Someone recently asked me why I love Christmas so much. Is it the decorating with bright colors and pretty dishes? Is it the christmas trees and gingerbread cookies? Maybe it's the advent stories and Christmas cards on the fridge? Or my favorite sermons of a King coming down to save the world? For sure, it could be singing Silent Night with my church family and holding my children as I watch Christmas unfold in their eyes. I love it y'all. All. Of. It. There are two things you can be sure of. I will teach my babies that Jesus is Lord and that He loves them dearly. And I will show them how to turn up the Christmas music, dance in their Christmas socks while they bake, and decorate every inch of their home with Christmas cheer!!
Our family room doesn't have a great spot for a tree so I put an all white, flocked beauty in our dining room. It was a perfect spot because I could enjoy it while I wrapped presents and baked cookies with the girls!
Our living room in the front of the house has a little more space for actual presents and Christmas morning fun, so we put our sweet kid friendly tree with all their precious, handmade ornaments in that room!
I have several pieces of furniture that belonged to my great grandmother and they are so special to me. My first memories of gathering for Christmas meals are in her dining room. I am so thankful that I have these antique pieces and that I will be able to share their story with my girls.
I started this little family blog six years ago and though it's a creative outlet for me and a fun way to document and share pictures with our friends and family, I love that I can put a picture with a memory and show our children one day. I love looking back over the years and seeing the traditions we have slowly made as a family. One of my favorite has become visiting the Christmas Tree Farm in Murfreesboro. Country Cove is adorable! After we snap a few pictures of the girls, we stop in at the little store where they serve hot chocolate and apple cider. Out back, you can hear kids warming their hands by a fire pit before taking a trip around the farm on a hayride. This year, it was freezing but Abigail and Violet were happy as could be with their sweet little flushed cheeks and pink noses!
~My sweet Abigail~
~And of course, little miss personality~
I have been on maternity leave since October, so I've been able to spend so much time this Christmas season with my sweet babies. I am so thankful that I got to spend a day with each of them at school for their Christmas parties. Abigail and I decorated a gingerbread house together. She's almost five, but for that short hour, she crawled in my lap and held on to me so tightly. I know she's getting big and kindergarten is right around the corner, so I really cherish my last year with her at home.
Violet couldn't wait for me to come to her party at school, especially after she saw me visiting Abigail's class. I promised her I would be there for her party too, and her reaction made my day! Her little hands flew in the air and she looked around at her friends saying " my mommy, my mommy"! Love her big!
And of course, nothing has been sweeter this Christmas, than welcoming sweet Georgia Mae into our family. I could go on and on about how in love with that baby I am, but I'll just leave this picture instead. I mean, how adorable is this sweet hat?!
Mike and I have special ornaments on our tree for each of our girls. On their first Christmas, we write a note and leave it inside. This year, we left Georgia a special note in her ornament. One day, we hope our girls will read them and know how dearly loved and prayed over they are.
After lots of wonderful food and quality time with family this week, we placed the presents for our girls under the tree and went to bed with full hearts. Seeing their joy on Christmas morning is magical!
Their big gift this year was this adorable pillow fort tee pee that I found on Amazon. It fits perfectly in the corner of their room and helps balance out the space. I'm almost finished with their room and I think it's SO cute. I'm still looking for curtains and I'd love to make a book shelf for between their windows. Also, their room is NEVER this clean. I snapped a quick picture right before the tornado of Christmas day play began!
This week we will take down ALL our trees :) I'll put all the Christmas decor back in the boxes until next year, but I will hold on to the beautiful memories we made as a family this Christmas. 2016 was a pretty rough year for me. Pregnancy and I are not friends. After spending the majority of the year nauseous, hypoglycemic, and hypotensive - I really appreciated November and December! I finally felt like myself and was actually present for my family. I could not have made it through this year without my dear husband. I try to brag on him every chance I get. With me feeling sick and struggling with my blood pressure being so low, I feel like I missed so much. He picked up the slack as he always does and took care of our family. Somehow, he was able to take care of all of us while leading our church and working on his PhD. He's a keeper and I love him so much! He even let me put live garland across our mantle even though it makes him sneeze. He tolerates me and all my Christmas decorating so well! There's no one else I would rather snuggle up to at night by a cozy fire with twinkling lights than my dear husband. He makes my Christmas extra special! (Not pictured is Pastor Mike in his super snazzy elf slippers...)
{Harder Family Christmas 2016}
