Christmas & New Years Cards with Minted!

The golden foil. The curly, twirly wreath. The perfectly off-centered photo. The rustic background juxtaposed by the gilded font. The whimsical stamp and the flourished address. I LOVE CHRISTMAS CARDS.

I LOVE THEM SO MUCH.

I can't gush enough about how much I loved using Minted for our family Christmas cards. This is the second year I have used Minted, and I am still surprised at how quality the cards are and how excellent the Minted service continues to be. Seriously. I've used other services and this one is my absolute favorite, absolutely unparalleled both in quality and elegance.

Truth be told, last year we didn't order enough Christmas cards. So a few days after I mailed out our last card, I placed another order for cards through Minted - but this time for a tiny batch of New Years cards. There were just a few work people and long-distance friends that we really wanted to touch base with and I am disappointed that I didn't get their addresses in time for the first round of cards. However, I'm sharing all of this with you because even though it's too late to place Christmas card orders, Minted has some gorgeous New Year's card designs that have me swooning. You can check out the design I used last year for our Christmas/Baby announcement and, haha, for our last-minute New Years greeting. This year's Christmas card design is one that I LOVE, especially with that gold foil lettering. As I get older, I am becoming more comfortable with the fact that I like things to sparkle a bit. I used to think that made me too girly or something, but I don't think it does anymore. I'm owning it - I just like a bit of gold sheen!

Minted is offering 15% off all New Years cards before the clock strikes 2016 with the code WINTER15. Grab a few while you can!

Also, if you're hosting a New Year's Eve party, be sure to check out Minted's new Online Invitations - FREE for a limited time and optimized for a rich, cinematic experience on desktops, smartphones, and tablet devices. Kind of makes me wish I was hosting a little shin-dig now, but... too late! We are doing a romantic night away for New Years :) And I seriously can't wait.

What service did you use for your Christmas cards? Were you happy with how they turned out? Do you ever send New Years cards? I'm a mail geek, so I'm interested in hearing from you. Also, how cute are this year's Peanuts stamps?? LOVE.

Only a few days until 2016, friends! Live it up!

Christmas Snapshots 2015.

I hope your Christmas was wondrous, full of surprise and brimming with love.

We had an new set of experiences for Christmas this year, because we celebrated on our own in our new home! It was wonderful. However, in the week leading up to Christmas, Everett got a wicked case of pink eye (in both eyes!) and a virus that kept spiking his temperature super high. We were working around the clock to get him healthy, trying every remedy in the book (on top of antibiotics and fever-reducer) including lukewarm baths and tons of water with a little bit of juice thrown in for good taste and lotttttts of snuggles. And Elmo in pretty much every form - on TV, in books, in stuffed animal form, wherever we could find him, we would take him. Everett is in a hardcore Elmo phase right now. It's pretty cute. Anyways, we kept calling the doc (and went in twice - we are such first-time parents) and asking what else we could do for him, and they just said it had to run its course.

Babies should never ever get sick. It's just wrong.

Like the Christmas miracle that it was, Everett finally woke up from his second nap on Christmas Eve without a fever, the first in many days. We celebrated so big. There is truly nothing better than being in good health, especially when you've spent four days home bound with your sweet little boy. We were all feeling pretty stir-crazy, between being stuck in the house and all the torrential rain we've been getting (this weather! Why is it a steamy 75 degrees everyday in DECEMBER?!) But alas. All came together in perfect timing for Christmas day. And Everett was 24-hours fever-free before he saw any of his cousins the day after Christmas, which felt like a real win (not contagious!)

Is it funny that I'm here to tell you about Christmas and all I can do is talk about my kid? It was a bit harrowing for us. But Christmas is really all about kids! Am I right?!

Once we got to Christmas morning, Everett learned what those boxes under the tree were all about. He did such an adorable job, unwrapping each gift and gasping at what was inside. He is hilariously expressive. It was so fun to give him a few "boy" gifts, like toy cars and trucks (even one he could ride around in!) and a nerf football and even a little trike. He was in Heaven. We were in Heaven. Having a kid for Christmas is more magical than any presents you could open for yourself. And this is coming from a girl who is a former present hog. But it's just so true.

