One of my favorite things about my coop is being able to change out the decor for each holiday! I have two window flower boxes that I switch up the flowers in and I usually hang a decorative sign on the door. I recently decorated for Valentine's Day and I am loving the pops of pink and red!
Texas got another February snow & ice storm! While we were anticipating the worst, it wasn't nearly as bad as last year. We at least kept our electricity this time, and temperatures didn't drop quite as drastically.
Sailing during a pandemic...
What was it truly like??
I wanted to share a quick little tour of our stateroom (7614) on the Disney Wonder cruise ship! When we were planning for the cruise, it was hard to fully grasp what the room looked like and what we needed to expect. There were general pictures, but I know if I were able to find a specific video/tour of our exact room, I would have been ecstatic.
Day five of our cruise was our disembarking day. We were so bummed to get off the ship. We had so much fun and could have easily done a few more days. Our wishes were somewhat granted when we couldn't get to port due to heavy fog! They closed the channel and we had to wait several hours until the fog lifted! More time on the ship...
Linking up with Anne in Residence for her currently series. This month we are sharing what we are currently anticipating, organizing, reading, resolving, and scheduling.
Day four on the ship was another day at sea (sailing back toward home). This was also Nathan's birthday!! What a lucky guy to get to celebrate his birthday on a cruise!!
On day three we arrived at the beautiful Cozumel, Mexico!! Nate and I went out on our verandah for a bit to watch other boats and see the beautiful waters!!
Day two of our cruise was at sea! It was a full day and night of sailing towards Cozumel. We started our day off with a little time out on the verandah, watching the waves and water! I loved having this option to get some fresh air any time we wanted or needed it!
Monday morning came and so did all the nerves. We were all so anxious and had so many mixed feelings and emotions taking up residence in our minds. As a Mama, I wanted this so bad for Mason. I couldn't bear the thought of his disappointment if we weren't able to go. But as a sister, daughter, friend, etc. I was so bummed for the ones not able to come with us. And so bummed at the thought of it not working out like we hoped and planned.
We checked out of our room, grabbed some breakfast, and headed to the parking garage/shuttle. We didn't know what lied ahead...
We got to the cruise terminal with plenty of time to spare. Everything was moving pretty smoothly so far. We checked in our luggage and then waited until it was our turn to get in our first line. We didn't have to wait too long before that time came. It started getting more real by the second. However, we had to keep reminding ourselves to not get too excited just yet. We still had a Covid test we needed to pass...
Back in September of 2021, Nate's parents surprised the entire family {all eleven of us} with a Disney Cruise. We were set to sail on December 27th thru the 31st on the Disney Wonder, leaving out of Galveston, TX. We were all so excited to do this together as a family!
I wanted to include some moments throughout our Christmas season in a post. While most of these photos do not warrant a post on their own, I wanted a place for them here on the blog. It's our family scrapbook, after all! Even though there were many things that didn't go as planned {which has been the tune since 2020}, we still managed to have a beautiful Christmas season.
Christmas at the Halls looked a little different this year. Nate's middle brother's family was ill and not able to come. It was so strange without them there. We sure did miss them! It wasn't the same without all the grandboys there!! We made the most of the day and enjoyed our time together.
After spending Christmas Eve with my family, we came home and started preparing things for Christmas at home. Mason sprinkled his reindeer food, put out the Santa key, innkeeper's key, etc. Then he was off to bed!
For as long as I can remember, we've always celebrated Christmas on Christmas Eve with my family. Even as children, we'd talk our parents into letting us open a gift or two on Christmas Eve. Christmas Eve is one of my favorite days of the year. The anticipation leading up to Christmas and all of the traditions and festivities make this gal's heart so incredibly happy.
The candlelight Christmas Eve service at our church is always one of my favorites! I look forward to it every single year. The amount of time, planning, and preparing our church staff does is not lost on me. You can tell that they put their all into this service and it's so incredibly beautiful. This year, my whole family (minus my brother because they went to their church's service) came with us. That was the best gift I could ever receive. My family worshipping with us on Christmas Eve and hearing about the good news of Jesus, our Savior. I will cherish this day in my heart for a long, long time.
For our Disney cruise, Mason had to be tested for Covid three days prior to sailing. Which meant...Christmas Eve! Finding a place that was open and testing on Christmas Eve was quite the chore! Disney wouldn't accept a rapid test, it had to be a PCR test. We finally found a place in Dallas that was open, but getting an appointment time was another battle we had to fight! I finally got him an appointment for 8:06 am on Christmas Eve morning. Nathan's mom went with me since Nate was working a few hours that morning.
