December Goals - How'd I Do?

Well, we made it through December! (Literally - the world didn't end!) And there was a lot to be done, but we did everything we needed to do!! PLUS Jason graduated with his MBA, which I didn't even include on my original list! I still haven't gotten a chance to recap our big, wonderful, exciting VACATION that we took this month, but I promise I will get to it in January! :)

• Read 3 books - I read 5*FIVE*5 books!! BOOOO-YAH!! Hey, I was on vacation! Reading is ALL I DID!!! Take Three, Take Four, Unlocked, Leaving, and Learning
• Finish Christmas shopping by December 15th - Yes! For the first time ever!
• Wrap all presents by December 17th - Yes!! Again, for the first time ever!
• Keep the house "clean" and nice through the holidays :) - Meh... no complaints from the hubby. If it wasn't clean-clean, it was about 10 minutes from clean most of the time.
• Enjoy Sounds of Christmas, Nick's band concert, Sunday school Christmas party, and any other fun Christmas-y things we go to!  - Yes! More about our Christmastime Happenings in this post!
• Celebrate Christmas with our families!! (& our last Christmas as a family of 3!!) - Yes! What a wonderful Christmas it was!! Here's the first post about our Pre-Christmas festivities and then another post about Christmas Day.

Another month - another YEAR gone by!!! I can't believe it! I feel like I'm just now getting used to writing 2012 on stuff... Anyone else with me on that?

I'm still thinking through my yearly goals and January goals, but I will hopefully have them up soon! Thanks for sticking around this 'ol blog over the last year! 

I can guarantee there will lots more fun stuff coming up this year!

Christmas Day 2012

Oh man, I LOVE Christmas morning!! Jason and I didn't do gifts for each other this year (because we got to enjoy a BIG shared gift... details to follow) and we didn't really get Jack a whole lot - a little recliner, a set of blocks, and some books - BUT it was so fun to place them beneath the tree and then go wake Little Man up to come see all the fun!

He saw his new Charlie book first!

Then it was time to play with blocks with Daddy!

He made the BEST faces while he was playing with them the first time!

Yay blocks!!!

After a yummy meal of breakfast casserole and cinnamon rolls, we headed over to my Uncle Steve and Aunt Holly's house for Christmas with the Richeson side of the family. 

Nick posing with his new socks - one is Superman, one is Batman and they both have CAPES! Ha!

Jack just itching to open a present...

Me and my beautiful sister, Vanessa!

"Chocolate milk?" - anything that has anything to do with chocolate is always chocolate milk, thanks to his Daddy.

Don't take my chocolate, Poppy!

the crew

Silly Nick with his new shirt.

All the cousins with Mamaw!

Guin kids! I love my brothers!!

After that we headed up to the Millers house to see all the Cox family relatives and exchange gifts, but I completely forgot to take any pictures! I'm pretty sure I was chasing someone around, but I can't quite think who it was... :) Jack got a lot of cute clothes, a ride-on puppy toy!, a cool cube with games on all four sides, a giant teddy bear, and some rain boots!

We didn't get a chance to exchange our gifts with the Guins on Christmas day, so on Thursday we headed up to Mom and Dad's to have a yummy dinner and open presents. We got my mom a Christmas CD so we were all dancing with Jack in the kitchen!

Dancin' with my sweet boy!

Uncle Sam and Aunt Nessa got Jack a basketball goal!! He has been looooving that for sure.  

Sorry for the blurry pictures, but they were still sweet.

We got spoiled again this Christmas, getting all kinds of sweet, practical, and meaningful gifts from our families. We are SO BLESSED!!

(And we can't believe that this time next year, Jack will be almost 2 1/2, we'll have a 9 month old little brother, and Hunter & Elizabeth will have an almost 10 month old little boy!! CRAAAAAZY!!)

Pre-Christmas 2012

Christmas with the Camps & Nick's 15th Birthday

On December 16th we got together with the Camp side of the family (my dad's mom, brothers & their families) for Christmas festivities!

