{Meat Therapy // Nate's birthday // 2021}

 For Nate's 40th birthday this year, he went to a Meat Therapy session. Nathan's younger brother, Ty planned this event months in advance and it was the coolest idea ever! Nate, his brother, and his dad all went and had a blast.

{Christmas at the Stowells // 2020}

 I've made it to our last and final Christmas post {I think! ha}. The Saturday after Christmas we celebrated with my family at my parent's house. We did a "pajamas and pancakes" theme and it was amazing!! We not only had pancakes, but we also had every other breakfast item that you could think of. Pajamas and breakfast foods just happen to be two of my favorite things!

{Christmas at The Halls // 2020}

 After we finished opening gifts at our house, we went around the corner to Nate's parent's house. It is a tradition to spend Christmas Day/evening at their house. It is usually us, Nate's parents, Nate's middle brother and his family, his younger brother and his wife, Nate's Grandmother, and Nate's Aunt. We were so grateful that NeNaw (Nate's Grandmother) was able to join us this year. There was a recent Covid positive resident at her assisted living and they had been on strict lockdown. Because of that, we weren't sure if she would be able to join us. We are so thankful they let her come! Just to be safe, we all wore our masks the entire time she was with us (unless eating). It is so special to be able to spend Christmas Day with her. What a gift!! 

{Christmas morning at home // 2020}

 The first few hours of Christmas Day are always spent at home! Just me and my boys!! We usually try to sleep in as long as Mason will let us, but this year we were up and at it at 8 am. And not by Mason's choice, but mine! I was already awake and ready for him to see his gifts. I just couldn't help it. Plus, I knew that we had to be at the Halls around 10ish so I wanted him to have plenty of time at home to actually see and open everything. 

{Christmas Eve // Santa Waffles // Stockings // Church}

 This Christmas Eve was probably one of my favorites yet! All three of us were home and made the sweetest of memories together. And, we were able to stay home in our pajamas for most of the day. That's a good day if you ask me! 

{The Christmas Star // Dec 21st, 2020}

 What a blessing it was to be able to see the Christmas Star this year! I kept reading about it on Facebook and knew that I couldn't miss it!! I didn't get that great of pictures because I was so busy just soaking it in! 

{Maggie the Magnolia}

 For Christmas this year, Nate's brother and wife bought us a Magnolia tree! How sweet, right? It was such a thoughtful gift and we love it. I have been wanting more trees around our home and this was absolutely perfect. All of the trees on our property are all at the very back of our land. Anyhow, when Mason saw our tree he said, "Can we name her Maggie the Magnolia?" So, meet Maggie...

{A taste of Christmas // Christmas cookies}

 Mason's elves brought him a Gingerbread cookie decorating kit on the morning of 12/20/2020. Nathan worked overtime that day but got home early. So we decorated the cookies together as a family. We had the sweetest little time! 

{Coffee and Community // A Christmas-y Saturday}

 A few Saturdays ago my sister in love invited Mason and me to coffee at a new shop in town! My mother in love and brother in love also joined us. Nate wasn't able to come because he was working overtime. We went to Vita Coffee House, which is owned by a friend from high school! It was so delicious and decorated so perfectly. I loved the Boho farmhouse-ish vibe of the place. 

{A JEEPin' good Christmas // 2020}

 Silly as it might be, putting these antlers and Rudolph's nose on the Jeep makes my heart so incredibly happy! I love to see the reaction of little kids when they notice it. It's the best! And it just looks so dang cute!!! 

{Annual ladies baking party // 2020}

 We had our annual ladies' baking party on December 13th. This is a night where all of the ladies (well, a lot of them) on my mom's side of the family come together for a Christmasy night! We eat, we bake lots of amazing treats, we play games, we exchange gifts, and we have a blast! Circumstances almost kept us from having this party this year, but we were able to work it out! I'm so glad that we did. It never disappoints. Actually, it's one of my favorite Christmas traditions!! 

{Christmas with my Coworkers // 2020}

 On Friday, December 11th I met my coworkers in Arlington to celebrate Christmas. We ate at Cane Rosso and had some delicious pizza. Then we walked right down the road to Board and Brush. This was our second year in a row to do Board and Brush. In previous years we have taken cooking classes and did Painting with a Twist. We always try to plan some kind of activity and I love it. 

{Elf Magic // 2020}

 Our Elves {Max & Millie and their pet, Cubby} made their 2020 Christmas season appearance on December 1st. They brought Mason all the things needed for a North Pole style breakfast and brought him a Funko Harry Potter Pop Advent calendar! Mason was so excited to see his favorites!!

{Tis the Season // 2020}

 Hands down, the Christmas season is my absolute favorite!! With that being said, this post serves no purpose other than to publish some of the photos I took over the season! I love the coziness of the Christmas decorations and the twinkle lights. And, enjoying a nice cup of coffee by the glow of the Christmas tree is my absolute favorite. 

{All aboard the Polar Express // 2020}

 If you've been around this blog for a while then you know that the Polar Express is an annual tradition in our family! We love making a weekend out of it and camping and doing all things Christmas. Like I said in the Grinch post, it was a little different this year but we still made the most of it. 

{Merry GRINCHmas // 2020}

 I'm sure it goes without saying {this is 2020 afterall}, but our trip to visit the Grinch's Lair looked a little different this year. We had to purchase tickets in advance as they were only letting so many people in at a time. We had 11 in our group so we were basically in there by ourselves. They checked our temperatures at the door and everyone had to wear masks. Also, the Grinch stayed stationary this year instead of running around the lair. Even with this, we had a great time visiting our favorite Grinch's Lair.