling the babe ;)

Christmas morning excitement!

pure love

Jaqs, of course, is too young to really enjoy Christmas to the fullest, BUT I think she still had a lot of fun with all her peeps! What's not to love about being the center of attention in a house full of people? She definitely paid attention to her new pacis some of her new toys!

I haven't even mentioned yet that I'm GOING TO BE AN AUNT!! Woohoo!!! My brother and his wife are expecting a baby in May. We know what 'it' is, but we're sworn to secrecy for now, so you'll have to keep hanging in suspense on that one! All I can say is that Jaqsy girl is going to have lots of fun with her cousin next year!

After we were all spoiled rotten by GP & Grammie, and Uncle KB & Aunt Cole, we got ready for our next stop! Family pics were a must before we left.

1st family of 3 Christmas!

We went to Rob's grandparents' house for lunch and more fun with lots of family! Once again, J was the star of the show. She's the only baby (or kid for that matter) in both of our immediate families at the moment, so the girl gets all kinds of loving! Nanny & Popo got Jaqs her first pony! It's a little big for her right now, but she loves it!

l: with nanny & her new pony!
tr: with grandma galusha
br: rob with his twin and their mama

After Nanny & Popo's, we came back home for naps, then headed out to my grandparents' house for dinner and EVEN MORE fun! My cousin's baby girl, Kenlee, and Jaqs are only about 6 weeks apart in age, so they had fun playing together! They were adorable, and I'm excited for them to grow up being little buddies.

Jaqsy Girl's first Christmas was incredibly special for us, and we are very grateful for the blessing that she is to our family. Having a baby on Christmas gives you the smallest inkling of the sacrifice God made for us! Indescribable LOVE.

2012 Christmas Card(s)

I ended up ordering 2 cards this year, and I really love the way they both turned out! The addition of our baby girl makes 2012's card my favorite one yet! 

shutterfly

card store

I waaaay underestimated the amount of cards I was going to need this year, so I do apologize if you didn't get one. I was SO BUMMED that I couldn't include my bloggy girls. Accept this e-card instead? Ha! I'll do better next year. Pinky promise.

I'm linking up with Kristen @ All In My Twenties for her Christmas Card Link-Up!

scrapbook paper & foam christmas trees

I've had some foam Christmas trees hanging around for awhile now, and I've been trying to find a way to "up-cycle" them this year. Previously they were mod-podged with tissue paper, but after being stored in the attic during hot Texas summers for several years now, they were looking pretty pathetic. When I came across this little project, I knew I'd found the one. I thought they'd be a cheerful addition to Jaqs' nursery this season!

original pin

I had to pick up some sequins and straight pins, then I got busy punching out the circles from scrapbook paper using a craft lever punch. My edges are scalloped, and the circles are 2" across. I used 9 sheets of scrapbook paper, and I had plenty left over to make a garland, too.

 Next, you just thread the sequin onto the pin then punch them (and the paper, of course) into the trees working from the bottom to the top. I put my circles in a line and basically kept that order throughout. It worked well for my OCD self ;) Once they were covered, I hot-glued a small, glittery foam ball ornament on top to finish them off!

Here's the finished product in the pea's nursery:

 I love how girly they are, and they were so simple to make! I definitely enjoyed this one.

I'm linking up with Katie & Stephanie for "Saw It, Pinned It, Did It"

Also linking up with AP for Hey, that's Pin-tastic!

Christmas Tour!

I love the way my home feels at Christmastime--so warm and cozy! The first thing I do when I get up is turn the tree lights on, and they stay on all day if we're home...I adore it!

I wanted to share some of our decor, so I'm linking up with Kelly's Korner for her Christmas Tour of Homes. Can't wait to check out everyone else's beautiful decor and to gather ideas for the future! If you clicked over from there, thanks for visiting!

I decided to do something a little different with our cards this year; I taped ribbon around the door of our coat closet in the entry way and have been pinning our cards there with mini-clothespins. I love to be able to see them all on display when you walk in!

Living room:

I made the little felt ball garland to add some whimsy to our burlap board.

remembering the reason for the season...nativities are my fav!

on the coffee table. how about all that baby swag?! and the photo bomb! priceless.

love my eleven-one-creative pillow made by meredith

hard to decorate a mantle when there's a big, fat TV over it...hope to get it back someday!

Ahh, my favorite part! The tree! Ours is bright and colorful, and I just love it.

decided to wrap the canvas up, too!

some of my favorite ornaments..
so happy to have "baby's first christmas"  this year.
Thanks Beth Ann :)
God is SO GOOD and FAITHFUL!

the night view.

Dining Room:

anthropologie-inspired snow globes

I love these little Christmas plates my mom gifted me with a few years ago!

I have other decor in the kitchen, but if I'm being honest, the sink was piled high with dishes during picture time, so I left that part out. Ha!

Of course Jaqsy girl's room needed some Christmas cheer this year! I made these little trees this week, so I'll be sure to post how I did them soon! They were very simple, and I think they go perfectly in her girly-girl room!

Thanks for taking a look into our home! Merry, merry CHRISTmas!

Pajama Party!

I could have SWORN last Friday was December, so I may have jumped the gun on the whole Christmas pajama party. Whoopsies. Good thing we've got enough jams to go around! (Thanks Grammie ;)) 

Anyway, here's Jaqsy girl in her Santa jammies! Doesn't she look so jolly and festive?? I adore this Santa baby.

pajamas

Head over to Meredith's blog and join in the fun!

pajama party!

I love Meredith's idea of a social network pajama party because WHAT mama doesn't love seeing their munch in adorable, seasonal jams?! They're irresistible!

Jaqs' personality is REALLY coming out lately! I don't even know what to say
about her expression in the bottom left picture...such a SILLY girl!

Head over to The Tichenor Family blog to link up and check out all the precious Christmas kiddos!

1st Christmas list!

Now that Thanksgiving has come and gone, I figured I'd start up with the Christmas posts :) It truly is the most wonderful time of the year!
When Jaqs was born, her first Christmas seemed so far away, but somehow, we're almost to it. I can't believe it! As hard as it is, I'm trying not to go too overboard. I want the focus to always be on the birth of our Savior, but gifts will probably always be a part of our tradition, too. I love finding the perfect gift for the ones I love!

Wondering what's on J's 1st Christmas list? You've come to the right post ;)

Bodysuits/Shape-Sorting Cube/Owl Hooded Towel/Critter Sherpa Hat/ Ella's Kitchen Organic Baby Food / Boon Pod Bath Toy Scoop/Chiffon Flower in Red & White Stripes/ Plum Organics Super Puffs/ Lil' Gripper/ Dr. Seuss's Beginner Book Collection

• Baby girl has outgrown all of her little infant towels, and how cute is that owl?
• We're working on our book collection, so of course we have to add the classics!
• Since J is growing like a weed, she could always use the next size in necessities. Can't go wrong with Old Navy.
• Another Old Navy gem...love this little hat! If it'd ever get cold...
• Jaqsy only has one cup right now, and we'll need an extra as she starts using it more.
• Jameson Monroe headbands are ADORABLE. Love them all, but this one is particularly festive and would be perfect for Valentine's Day, too!
• Another classic...every baby needs a shape sorter! I prefer the wooden variety over plastic just for aesthetic reasons.
• Bath toys aren't too far in our future, and we'll need a place to store them all!
• I make J's food, but we LOVE these pouches when we're on the go. We haven't really ventured into the world of finger foods yet, but it won't be long.

Even though I know that Jaqs will mostly be interested in the wrapping paper this year, I'm excited about the memories we'll make and the traditions we'll start!