Merry Christmas! I thought today would be a perfect day to share Melody’s Santa pictures from this year. She actually had two sets made.
Carnival Liberty Ocean Suite
On our cruise back in April, we opted to stay in a nicer room since it had been so long since we had cruised together. We opted to do an ocean suite. It is in between a junior suite and a grand suite. It definitely did not have as much room as the grand suite we stayed in years ago, but it was still much nicer than most of the rooms we have stayed in. Having the balcony and extra room during our cruise was really ideal too.
Fall Break 2022 - Day One
We went to Pigeon Forge this year for fall break. Brad was unfortunately traveling for work. So we made it a girls trip including my mom. We found a good deal on a fun hotel, and we used our season passes for Dollywood to give us some additional fun. Emily’s family also was there for a part of a trip giving Melody someone to play with at times. We had a lot of fun, and I have a lot to share! Here is day one!
Breakfast with Santa
Last weekend, we went to Memphis to go to Breakfast with Santa at my in-law’s country club. This is something we do most years since we had Melody. This is sort of like a kick off to Christmas every year. All the girls are old enough to not be too afraid of Santa and enjoy it. The youngest wasn’t afraid, but she just did not want her picture taken, ha. She even pretended to be asleep in one of the pictures!
School Gifts
For Melody’s class at her school, we made little Christmas bags for each student. Each bag contained candy and an ornament craft. I found the bags at Hobby Lobby. Melody also added a little note in each one. I made similar ones for her school teacher and dance teachers, but I left out the ornament craft. The candy we included were various flavored Hershey kisses, snickers, Reese trees, Kit Kats and candy canes. They seemed to be a hit at school, and the kids even did the craft during indoor recess!
Pumpkin Baby Shower
My best friend, Emily, recently had a new baby. We were able to sneak in a baby shower a few weeks before, however. It was just close family and friends, but it was still special. We opted for a simple diapers and wipes shower. And since it was October, I played off of the pumpkin theme.
Alabama/Ole Miss Football Game 2022
We got to go to our first and only game of the 2022 football season back in November. We went to see Ole Miss and Alabama play each other in Oxford. We debated whether to take Melody, but she has a season ticket too. So we figured with it being the only game we could go to this year, why not. Now it was SO cold, but we knew it would be fun.
Thanksgiving 2022
This year we were able to host Brad’s family for Thanksgiving. Between all of his traveling the last year, it was really nice to spend time at home with also with family. I love hosting events, so this was a lot of fun for me (along with a bit of work). So my brother-in-law, Jeff, and sister-in-law, Rebekah, and my three nieces all stayed at our house. Brad’s parents and grandparents opted to stay in a nearby hotel. We did have the space for everyone, but it was going to be hard on his grandparents getting up and down the stairs.
Melody is a Flower Girl
My cousin recently got married, and she asked Melody to be her flower girl. Melody didn’t really know what that meant at first, but as we talked about it, she was so excited and eager for the big day. My cousin and Melody have grown really close over the last year or so. Melody truly adores her and her, now, husband. A very special part about Melody being Ashley’s flower girl…I was the flower girl at Ashley’s parents’ wedding. Such a sweet and full circle moment!
November 2022 Fun
My lack of posting the last month should be an indication of how busy our November truly was. Our free time was super limited, so journaling and blogging were not high on the to do list. But I am getting back with it. With that said, let’s dig into all the fun we had in November!
Fall 2022 Pictures
Well I haven’t posted in a while. This was totally unintentionally, but it was a product of hosting Thanksgiving and prepping for Christmas. But things are looking slightly less busy, so I am hoping this is the first of many “catchup” blog posts coming your way. I mean I have so much I still haven’t posted over the last year alone. Not to mention all the things in the last month and month to come. So let’s jump right in!
Dollywood Family Trip May and June 2022
I am going to update this page as I blog about our trip to Dollywood in late May/early June of this year. I wanted to keep everything in one place to make it easier to find!
The Old Mill
During our trip to Pigeon Forge in May/June, we tried to enjoy a new restaurant each evening. We researched most places we went to before the trip. But on our last night, we did a bit of googling and came up with The Old Mill. It is a neat place with multiple eateries and shops. There are two dinner locations. We picked the restaurant vs the cafe.
Doc McStuffins Cupcake Toppers
To save energy and make life generally easier, I did cupcakes for Melody’s 6th birthday party. She asked for a Doc McStuffins themed party. I did pink and purple cupcakes, but I also decided to add cupcake toppers to make them fit within the theme even more.
October 2022 Fun
October was full of lots of fun but super busy. Brad was gone the majority of the month making it even harder! But we survived and have officially entered the Holiday Season!
Pumpkin Patch 2022
This year we planned ahead a Saturday that was ideal for us and the Owen group to visit the Pumpkin Patch. I was a bit nervous with it being “peak” weekend, but to my surprise it was truly the best day. The weather was great, and the crowds were actually low. We didn’t have really any lines to wait in for food or “rides”, and we were able to accomplish most things.
Lunchbox Notes for Daddy
Whenever Brad travels for a long a time, we try to do something special for him each day on those longer trips. This year Melody has been big into lunchbox notes. Brad even pre-wrote a few for me to put in her lunch box on Fridays. So we made him his own set for each day he was gone plus a week extra. I wrote some and Melody wrote others. It was a neat way to have him something special each day, and it was something to look forward to while gone.
G.I. Joe Shirts
For Brad's birthday, we had a G.I. Joe themed birthday. I decided to make shirts for all of us to wear on his birthday. They said GI Mom, GI Dad, and GI Kid. It was a surprise for Brad, so we had to tell him to get dressed for with his eyes closed.
Halloween 2022
I love Halloween. I love the decorations. I love the fun. And I love planning the costumes. This year was a busy October. Brad was out of town until the 28th of October. So many of the things going on was spent without him. Even decorating happened after he left for his work trip. But we made it work the best we could, and we did try and have as much fun as possible!
G.I. Joe Logo Banner
For Brad’s birthday this year, Melody wanted us to do a G.I. Joe themed party. Now this party is just for the 3 of us, but I still go all out. I decided to make a G.I. Joe logo banner to hang between our sconces. It was not too hard using black, white, blue, and red cardstock. I found the font online for free, and simply recreated it!