A Mockey Little Christmas #7

My awesomesauce friends, Jeffrey Edward and Ellie Faye + Chet Lee, Karli Marie, Tate Haywood, and Parker Elizabeth, drove down from Tulsa this morning for my 7th annual Mockey Little Christmas party!! ❤  Mom came over early to help set up, and Rach picked up Jace Michael and Kyndal Faith so they could join us!

At the last minute yesterday, I grabbed this lemonade stand and put it together while watching Molly's Game (great movie!)  Since I don't have a playset or many toys, this is a cheap and simple option that's fun for the kids to play in and color!  Of course, they also ran circles around my house, played hide and seek, rolled down the mini-hill out back, and found ways to be creative with dirt and grass (literally all my backyard had to offer them). lol #kidsareawesome

Also, my friends are awesome!!!  Couldn't have picked better ones - I'm always happy to get quality time with them! #grateful

Parker and Kyndal Faith became besties pretty quickly, and it was the cutest!

Also cute (but perhaps a bit loud and shrill) was this bear game where Jaceman was an attacking bear and the girls killed him by screaming at the top of their lungs! lol

I'm so glad they had fun together!  ...I somehow failed to get food pics, but we catered Chick-Fil-A, so we had chicken minis and fruit + a tray of cheese and crackers + bundtinis + Karen Bullard cookies from Rach + candy + H-Tea-O and orange juice!!  This = my happy new ice bucket from CFA, which made the order just enough to qualify for delivery. =)

....We were getting a Parrish fam pic, and Parker followed Kyndal right over. =) #adorable

The fam + Parker E... LOVE HER! lol
We will totally claim her as part of our family!

Miss Ellie and JEM!  (Henry Edward was sick with a fever, so Kelly stayed home with him and Holly.  Praying he feels better soon!)

The wonderful Wilson fam!

Group pic with the tripod and remote! =)

Chet:  "Ohhh, are we about to film a Marathon Monday video!?" lol

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Cuteness!!

My favorite guys in all the land, genuinely.  Ryan and Hugh are a close second. ;-) lol #mockeyandtheboys #andthemoose

Mother/daughter pic! 

JEM pointing at a scrapbook pic of JEM pointing at a scrapbook pic of him and Kelly pointing at a scrapbook pic! =)  #meta #randomthingsthatmakemehappy

Without getting into too much detail online, there was a bit of unexpected custody drama between my sister and ex-brother-in-law this afternoon that culminated in some memorable conversations AND the police dropping by my house to check on things.  In all seriousness, things like this make me feel eager to learn more about working with kids to help them communicate clearly and regulate their emotions when things feel out of control or stressful for them.  And in less seriousness, this = Chettles and I taking a "panic selfie" to commemorate the drama of the moment. lol

In an entertaining turn of events, this officer immediately knew me when I answered the door - I assumed that was from Prelims at the courthouse, but it was from my aforementioned fingerprinting extravaganza last week!  He was really nice and talked with Mom and I for a minute as we explained things to the best of our ability (everyone else had already left at that point).  Thankfully, the needless drama seems to have subsided and settled down.  I was being extra and snuck in a photo because it just seemed like a #decembertoremember kind of moment. lol

And after all of that, I did 5.5-miles at Central Park, including 70 minutes of slow jogging (10 sets of 7:1 intervals), so yay for that!!  (My self-imposed rule about not posting pics until I complete the day's workouts was helpful there, as I didn't feel particularly motivated to go for a jog after eating lots of candy and bundt cake. lol  It ended up being great and cathartic, though, as it almost always is with undesired exercise - Ed Sheeran and Usher Peloton walks for the win!!)

Thankful for a fun/memorable day, for family and friends mingling well, for long-term supportive friendships, for a great workout with epic music, and for the calm that always follows the storm!  I love you and believe in you, and I believe you have the God-given grace and power to finish well in 2024!! ❤

Christmas 2024!