My parents and sister and her new hubby came over on Christmas Day, singing like carolers and armed with gifts and breakfast ingredients. My parents make a mean eggs benedict every Christmas, and because of Everett not feeling great, they brought Christmas (and breakfast!) to us this year. They are just the kindest. After Christmas with my parents, we headed over to my in-laws and did round 3 of Christmas with the cousins - whew! When I say I was overwhelmed by so much love (and good food! and gifts!) I mean it. When the three of us finally came home from all our Christmas shenanigans, we just sat out on the porch (in the tropical weather, thanks El Nino), and sat. In awe.

I am so grateful for this family of mine. I know I'm starting to sound like a broken record these days, but seriously, my favorite gift of the year was seeing the transformation from my sick baby boy back to his healthy self. No one's baby should ever be sick. It's an injustice. And they should definitely NEVER be sick on Christmas. I'm so thankful that he healed up and that we had our sweet family Christmas morning together.

I'm learning that life never looks quite how you planned, or imagined, or expected. I am learning how to be an adaptable one, learning to be flexible with the circumstances that come our way, and learning to find ways to be "good" with things that happen. Obviously, I wouldn't wish a sick baby on anyone, but instead of letting it be the absolute RUIN of our holiday, we just decided to make the most of our time in the house with Everett for the four days. While he napped and let his body heal itself, Stevie and I cozied up and binge-watched Madame Secretary on Netflix and made popcorn and didn't do all those last-minute Target runs I was sure we needed. And you know what? Christmas still happened, without all the items on my to-do list (ahem, expectations) getting met. And Christmas was really beautiful. These are the days, my friends. These are the good old days. Let's make sure to recognize it. xox.

Unto Us.

For unto us a child is born,
to us a son is given,
and the government will be on his shoulders.
And he will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God,
Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.
Of the increase of his government and peace,
there will be no end.
- Isaiah 9:6-7

I get little chills when I think about her.

Mary, that young girl, barely a woman, swelled with pregnancy and having to explain over and over again to people how she really was a virgin, even though, you know, she was super knocked up. What that must have been like for her. How brave she must have been. So brave and so young, all at once. What kind of maturity this little lady must have had, to endure the public scrutiny and yet to know in her heart, she was part of a new thing that had never happened on Earth. An earth-shaking, culture-changing disruption to the previous way of everything. All the rules changed, all the judgements banished and the quietest, most unexpected element was birthed along with the baby in her belly - grace for all.

Today we would just call her a liar. But when I read about her demeanor in Luke, I am amazed at her strength and faith in this absolutely unprecedented event that she was at the center of. That sweet pregnant girl, with plumped ankles and a tired mind, having to travel back to her home town (Luke 2:1) hand-in-hand with her trusting fiancee to register for the census. And her fiancee - did he really trust her? Did he believe in her innocence? Was he in on the spooky wonderful mystery novel that she was living out, day by day, for nine months straight? There are so many elements to this story that we question, that will go without answer until we are in Heaven. But goodness, what a absolutely hysterical experience to live through - and tell about.

I think about Mary a lot, especially around this time of year. When I see my baby son do something new, or say something hilarious, or discover something that I would deem ordinary. The Christmas tree fascinates him. I should probably be more mesmerized by it. And that's how this story of Mary is - something rather ordinary that most of us have heard before that we don't really take the time to meditate on. After having my own son, and cherishing both the big moments - he said mama! - and the small moments - he laughed at my joke which means he understood me! - I have the tiniest peephole of insight of what that must have been like for Mary and her little boy. Mary, hearing her boy say mama for the first time. Mary, having her baby cradled by the town's renown righteous man, Simeon (Luke 2:25) and hearing him gush the most curious, radical things about the boy's destiny.

Mary, who "treasured up all these things and pondered them in her heart" (Luke 2:19) and "marveled about the things said about him" (Luke 2:33). That is how the scriptures describe her over and over again. Cherishing these tender words spoken about her baby boy. Well, I can actually relate to this part of her story - I know what that feels like! I can't imagine living the rest of her story, but cherishing the words spoken about my little creation, well, every mom can attest to that feeling, right? That's what we do; we cherish the moments, the words, the glances of their eyes and the musical tone of their immature speech. And, you know, we try to Instagram it. In the best lighting possible.

