Merry Christmas and Happy New Year

Merry Christmas, from my sweet family to yours! We hope you have a very special week with the ones you love the most. We pray that you end this year happier, healthier and more blessed than you started and that next year is even better than this one.

 

This year we decided to do a tri fold card. It's a little different than what we've ever done in the past, but I loved how they turned out. Surprisingly we've gotten more compliments on these cards than any other before. We ordered from shutterfly again (we do every year) and I am still very much in love with these than the day that I ordered them. Probably more so. We had a hard time filling all of the spots for pictures and I didn't even fill in all the spots for words (most of them, but not all)! 

Happy Holidays!

Ugly Christmas Sweater Party

Back in September shortly after Dominick's birthday party I mentioned to some of my friends how I thought it would be so fun to have an Ugly Christmas Sweater Party. They all agreed. I asked Ryan and he said he wasn't really feeling the idea of hosting since we just had the birthday party. He was right, it's a lot of work to host a lot of people and with us nothing is ever a small party. Normally it's the more the merrier so he just simply said not this year. Luckily I have a friend who loves hosting a good party and she offered to have it at their house. She loves being a hostess and always has the perfect guest list.

December 14th was the day of the party and I was looking forward to wearing my ugly sweater. My sweater and Ryan's vest were both from Walmat ($19 EACH) and then I jazzed mine up a little bit. I want to mention that mine was a second place winner and I was super pumped about it. It was the perfect night with our good friends and we had a great time.

we changed him into elf pajamas to be more silly. He had on a Santa shirt to be festive when he arrived. :)

Have a good weekend, y'all!

Meeting Santa

Last year I was not really all that worried about Dominick meeting the jolly white bearded man (aka Santa). He was a very social baby, would go to nearly anyone and was almost always happy. When we took him I was actually not that happy because I didn't have him in the outfit I wanted, but there was no line so off to meet Santa we went. He did great.

This year I was a little nervous for. Dominick is still very social and quite happy, but he won't go to just anyone and he also has a little mind of his own. We had been holding off and holding off, but I told Ryan we really needed to get there so Dominick tell Santa what he wants before it's just too late. I had to run errands last night so off to town we went (which probably hasn't happened on a week night in over a year). Dominick was looking quite adorbs in his sweater and button down (which we changed into after dinner) and he had a nap in the car; he had a full belly, a cat nap behind him and was all smiles. The line wasn't too long so we waited the 30 minutes to see Santa and walked away with no tears and two good pictures.

Ryan took this with his phone and then got yelled at. HA

Linking up with Ashley and Amy

A Random Post

I have so much to update this little space with so I guess I will just do a post of all sorts of random things. Here we go.

+I have a couple posts from October still, Dominick's 15 month post (from December 3rd) that I still need to add pictures to and a couple from November which will most likely be added to this and deleted from my drafts.

+Ryan graduated from ALS on the 12th of December. It was a great event and one that we are both glad to have behind us. I didn't end up taking any pictures at the graduation (not ONE) and we didn't even get a picture of us. It's very rare for Ryan to be in service dress and for me to actually dress up so I am kicking myself now, but let me just say we do clean up nicely.

excuse the messy bathroom (and that's Ryan's ugly vest)

+Our Thanksgiving weekend was one of our favorites. It was very, very busy. I made 20 lbs of potatoes, dressing and a salad dish for our Thanksgiving at a friends house. We always feel super blessed to have wonderful friends that we can spend the holidays with.

20lbs of potatoes pealed and ready to be boiled.

+After Thanksgiving dinner we got home around 8 and my friend and I decided to brave the crowds and went shopping. We were home before 3 and got nearly everything that we wanted. That's a WIN in my book. To be honest, Ryan and I did the majority of our shopping online this year and it worked out in our favor.

+I also have to give a little shout out to R. He always does Black Friday shopping (never early), but this year he said he was going to take Dominick with him. They were going to go have a little guys day and have a "special" lunch (McDonalds) and go shopping. I'm so proud of him for not only braving the crazy shoppers, but also taking Dominick with him. It's no easy task taking a one year old shopping so I am just so proud. I know they had a great time. Dominick came back full of smiles and Ryan said he did AWESOME.

+I ordered our stockings this year from Pottery Barn. I had a hell of a time, but their customer service made up for it and I have them all. I kind of love them. I got the natural fair isle collection. They're super cute. I need to get Dominick's monogrammed since PBK messed up and his doesn't have one. Do you know anyone who would monogram a stocking?

Dominick's is the train, mine is the gray and red and Ryan's is the red and cream

+We decorated our tree on Thanksgiving weekend. I actually did all my decorating on Saturday morning. I also bought Dominick this little tree from Target. I still have to get it a tree skirt, but it's cute and he enjoys looking at it. I want to get him a different one, but this one gets the job done until I can find exactly what I want.

