Happy New Year, friends! I hope your holidays were filled with fun and family–and that your 2014 is off to a wonderful start!
I took a little break from writing over Christmas, but I didn’t completely neglect my tiny corner of the internet…you may have noticed that the blog got a fancy new look! I love the sweet simplicity of this design, and I actually had a little bit of fun learning to install it myself. Nerd alert?! 🙂
Every January I have such a hard time summarizing our Christmas trip to Kansas. Too many stories, too much fun…too little time. So what I always end up doing is letting my pictures do the talking. And this year will be no different…I mean, it’s basically a tradition now–and I can’t break traditions!
So prepare yourselves for a Kansas Christmas photo explosion…
First stop: Great Bend! Arden got her first taste of Delgado’s famous flour chips.
Mmmm, I could use a basket (or 2) right now…
We braved the snow for a fun day in Wichita at the Page family Christmas!
And Arden made some new cousin friends 🙂 Sweet Charlie!
Of course we couldn’t be in Wichita and NOT stop in to see the Moore’s! We introduced Henry to headbands and he introduced us to his perfect little sister, Nelle. And it was so neat to see my friend as a mother of two…she’s pretty awesome.
This is always worthy of documentation. During our 34 hours of driving on this trip, Arden slept for a whopping 3! All I’ve got to say is bless the inventor of portable DVD players 🙂
Playing with a farm, on the farm 🙂
The day we celebrated Christmas at my in-law’s, we woke up to 10+ inches of snow! A white Christmas, indeed!
Matching infinity scarves from Grandma…ready for game day!
Hey Grandma, let me help you with that…
Hazel may not be the star of the show anymore, but Uncle T never forgets about her 😉
Poor baby was a teething/traveling nightmare for most of our time in GB…so any smiling shots must be noted!
Um, what is this stuff?
Enjoying her gifts from Uncle Tay-Tay and Kelly…
This snow stuff is kind of confusing…
Perfection…
Party in the Christmas barn 🙂
Who cared that it was 30 degrees? Not Arden! She refused to get off the 4-wheeler…
Family pic!
Christmas dinner with Grandma and Grandpa…
Next stop–Kansas City!
The “soul sisters” at church…I love these two so so much.
Arden + Gigi
{Not pictured–a fun pledge class dinner that ended with our resident OB using a doppler on all the preggos in the restaurant bathroom. We have never really been normal…ha!}
Christmas at Gigi and Papa’s begins…
Arden’s favorite gift was a minion…of course, it didn’t belong to her…
Fart machines were a favorite of the day too. Imagine that!
We took accessorizing to a whole new level with the Gigi’s gift wrap…
My dad is retiring…hence the new hobby 🙂
Chris is really hoping that the next time we go home, he will greet us on the front porch swing with a few tunes…
Great new toys…more accessories. Duh.
Someone pinch me…my child is sitting still, watching a movie?!?
Monster’s University.
The sweetest little elf around…
This girls has literally tried for 3 years to snag a popcorn ball…and finally…success!!!!
Santa, 3 elves, and a gingerbread baby…
Sorry Hazel, these cookies are for the big guy…
Love 🙂
After the kiddos went to bed, it was work time for Santa’s little elf.
This = an engineer’s dream…and my nightmare!
The finished product was pretty awesome though…
Christmas Eve!
For me???
One omelette, comin’ up!
Just like Gigi…
I knew there was a reason I collected every beanie baby ever made.
Arden’s first (and last) tattoo…
Just cooking up something yummy for Whit 🙂
Holy concentration!
Faster, faster!
#deadbattery
Arden found her old nap nanny in the closet and kept getting in it saying “baby, baby”.
Does the fact that her legs are hanging over the edge means she’s not much of a baby anymore?!? Tear…
Evie & Arden–two peas in a pod 🙂
Did I mention that she turned into a teenager on this trip?!?
These two…
Relaxing with Gigi.
It’s amazing the things your big cousins can teach you…
Gameday and a Christmas party?!? Let’s go…
Minute to Win It…and the official floor cleaner 🙂
2 little wildcats.
And finally, the sweetest pic of the trip 🙂
I say it every year, but this was definitely our best Christmas yet!
We were truly blessed in 2013…and I can’t wait to see what God has planned for our family in 2014.
Now if you made it to the end of this post, you deserve an award–or at least a pat on the back! I promise much shorter posts from here on out in 2014 😉
Happy Monday, y’all!
