A Very Merry Christmas

 Olivia and I at the Arlington Hotel in Hot Springs.

 My mom makes these yummy Christmas Bread Wreaths every year and we LOVE them. It's not a DeVaux Christmas without them!!

 My family is obsessed with red meat!!  Everyone(except me) LOVES a good steak!  2 years ago, Dad bought a beef tenderloin that everyone still talks about. So, he bought another one this year and Micha prepared and cooked it again.  It turned out wonderful, even I tried a little piece and enjoyed it!

 Uncle Gabe

 Gabe, Marji, and Me.

 Maddy was Santa at the DeVaux get together.

 This was about 10 minutes after opening presents! She was exhausted!

Madison made Magic Reindeer Food at school so she was sprinkling it in the front yard.  "Sprinkle on the lawn at night. The moonlight makes it sparkle bright.  As Santa's reindeer fly and roam, this will guide them to your home."

 Maddy getting Santa's treats ready

 Santa came!!  PS, that cardboard house was a hit!! I recommend it highly!! Plus once you are tired of looking at it and the kids get bored with it(as they do with all toys), In the trash it goes! Livy has been playing it it and Madison has been coloring it.  Madison's big gift was a bike. If you ask what she got, she says, "I got a bike with 2 wheels, one in the front and one in the back."

 Micha sent me on a scavenger hunt where I found earrings and a ring! I was very surprised and happy, they are beautiful!!

 Uncle Aaron got the grandkids hoodies.

 The Baileys have a Christmas tradition where Bill gives us each a sack filled with candy and other little doodads, and he hides money in different things.  This year was one of the tougher years!! I looked for about 10 minutes and couldn't find ANY money. I was about convinced that there wasn't any in there when I finally bit into a tootsie roll and found my money!!  1 down, 7 to go!!  Long story short, there were about 75 mini tootsie rolls and all 8 bills were hidden in these stinkin' tootsie rolls!!  Usually Bill hides the money in different types of items, so it took us a while to figure out they were ALL in tootsie rolls! Good thing I like that candy! We LOVE this tradition and look forward to it every year!! 

 I was hard at work.  I get a little competitive and try to finish first, it's like a game and I like to WIN!  I started slow but ended up in Third Place(and that's b/c the others got a head start!)

 This is a pic of the money covered in tootsie roll.

 These were all of my bills after I found them.

I thought I would go ahead a blog while Micha and the girls are entertained with all their new toys and while I still have a little steam left in me!  This was a WONDERFUL Christmas!  We spent Christmas Eve at my parents house and ate so much good food.  I missed being with my family last year for Christmas, so it was great to be there this year.  We got home and put the girls to bed so Santa could come and deliver.  Madison came in our room at 12:15 and asked if it was time!! Hah, nice try Maddy!!  We said no, so she climbed in bed with us. An hour later, Olivia comes in.  An hour later, I kick Winston out of the bed and I sleep at the foot of the bed until 7:15 when Maddy wakes us all up.  We opened presents, played a little and then headed to the Bailey's house.  We ate lunch, opened presents and the sacks, and relaxed for a while before returning home.  We came home with two extra nephews, the girls played with all their new toys, Micha played with his new video game with the nephews, and I cleaned! Moondough is fun, but I can't handle it on my floor, plus I will sleep so much better with a clean house! And after last night's visitors in my bed, I need a good nights sleep!!! I hope everyone had a Merry and Joyous Christmas!

A week of Old Friends and New Friends

This week started with lots of stress due to finals but took a turn for WONDERFUL because of friends.  I took my last final on Tuesday morning and immediately after it was over a huge weight was lifted and I knew it was time to relax and unwind.  After my test I did a little shopping and found some amazing deals, then I went home and took a nap, also amazing!  That night I went out with a group of girls from church.  We went to dinner at a hibachi grill where we had an over-the-top chef that kept us laughing.  We went to Marji's house for dessert, a game of white elephant, and lots of talking.  It was so wonderful getting to talk and not be interrupted by a kid or a fight! We talked and laughed until after midnight.  I am so grateful to have found such a great group of new friends. This was the perfect night to end a stressful couple of weeks.
The next day I went to Hot Springs with Jenn, my oldest, bestest friend(yes I know that's not a word) to visit some friends from the Arlington that I hadn't seen in over 2 years!  We worked at the Arlington as a banquet waitresses for about 4 years.  I absolutely loved working there, mainly because of who I worked with.  All of these friends are at least twice my age but they worked circles around me!  I can't believe it has been over 8 years since I have worked there. It feels like just yesterday I was putting on a white shirt, bow tie, and vest(I don't miss the uniforms).  They are some of the hardest working people I have ever met and I have so much respect and love for them.
Thursday night we went out with the McCabes to celebrate Kyle's birthday.  I love Kyle and Mary! They are hilarious and we always have fun with them!  They are the type of friends where you can talk about anything and everything with! We have followed each other out to Utah and back to Arkansas over the past two years and love them!
Saturday night we went to Conway to celebrate Jenn's little Anna's first birthday.  Once again I was surrounded by wonderful friends!!  I was so sad last year because I wasn't able to be there for the birth of this sweet little girl, so I am so happy I could celebrate the Big ONE with her.
I am so grateful for all of my old and new friends that I have at this time.  Good friends are hard to find, but when you find them, they bring so much happiness and joy into your life!!
Thank you to all my Friends who made this week AMAZING and STRESS-FREE!!

A Shout Out to Olivia!

 

I needed to give my little girl a shout out for being passy-free for a month now, we took it away on November 6! I completely forgot to post about it and I think its a huge deal when this happens.  I always feel so guilty taking away my babies pacifiers.  That is her comfort she's had since she was born, but I know it has to go.  It get's to the point where they look ridiculous and are way too big to have that in their mouth.  I was amazed again at how easy the transition was.  She bit a hole in her last passy and I told her to throw it in the trash. She asked for it for the first couple of days and I would remind her she threw it away.  And that was it!  I would much rather see that precious smile than an ugly pacifier!!

Thanksgiving in Branson!

 Making all the goodies for Branson

 All the grandkids waiting to take pictures

 We went to a new indoor waterpark in Branson and had a blast!!

 Livy passed out about at the waterpark.

 We took the girls to the Disney Outlet and Livy freaked when she saw Minnie Mouse!

 Madison is making sure all the girls look pretty!

 Gary had Razorback tattoos for all the kids to wear on game day.

 Getting ready to ride Go-Karts.

We spent Thanksgiving in Branson with all the Baileys(there are 12 adults and 12 kids).  We were very excited to go this year since we weren't able to go last year.  As always, we had a wonderful time and ate way too much.  I went to the Tanger Outlet Black Friday Sale around 2:00 am.  They open at midnight, but I have discovered if I wait a couple of hours, that first crowd thins out and it is much more enjoyable!  We went to a new indoor water park on Thanksgiving day and had a blast! I think the adults had more fun than the kids! It was a wonderful Thanksgiving and we are truly blessed to have spent it with family!