Someone else is also a big fan of the Christmas tree!

+We are going back to Michigan this month and we are getting very, very excited. I think we are both wishing we would have waited a little bit until after Christmas to come instead of when we are, but we've already got our tickets and are looking forward to the winter wonderland that is awaiting us.

+I think my mom made this tree for my Grandma a LONG time ago. I always loved it and when my Grandma passed I asked for this Christmas tree. It's one of my favorite decorations.

+When I had Dominick my cousins gave us this sweatshirt for Dominick and it finally fits him. It was my cousins daughters. Pentwater is a family tradition of ours and we go there every summer around the 4th of July so I love that he can now wear it. He sure loves being outdoors.

+I was trying to get a picture of him in one of his Christmas pajamas one night. I sat him in this chair and he was not having it. Most times when I try to get his picture they turn out all sorts of crazy. He's a wild one, I tell ya.

It looks like it should be a good picture, but he moved into this position just as I took the picture.

+We had an ugly Christmas Sweater holiday party at work. I was the only one who dressed up, but I'm happy I did and I loved my sweater.

you'll see this sweater in another post to come.

+The 13th we had to go to Bakersfield for dog food and to pick up Ryan's gun safe (his Christmas present from my parents and I). We only go every 3-4 months and we were almost out of dog food so it was time. When we go we always stop at Chick Fil A and Dominick was very happy about it.

+I love morning snuggles with Dominick. He rarely sits on my lap or snuggles too often, but in the mornings after he's just woke up or at night before he's going to bed he will sit in my lap and cuddle. It's my favorite.

+I bought these pj's from Crazy 8 last year, but I think they still had them this year. They're similar to his Santa ones from last year. They're super adorable and some of my absolute favorites. We spent most of our Sunday in pajamas, but after his cupcake at lunch he had to be changed. He's a cupcake fan.

I'm not sure what those white lines are?

 

+Dominick is an adventure seeker to say the least. He loves making me all sorts of nervous and Ryan normally encourages it. One night I was talking to my mom and Ryan was playing with him and he said, "Al, Al, hurry, look!" So I did and this is what I saw. When he got on top he would stand up and "jump" to Ryan. He's constantly doing things that scare me. He's definitely all boy!

So there we have it. I think I'm finally caught up a little bit. I have a few more posts to come, but I hope all of you are enjoying the holiday season. It's going by so quickly.

Family Pictures

Back in November when we went to San Diego we had scheduled a session with a photographer for our Christmas photos. We are obviously from Michigan and we love the mitten so I thought it would be fun to have some casual photos taken in our mitten shirts as well as our other outfits. I think they turned out fabulous and love them. Here's a (LOT) few of our favorites.

Mug Swap

A while back I signed up to a mug swap and I thought it would be so fun during this time of year. Who doesn't like to receive a pretty little something in the mail? I was paired with Jen from The Adventures of Our Army Life. She's super sweet and I am so glad I got to "meet" someone new.

I had taken Dominick to the park and as we were walking home I saw the delivery man walking from my door so I was super excited to see what had arrived for us. Sure enough it was my mug!!!

pretty little mug

Thank you so much Jen! I LOVE my mug!

30 Days Of Thanks

I really wanted to participate in the 30 days of thanks that I saw so many people posting about on Facebook. I loved the concept and I thought it was really fun to just think of something I was thankful for each and every day because it's very easy to see the negative and not always think of something positive. To be honest, I don't know if I will ever participate again. While I have SO much to be thankful for I feel like it's almost annoying. My (our) life is far from perfect and I feel like this only shows the good and good and happy things aren't everyday real life "things".

Day 1: I am thankful for a family full of women who are strong, God loving, positive and wonderful role models. It's become more and more apparent to me the past few weeks. {when I wrote this one my Aunt was at the end of her battle with cancer. She fought for 7 years and was a true fighter. And a few weeks prior to that two of my aunts were in the hospital}

Day 2: I'm thankful for beautiful places in California. While the desert isn't our favorite place to live we are able to visit so many places within a few hours. It's a blessing to know that we can hop in the car and be at the beach, in the mountains, in the city or someplace else. It makes living at Edwards that much more bearable.

Day 3: I'm SO thankful for this little load of sweetness. He's brought so much joy, love and humor (and if we are being honest, gray hairs) into our lives. Our hearts are overflowing and our days are so much happier with him in it. I'm pretty sure every single night I go to bed I tell Ryan that "I just love him so much and isn't he so cute?" We are so incredibly blessed to be his parents. 

