A very special Christmas

This was one of my favorite Christmas’s to date. And not just the actual day of, but the weeks leading into the holiday. Because Taylor totally gets it now, and under any signs of acting out, all I had to do was squint my eyes at her and say, Don’t make me tell Santa. It was pure gold. And I’m a bit bummed I have to wait 11 more months to use that gem in keeping my daughter well behaved.

Chris’s parents came into town the week before, showering us all with love and lots and lots of presents.

Luke was hilarious opening gifts this year. Each time he unwrapped a present, whether it was a ball or a sweater vest, he would gasp and throw his hands up like he had never seen anything so wonderful in his entire life.

On Christmas Eve we followed our own family tradition of going to mass early and then coming home to open more family gifts and eat lots of junk food.

Christmas morning was filled with discovering what Santa brought us and opening presents from the four of us to each other. Everyone scored pretty good this year.

Merry Christmas!

Our Thanksgiving

Being that Libba and Dirk were due in early November, my parents, my brother and our family were already planning to celebrate Thanksgiving together in Birmingham. It would be the first time the entire Young family would be together since the previous Thanksgiving, plus we would be welcoming a new member to our family. So it is no surprise that the entire long weekend turned into an epic party.

One of the highlights of the trip was watching my children interact with my family. Taylor was beyond excited to meet her new baby cousin, and she took every opportunity possible to hold Parker and tell her how much she loved her.

And Luke became fast friends with my brother, who also happens to be his Godfather. It was very special watching Will and my son bond.

And because Libba and Dirk already had a house full of Youngs, the Amys family camped out in the Drury Inn and Suites just down the road. It was the first time my family had all spent the night in a hotel, and between the indoor swimming pool, the elevator and the Lucky Charms on the continental breakfast bar, we might as well been at Walt Disney World. Taylor and Luke were in heaven.

It was such a wonderful trip, and hopefully it won’t be another year until we are all together again. Because I just love my family to bits, and treasure every moment we are able to spend together.

Our October in pictures

It's pretty safe to say that we packed as much fun into the month of October as humanly possible. And while I started off the month as a dedicated blogger, documenting and describing all the awesomeness, I'm going to have to end it by just sharing pictures. Enjoy.