Christmas!!!! (and Grandma!) (And NEWS!)

After Vizcaya, we came home and I slept for three hours. So sorry, mom. Thank you so much for playing checkers and chutes and ladders with my kids the whole afternoon! You are the greatest! Man, I was not feeling great. But I tried to pull it together in the evening because we figured it was the last night Sterling would be available to help us set up Christmas. We usually are crazy early and set up in the beginning of November, but we waited until after Megan's family visited so our apartment wouldn't feel so cramped. 

Mom was amazing and even made some fudge for us so it SMELLED JUST LIKE CHRISTMAS while we set everything up! The kids were sooo excited, it was the greatest!

Someday we will have a real tree. But for now, the little four foot one we got after our first Christmas on clearance sales will continue to work. :)

Yaay for fudge!!!!

Our new ornament this year!!!

Hugs for Grandma!

I love Christmas. I love the music. I love the giddy excitement. I love the chocolate. I love the smells. I love it all. The kids have been getting SOOOO excited this year, which makes it so much more fun. We loved having mom around to join in our festivities! She read stories and sang songs forever. We wish she could have stayed longer! She left before all of us were up in the morning and Sterling dropped her off on his way to school. COME BACK SOON MOM!

And, I guess if you aren't on facebook or instagram, we are expecting another baby!!! This one was much anticipated, so we are excited to finally have some great news! I have, as always, been horribly sick..but first trimester ends in a couple of weeks...so I can do this. Right? Ruth wants a girl named Elizabeth. But when I tell her thats not an option, she sides with me and says Grace, haha. Will wants a Will, and is very annoyed that we tell him no. But if pushed, he said we can maybe do "eye-mon", but not Benjamin. Although, that's really the top contender. He's annoyed that the middle name will probably be Jack, not Will--haha! Finding out the gender is always my favorite thing, so that will probably be the next time I post about it! In the meantime, I'll keep eating my rice krispies and plain eggs and hopefully stop throwing up soon. Which reminds me of a funny story. 

The other day during lunch I was sick, and I heard Will calling and calling for me, then he shows up beside me and yells to Ruth "It's ok! She's in here! Just throwing up again!" Haaahaaa. Poor kid. Every time I gag while cooking both him and Ruth look all concerned and ask if I'm going to throw up. Ruth patted my back the whole time I was throwing up in Key Largo--I kept telling her I was fine and she didn't have to come in the bathroom. Sweet girl. On the upside, I have had WAY more energy in the last two days than in the past three weeks, so that is very, very good. My kids need some major park time, we've been stuck inside too much with mom on the couch! 

Bill Baggs+Vizcaya

Megan's last day around was Sunday. They joined us in church and then we sort of had a Thanksgiving dinner afterwards. We had been given a turkey and it was waaaay too big for us, so mom helped Sterling cook it (he was very excited about it) and then we had some mashed potatoes, sweet potatoes, and mom made gravy, oh and some rolls (not made by mom, but she was on vacation haha). It was nice since we hadn't had a Thanksgiving dinner and it was fun to have everyone hang around our apartment. Then Megan's family got pictures taken at Bill Baggs State Park on the beach with the light house. It was absolutely perfect--except for the wind. Oh well, you can only plan so much! They headed out for Orlando, and mom stuck around and we explored the island a bit more.

Tiny little mom by a massive light house!

The sunset was soooo gorgeous!

The next day we headed to Vizcaya--a gorgeous old estate. I think mom loved it, even though it's not really the most fun place for little kids and mine were going a little crazy. I think it's one of the most gorgeous places that I have ever seen. 

Saw this crazy big iguana.

I've been here three or four times now, but never when the orchid garden was in bloom. It was sooo pretty!

I just can't delete. They are all sooo pretty!

Vizcaya is just so, so, so beautiful. I tried to cut back on pictures because I have already blogged about this place so many times. But in real life it is breathtaking every single time. Love it.

Sombrero Beach+Key West

Sombrero Beach is my absolute favorite. We ate lunch and then hung out for far too short of a time to spend at the beach. It was SUCH a pretty day! Chilly, but even I sat and played in the water for a bit, so it wasn't that bad, haha.

I love Danica!

Luckily we have one lone ball left in our beach bucket, because that is what they played with the entire time!

I left this picture in because mom is back there getting her ear talked off by some drunk guy! Baahaa!

Look at that clear, beautiful water. I love it.

Megan!

Lynnaea.

Best cousins! Love these two!

After that we packed it up and headed straight to Key West. Megan wanted to get there before the sun set. We made it...barely. It sure was beautiful though!

Looking out towards Cuba.

Afterwards, Megan told met hat Ruth is in every. single. one of their family's pictures!!! Ooops!!!! haahaa

Then we spent a good amount of time being lost from Megan's family and walking along the dock. Which was INCREDIBLY BEAUTIFUL with all the palm trees lighted up in Christmas lights. I was loving it. 

It's not the same in a photo, but it was soooo pretty!

We went into a key lime candy store and it had this sign and I just was laughing so hard with Sterling. This could be said of all of South Florida, especially true in Miami. If its raining-all bets are off. BAAHAAAHAA.

Then Megan and family stuck around for some delicious sea food, but our kids were totally over it. So we headed home. Sterling REALLY wanted to pick up a key lime pie from Mrs. Macks (only the best pie I have ever, ever tasted) and we made it from Key West to Key Largo just in the nick of time! He walked in at 9:56-they closed at 10-and bought the very last pie. Hurrah! I spent the rest of the night trying to sleep and not throw up while mom kept all the kids happy. I am so very thankful she was in our van. We made it home by about 11pm and pretty much just dropped into bed. So much to see in just one day!!!!