Oh, hey there 2018! Like…what??? I am still in denial that Christmas is over to be honest. We took our tree down yesterday though, and basically that is the most productive thing I could do for us to get a kick off to the new year. I love Christmas and I hate taking down all of the decorations and going back to normal….until around the 1st when I am like ok….this shit has gots to go!!! I want my house back!
We had a magical Christmas with Zoe. She was so into the Christmas movies, music and decorations. She decided that she did in fact like opening presents and figured out that gift bags are her favorite thing ever. And cards. Give that girl a card and she is happy forever. I think the biggest hit was her car. She is so adorable when she asks for a ride.
She loved getting to decorate cookies for Santa. Though, she was more interested in eating his cookies. Pretty much my face when I consume cookies too!
We started a new tradition of building a gingerbread house together too. I have never done one before, and I have always wanted to. Our roof kept trying to slide down and that was annoying…but we had fun decorating anyways!! I think next year we will start from scratch instead of getting a kit.
We started a new tradition of going to Pappadeaux on Christmas Eve for lunch. Zoe had her first taste of filet and it is safe to say that she loved it. We really enjoyed ourselves there and we had the best service. Other than one other family that came towards the end of our lunch….we pretty much had the room to ourselves.
We spent the rest of Christmas Eve at Chris’s parents house, as we do every year.
It has been cold here in Alabama with “artic air” that has moved through. It was 15 degrees when I woke up yesterday morning. We still got out and enjoyed ourselves a few different times between Christmas and New Year. We even headed up to Chattanooga for an afternoon. Of course, we had to take Zoe to Taco Mac while we were there! It was her first time out of state, and technically she was in three different states that day because we have to drive through a little part of Georgia to get to Chattanooga.
We checked out a new bar in Leeds that is actually kid friendly, so Zoe got to have her first bar experience. I had the most delicious passion fruit and guava beer from Trim Tab while we were there.
And we had a delicious meal at Hickory Tavern where Zoe had her first experience with crayons. Obviously, she is a natural. I was impressed that she didn’t even try to eat them.
I started my third round of Whole 30 yesterday. Of course, I had to go out in style the day before. We ordered Mexican to go from our favorite local place on NYE for lunch and my last meal of the night was nachos. Had to have one last hurrah! Truth be told, we were in bed before the clock struck midnight. I just don’t get into NYE and we do have a one year old. We watched the two new Dave Chapelle show’s that dropped on Netflix though and watched several classic movies that we love. (The Proposal, Blindside, Heartbreak Kid, Forgetting Sarah Marshall, American Wedding.)
Honestly, I am really glad to be getting back on track again and having some structure with my eating. For the most part, I do decent during the week but I had been letting a lot of treats and processed crap back in my life over the last several months. And let’s not even talk about the holiday treats, ok? Day one was a lot easier than I thought it was going to be.
At first I was like…why would I start Whole 30 on playoff day????? And when Georgia went into their SECOND overtime….I was ready to pull out the drinks and M&Ms I had hid from myself the day before. But then the Alabama game calmed my nerves and my two favorite teams are going to the championship next Monday!!! I will be pulling for Alabama…but I honestly can’t be mad if Georgia wins. It has been a long time for them. So next Monday is a win win for me!
I hope you all had a wonderful holiday! You wont be seeing any resolution posts from me. My main goal in 2018 is to work on my health. I was in a really good place before getting pregnant and sort of been lost ever since. I was more focused on being a mom this past year and have let my needs and health on the back burner. I feel like we are a lot more settled in to the parent life now and I can’t really consider myself a new mom anymore and use that as an excuse as to why my work outs aren’t happening or why I am snacking on crap. You know? So Whole 30 for January, and by next Monday I hope to have had a few workouts under my belt too.
18 Comments
first christmases are amazing, aren’t they? as are starting traditions. i LOVE that pic of Z in her jammies!!
i’m also back on the healthy train after my first christmas in 5 years that i ate all the things.
Health is a HUGE priority for me this year … I have to get things back in order & take,charge myself.
I love,zoes little Christmas outfit. She just makes me smile.