Love all the Santa/elf matching outfits. And how cool is a party in a beautiful red barn! And I can totally see little Arden on American Idol in 17 years with a microphone just like that!
Love it! Arden is growing up so much! And our Christmas Eve was spent watching Monster's University at my parents house… and yes, my eight month old was very into it! haha
i LOVE your new look!! its perfection- so sweet and totally YOU! such an awesome christmas, i can't believe how big arden is getting. she totally looks like a "big girl" now. i'm also surprised giant elmo didn't make it into more pictures 🙂
Love the "Christmas barn"! And seriously the picture of Arden in the little scarf and furry boots is precious! Looks like a fun Christmas! 🙂
I love this post! I'm joining your family next Christmas – you won't mind will you? Aria would make a pretty cute honorary cousin! Arden looks sooo mature/older in the second picture up top – something about it says 8 years old to me. I love her bam-bam pigtail =) Great new look – exactly what you said, simple and sweet!
Love all of it! That Christmas barn is beautiful! My girl got a play kitchen too, and it took daddy three hours to put together (I'm just thankful I didn't have to do it)! Glad you had a great holiday. I'm excited to follow your family through 2014 🙂
Oh my gosh – THAT BARN – L.O.V.E.!
Your time in Kansas was perfection.
Love everything about all these sweet pictures and memories! They make me SOOO excited for our coming Christmas's with all of Owen and Claire's cousins to come. I love that Arden loved the 4 wheeler,-snow, freezing, who cares?! The Christmas party in the barn! LOVE IT! Now I need details on the blog design it looks AWESOME! I am desperate need/want of some sprucing up!! AND tell Arden to slow down on the growing she looks so big!
I LOVE LOVE that photo of the three of you in front of the barn – just beautiful! Also I so understand the no sleep while traveling – I document it whenever it happens bc I'm usually in shock! 🙂 Looks like you guys had a wonderful trip!
I LOVE the new blog! So fresh, clean, and pretty! It looks like y'all had the most amazing Christmas with your family!
I DON'T EVEN KNOW WHERE TO START?!
I think you may have had the best Christmas ever! Love the photo of you guys on the 4-wheeler and in front of the barn. And Arden's pink kitchen…. ahhhhh!!! Can I come over and play!?
And the new blog design looks fabulous!! So clean and pretty! Excited to see you girls in a few days – we are long overdue! I'm glad I read this post just now – smiled from ear to ear!
These pictures just scream FUN, I want to be at your family Christmas;) We have lots of play cooking going on at our house too, Estella got a similar kitchen and boy was that fun to put together;) I'm wondering how the heck you got that thing home??
Happy New Year, Hope 2014 is treating you well so far!
She is SO precious!! Could you please share where you buy those adorable infinity scarves for Arden?
thanks!
Thank you!!! My mother-in-law actually made the purple scarf and the other one was a small adult one that I wrapped around 3 times…but I've a few myself by just cutting off the bottom of old shirts! I wrote a post about it here: https://sunflowerstateofmind.com/2013/11/ridiculously-easy-diy-toddler-infinity.html
Hope that helps!
Looks like you had a great Christmas! 🙂 And I LOVE the new blog design!
Love your new look, Vanessa! Nice work!
I adore this entire post. Your pictures are so wonderful. I'm glad you had such a great and happy Christmas.
New to your blog. This is the first post that I read, and I'm already loving your blog! Xo
Nessa's World
Well it looks like you guys had a wonderful trip! All the different traveling and stops can be so daunting but yet I always remind myself that it means we have a big family and that's a GOOD thing! 🙂
What a wonderful Christmas! Looks amazing. Arden gets cuter by the day. I want to live in that barn!
Love this post and all the fun pictures! I'm excited to see what 2014 has to bring for your sweet family too 🙂
And can you give me a lesson on blog stuff? I really need an update and am not willing to shell over serious cash!!!
Just caught up, love all the pics!!!! Looks like a perfect christmas, aren't cousins the best?!! Looks like Arden loves hers to pieces, waverly is the same way!! Happy new year to your sweet fam!!
What a fun Christmas! Arden just keeps getting cuter & cuter! I laughed out loud at that pic of y'all putting together the kitchen… Charlotte got the same one but in blue for her birthday and it totally was nightmare city!!