Well We've Certainly Had A Few Things Going On Over Here

I know we've had a lot going on and for someone who relishes quiet times and the simple or little things life has to offer, it's hard to find the joy in the everyday moments when life is so chaotic.  It's hard for me to see or appreciate the little moments when it feels like we're just scrambling on to the next thing or if one ball drops well then the entire structure is going to collapse.  But when I take the time to sit down and look through pictures to organize them I see the smiles and excitement that I may have missed the first time and it feels like we just might be doing something right after all, that those little things I'm yearning for are there all along.  I just need to slow down.  

In the beginning of December we bought a house....and set our move in date for the 19th, the week before Christmas.  Who does that?!?!?

We do!

As you can see from the picture, we also needed to buy some paint, nearly 30 gallons actually.  I'm pretty sure that if Mr. Weber hadn't hired a painter we'd still be painting.  We were fortunate enough to be able to move slowly from our rental since our lease isn't up until March.  The last load of true odds and ends was brought over last night.  THAT felt good to have done.  I absolutely love how light and bright and airy the house is, even on cloudy days.

My favorite pre-move project.  Turning a coat closet into a pantry.  My Uncle Tom helped out with the shelves and it turned out just as I'd imagined (thank you Pinterest).

Good 'ol Moe made an appearance again this year and managed to make the move with us as well.

My dad found himself with some extra time on his hands and did a little bell ringing so we went to visit him.

For the first time in a very long time we didn't have a white Christmas.  We had this instead...flooding.

So, on top of the move, I offered to host Christmas Eve.  I figured that it gave me a deadline to get things somewhat in order and was also a reason to actually decorate for Christmas amidst all of the other chaos.  I'm so glad that I did.  It's the first time in many years that I was able to share Christmas Eve with my family which is something I always did growing up.

Mr. Weber made us a cozy fire.

And managed some snuggle time with his little buddy before everyone arrived.

We busted my Gram out of the nursing home for the evening.

In keeping with tradition, the boys got new Christmas pajamas, which they decided to wear for the evening.  Trying to get a picture of all of them is so much fun.  There's always one.....

Better this time.

Aunty Dotty had a date with Henry.

And then my parents came over a little later in the evening and we opened gifts with them and with the boys.  I didn't really take any pictures of that though.  It was nice to abandon my phone for a while.

Mr. Weber's birthday is right after Christmas and we celebrated with Sushi this year.  I'm happy to report that our new hose is about 2 miles away from our favorite sushi restaurant...and Target...and Costco...all very very good things.  :-)

Well at least one of us is photogenic and can look at the camera.  

Dessert!  I opted for apple ginger wontons and Mr. Weber had a second round of sushi.  

We kept the celebrations coming with a festive New Year's Eve celebration with the boys.  We went to my aunt and uncle's house for a fantastic dinner then came back home for an evening with an activity planned each hour.  I didn't get pictures of each activity but the evening was definitely a success.  Earlier in the week Mr. Weber and I worked through an agenda and then got everything prepared earlier in the day.  There was so much going on that night but it really went off without a hitch.  I'm grateful to have someone who humors me with things like this and helps me out so much.  

He humors me with things like this too...

On of the activities we had for the boys was giving them each a ball made of tin foil, saran wrap, and tape with little treats hidden throughout.  These goofy suckers were one of the things hidden in each.

I can neither confirm or deny if that sucker went back into the boy's mouth.

I'd say this was our favorite activity for the evening.  "Rescuing" Sour Patch Kids from a tin of whipped cream.

The evening ended with a balloon drop at midnight....that I foiled by releasing the balloons 3 seconds too early.  Oy!  We also had pizza, dessert, and "champagne."  We had purchased hats and noise makers and then completely forgot to get them out prior to midnight, and no one missed them.  They're safely tucked away for 2017 now.  

These next few months will find us logging a lot of hours in gyms for basketball season, and also enjoying getting settled into our new home.  I hope I can remember to slow down a little along the way as well  and see that those little moments are definitely there, every single day.