IMG_0866.JPG

Hi. I'm Nicole!

Wife.  Mama to two busy toddler babes. Photographer.  Trying to seek Jesus each day, through each season.  So glad you're here!

Christmas Day in the Life

Christmas Day in the Life

I'm so excited to be guest hosting today with Victoria and Sarah for their "It's the most wonderful time of the year" linkup!  Today's prompt is "Christmas day in the life" and I'm thrilled that I get to help host this day.  When I first starting thinking about hosting this day I thought about all the fun activities we could do.  Visit Santa, bake cookies, have friends over, work on crafts, etc.  In transparency, I even started to document us doing some of those things on a day last week, but then I got frazzled and never finished.  I woke up Monday morning and thought "TODAY!  I'll document today!" I had a sink full of dirty dishes, laundry all over my floor, and random baby things on the kitchen island.  I didn't have anything "Christmas-y" planned and GASP my children were going to wake up NOT wearing Christmas pajamas!  Ha!  Yet here I am... hosting a "Christmas" day in the life and, you know what, it was still a sweet and meaningful December day, even though it was a simple day.  In this season it's easy to get caught up in our "to do" or "want to do" lists and even walk away from the holiday season feeling discouraged that we didn't make more "magical" things happen.  I want you to know that it's okay for your days to be simple, it's okay if you don't get to complete that Christmas "bucket list".  What matters are your people.  What matters is spending intentional time loving the people around you, even if that just means turning on the Christmas tree lights and sharing a blanket on the couch.  Don't feel like these December days are any less meaningful if they aren't full of cookie making, santa visits, and hosting holiday parties.  These December days can be meaningful for the simple fact of choosing to love your people... no matter how that may look!  So!  Here's a look at a simple December day in the Cole Household!

Photo Dec 04, 6 40 23 AM.jpg

My alarm went off around 5:50 so I got up to make coffee, get my bible and give me Jesus journal out of the car from community group the night before, made cups of coffee for Tyler and I, and then crawled back in bed to have my quiet time!  Tyler and I have been walking through 1,2,3 John with the help of a Jen Wilkin printable bible study and it's been AMAZING and it's really helping me learn how to study scripture for myself! 

Photo Dec 04, 7 13 44 AM.jpg

Around 7:15 Campbell and Crawford were up, changed, and comfy with their bottle/sippy cup!  I usually sit right between them and we watch the today show for a little while!  After they finished their bottles they played, I cleaned out the pantry, they had breakfast, and then we went to pickup our walmart grocery order!  If you aren't using the FREE walmart grocery pickup option... YOU SHOULD BE!!! It's a major gift to my life.

Photo Dec 04, 9 41 02 AM.jpg

After getting groceries we came home for morning nap, I unloaded groceries, and then worked on sending out some cards to my mini session families!  This year I really wanted to do something to love on my families a little extra, so I hope getting a few prints of their sweet families will be an extra happy this holiday season!

Photo Dec 04, 11 49 24 AM.jpg

After morning nap they got up, had a snack, and then we went to get Christmas books at the library!  I LOVE taking them to the library and I hope it's something they grow up loving to do!  We came home with a bag full of fun books to read this month!

Photo Dec 04, 11 59 46 AM.jpg

My brother was studying for a nursing school final at the library so we gave him a quick break so that we could go have lunch together!  Also... a certain little boy is in MAJOR need of a haircut! Ha!

Photo Dec 04, 1 26 46 PM.jpg

While Campbell and Crawford took their afternoon naps (I LOVE the two nap life while it lasts!!!) I worked on some blogging stuff, read up on Victoria's blog, and had on Harry Potter!  I worked a ton the past couple of months so that I could take December off from photo sessions + editing and it's been so great to have some down time! 

Photo Dec 04, 3 13 30 PM.jpg

Crawford was up around 2:30 so we did some things around the house until Campbell got up around 3:30 or so.  They had a snack and we played for a while!  I don't have many photos from the afternoon, but we played, I made tomato-basil soup, Tyler came home, and then my parents came over to play! Tonight it worked out for me to feed them dinner early so we could play with my parents so dinner is to come for us later!  A certain little boy took his VERY FIRST steps!  We have some really sweet videos that I'll cherish forever.  It was a really reflective night for me and I thought a lot about how sweet it is the be their mama.  So many little things really don't matter.  What matters is loving my people.  And I want to love them well! 

Photo Dec 04, 6 57 29 PM.jpg

At the end of the night we got them in jams, Crawford got a bottle, Campbell got a sippy of milk, and we read our advent story for the night from our Jesus Storybook Bible!  We love our advent Crew + Co. cards and I know we'll use them for years to come!

Photo Dec 04, 7 25 42 PM.jpg

The babes go to bed around 7 and we cozied up on the couch with a bowl of soup and last week's Fixer Upper! Shortly after I helped Tyler with some Christmas lights outside, I worked on my Powersheets, and then we snuggled in bed with an episode of Parks and Recreation before I fell asleep around 9:45 or 10.  I'm SO TIRED by the end of the day! 

Photo Dec 04, 9 23 35 PM.jpg

It was a sweet but simple day for our family that made me so thankful for the opportunity to do life with them.  Of course the santa meeting, cookie making, party having days are SO FUN, but I'm learning to soak in these simple days, too.  So grateful for these days with my family! I can't wait to see what a Christmas day in YOUR life looks like! 

Our Christmas Card with Paper Culture

Our Christmas Card with Paper Culture

Want, Need, Wear, Read

Want, Need, Wear, Read

0