Day 4: I am thankful for this handsome man. He is such a good guy, a blessing to my life and my best friend. I love him more and more every day and am super, super proud of him. He's become such a good dad and has grown so much from the person I met almost 7 years ago. He always puts up with my weirdness, quirkiness and silliness. He goes on adventures with me and supports me even when he thinks I'm crazy. He's a good provider, friend and husband. I am so glad that God put him in my life and can't wait to see where life takes us. I am SO thankful for him.

Day 5: I'm SO thankful to have the BEST parents. We are so grateful to have them...today and every day. They are always so supportive and loving. They're the BEST grandparents to Dominick; they make sure that they are present in his life byvisiting, skyping or even just talking to him on the phone. They have made so many visits to see us and make sure our trips home are always a good time (make our favorite foods, let us borrow a car, throw baby showers, birthday parties or even just get all of our family together, go with us to our favorite places (pentwater, restaurants, etc.) and make sure we are always comfortable). They gave me a great childhood with unforgettable memories, they taught me lessons, were always present for my accomplishments, school and sporting events, supported me, spent many weekends at volleyball tournaments (not always just Saturday's, sometimes Sundays too), took us on wonderful vacations, paid for my college education (something that is a HUGE investment), showed me what a good marriage was, and that's only a few things and most of all gave me a life that I probably would never of had, had they never chose to adopt. They'll never know how truly thankful we are for them or how much we love them.

Day 6: I'm thankful for growing up in Michigan. Yes, there are bad parts and the economy isn't "booming", but it was a great place to grow up. I loved summer time at the lake or bonfires at night. We experienced a true Fall with colors and crisp air. A winter with beautiful white fluffy snow and snow days as a kid. And a Spring where everyone came out of hibernation, flowers bloomed and life picked back up. I'm thankful for the memories and the people Michigan holds. I can't even tell y'all how many times I tell Ryan, "I can't wait to go home" or "I really miss Michigan"...it's too often. It will always be "home".

Day 7: I'm thankful for country music...it seriously makes my heart happy. It reminds me of home and when Ryan and I first started dating how much he used to hate it and now he's a fan. I have so many memories at country concerts with friends and they're some of my favorite memories.

Day 8: I'm thankful for Katie McMullen, Dominick's daycare provider. Being a working mom isn't always easy, but it makes it easier knowing Dominick is being well taken care of and that he actually ENJOYS being at daycare. He LOVES Ms. Katie and she is so sweet and nice to him. We know that we don't have to worry if he's being taken care or of his well being. When we see her outside of "daycare hours" he still wants to be with her and goes to her. When she PCS' or we do will be a very, very sad day not only because she's a great person and friend, but because she's been such a big part of Dom's little life.

Day 9: I'm thankful for two handsome brothers who are so special to me. They always had my back and looked out for me when we were younger. They're handsome, kind, funny, and have beautiful families. I have so many memories with them that I will always love and remember. I'm so thankful to be able to have them in my life.

Day 10: I'm thankful for my two sister in laws. I consider myself pretty lucky to have them both in my life. They're not only family, but two beautiful people who I am so thankful for. I am so grateful I can contact them for parenting advice or just to say hi. I love being around them when our family is all together.

Day 11: I'm thankful for our veterans. Past, present and future.

Courage is almost a contradiction in terms. It means a strong desire to live taking the form of readiness to die. -G.K. Chesterton

Day 12: I'm thankful for a good sleeper. In the beginning when Dominick was waking every couple of hours I never thought I would see a full nights rest again. When he was 7 or 8 months and we moved him into his crib it was the best decision we ever made and I wondered why we didn't do it sooner (because I liked him in our room). He LOVES his crib and for the most part has been sleeping through the night (minus a couple nights) ever since. He doesn't like being woke early in the mornings to go to daycare and often tells me "no no" or "ni-ni" and if he's really tired he will even ask to go to sleep. I am SO, SO thankful for a good sleeper. Now I must go and say a prayer that I didn't just jinx myself

Day 13: I'm thankful for our house. It keeps us warm when we are cold, cools us down for the majority of the year and has kept us safe. We have hosted Thanksgiving, Christmas, a 1st birthday party and casual nights with friends in this house. It is our first house on a base (our first base). We've spent our three years of marriage (minus the 6 months Ryan was at basic and tech school) in this home. We use the living room and bedroom to retreat from our work life and parenting joys (and struggles). We eat dinner as a family in the dining room or where Ryan sat many nights studying for the SSgt test and his CDCs. We have a "catch all" room where I sew and where my parents (or other visitors) sleep. We have a garage big enough for my car, a fridge and other things that don't fit "inside". The kitchen has a sink full of dishes from a meal that was cooked nearly every day. We brought our favorite little baby man into this home watched him grow and do so many firsts in this very home. This house holds his nursery where we've changed so many diapers, read books, rocked and played. He's explored all the nooks and crannies of this house. We've turned a white walled, 3 bedroom, 1 garage house into our home. It's our happy place, a place where we can all be together. We have celebrated, cried, struggled, fought, made up, loved and started our family in this very house. When we leave it behind I will be very sad.

