Snow Mountain

To ring in the last day of 2014 we packed up and headed to Stone Mountain Park. The side of the mountain transforms into a snowy wonderland every winter and this was the first time we had gone to play. We bundled up in our best snow clothes and picked up Poppy on the way. The boys had fun for about five minutes…and then feet got cold and wet and tantrums ensued. Sigh. It was good in theory but definitely cemented the fact that my boys don’t deal well with cold!

Goodbye 2014

New Years Eve brunch with Alex and the boys

If Nolie isn’t naked and dancing…

Scenes from the Farm

We drove to the farm for Christmas the weekend after and spent a few days hanging out.

It was rainy and dreary but we still had a great time with cousins and feeding the cows!

More From Christmas

A special gift from Aunt Cindy—a handwritten recipe for tortellini soup

from Mom on the back of a cutting board <3

Christmas Day

After opening presents at our own house, we packed up and headed to Poppy’s to open even more gifts! He was incredibly generous this year and some favorites included a hot air balloon ride, help with the fire pit in our backyard, the tickets to Marvel Universe Live, and tickets to the circus later in the year! I am so glad he listened to my ideas about experiences versus just stuff and love what he came up with!! We are so lucky to have him and blessed that our family could be together this year.

We went home after breakfast (but it was already like 2pm…haha) and took a nap before heading back over for dinner. The Trottas and Nathans came as well and we had a lively debate about religion, politics, and pretty much any topic you’re not supposed to discuss with family. I’m pretty sure 10 bottles of wine were consumed that night and we all had a fun time digging a little deeper in conversation.

Christmas Morning

They were way more enthusiastic than this picture would imply……

We woke up to Santa’s many presents on Christmas morning and had a blast opening everything before heading to Poppy’s house! Nolan was obsessed with his Batman hideout and guys and didn’t want to open anything else. C didn’t mind and helped tear into everything else! They got pillow pets, some Skylander toys, Paw Patrol figurines, and lots of games. My favorite find was Spiderman Uno, Mario Connect Four, and Zombie Yahtzee. Carter was so excited!

Cookies for Santa

Carter was worried that if he left milk out for Santa it would spoil so he decided to fill a glass with ice water in case Santa was thirsty! Such a thoughtful boy! We sprinkled reindeer food (and lots of glitter) in the yard to help guide Santa’s sleigh and a plate of seven cookies for Santa to share with his elves. The boys read a sweet story called The Last Christmas Tree before bed and we said our prayers with anticipation of the next day.

Christmas Eve

Merry Christmas from the Hamiltons 2014

Christmas Eve was a rainy, gross day and I’m not going to lie, it was hard to get in the Christmas spirit. The house was decorated, all the presents were wrapped and ready to go, we were surrounded by family…but that aching sadness was still around and I missed mom more this holiday than any other day before. Her presence was magical. She was what helped make this season so special. Yes, I know. Jesus. But I think He understands what we are going through, the mourning and even though we are celebrating His birth, we are so grateful for His life, the celebration of it doesn’t feel the same as before. A piece of us is missing. And He gets that.

We went to service at JCUMC ( where mom is buried) and then home to Poppy’s house for shrimp and pesto pasta. I’m not sure how many years it has been, but I am glad we stick to tradition and keep the same meals and habits as when mom was alive. Nothing has changed in spite of everything changing.

Cousins Come to Town

Right before Christmas, the Morgan gang came up to visit. We had lots of cousin play time, went to see Penguins at the movie theater (Nolie’s very first!!), and the boys went to Marvel Universe Live. We also got to hang out with the Harvey side of the family and it was the first time all the “cousins” were together! Ashley and Lake had just welcomed baby Lake Olivia and Megan and Noah were visiting from Florida. It was a whirlwind week but I’m glad we were all together!

Grace, Nolan, Nathan, Carter, Noah, & Riess having an ice cream party!

Thankful they kept this little angel up just to meet me! I love a good baby snuggle

Photo Booth Fun

At the company Christmas party there was a photo booth tucked away in one of the corners. Once we found it……lets just say we might have monopolized our time in there!!! Here are some of the snaps they captured!

BMG Company Christmas Party

Ready for the Masquerade Ball!

Lincoln and Matt’s partner company Xavient throws the most incredible parties and every year we look forward to their Christmas party. This year they did not disappoint with a masquerade ball theme! I got ready at Becky’s house where her friend did an incredible braided up do for me and we went all out on the make up! Glitter went everywhere! Becky got her dress on Ebay but I decided to go with Rent the Runway again and I was so happy with my dress! It was just the perfect combination of form fitting but modest enough that I felt covered and not too risqué for a company party! I’m not sure how you top this event but I cannot wait to see what they come up with for next year!

After party prepping at Becky’s house, we hopped in the van and went to the Georgian Ballroom at the Biltmore. This is a place many of my friends had gotten married and one of the locations Linc and I had considered for our own wedding had we stayed in Atlanta. It is incredibly swanky and the entire space was decked out for our event. Jugglers, contortionists, and masked staff greeted us with wine as soon as we entered. There was a choose your own mask station and I ended up trading my red mask out for one that better matched my dress. They even had elbow length gloves for us to use!

The Ladies of BMG- Me, Diane, & Becky

There was a full seated dinner {a wonderful salad with goat cheese, almonds, and strawberries, filet and salmon with hericot verts and potatoes} and more wine than I could even keep up with! Some time during the night there was a champagne toast, an incredible dessert sampler, and then a cirque de soleil-esque show! We danced until 1:30 in the morning and had an absolute blast!

Jamie was the party planner extraordinaire! It took her six months to coordinate our night!