Merry Christmas + Happy New Year

requisite Christmas card in e-photo form for you.

1. Sliding in in the nick of time here. I really thought I'd get another post in before the festivities began but (oh so shockingly) ... I did not. I hope YOU had a merry Christmas though and that you're ready to get back to the rigors of (glorious) routine tomorrow. We have been gifted with the most beautiful winter weather in the 50s this week and getting outside and perhaps more importantly -- getting the kids outside has felt like the best present of all the presents. Will we be paying for this with heavy and dreadful snow in April? Probably. But, let me lap up the sunshine now. 

2. It would be appropriate to dedicate an entire blog post to this prayer request but my track record tells me it's smarter to just get it out there right now. A friend from college is undergoing treatment for metastatic stage 4 colon cancer right now and she and her wonderful family could really use your prayers. She has always been so kind to me throughout the years, especially after I miscarried Felipé, and I'm all but selfishly begging that you dedicate a chunk of your prayer time to her healing. Thank you thank you thank you!

3. I've only managed to make reading headway on Little Women over break and it seems like the new movie version is going to be a real treat - at least according to the few glowing reviews I've read from my e-friends. Almost every night I tell Simon I wish I could, "find a good book" but then remember I am reading a good book and shut my mouth and plug away again. I did finish Virgin River and didn't think I enjoyed it all that much but I catch myself looking very much forward to season 2 so maybe I enjoyed it more than I realized. Maybe! Peter's season starts tomorrow and as it's one of the only silver linings of January ... my hopes are up very high. 

4. We celebrated Theo's 7th birthday on the 30th and despite it not really being ice cream cake season -- that's what he requested and I made. It's a little time consuming but super easy in case you have a celebration in need of a frozen dessert looming in the future. I've made it with all different kinds of ice cream (the most recent being mint chocolate chip) and so far we haven't gone wrong. He also requested spaghetti and I tried my hand at these super easy garlic knots which seemed to be a hit. 

5. As predicted - one of the reigning + favorite presents from all of Christmas morning were these flashlights. Abe is suddenly the perfect age for these "coloring" books and I should've just given him a box and called it good on his present front. Simon has been eying these for well over a year and Santa made sure they were under the tree and you know you're a real funion when your favorite gift was a sweater blazer (followed closely by a blender) and you have to bite your tongue when you're tempted to tell any and everyone that, "it has pockets!" as if that justifies the fact that you live in said swazer now. 

6. I've been thinking about (re)painting our room for several months now but sprung it on Simon the night before I went to the store to buy paint. I hemmed and hawed over Benjamin Moore's Antique Jade or something super dark ("and moody" as I told a skeptical Simon) like Narragansett Green. The latter won in the end as I wanted to kind of blend our bold headboard in with the room -- which makes no sense, I realize. The room is full of cream colored built-ins (that won't be torn out or painted anytime soon) and I like the stark contrast of light and dark. I just need to spray paint our mirror gold and hang some art and replace all of the light switch plates and and and AND ... but it should be done and fun to show you SOON. 

7. I used some Christmas money to buy this long coveted sweatshirt and it has not disappointed at ALL. Paired with my new kicks - it's always tough to tell if I made the trek to the gym that day .. or not. No shame in my athleisure game, ever. 

8. And as a fitting bonus #8 -- maybe you saw over on the old IG but baby #8 will make his/her debut in June (or May!). We're excited and Simon is realllllly putting the pressure on to find out if it's a he or a she but I have two weeks until the big ultrasound to convince him that my final answer is: NO. At 18 weeks I'm feeling pretty darn good and we are so grateful for a healthy + kicking baby thus far!

Hope you all have a wonderful and relaxing Sunday. If you'd like to come and take our Christmas decorations down .. I wouldn't mind a BIT. 

xoxo, 

GP