New Year's weekend in Virginia Beach!

The weekend after Christmas we drove 7 hours to spent a few days in Virginia Beach because Robert and Kasi were visiting... and that is a lot closer than London!

What road trips look like while potty training

We had a great time! The kids looooved the hotel pool and we had a pretty view of the beach from our room. It was kind of a ghost town because it was cold and apparently people don't really vacation there in the winter, haha. 

We bought a kite and had fun walking along the beach, except for Mae screamed the whole time because she was cold (she is going to really struggle in Utah next week). We also went to the aquarium which Calvin LOVED, went miniature golfing, spent a lot of time with Kasi and Robert, drove through the Christmas light show along the beach, and swam in the hotel pool a million times.

At the aquarium

miniature golfing 

view from our room

We got home just in time for New Year's Eve. The kids slept most of the way home, so they stayed up super late with us (Calvin made it until midnight!). We played pie face and made New Year's resolutions. Oh, and did about one million toasts of course.

How Mae feels about pie face

2016 was a wild one. Our family of 4 lived in four states (if you count the 2 months we were in Utah + Alabama). Sooo much uncertainty in our future for what 2017 will hold. I am just trying (and failing) to not stress out too much and enjoy the ride :) 

A little Savannah Christmas

This was our first Christmas with just our little family. Sometimes it felt weird just the 4 of us, but it turned out really fun! It helped that the kids (especially Calvin) are at the bessssst most magical age for Christmas.

On Christmas eve we went to see 'Sing' in the theater, ate Raclette for dinner (new Christmas eve tradition!), made cookies for santa, and read the Christmas story. It was lovely. It was also a toasty 78 degrees outside. Toddlers make Christmas the best. 

Christmas was pretty low-key but it was really great. Calvin was really happy about his binoculars and transformers toys + Dal got me a new camera lens. Also, Christmas is kind of a lot of work when you are a  mom. Thanks for doing that for the past 26 years, mom :)

I love going to church on Christmas

We had the missionaries for Christmas dinner

yummmmmy Christmas dinner, if I do say so myself

Christmastime in Savannah

The best part of December this year was that my mom decided to spontaneously spend a weekend with us. The kids and I were sooo happy (and Dal was sick). We went downtown, to forsyth park, and saw the lights at the botanical gardens. It was the best. 

The worst part of December was potty training Mae. She showed all of the signs of being ready and it is going horribly. Ok, it's going fine. but I still hate it.

We did a lot of other fun, festive things in December. I made a real effort to start traditions of our own since this was the first year spending Christmas by ourselves.

The boat parade on river street with the Taylors

Putting up our tiny, real Christmas tree

Visiting St. John's Cathedral with Erica + Reese 

Wear your pajamas to school day! They ate popcorn and watched the polar express

Bass Pro Shops santa. Cal asked for binoculars + Mae asked for candy

Making brownies on a sunday

Christmas neighbor gifts

Girls night out with ward friends

Love getting Christmas cards

Homemade gingerbread house

Stroller mom group Christmas party. All of these ladies live on my street!

St. John's Cathedral + hot chocolate date with my family. It was so beautifully decorated for Christmas!! I still love downtown Savannah

December was a mix of really happy times creating new traditions, and lonely hard days. I had adjusted to Savannah so well but then it kind of hit me all at once in December for some reason. I am doing much better now and we really do love it here in Savannah. Grateful for my little family who seem to love me even when I am an emotional mess :)