For the first and maybe the last time, I had the honor of hosting the fam for Christmas Eve this year!  Here's our happy group pic in front of my tree!! ❤

We started with lunch at Toby Keith's in Moore, then came to my place for Mom's brownies, Eileen's cookies, and opening presents!

Kyndal's new icemaker, Jace's new transformer, and me and Rach with no gifts. lol  (Dad remedied that yesterday, and we did get a chocolate orange from Wendy on the 24th. lol)

Mom with her kids then her grandkids (Triston left early and Carter didn't join us this year).

Favorites:

Blake, JoBug, Wendy, and Triston (he celebrated Christmas morning with them and got lots of great gifts!)

Rach seeing Dad off as he went to work (whaaaat!?) on Christmas Eve afternoon + Mom with Jace and JB!

Me struggling to pull off a serious face. lol

Cookies for the Whitaker fam (they stopped by and Kristin gave me the cutest Christmas PJs and sparkly pink headband!) + angelic kitchen selfie with the fun chandelier lighting behind me + shopping the Christmas Eve sales at Hobby Lobby and At Home with Mom!

After all of the above, I did my workout for the day then DoorDashed Mexican food and watched The Santa Clause and While You Were Sleeping as I edited and collaged all my pictures on Christmas Eve night!! #perfection lol

Christmas morning started off with an 11am brunch - bacon, eggs, and pancakes by Rach + all manner of leftover desserts from the day before!

This made me very full very fast thanks to the chocolate milk, but still, yay brunch!!  Not positive if Dad's being funny or was unaware I was taking a photo here. lol

• Rach found the perfect wrapping paper for Mom, and Kyndal Faith wrote a note on every gift she wrapped. lol  
• My adorable new PJs and headband from Kristin Michelle - yay!
• K's new shirt from Rach and AirPods Max headphones from Mamaw and Grandpa
• Parrish fam calendar from Rach!
• Book Rach got for Mom
• K making me laugh with her excitement over her tiny cup of tiny ice!

Kyndal:  "I am the main character!" lol (showing me her matching new shoes and hat)

Jaceman and I went to see Sonic 3 at 12:50 on Christmas day... between the long concession lines, his crazy-loud coughing, the constant narration (he was seeing it for the second time), and his post-credit euphoria (seeing a scene they hadn't stayed for last time), it was quite the experience!!

My new Counselor hoodie from Rach - love it!  Nate's comedy special - fun!  And our spaghetti and lasagna Christmas dinner (after I did a quick neighborhood jog to get my workout in for the day)!

Between dinner and Nate, we played several rounds of Heads Up (aka Headbands) an entertaining Catchphrase-style game with charades and speaking rounds with different categories.  Entertaining times!  All in all, it was a delightfully lowkey and relaxing Christmas day with the fam!!

And last but never least, Mel's new book came out on Christmas Eve!  I love it already!!

And that's all for today, I think.  I'm at the office but not feeling particularly worky today, so you never know.  I sincerely hope you had a lovely Christmas!!

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Thankful Thursday #220!

"The people who walked in darkness

have seen a great Light.

Although they live in the shadow of death,

a Light has risen."

❤ Matthew 4:16

Today, I am thankful for:

1.  A delightful family Christmas... and my favorite photo from our Christmas Eve at my place - our original family of four!! ❤

2.  Also love this one with the Parrish kids joining us (minus Carter, obviously).

3.  Extra time with Rachael LaJo and Kyndal Faith lately - they're both sarcastic and fun and funny together, and I love hearing K's strong opinions on various things! ❤

4.  My cuddly new bestie, Hogie the Corgi puppy! lol

5.  Kyndal's joy over her new pebble ice maker... so entertaining to me! 
K:  "Bro, I'm gonna go home and just eat a gallon of ice!"
Me:  "Live it up!!" lol

...When I brought Jace home from the movie, she was chatting with a friend on her new AirPods Max headphones from Mamaw and Grandpa + refilling and crunching through this tiny cup of ice repeatedly. lolol  She's the best!

