We go mega low-key when it comes to Christmas holiday season. This year Zach ended up being home more than ever before which only added to the chill factor (and made us thankful for our Dave Ramsey lifestyle…you can read more here!).
It worked out where FSU played their last game of the season on Dec 31st! We made some yummy football food (hello chicken buffalo dip!) and got decked out in our gear (we are officially packing away Kye’s size 3t jersey haha it’s lasted us awhile and it’s time to buy him a new one!).
Sidenote but the foam finger Britt is holding up is actually my dad’s. I’m not sure when he got it but I found it in a storage unit of his that he let us pick through back in 2009…he graduated from FSU so knowing Dad it could be from his college days!
Paper football is a must for a football party 🙂
We thought it’d be fun to get out the Easy Bake Oven G-Mama bought for the kids for Christmas and use it to make our dessert for our big feast dinner that night. Y’all. Mrs. Charlotte was super sweet to get it for the kids and its truly my bad for letting them put it on their wishlist. Someone should have warned me…the “Easy” Bake Oven is NOT easy AT ALL nor is it much of an oven?!?! I don’t think I had one growing up but Zach said his sisters did and that it used to open in the front and like legit cook stuff. This was like a doll-sized oven with doll-sized food. It took us FOREVER to bake the dessert and in the end it was like MINIATURE size food and was straight NASTY. I think I have the kids convinced to let me sell it and they can have the profits haha Maybe it’s great for parents who don’t cook much with their kids? But baking with my kids is something I LOVE to do and this thing completely stole my joy about baking with them.
Objects are for SURE larger on the box than in reality…
Kye and I were CRACKING UP at the finished result! Some fancy dessert for us to all share haha
Best buds watching the game together! This was the first football season Kye REALLY loved watching it and I know it made it so much more fun for Zach!
We use our Christmas china twice a year and both times are in the same week! We use it on Dec 26th for our family feast and again on the 31st. We went easier on the feast for New Year’s because we had game food earlier in the day!
I love sitting around with my family and talking about the new year ahead. We share our memories from the past year and talk about our hopes for the upcoming year. This New Year’s Eve? Total bust hahaha. It was one of those times where you know someday when your kids are all grown you will look back and remember that moment and miss the chaos. Tess was NOT having the feast and was so fussy and saying “mama mama mama” the entire meal. Then Britt and I were talking and I said something to her like “I did such and such” and she said “no I did, you dick” haha she meant to say “no I did, you didn’t” but it came out like dick and omg Zach and I DIED. It was the first time any of our kids have said a “bad word” and we LOST IT. Which, of course, is not what you are supposed to do. So then both Kye and Britt kept saying it. Kye was like “what is dick? dick? what does dick mean?” It was priceless 😂
For our feast Daddy made ribs and BBQ 🙂
Zach and I have a tradition of eating Ben and Jerry’s ice cream (the one time a year we get it!) and staying up until midnight. This year we got in the bed at 10:30 b/c we just couldn’t hang. And it was pointless b/c now that fireworks are legal in Georgia a bunch of neighbors were setting them off all night. And then at 5 am our house alarm went off. Zach grabbed his gun and turned off the alarm to do a house check and I called 911 since he had deactivated the alarm before the company called us to check on us. I sat on the phone with them while he checked everything out. I was FUMING because the alarm company had JUST come out to check on why the alarm had activated while Zach and I were in Savannah and when they came out I told them the reason I wanted it resolved ASAP was that I did NOT want my children to be woken up by a false alarm in the middle of the night. So much for that b/c Kye woke up immediately and was terrified. Lucky for us both girls totally slept through it (which reminds me of me b/c I used to sleep through ours having false alarms as a kid too). Thankfully there wasn’t an intruder or anything but the three of us could NOT go back to sleep. You know how it is when that adrenaline is rushing! They did come back out, for free, and seem to have resolved the issue thankfully!
The past couple of years we’ve started a New Year’s tradition of Katie coming over and celebrating our little Christmas with her. We eat dinner (pizza, always!) and exchange gifts. Katie is such a thoughtful friend and truly loves our children which is the BIGGEST blessing. Our kids get CRUNK about her presents too! This year she outdid herself. She made EACH of us a blanket. How amazing is that?!?! She’d already made Tess one back when she was born but she did a personalized one for Zach, Britt, Kye and I. And customized each of them to fit our styles. Kye’s is seminole colors, Zach’s is blazer colors, Britt’s matches her room and mine matches our living room. I was in total shock that she did all of that for us and it was so, so special. For sure one of, if not THE most thoughtful gifts ever! I’ve kept mine out on our couch ever since and love how it looks with our living room…Kye has slept with his every night and Britt put two holes in hers almost instantly so Katie had to fix it and now hers is staying on a chair in her room haha. So Britt 😉
It was really a “proud mom” moment because the kids were SO appreciative of the blankets. They understood the special value of them and were truly happy to be receiving them. I don’t think many 4 year olds or 6 year olds would be as appreciative as they were and it made me VERY proud!!!
Don’t be stealing my man with your blanket skills haha
There is no better way to start off a new year than with precious family and priceless friends!
