Ho, ho, ho!

Ho, ho, ho!

A snotty, sleepless Merry Christmas to you!

That's what it was for this sweet boy. 

We headed up to Jeff's parents house in Glenwood Springs, Colorado for the week, and though we snuck in some fun...

....and beauty....

...and cookie making...

...and family...

We spent a lot of time on the couch or snuggled up in bed.

Cooper had a high fever and a cough for the books. It broke my heart to see him so sad.

I always love getting together with family, but boy has it changed over the years.

From six folks to ten...

From up at 9am, to up by 6am... 

A lot louder, a lot busier, a lot more Disney... 

I wouldn't change it for anything.

Coop and his cousins:

Cooper, 22 months, Carson, 4 years, Harper, 22 months, Asher, 10 months

We read LOTS of train books!

Tried many times to take a group shot - this is the best we could do:

And were even able to see my parents on the way back to Denver!

Cooper had perked up and was feeling much better by the time we made it to his other grandmas.

Checking out his loot. Truck? Check, he'll keep it.

And the reason this Christmas and year are so complete...my brown-eyed, blond haired, ornery, short little love bug.

Hope your holiday was a good one, friends, and wishing you all the very best in the New Year! I think 2014 will be a great year!

The Friday Five: Cute kids and such.

Haaa-pppy Friday folks! 

I am linking up with the girls again today to share 5 things I'm loving about the week.

{one}

Christmas Program

I've seen folks sharing pictures of their littles at the Christmas programs all week and our experience was just as cute. 

I mean, he even sustained a toddler scratch before the show and still put on his game-face and NAILED it. And, by nailing it I mean didn't cry- just sat there on the stage waving his hands.

^^^ He looks a little like a Kennedy here, who sees it? ^^^

{two}

Gap V-neck elbow-patch sweater

In related news, who's a fan of those grey elbow patches Coop's sporting? 

I love the Gap for Coop's wardrobe and I especially love preppy elbow patches.

I seriously do not know what I'll do if Cooper doesn't go the preppy route once he can pick out his own clothes. I mean, let's be honest, I am in Colorado.

{three}

World Market sales.

OMG seriously y'all. 

I got all of my stylish Kraft wrapping paper and other goodies at World Market this year for 50% off. 

Huge sales throughout the store and it's a great place to snag small stocking stuffer items. And those little pretzel stuffed peanut butter things, I mean SERIOUSLY? Amaze.

{four}
Breakfast Casserole (with hashbrowns, artichoke, sundried tomatoes and feta) 

Is that not the most beautiful looking casserole you've ever seen?
This will be our new Christmas casserole that I stole from Jenny Collier (which by the way, is a blog you should check out), and she stole it from Joy's Hope. I just can't think of one single thing that would make it better.

{four}
Jesus' Birthday

"For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have eternal life." -John 3:16

As a Christian, this day really is so amazing.
Our Savior was born, fulfilling many Old Testament prophecies each step of the way. There is so much history that precedes that coming of Christ, it really is incredible, and masterfully planned.

"Thanks be to God for his unspeakable gift." -2 Corinthians 9:15

Wishing you a wonderful weekend!

Wisdom Wednesday: Holiday calm.

Or is it calm before the storm? Hah!

Either way, is anyone else feeling calm this Christmas?

Today I officially wrapped up all of my holiday shopping.

Like literally.  I wrapped all of my gifts and even put them under the tree for good measure.

I don't know if it's a fleeting feeling, but I feel very calm this Christmas. 

I don't feel rushed or anxious. 

I don't feel like the season flew by.

I feel like I've soaked it all in. 

Am still soaking; playing Christmas music all day, and looking at my tree still never gets less magical.

It's funny as you get older and know yourself a little better .

You hone in more on what makes you anxious or stressed. Or you just generally know that nothing is EVER as big of a deal as you used to make it - so relax already!

Whatever it is, I have just been feeling very present.

Maybe it's better pre-planning and more time (thank you Jesus for Parents Day Out), but I actually feel on top of things and thus un-stressed.