Our Christmas tree campout is a tradition that Mason and I started several years ago! We bring an air mattress into the living room, put on our favorite Christmas pajamas, and settle in for all of our favorite Christmas movies by the glow of the Christmas tree. It's such a special and magical time that I cherish so much! I am so thankful that my growing boy still loves to do this with me. I am holding on as long as I can and tucking each moment into my heart.
Today we went over to Mason's Nana's house to bake and decorate cookies for Christmas! It ended up being Michelle and I mostly baking and decorating them all! haha! The kids all ran around and played and Nana spent most of her time with the grands! But, it was a blast and I shaped up on my decorating skills - sorta. lol!
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.
We spent a sweet little Saturday morning at Vita Coffee House with Nate's brother and our SIL. Our church was actually paying for everyone's coffee that morning. How generous and awesome, right? Vita is owned by one of our friends we have known since she was a little girl. Vita is a gorgeous coffee shop with a boho feel. It's so cozy, warm, and inviting. I just love it there. And you can't beat the delicious coffee!
I knew at the beginning of the season that I wanted to add a little Christmas cheer to my chicken coop! So, I bought some poinsettias and whipped up a sweet little Christmas wreath! It made my heart so happy to see a little Christmas out at my chicken coop! It really is the little things...
For our last and final Christmas parade of 2021, we joined in with some of our favorites (Wicked Trendz Jeep Club) for the Venus, TX Christmas parade! The Jeeps were definitely the main show and had the most participants in the parade. It's always such a good time with our Jeep family! And, can I just say how much I love small towns? Especially at Christmas...
One of our favorite things to do each year is to drive around and look at Christmas lights! This year we chose to go to Interlochen! My boss lives there and always talks about how awesome it is. It has been years since we've driven through Interlochen, so it was time to give it a go! It did not disappoint! And the cherry on top? Getting to stop and say hi to my boss/friend!
We couldn't leave Grapevine without taking a drive down Main Street! Downtown Grapevine is so beautiful during Christmas time! It's not called the Christmas Capital of Texas for nothing!!
Next up on our festive family day was a trip to the Gaylord hotel in Grapevine, TX. We have loved going every year and doing the Ice exhibit. This year, it was different and was a walk through the Elf movie. It was pretty neat and felt like we were on the movie set! The Gaylord is always so pretty at Christmas time! We took a stroll through before our time for the Elf so that we could see all the Christmas decor!
Ever since Mason was a baby we have been visiting Santa at Bass Pro shop! We have always loved the backdrop and decorations at Bass Pro. They didn't have Santa in 2020 due to Covid, so we were excited they brought him back for 2022! I took off work on Friday, December 10th so we could have a festive family day and knock out several of our Christmas-time traditions. We began our day with a Santa visit and some Christmas shopping at Bass Pro Shop.
Every year my coworkers and I gather for a Christmas celebration. There are only three of us here in the DFW area and the rest of the company resides in the Seattle, WA area. We usually meet for supper and then go to some kind of hands-on event. We have done cooking classes, painting with a twist, and for the last few years, we have done Board and Brush. Board and Brush is a DIY woodworking studio. It's such a fun time and then you get to bring home an awesome piece for your home. The first year I made a huge nativity sign, the second year I made a wood Christmas box (that I fill with twinkle lights, ornaments, and pine cones), and this year I made...
Mason's elves brought him a cookie decorating kit, so we spent a sweet afternoon together decorating cookies! I love these tender moments with him and cherish every second. I know time is fleeting and he's growing entirely too fast. I just pray that I still have a few more years of this!
There is just something so classic about white Christmas lights on a house! While colored lights are totally fun and I love them, white lights are my favorite. Especially warm white lights. So cozy and inviting!! I love decorating the inside of the house and then coming outside to see what Nate has done to the exterior!
Every year we try to pick out an ornament or two (really just depends on the year and the events that occurred) to represent our year. Sometimes we pick up these ornaments while on a trip, some are given to us, or some are just ones that I see and know that we need on our tree. This year, we have several meaningful ornaments to add to our collection.
Every year all the ladies on my mom's side of the family gather for a night of baking, games, gift exchanges, eating, drinking, and all the festive things. My Aunt Donia always hosts this fun night and she does an amazing job at it! The amount of planning and time she puts into this night is above and beyond anything any of us deserve! Not to mention the money she spends spoiling us rotten! Her generosity is not lost on me. This is such a special day/night and one that I look forward to every year. My mom's side of the family is pretty large, but we are all so close and it's one of my favorite things. I have so many best friends and feel so blessed by that alone!
This year we were invited to be a part of the (televised) Dallas Parade! They chose four Jeep clubs in the metroplex to have various jobs throughout the parade. I felt so honored to be chosen for one of those positions in the parade!