In all seriousness though, I'm baffled by this story. And a bit choked up. Sweet Mary, how I wish I could have gathered near to you, made you a batch of cookies and poured you a hot cup of coffee and just processed with you about motherhood. The way all of us moms do about our kids. I wish I could ask, What was it LIKE for you? Tell me your birth story. What was the look on Joseph's face when he first saw Jesus? And also, seriously, were there sheep like 5 feet away from you while you were heaving that baby out? Because, MARY. Girl. I'm undone by your bravery. You some kind of woman.

Today is December 24, Christmas Eve. I am meditating alone on this bit of scripture. I don't mean to make Mary the focus of the story about Jesus Christ, I really don't. But as a mama, I do think she deserves some RESPECT. My perspective has changed so much since becoming a mom myself. I am so grateful that God himself chose little Mary, the highly favored (Luke 1:28) to be the quarterback of his big story. Shows how modern he is, as Bono would say, because "women of the future hold the big revelations."

I'm proud to be in the same camp as Mary, a young mom who cherishes and ponders the things about her son's future. I'm grateful to be living in a time where, yes, the dark may be getting darker, but the light is also getting brighter (Isaiah 60:2). The future is so bright, friends, when we accept the truth of Jesus' gospel and ask him to be the forever companion in our lives (Romans 10:9). I am grateful for this holiday, this celebration of our savior's grace and all the brave ones who surrounded him. Merry Christmas to you. Peace on your household. Grace for all of us.

Christmas Card Photos.

Oh, Christmas card photos. An event that is equally fun and painful. Babies can be unpredictable, and mine seems to have a short fuse when it comes to me coaxing him (pageant mom-style), "Smile, baby! Smile! Can you smile for mama? SMILE HONEY. DO IT."

But I love the idea of getting some really great family shots of us once a year, so its something I am going to try to continue. I take a zillion photos all the time, but it was so much more relaxing to work with a professional (ha, duh) and get to just *be* with my family while Leidy Beltran did her thing. I did my best this year to make it a fun experience for Everett, by packing an arsenal of snacks and toys, but we lucked out so big because my bro-in-law Joshua showed up at his parents house unexpectedly (where we took our photos) and entertained Everett from afar. Made faces, jumped around, sang goofy songs, threw a tennis ball around. He pulled out all the stops. Joshua is officially a magical baby wrangler and Everett adores him to pieces. The talented Leidy snapped away and we got some sweet family photos of the three of us, just being ourselves, which is the part I loved about it most. We had the setting sun working against us, but she managed to get some shots that I absolutely love. In fact, you will probably get sick of seeing some of these before long, because I will definitely be updating my site in the new year with some of these shots.

Thank you, Leidy Beltran! And Joshua! Now I'm off to finish stamping these Christmas cards :) Merry, merry, friends!

Deck the Halls.

I had a LOT of fun decorating for Christmas this year. We have a new home, the first house we've ever lived in, and it feels really special to be able to make this space completely our own. Before Thanksgiving, I spent a lot of time getting our trees (yes - we got two!!) up and decorated, getting presents wrapped, and hanging the stockings. There is something a little bit magical about "decking the halls" for Christmas, isn't there? You've got to have a hot beverage to return to over and over again, while you assess the progress of your work. And you've got to have Amy Grant Christmas songs in the background, because, I don't know. I just always have. Thanks for programming me, Mom. And you've got to have that wriggly little toddler clobbering around, ready to tear into the presents at any moment, because he just makes it all the more exciting. We had to let him open at least ONE. Because we are the parents. And we get to make that call :)

Shhhhhh! Stevie doesn't know that the stockings actually have gifts in them yet :)

Little target finds. Aren't they the cutest?

I might have made them kiss.

Thanks to my sister Rachel for taking these pics. And fishtailing my hair. She's so talented.

Present time!

He loves Elmo these days!

// Woodland Stockings - Pottery Barn Kids // Ornaments - Mostly Target // Tree Topper - The Nest // Hand-Lettered Print (Bottom Left) - Jenny Highsmith //

I hope your Christmas decorating is going merrily! We might do a little more on the outside of the house. Having Stevie climb up on the roof makes me nervous, but a few lights in the bushes couldn't be all that bad :)

Merry Christmas friends! Have fun decking your halls!

P.S. - A Christmas giveaway you don't want to miss.