Which thankfully makes room for a lot more important feelings, like gratitude and contentment.

I hope you are feeling it too, friends!

Kitchens on the mind.

Good Monday morning friends! I hope you had a good weekend!

Does everyone have their Christmas loot? I am hoping to wrap up my Christmas shopping this week while Coop is in preschool. It's a race against the clock, really. I only just ordered my Merry Christmas Happy New Years cards. That's the kind of year I'm having over here. A "can't-seem-to-catch-up," "always-a-bit-behind" kind-of year. 

So in the spirit of procrastination, I've been dreaming of kitchens. 

Now I adore my kitchen, it's one of my favorite parts of this little bungalow. 

But it is my dream to build our own kitchen one day. (A girl can dream, no?)
A couple of our good friends just did it, and it is absolutely gorgeous! I love the idea of being able to set the tone for our house. 

I keep finding myself staring at these pictures lately:

{Source: Better Home and Gardens}

Other than the yellow island, this kitchen is perfection!

Traditional Living Room by Barrie Interior Designers & Decorators Staples Design Group

Traditional Kitchen by Flemington Architects & Designers Pickell Architecture

Mahogany Builders

Love the wood on this island. Double as a cutting board?

Can you tell I like white cabinetry?

Alright, now that I've gotten all that out hopefully I can focus on the task at hand.

Have a great week!

Five-on-Friday: Friends and Fashion

Happy Friday friends! Did this week fly by for anyone else? Can you believe after today I will have blogged four times in one week? Shut the door. Linking up with the girls again this week for Five-on-Friday! Here's what I'm loving this week:

{one} Blake Lively

You may have seen me share this picture on Twitter this week (PS I love Twitter you can follow me here) . I find Blake Lively flawless nearly every time I see a photo of her, but for some reason I think she looks like perfection in this photo. The way she's styled, from makeup to dress to hair is simply lovely!
{two} Les 4 Ombres (Quadra Eye Shadow) - Dunes

Now listen, I am no makeup connoisseur by any means but I have fallen in love with this eyeshadow. I wear the top two colors daily and when I'm going out on the town throw in the darker colors on the bottom. I love, love it!
{three} this article. I blogged about the article I read over at Hands Free Mama blog on Wisdom Wednesday this week, but oh my gosh it was such a good reminder to do a little self introspection and really be intentional about how I parent and treat my child. 
At MOPs over the past few weeks we've been talking a lot about our personal story (and spending time getting to know what that is ) and how that affects, well really every aspect of our lives. How we think, behave, interact and in this phase of my life parent a child. You know when you feel like you're hearing things over and over again for a reason? One of these times.
{four} this necklace.

I've been really wanting a bib "statement" necklace for awhile now. We have a holiday party this weekend and I settled on a plain black dress. I wanted to jazz up the look a bit, so I grabbed this beauty at Anthropologie this week. It's super fun and will be a go-to when I want to dress up an outfit.
{five} Friends. As a Denver transplant I feel so lucky to have friends here that I just adore.  We've been here in Denver now almost three years and it truly feels like home. 
This week is one of those weeks when I get to see most of our good friends; with Christmas parties, girl dinners and birthday parties and I just feel so fortunate that we've been able to form such close friendships! 
Have a great weekend all!

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Christmas Tree Link-Up Party

Today I'm excited to be linking up with one of my favorite blogs, A Thoughtful Place. Check it out- you will seriously swoon over Courtney's beautiful home and decorative style.

This time of year my house feels so magical.  I wish I could capture it the way it feels but no camera (or let's be honest, my camera skills) are quite good enough!

Our charming home is coming up on its Centennial - it turns 100 years old next year! Decorating small spaces can be a challenge, but so cozy. Here's a peak into our living space:

 A peak at the tree through our window:

We got this beautiful wood piece built out of wine barrels years ago, and I never know how to style it. This year I threw some berry vines and cinnamon pine cones on it and I love how simple (and sweet smelling) it turned out.

Who's sad to take it all down in a couple weeks? 

Merry Christmas!