A Merry Spena Christmas

We set up our Fisher Price Nativity set and it quickly became Miss Mabel’s very favorite toy to sit and play with. It lights up, plays music, makes animal sounds, and the little people are the perfect size for her hands to grab.

Some friends from church hosted a huge holiday open house at their gorgeous home, so we made sure to sneak over there for a bit to eat exorbitant amounts of Christmas cookies, drink hot chocolate, make some crafts(Abigail), and visit with friends. It was wonderful.

This season is really starting to blossom and bloom the sweet friendship between my girls. They can sit side by side and play with some of the same toys. It is really precious to get to watch.

And I love that Abigail is old enough that I can ask her to keep an eye of Mabel while I run to refill a cup, answer the phone, go to the bathroom, change the laundry, etc.

Carter’s totally made my matching sister dreams come true this winter! With Abigail in the little girl section and Mabel in the baby, I wasn’t sure that it could happen. But it did, and it is every bit as amazing as I hoped it would be.

Touches of festive around the house helped make our new place feel like a home before we’ve had a chance to start working on projects(paint, pictures, remodeling….). I love my little ledge above the sink. It makes doing dishes a whole lot more cheerful!

Two days before Christmas, we drove to Tulsa and grabbed a flight to Phoenix! Traveling with a 7 month old? notttttt quite so easy as ye olde 3 month old. I’ll tell ya that much. But, we made it and, as always, we’re so thrilled to be here!

Abigail spent Christmas Eve swimming and playing in the pool and hot tub. It was actually colder in Phoenix than Joplin(at the time!) so thankfully they had their pool heater turned up and it was perfection!

Later that evening, we dressed up and headed to my parents church for their Christmas Eve service. It was lovely and wonderful and we were so happy to get to celebrate together!

Miss Mabel got to snuggle with Grammy and Pappy

And Abigail wrote the letter “A” and big stars on her jeans with candle wax. Oh….hooray.

When we got home from church, Abigail and Grammy worked together to build another giant gingerbread city! They put together trees and a train and a house.

Abigail spent most of her time asking what she was allowed to eat 😉

Hashtag Grammy’s house.

Then after they got their stuff set and ready to dry for the night, we headed out for a night swim!

After the girls went to bed, it was time to have a present wrapping extravaganza and get ready for Christmas morning!

These sweet girls make Christmas morning the most fun ever! Baby’s First Christmas paired with 5 year old little girl Christmas was the best year yet.

They had stockings to open and presents to unwrap, candy to eat, and Christmas music to listen to.

And it all built up to Abigail’s most wanted and requested gift of the year…..

A hamburger.

Literally, a stuffed hamburger.

Not a character, not anything special. She just spotted it in the Target bedding section one day a few months ago and hadn’t stopped asking for and talking about it since.

She opened it and squealed, “my hamburger!!!” And whenever anyone asks her what she got for Christmas she’ll answer, “I got my dream! my wish! my hamburger!”

Mabel got her very first container of puffs and they’re a semi-hit. We’ve loved watching her try to eat them, though she’s still a bit unsure- and hilarious.

After a few years of some really hard Christmases, we are just feeling incredibly blessed and thankful and grateful to get to be so happy and joyful this year. Our cup runs over with immeasurable blessings and we are rendered speechless that we are the ones who get to live this life and celebrate with these girls.

I hope you had a wonderfully Merry Christmas, too.