Day 14: I am thankful for mint chocolate chip ice cream and Faygo grape soda.

Day 15: I'm thankful to only work 4 hours on Fridays. Nine hours Mon-Thurs make for long days, but it's worth it to start my weekend a little early every week and getting to spend a few more hours with Dom is always fun! Im thankful for the opportunity to work these hours.

Day 16: I am thankful for the opportunity to get pregnant, have a healthy and mostly easy pregnancy, carry a baby for 40 weeks and 5 days, deliver said baby and successfully breast feed for 11.5 months (we stopped early in purpose). There are so many people who want to do any of those things and are unable. While there are many things that I do not love about my body, I love that it was able to do all of those things.

Day 17: I am thankful for our Ed-bests (Edwards friends). To say that we have some AMAZING and lifelong friends here is an understatement. 

Day 18: I'm thankful for my extended family; aunts, uncles, cousins. I love that my family is all relatively close and that I got to grow up being so close to them or only a couple states away. And now that I'm not around for them all that often I even secretly kind of love the Gould Goodbyes (but that's just me...Ryan I still don't think is a huge fan)

Day 19: I'm thankful for long lasting Michigan friendships. While many of our friendships have changed we know that there are still a few who always make time to see us and will always be there no matter the miles or time between us; whether it's a phone call, text, skype date, e-mail or facebook. Moving away has really taught us a lot about who are true friends are and who were "in the moment" or "at the time" friends. We miss our favorites SO much and making memories with them on a regular basis.

Day 20: I'm thankful for cameras and pictures. I love being able to look back on pictures and relive those moments and feelings all over again.

Day 21: I am thankful for God's faithfulness. 
Let us hold unswervingly to the hope we profess, for He who promised is faithful. Hebrews 10:23

Day 22: I'm thankful for CHRISTMAS! If you know me you know my love for Christmas. One year in college I even put up our Christmas tree BEFORE Halloween (and I've actually been asking Ryan if we could put ours up since the beginning of November...he doesn't share the same love as I do). I know Dominick won't remember this Christmas, but I don't care. I'm SO, SO, SO, SO excited. I love that this year we will get to spend it in Michigan (not on Christmas, but close enough), spending time with my little family, making memories and traditions, all the sparkle and twinkly lights, stockings, the warmth of the season, how most people and places are SO festive, receiving Christmas cards (I think I even squeal, do the crazy clap and jump up and down when the first ones start trickling in), shopping and finding the perfect gifts, wrapped presents under the tree and of course I love the TRUE meaning of the season. LOVE, LOVE, LOVE it. However if I never had to listen to another Christmas song for all of eternity I might not be sad....well maybe not all of eternity, but I am NOT a lover of Christmas music.

Day 23: I'm thankful for all of my senses. It's such a blessing that I am able to see, hear, touch, taste and smell; something not everyone has the luxury of.

Day 24: I'm thankful for days with my family. After the past week of Ryan being so sick and being mostly "quarantined" to a separate room and so busy with work/school I am glad we got to spend so much time together as a family this weekend and am super excited for a long weekend with my boys.

Day 25: I'm thankful for good health. For the most part our family is healthy and that is a HUGE, HUGE blessing

Day 26: I'm thankful for e-mails like this one reminding me that our trip to Michigan is coming up.

Day 27: I'm thankful for Calli and Rocky; for their sweet personalities, loyalty and love. They made us a family before we knew we would be a family.

Day 28: I'm thankful for my handsome nephew, Blake (who turns FIVE today) and my beautiful nieces, Kyla and Joslyn. They've brought so much happiness and love to the Oleson clan.

I'm also thankful for being able to spend holidays with special friends. The past three thanksgivings (along with many other holidays) we have been away from our families and traditions. Being able to spend those holidays with friends is something we are SO grateful for.

Day 29: I'm thankful to have a job. While I would rather spend all of my days with Dominick and it's not my dream job it provides is a second income. We are able to live comfortably, buy a few more wants and not just needs and go on more adventures, making memories together.

Day 30: I'm thankful for our cars. They're reliable, get us from point a to b, travelled cross country and have been good to us.

I have so much to be thankful for each and every single day. While this thankful challenge is coming to an end I have MILLIONS of people and things to be thankful for. From the tiniest little things to the big. I am so blessed with the life I live. My heart is overflowing.