The Best Thing I Did in 2017

We were blessed to do some fun things in 2017 {We got a new puppy!, Adam and I went to St. Lucia & Mexico, we also went to Chicago, Minneapolis, Kansas City, the Ozarks, and Illinois for starters} but hands down the best thing I did in 2017 was start taking video footage of our every day life!  That sounds fancy considering it was just candid moments captured with my iPhone 6!

I downloaded the 1 Second Everyday app {free at the time, $5 now I believe}.  We had so much fun doing this and it's invaluable!  I plan to continue it in 2018.  It's super easy {you can take 3 videos one day and just upload them to separate days if you get behind}.  I did find I preferred videos recorded horizontally.  Let me know if you have any questions -- I would be happy to help you.

Merry Christmas!

Merriest Christmas to all of you!  

We did so many fun holiday things in December, but getting around to creating and mailing out holiday cards just didn't happen for us this year.  I hope you and your family had the best Christmas yet.  I will say this Christmas was my favorite yet -- every year with kids just gets better and better!   They were so excited this year -- it made the season that much more fun!!

North Pole Party | 2017

This weekend we hosted out 3rd Annual North Pole Party last weekend. 

Here's our event schedule this year...

Reindeer food is a NNP must!  Total nonnegotiable.  Sadly, I didn't get many photos this year, but trust me when I tell you this is always a hit!

I made a friends crockpot hot cocoa recipe this year that was delicious!  It's made with hot cocoa mix, powdered sugar, & dry milk -- yum!!  The kids added in all kinds of goodies -- crushed candy cane, marshmallows, Carmel chocolates, and of course whipped cream!

We played Christmas BINGO {Jordyn's favorite} and gifted Rudolph the Red-Toes Reindeer to the winners.

We also wrote letters to Santa...

That tongue -- I love it!

A new addition this year was the Gingerbread S'mores.  We're a sucker for s'mores no matter the time of year!  The recipe I saw actually said to use gingerbread cookies, but I figured sugar cookies were a better option for kids 5 and under. Plus, my kids love helping me bake, so it worked out well. 

And last but not least, the snacks...

Reindeer noses {+ Rudolph}

Snow {White cotton candy}

Grinch food

I also printed some Christmas 'worksheets' to keep kids entertained in between activities & waiting for all the guests to arrive.  The kids colored while waiting for their parents to arrive. 

Gingerbread Houses

When the house kit you bought is cracked and won't stay together, you improvise and decorate the roof.  Thank goodness the kids are easy to please! ;)