Dandy December {2017}

Well, most of our December was already documented in my Christmas posts, but I can't not include these other random memories from the month.  It was all "fine and dandy!"

We started the month off with a very special birthday celebration.  Our little Grayson turned one on the first so it was a very special "golden" birthday.  Babies really do grow up too fast, and this one was definitely no exception.  Where did this year go? 

I made meatloaf for dinner one night which I hadn't made in a very long time.  Everyone seemed to like it. 

My sweet Grayson and I enjoyed swinging together at our new neighborhood park.  I have never seen a swing like this, and it is the best for parents of small children.  He liked when I turned him around to face me. 

My Mattox and I were "twinning" in our glasses.  We do make them look good if I do say so myself.  Haha! 

Grayson and I went down the slide together. 

And big brother Evan "forced" Mattox to do the slide with him.  Doesn't that look like torture? 

Yep, he was not a happy camper.  Silly boy. 

But he liked being in this tunnel with little brother. 

The big boys rode their bikes to the park. 

These little boys just love playing together all the time.  They also love their dog Cocoa who doesn't get to be out in the main part of the house a lot because of her excessive shedding and smelliness.  Haha! 

The church ladies had a craft day in which we made some wooden welcome signs.  Grayson was "flirting" with this little girl during our Wednesday night Bible study, and another church friend snapped this picture. 

Baby Grayson was using Daddy's head for support to stand on the bed. 

Mattox added a new car to his Christmas list.  Luckily, Santa had already gotten him one for a much better price elsewhere.  He really loved that VW Beetle though. 

Sweet Grayson enjoying some yummy pasta for Sunday lunch at Carrabba's Italian restaurant. 

Brody was really enjoying that spaghetti.  

Brody colored me that yummy looking mint chocolate chip ice cream cone.  He drew and cut it out too.  Our maple tree finally decided to show some fall color in mid-December...and then lost all the leaves within a week. 

Mattox has aspirations for motorcycle driving.  Yikes! 

Grayson was enjoying sucking on a lemon at lunch. 

Our obligatory picture with the Captain America Minion everytime we eat at Mellow Mushroom.  I foresee being able to use these pictures to track my kids' growth through the years.  Haha! 

We took the kids to see Ferdinand.  Such a cute movie! 

Oh my goodness, I just cracked up at these JibJab videos this Christmas.  Eddie's elf twerking was hilarious.  

And "The Buttcracker" was definitely hilarious.  One picture of Evan's nutcracker image was particularly crude and hilarious, but I didn't post it.  Haha!  Look at little Clara (Grayson) and her Nutcracker (Daddy)...so cute. 

We traveled home to NC for a family Christmas tradition.  I enjoyed seeing the NC flag again and getting my favorite pizza, the Rustica from Brixx.  It has artichoke hearts, prosciutto, kalamata olives, mushrooms, and roasted garlic with mozzarella cheese but no tomato sauce.   Yum! 

The boys enjoyed spending the night in a hotel which is a necessity when we travel home.  Sigh. 

Mattox helps with the luggage. 

I just love these sweet boys who look so much alike. 

After Christmas, we got the chance to take the big boys to see the new Star Wars movie.  Brody was just happy about the giant popcorn we bought. 

Just good times at the movies. 

Grandma was a willing participant in a board game with the boys. 

We ended up eating lunch at a popular Savannah attraction for New Year's weekend.  The Pirates' House has quite a history. 

Brody loved dressing like a pirate. 

And Grayson reluctantly obliged as well. 

The boys with Grandma at the Pirates' House. 

We did not go into downtown for the New Year's Eve celebration because it gets pretty crazy.  They started their own little tradition where instead of something "falling" at midnight, a giant cup is raised as everyone raises their own cups of beverages to toast in the New Year. The special cups for the occasion are called Up Cups.  

The candy shop was all decorated for the holidays.  Mattox just wanted to play in the little boat. 

They all love the little boat play area by the waterfront. 

Oops, I apparently can't read about not climbing on the top as I put Grayson up there for a picture.  Haha! 

I saw that t-shirt design and immediately thought of my hunting and forestry loving boys. 

I just had to keep some funny memes that I saw this month.  The Wizard of Oz one with the reference to Toto's song from the 80's cracked me up. That "quote" by me was generated by some facebook quiz app.  I thought it was a reasonable one. Seems like a lesson I've learned a time or two. 

I did really want some of those nerdy science t-shirts.  The nine planets one gets me.  And the reference to the movie "The Help" is also totally me. 

Apparently, I have been very naughty.  The second one sounds legit. 

Someone really should have bought me that bunny toy for Christmas.  It is totally me.  The unicorn one had the best name though...Glitterpoop!  Haha! 

Well, my most-used words on Facebook mostly reflect my family and my instagram hashtags.  Haha!  The big one that is marked out was just my last name.  Besides that, it seems to reflect what is most important to me.  Hmmm, so what am I a dessert now?  Yikes! 

And of course, it isn't the end of a year anymore without the nine best photos of instagram post.  Haha!  It did summarize our year pretty well though.