Christmas 2016

Merry Christmas!! Every Christmas is special, but this one was especially great for us. Scarlett and Clark's first Christmas. In all honesty, they couldn't have cared less. To them it was a couple days of short naps, late bedtimes, and lots of people, but it was great fun for us to watch them experience it all. Brooke and Harrison are at the best age for Christmas. Brooke was literally shrieking yesterday morning, "Tomorrow's Christmas! I'm so excited!"

We always do the Christmas Eve children's mass and then go to Rob's parents after to celebrate with his extended family. Mass with 4 kids is a juggling act, but snacks and books got us through. Santa showed up at the end of mass and invited the kids to join him at the manger and sing Happy Birthday to Jesus. Brooke thought it was great and jumped at the opportunity. Dinner and exchanging gifts followed after, and I managed to get zero pictures of all the kids. Harrison and Brooke were willing to pose for a picture in front of the tree before bed. I asked them to not pose, and Brooke promptly told me she likes posing. Then Harrison mimicked her posing. These two. :)

Scarlett was up to nurse at 6:20am, so I was already awake and had coffee made when H and B came bouncing in at 6:50. Scarlett went back to sleep after her morning top off, and we got some one on one time with the big kids to do stockings before the babes were up. My parents arrived soon after the babies woke, so we had breakfast before diving into presents. French toast casserole, sausage and egg casserole, muffins, fruit, minosas, blody marys. Holidays that involve breakfast food are kind of my favorite.

The rest of the day was a blur of opening gifts, trying to organize said gifts, snacking on leftover breakfast, drinking iced coffee, and playing with new toys. The babies weren't much into opening gifts. They just wanted to play and hang out on laps. When Brooke opened the balls for the bounce house, they suddenly became very interested. They both thought the balls were great, especially Clark. He crawled back and forth through them laughing the entire time. 

Rob's parents, brother, and niece joined us early in the afternoon. More gift opening, eating, and playing with toys. Rob got a VR headset in his stocking, and it was definitely a favorite of the day. Brooke and Harrison decided they were all about it, and it was what caused the major meltdown of the day that put two 4 year olds in bed by 6:15. I knew an early bedtime would be needed, but I had no idea how spent they were. Christmas is so much fun and so exhausting for them. Scarlett and Clark made it to their usual bedtime and even got to have some FaceTime with my brother and brother in law before bed. 

I didn't take nearly enough pictures, but I know I'll remember Clark's excitement with the balls. How much Harrison loved his super hero city. Brooke riding around the house on her BB-8 scooter. Scarlett's obsession over everything her big brother and sister were doing. Christmas with young kids is truly one of the best parts of parenthood. Harrison and Brooke are old enough that they remember things from last Christmas, and I'm sure they'll be talking about today for the next 365 days. It was as wonderful as we could have hoped for, even with the major meltdown. I hope you all had a wonderful day celebrating with your loved ones. Merry Christmas!

Small Business Saturday

This probably comes as no surprise to anyone, but I love shopping. I love going into a store and perusing what's available. I could spend hours in Von Maur if the kids would let me, but they don't. 30 minutes at Target is the best I can ask for these days. Since browsing in the store isn't an option, I do a lot of online shopping. My Amazon Prime membership definitely gets used to the fullest. The best kind of shopping is shopping a big sale. I will definitely be taking advantage of some online Black Friday sales.

As much as I love a good sale, I love supporting small business even more. Small Business Saturday is this weekend, and in honor of that I'm sharing a few small businesses with great products to consider for the loved ones on your Christmas list.

Dogs/Dog Owners

Obviously this one is close to my heart. I love when we get calls at work from people wanting to buy gift certificates for their family members pets. Finding a local daycare or pet sitting service and purchasing a gift certificate is a great gift for pets. If you live in Fort Wayne, Happy Dogs Daycare is a great place to check out. ;) Yes that was a shameless plug for my business.

A trip to their favorite groomer is also an awesome gift. Almost all grooming shops will be locally owned and operated. One of our favorite shops here is The Pink Poodle.

Another idea is to get a gift certificate with a pet photographer. Someone who specializes in working with animals. My favorite photog locally? Jen Moser with Paw Prints Pet Photography.

My favorite idea for dog owners is to buy them a month or two of yard clean up service. This is by far my favorite dog service. There are clean up services in every larger city, and most cleaners own and operate their business. We use Poop Happens, catchy huh?, and they are amazing. Our yard gets a full cleaning every Sunday and I don't have to spend time outside scooping poop, plus the dogs like having a clean yard. 

Local Fort Wayne Shops

Sweets So Geek has perfect stocking stuffers! Their chocolates are fabulous and adorable. Who wouldn't love a chocolate Millenium Falcon in their stocking?!

Hyde Brothers, Booksellers - Yes its super easy to find a book you're looking for on Amazon. Its so much fun though to spend time looking through a used book store and finding something special. They are a great place to find out of print books.

The Olive Twist has the most delicious infused oils. They are perfect for cooking with, or just serving with bread. They have a hop in Covington Plaza and are also frequently at the Fort Wayne Farmers Market. Their oils and vinegars would make a great gift for the ametur chef in your life, or someone who just loves food.

Symmetry - Whenever we have Indian for Sunday brunch, we wind up walking past Symmetry and I am always admiring what they have in their shop windows. They are a small boutique with with some gorgeous fashions. A great place to check out if your looking for a girl friend or that special lady in your life. Boys, take note.

Online Shops

Mary Kay - Every Mary Kay sales director is a small business owner. They have great makeup, body products, and skin care. Their botanical moisturizer is the only thing that keeps my skin from reaching lizard status during the winter. It's so good!

Ry and Rue Kids - They don't have a huge product line up, but what they do have is adorable. We just the woof shirt and paw print knee socks. I can't wait for Brooke to wear them. They will be offering 35% off starting tonight at 5pm and then a 30% discount after the initial discount period. Shop early!

Jameson Monroe - I can't speak highly enough about Chelsea's work. We have more of her bows than I can count. She is always a pleasure to work with and makes high quality products.

Jumping Jack Jack - I have not purchased from them before, but I will be making my first purchase from them tomorrow. I follow their shop on Instagram, and their shirts are so cute! The story of why they started their shop is heart warming. Definitely check them out!

I had every intention of putting together a much longer list than what I did, but sometimes life gets in the way. I am going to share a few links to other lists of great online shops. Most online stores have great sales starting tonight or tomorrow. Shop Small and Shop early!

Etsy Shops 1

Etsy Shops 2

Amber's Small Business List - Her list has some really great discount codes. Definitely worth checking out.


I want to take a minute to wish everyone a Happy Thanksgiving! I am beyond thankful every day for everything I have been blessed with. My family, my health, my job, a roof over my head. The list could go on and on. I'm thankful to have a day to reflect, and celebrate all of the blessing I have in life.