simply having a wonderful Christmastime...

Yes, I just did that so you'd have that song stuck in your head.
You're welcome. ;)

Y'all I'm so behind in blogging. I've been so busy with just... everything. And when I finally get a few minutes to chill out? I'm spending it with my family. We've been soaking up Christmas for all it's worth this year, and it's been amazing. Usually, Brad works like a crazy man during December. Somehow he's worked it out to where he actually has time off during the holidays, so every minute he's home, we're doing something fun. I think we've already watched like four Christmas movies so far. And I didn't even include home decor shots, my friend's wedding, photo sessions, my grandmother's (stepmom's mom) passing, or Noah's visit with Santa in this post. I figured this was plenty for now. Needless to say, we've been busy, mostly spending lots of time together. It's been heavenly.

So here's what we've been up to...

Christmas Trees and Bonfires.
We went and got our tree Thanksgiving weekend. We always go to this cute little spot not far from our house. They hand out free popcorn, have a bonfire to roast marshmallows over, and have the freshest trees from the NC mountains. These people are always so nice too.
My niece and little sister came along with us, which was a huge help. They kept an eye on Noah while Brad and I looked for a tree. Because I'm a weirdo, and it has to be perfect. And as long as there's breath in me, we will always have fresh Christmas trees. I'm very passionate about that. haha
Oh, and in case you're wondering, they did hand Noah a roaster at one point. It ended with my sister almost getting her eye poked out. So he just watched. lol

McAdenville.
Most people know it as "Christmastown USA", since that's what it was called on the Travel Channel. But it still feels weird calling it that. I've been going here since I was tiny, and it never gets old. The first time we tried to go last week, our SUV started to overheat about three minutes into it. We had to turn around and go home before our car exploded.
We came back a couple days later in our other car, and oh my gosh, Noah LOVED it. We let him sit up front in my lap to see (don't worry, it's understood that all kids aren't buckled through McAdenville. Everyone goes super slow and there are cops everywhere). He thought it was the coolest thing ever. Pretty sure we'll be taking him one more time before it's over.
Afterwards, we topped off the night with ice cream (since it's unseasonably warm). So far, Noah really likes Christmas. ;)
(sorry for the crappy phone pics. I didn't bring my camera for this outing...)

 (If you're wondering what's on his mouth, it's Doritos and peanut butter. We had dinner in the car, and we let him have Doritos for the first time in months. Little man chowed down. Yeah, it was a good night for him. lol)

Billy Graham Library.
Last year when we went to the BGL, we made the mistake of going on a Saturday after school had already gotten out. This year, we made sure to go on a weeknight. And oh my goodness gracious, it was beautiful. We finally got to walk around and tour everything. My favorite part is that while it does give information about Billy Graham's life and journey; the entire time, the library points to Jesus (actually, Graham was originally adamantly against them naming it after him). 

It was absolutely gorgeous. Even Noah was interested in it, especially the live nativity scene.

 Small Town Parade.
The little town next to us had their Christmas parade (some spot where our favorite park is), so we decided to take Noah. Before it started, we stopped by the park to play, and he found the gold mine of all dirty spots.

He has recently started covering his ears a lot. His OT says it's because he's hearing frequencies that are bugging him, but I personally think it's more of a way to cope with new situations and surroundings. So while it looks like he may not be enjoying it? Trust me. He loved it. His favorites were the fire truck, police cars, Shriners go-carts, and tractors. :)

Calvary Christmas Concert.
(thanks to the various Calvary peeps that shared all of these on FB, since I didn't bring my camera)



My church put on an awesome Christmas concert Sunday. Unfortunately, Brad caught my cold the night before, so it was just me and Noah. But I'm so glad I got to go. It was so fun seeing a few of my friends' kids in the program and of course friends that were actually in it. It was awesome.



Here's a clip of one of my favorite songs from the night. Seriously, gives me goosebumps every time I hear it. And her voice is beautiful!





Be back with more later!!