Right???
It's 8:00 am on January 1st, and you spy with your little eye this hot light. Do you stop?!?
You don't have to answer that. I won't tell.
But Christmas 2015 was. a. BLAST! Where do I start?
First off, THIS guy was home, and anytime he's here I want to soak up every free moment together like a sponge, fortunately- or unfortunately- for him.
"Come on, Jay! Let's play another game!"
At least Jay will get some rest when he gets back to Chicago. Or so he thinks.
Welcome to Christmas vacation, where every day is a party. Literally! First up was our family party at cousin Lafon's house. Their home was so beautifully decorated. Does that swing look familiar?
I sat on that same swing when I took my gender reveal pictures. And now here she is in real life.
We had great time visiting with our extended family AND eating cousin Buzzy's turkey, without which Christmas would never be the same.
Next up was the annual Jordan soiree. If I ever move across the country (which is not happening) I would still mark my calendar every year for this event. It's one of the highlights of Christmas!
"Emerson meet....Emerson!"
These two were hilarious banging out tunes and warning-more like dictating- everyone to look at but not touch the train under the tree.
The next morning we visited Ryan's grandmother, Mattie Lee. Your continued prayers for her, as well as Ryan's Dad as he still recovers from back surgery, would be extremely appreciated.
Being a part of the music with these special ladies is amazing. Even if I was in the midst of struggling with terrible allergies while singing, the Lord was still able to use my "joyful noise," and for that I am incredibly grateful.
As our pastor noted, it was probably the first time in history that they had the AC on that evening...
During the service I was part of a trio that sang, "Silent Night." You can watch it here.
Afterwards we stuffed our bellies during a delicious Christmas Eve dinner at Aunt Faye's.
Such childlike wonder...until she doesn't want her picture taken anymore! Hahaha.
We opened gifts at Ryan's after that, and the highlight of the night was the hobby horse that Ryan's mom wanted to get for months...Aunt Robin saved the day at the last minute and found one that makes noise and "clippity clops."
No joke. The little guy has a sensor on him and gallops at random times.
Don't mind me. I'm just going to the kitchen for a snack.
The hilarious thing is that the horse was found at a second hand store, because the search had been unsuccessful thus far. The beautiful guy was in perfect condition, which left us scratching our heads. "Why would someone give this away?"
"CLIPPITY CLOP!!! CLIPPITY CLOP!!! GALLOP GALLOP!" Ok, now it makes sense.
"I've got a little pep in my step!"
Now the galloping is a welcome and normal sound in our house; we just have to warn visitors who think Paul Revere is having a final midnight ride.
We started Christmas morning with a breakfast at Danny and Robin's house. It was awesome to visit with everyone AND celebrate some very exciting news....
Autrey and Heather got engaged on Christmas morning, and Aaron and Maggie are expecting a baby! 2016 is shaping up to be extra special for the Moody families!
After eating some honey bun cake, muffins, breakfast casserole, and many other goodies it was time to open up presents with my family! As always, it was oh so much fun.
Emerson was confused when we gave her a toy and then took it away a few seconds later so that she could see something else.
Notable gifts this year included a race car track, talking Tom Cat, 2015 holiday barbie, bowling and golf club sets, a new lunch box and cup, puzzles, books, a Mickey clock, a mega blocks set and scooper, an FAO Schwarz step & play piano, and a GORGEOUS, handmade Noah's ark blanket that I found at a craft fair a couple of months ago.
I always loved interactive toys, like blocks and building sets. Emerson is just like me when it comes to toy preference.
To top off our vacation we also had a LONG awaited and MUCH needed game night with these awesome folks.
And took several trips to the park.
One of Jamie and Chris's presents to us this year was a beautiful Beauty and the Beast/Kinkade puzzle. My Dad and I LOVE puzzles, so we finished it in a few days.
Over the next couple of days we had Christmas with my Grandparents and Uncle David AND got to visit with my Uncle Larry and Laura!!! I was stoked.
Christmas gifts can be hard to pick out sometimes, but this year I did the majority of my shopping online, and it was FANTASTIC!
I especially love creative and unique gifts, and when I saw this loch ness monster soup ladle months ago I knew that two people on my list would appreciate it: Jamie and Jay.
Seriously, isn't this the cutest thing? It peeks out of your soup like the real thing. I knew Jay would especially like it, because he studied abroad in Scotland back in 2009.
I had been looking for an over-the-door- NOT over the faucet- shower caddy for months and finally found one online. This was one of Ryan's "because we need it" gifts.
Another gift for Jamie and Jay was this steamer that cleans your microwave...both hilarious and useful. And true! My Mama hates a messy microwave.
The Angry Mama microwave cleaner.
For our parents I created custom books, calendars, magnets, and even a mouse pad.
Disregard the poor picture quality of the screen shots from the computer.
And in keeping with tradition I also made a 25 minute video of Emerson's year 2015 in review. That only took about 18 hours to create.
While I was very pleased with the gifts we gave this year, I also came across the bad, seriously bad, and downright most ridiculous gift options I'd ever seen while shopping online. Here are a few that I couldn't believe actually existed.
1) For that one friend who will melt in the sun or a social setting...
2) ...because, why WOULDN'T you want your face on your toast?
3) These are about as useful as a mickey mouse tent during a hurricane.
4) Most people sit down to eat, especially the elderly, so who pitched this next product to a company and decided it would sell? Am I missing something?
"Look, Grandma! You can scoot around AND eat AND spill things AND risk falling! Where can I buy one?!?"
5) Ear ringing spray, really? Where have you been all my life!
"Every time an ear rings, an angel gets his wings..."
6) A rake for your...hands?! These remind me of something. Something horrifying.
Our neighbor is trimming the hedges again.
"You know, Sally, I noticed at the beach this summer that your toes are all jacked up, so here you go."
8) And perhaps my personal favorite...
The hole in one bathroom course. That game was a real stinker.
Christmas shopping can definitely be chaotic. A few weeks ago I overheard a Christmas commercial on the TV from another room and instantly recognized the music on it. It was from The Nutcracker Suite and was a piece I played for my Christmas recital in 1998, so I decided to re-learn it. It reminds me of the shopping and hustling aspects of the holiday season. You can check it out here.
But this Christmas I was not stressed out. I was not worried about getting everything done. I was in the moment and enjoyed every minute with my family, because on December 8th, 2015 it could have all been taken away.
That afternoon I was leaving a school that was very much in the outskirts of Columbia, where the October flooding really hit hard. There were still detours everywhere and large trucks on one lane roads making repairs. My GPS was taking me a different way back than I came, and while focusing intently on which way to go I plowed right through a stop sign in a construction area.
I froze. My heart was pounding. I felt as if my entire car had been carried through by a Heavenly cloud. There was not even a truck in sight.
I had many missed calls, emails, and messages waiting to be answered. But instead of rushing to answer them all I decided that they were not life threatening, and those who had contacted me could wait until I could answer them safely.
It ran through my mind for a week. I could have been killed. In an instant. I had a little girl at daycare waiting for me to pick her up that day. I have a husband and family who rely on me. There are so many things that I want to do and see in this lifetime, and my earthly life could have been cut short.
If you take away nothing else, please remember this: slow down. And this is coming from someone who is infamous for running 100 mph in everything that I do.
Slow down and keep your eyes on what matters and what's guaranteed, like the cross.
We're already a week into January, and what an incredibly busy week it's been. I have to confess that New Year's Day did not get off on a good foot. Almost everything went wrong that day, and on top of it, Emerson had an ear infection and was inconsolable. I only "thought" I was frustrated until she screamed bloody murder for hours about anything and everything.
Happy 2016!
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