All the cousins did a gift exchange, and it was really fun!

Sam opened up some tupperware and febreeze! Haha!

Hannah and Emily opening gifts

Steve, Laquada, and Granny looking at the wedding book Sam & Vanessa made for Granny.

Then, much to his surprise, Mom brought out a cake for Nick! It was the day before his 15th birthday and he didn't think anyone was going to remember. He truly was shocked! :)

Sam and Nessa with Little Man!

Daddy, Mommy, & Jack!

Jack was SO PUMPED about opening gifts this year! He would pull a tiny piece of wrapping paper off and then squeal and laugh about it!

Christmas Eve Service at RBBC

We went to the Christmas Eve service church this year, which I hadn't been to before. It was great! I needed to get my mind off of the craziness of the holidays and get focused on what is truly important. 

Christmas Eve with the Millers

Hanging out at the Poe's house for the Miller families Christmas. We always have a great time talking, laughing, and doing a big gift exchange.

Some of the sweet cousins.

Gettin' tickled by Daddy...

Enthralled with the GIANT tree!

Next up: Christmas DAY festivities!!

Christmastime Happenings

We got to be a part of lots of Christmastime Happenings this year!

RBBC Sounds of Christmas

I joined the choir at church in September and have LOOOOOOVED being a part of such a fun group of people! Every year at Christmas, I always tell myself that I need to join the choir so I can do the Christmas program - and this year I finally did! :) I have had so much fun and can't wait to see how God continues to use music to minister to me. (I'm on the front row at the very far right in the picture below- not that you'll be able to tell!) 

Nick's High School Band Christmas Concert
Mamaw and I met up with Mom and Vanessa at the Tivoli to watch Nick's Band Christmas concert.

He is in the percussion and did such an awesome job! This video is of the 12 Days of Christmas - Percussion Style! It was awesome!! Nick does the slide whistle(?) "whoosh, whoosh, whooooooosh" on like the 10th day. 

I love this kid!

Sunday School Christmas Party

This year we went to our second ever Sunday School Christmas party (after joining the class last November)! We had a great night with our friends and there were lots of silly gifts including a shake weight, snuggie, and a "special pillow". 

Sweet baby Jacob!

The gift we brought was this looooovely picture that of the Scotts, the Rochas, and now the Lawhorns! Next year we will be graced with the Princes as well!

Jason got a Justin Bieber toothbrush - but it got stolen.

We had a blast!

There was lots of fun to be had this December!!!

Jason's MBA Graduation!!

On December 15th, after many months and years of working towards it - Jason graduated with his Master of Business!!!! WHOOO HOOOOOO!!!!!

His two biggest fans. :)

Little Man was introduced to hashbrown rounds that morning... let's just say they were a BIG hit. 

When Jack and I got to the arena for graduation, we needed to save seats for Jason's parents and my parents and Nick. God was ESPECIALLY kind to me that morning because 2 minutes after I walked in, George and Susan came! I don't know how I would have ever been able to keep Jack sitting "still" for 45 minutes BEFORE graduation and all the way through if it hadn't been for Papa George. 

Once our families got there, Jack was content to walk down the rows between us all and greet everyone. 

Then we saw Daddy walking in!!!

The graduating classes of December 2012!

Jason walking across the stage!

Jack has learned to "wink" so he was entertaining us all by squinting his eyes while trying to walk. What a ham!!

Me and my stinker!

And then all the parents and family had to head out, so I started to worry about how I was going to entertain Jack the rest of the time (we got there at 9:15 to get seats and the graduation lasted 2 hours, so we had been there nearly 3 hours by the end!) Luckily for me, Papa George came to the rescue again - Jack wouldn't even come to me! He just wanted to sit with George. :) They walked around the entire arena probably 20 times throughout the morning. 

Finally it was over and we got to see Daddy!! 

We are so unbelievably proud of you!! 

And we're excited to have you home every night now! :)