My Christmas crafts for this year consisted mostly of things for our Disney cruise! We get to decorate our stateroom doors - using magnetic pieces! So, we had to devise a plan for our doors. We are also partaking in a magnet exchange for our cruise, so I made magnets for that as well. And then I wanted to make ornaments for each family coming on the cruise! It's been a Disney-themed Christmas!!
Every December 1st, our elves bring Mason a Lego advent. They wanted him to have a little something to open/do for every day in December! We love incorporating this into our mornings.
On Tuesday, we got to take part in our hometown Christmas parade with our local Jeep club! The Christmas parade in Waxahachie is one that we look forward to each year! It's always a complete blast and so neat to see everyone lined up on the roads to watch the parade! It's also fun to hear when people we know yell at us and wave. And, lighting up those kids' faces will always be my favorite part!
I started decorating the Jeep around mid-November by adding my antlers/Rudolph nose and wrapping my spare tire in tinsel! I wanted to get a jump on spreading the Christmas cheer this year!!! I love having a red Jeep at Christmas time. It just adds that much more 'festiveness'.
Our favorite elves (and Cubby) made their way back during our Palestine (camping, The Grinch's Lair, and Polar Express) weekend, just like they always do! Mason always anticipates them over this special and magical weekend. They just add that much more sweetness to the weekend.
Even though we have been riding on the Polar Express since Mason was a baby, it never gets old! It's such a magical and sweet time together. I pray that this is a tradition that Mason will carry on with his children one day. It truly is so special. I cherish the time we spend as a family making the most magical Christmas memories. I love that this is something our growing family of now 11 does together each year. I always look forward to this weekend.
Traditions are something I hold near and dear to my heart. And one of those traditions is our annual trip to the Grinch's Lair! The owners have become some friends of ours and it's always nice to see them! Mason loves to reminisce on the time he got to play the part of Max for the Grinch's Lair.
One of our favorite Christmas traditions is traveling east for our annual camping, Grinch's Lair, and Polar Express weekend. The last two years we have camped at the same RV resort and love it. It's so close to everything we do there.
From the moment we brought Willow home, I couldn't wait to get some Christmas photos of her!! Our Christmas kitty! She is the sweetest little gift to our family this season. Well, to most of us. Lexi is still trying to figure her out...
Several weeks ago my parent's cat had kittens. Mason spent the night with them shortly after and has been begging for a kitten ever since. At first, I was like NO WAY! lol! I wasn't ready to take on another pet just yet. But then I met her and I fell completely in love with her...
Our sweet Willow Jade...
Isn't she the absolute cutest? I picked out her first name and Mason picked out her middle name. I am in love with both her name and her. She's so sweet and so much fun. I thought we were maybe bringing her home a little too soon, but we were ready to give her a good, safe, and warm home. She was living outside at my parent's house and we didn't want anything to happen to her. She had been eating solid food for a couple of weeks, so it was a good time. I fully expected her to cry for her Mama for several days, but that never even happened. I'm beginning to think that maybe her Mama had already weaned her. She came home with us and acted like she had lived here her whole entire life. She never even skipped a beat. And she went from being an outside kitty to an inside kitty so effortlessly. I was impressed that she just knew to use the litter box even though she had never used one before. Goodness, I just love her.
Besides wheeling, Christmas parades are my absolute favorite thing ever to do our Jeep clubs! This year, Nathan and I were invited to so many parades. We settled on doing four! We are in our hometown parade, a nearby town's parade, the TELEVISED (eeekkkk) Dallas parade, and another smalltown parade. We are so excited! Three of the four are night-time light-up parades. This takes a lot of planning and prepping, but it's so worth it.
I try to take pictures of my pets for every season/major holiday! Lexi is usually the most cooperative one. She's very driven by treats, so a couple is all it takes for her to sit pretty!
Mr. Parker:
He looks like a deranged Easter Bunny.
Nathan and I were invited to a friend's birthday party and the theme was "dress as your spouse". We thought that would be hilarious and so much fun. I knew exactly what I was going to wear from the moment I heard the theme. I mean, it was pretty easy! It was a challenge finding something for Nate to wear, though!
It's been a while since I have joined in with Anne for her "Currently" series. I've always loved these posts! Especially around fall and Christmas-time! Here's what I am currently appreciating, getting, making, sharing, and wearing.
Hi!! I am Crystal. Daughter of the One True King, wife to my high-school sweetheart Nathan and Mama to a 13 year old boy named Mason. We're the Halls and we love to travel around Texas {or anywhere, really}. I blog about our daily life, traveling, DIY'ing, and everything in between. Welcome and thank you for stopping by!