I love all the traditions your starting with her too. So fun. Only going to be better as she grows
Happy New Year, friend! I am so like you. I hated to take down the decor but I was happy once it was done! And I’m also ready to get back on track eating wise. I have definitely let myself “go” over the past few months… just kept saying I’d wait until the holidays were over. Look forward to seeing some of your Whole30 recipes!
It was so sad taking down the tree yesterday. I was like what if Sheffield is sad that it’s not there anymore! You guys got some good eating in during the holidays! I’m sure you’ll do great on Whole 30! I’ll be cheering you on!! 🙂
I still have not taken down our Christmas tree. We got it up late because of the move that I must enjoy it a little while longer. These Pictures are so precious and my favorite is the one of Zoe in the polka dots by the fireplace! I had no doubt sweet girl would get as into the holiday as her mama!!!! Wishing you immeasurable JOY in 2018
We took our tree down right after Christmas because it got sooo dry this year, and it always makes the room feel so empty (for a little bit) right after you take down the decorations. It sounds like you guys had such a good few days– love Zoe in her pink car, and so fun to decorate a gingerbread house! I love her Christmas Eve outfit and those nachos look sooo good! You’ll have to share some of the Whole 30 recipes you’re doing, because I definitely need to eat better these next few weeks too.
She is too cute in her little Christmas outfit with the bell bottom pants! I have not been nearly as productive as I planned to be since getting back to Texas. Instead I’ve been watching lots of Netflix. Oops! Glad you had a good Christmas!
Could Zoe be anymore adorable in her car?! That thing was seriously no joke to assemble, but soooo worth it. Cheers to 2018 birthday twin <3
As always, Zoe is the absolute cutest. I am the same exact way with Christmas. Usually I leave at least the coffee tree up for a week, but I just couldn’t. It had all been up since before Halloween and I was anxious to see my house again hahaha. Go you for Whole 30- I think it’s amazing that people can do it. I don’t have the willpower. I am wanting to work on loving my body again and that means incorporating exercising and making it part of my routine. Hope you have a wonderful start to the year, Happy New Year friend!
Love all the new traditions and memories that you made with Zoe this holiday season! The pictures of her enjoying the cookies are so adorable! We took our tree down on Saturday and it felt so nice to have our space back!! xo, Biana –BlovedBoston
Aw what a cute tradition with the gingerbread house you have started! I took down my tree today and it felt great! Good luck with Whole 30! I would have gone out with nachos too! Happy New Year!
Ahh she looks like she had the best time!
Good for you doing Whole 30! I remember looking into it last year and realizing I could never plausibly do it because every month either had a holiday, party/gathering, event – etc. I know it’s almost impossible to go out to eat on it, and I just cannot. BUT, I do think it’s a good idea to do a variation of it, and cut the “bad stuff” as much as you can. I know after the holidays, I need it :-/
Your Christmas sounds absolutely perfect, and I love all of the little traditions that you have with Zoe like the cookie decorating and the gingerbread house. We never did those when we were younger, but it always looked like so much fun. Way to go on getting back to Whole30 and focusing on being healthy. I think that’s way more important than a number on a scale.
Yesss- way to stay strong with the Whole 30 through the stress 😉
Look at all the goodies under that tree on Christmas morning!!!
My mom makes gingerbread houses with her kids at school. They use small pint size milk cartons as a mold and then build the house around it with graham crackers. It actually turns out pretty cool.
I watched all of the games on Monday and I was stressed and they are not my teams. I hope you post more Whole 30 recipes. While I am not doing a Whole 30 thing, I like to eat those meals a couple times a week. Balance I call it. ha. Zoe looked so cute on Christmas Day. What a natural with crayons.
Could her christmas outfit be any cuter?! So sweet! Kudos to you for rocking the whole 30 challenge and I know you’ll get back to where you want to be this year- you CAN do it! lol I see all your recipes on IG and they always look yummy!
Oh my gosh her face in that car! So cute!! I love that she loves cards! Adorable! 🙂 That fillet looks so good… and now I am SUPER hungry at my desk. LOL. I haven’t had steak in a while!! So glad that you guys had a magical Christmas!! XO – Alexandra
Simply Alexandra: My Favorite Things