6.  Christmas memories from yesteryear! ❤

7.  How deeply I feel the "Soak it in, because this version of Christmas only happens once" quote.  While all 41 of my Christmases have been celebrated in this area, this was my 26th and possibly final Christmas as an OKC-area resident (1984-2006, then 2022-2024).  Rachael's kids now split their Christmas break time between her and Josh; Grandad and Babah are no longer with us; Emily was with Chas's family this year; and our get-togethers with Dad's side of the family are far more rare than they once were.  Life moves forward and things continue to change and shift... BUT there are old traditions and new joys every year, and for me, this year felt rich and full, fun and joyful!!  I had two friends taking sick children to the ER this year (one Christmas Eve, one Christmas day - praying for their recovery).  We've experienced Christmas Eve at the hospital a few years back, and I'm super grateful for everyone being in good health this year!  Last year, I was struggling with a sudden sense of loneliness in this season; this year was low-key but not at all lonely, which is the best combo for my introvert self.  I feel close to God and family and friends, and I am THANKFUL for the unique magic of Christmas 2024!!

*We ended our Christmas night watching Nate's new comedy special on Netflix (Rach got Mom and Dad an Apple TV box for Christmas)... Triston left early and J&K mostly played on their phones (after Kyndal announced, "Mom, he [Nate] has pushed-in eyes like you!" lol), but me and Rach and Mom and Dad really enjoyed it!!  Anyway, here's a fun skit from his Christmas special...

 

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Girls' Trip!

MERRY CHRISTMAS EVE EVE, friends and fam!!  We're meeting Bill and Jill for dinner at Charleston's tonight, and I'm so looking forward to my potato soup and croissant.  I've been covering the office today, which has involved writing all these blogs, taking a longer lunchtime walk/jog workout, and answering the phone literally once. lol

I promise this is my final post for today, and arguably the most fun!  Yesterday, we took a girls' road trip to Tulsa - Mom wasn't feeling great, and Jace decided to opt out last minute, but this small group was lots of fun!! ❤  Here we are by all the colorful stuff at Amber Marie!

First things first - I was so surprised to see Dad on a billboard and made Rach turn around so we could get out and get a pic with it. lol YAY!!  Would be better if he were also smiling, but we had no control over that. lol

Kyndal wanted Starbucks for the drive... yay for their Christmas cups!

Me trying on hats for the NYC trip (got this crystaled one) + Rach with the Amber Marie nutcracker + Kyndal with the light-up wreath she stole from atop Rachael's head. lol  Her "sleigh girl sleigh" shirt makes me happy!

Rach was loving the nutcrackers this year - she wants to crystal one this size, which is not a desire I can relate to. lol

Kyndal telling Rach, "You are such a cringe capper right now" and cracking me right up!! 

The Brook is definitely a fam favorite when they come to Tulsa!  Between the 3 of us, we probably ate one of these full bowls of mac n' cheese.

We made a quick stop by Roosevelts to see the Christmas decor!

On the phone with Chettles as I entered the Christmas Chute, I saw this presh corgi puppy and had to hang up!  LOOK AT HIM!!  It may be the ka-thousand FB videos of corgis that I've watched over the past couple years, but I was so excited to see him - his name is Hogie, which is adorable too!  No, his owner did not offer to let me hold him and I didn't exactly ask, but he crawled into my arms as I was petting him, so it was meant to be. lol

Yay, Wilsons and Weatherfords!!

Yay, Muecke and Parrishes! lol

The girls...

The whole group...

A lovely nativity scene! ;-)

❤

So excited to be at the Chute with Uncle Trent!

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Pic outside Box Photography where the kids were befriending Bob the cat through the window!

Wilson fam!

My former workplace!!  Sapulpa has definitely done well for itself with the Christmas Chute!!

Classic sister pic!  Thanks to Rach for driving us!!

It was a very fun weekend with loads of quality time with my favorite people, so hooray for that!  I hope you're feeling the joy of Christmas this year and that Jesus feels close in the quiet moments!! #Godiswithus #Godisforus

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