Upstairs Bath

Today, with Declan taking a super-long bath (we refilled it three times!) and with my new favorite Pandora station of the week (The Smiths/The Cure) playing in the background, I finished the upstairs bathroom!

Garreth is in Texas on a business trip and when he called today, I told him that I was painting and he sounded panicked when he quickly asked, "What color?!" (Okay, so I like a LOT of color in my house. What can I say, I am just not a neutral kind of girl.) I told him that I picked my favorite shade of yellow, then chose 4 shades lighter than that, just for him.

I think it turned out lovely and cheerful and subtle.

(And not every room in my house can say that.)

The shelf above the toilet is also going to display some vintage-y glass bottles... just as soon as I have some kid-free antique store shopping time. Which could be a while.

I still love my Wall O'Babies.

Our Decked Halls

I love how cozy our house is with all our Christmas decorations up.

I might just have to leave them up all year.

If you haven't been to our house during the holidays, let me tell you about the kids' favorite Christmas decorations. When Garreth and I got married, we were both still in college and on a very tight budget (especially after our 2 week long honeymoon!) We got married in November, and for our first Christmas together, we didn't have any ornaments for the tree. So we took some pictures of our friends and families, cut out their heads, and stuck them onto pictures from National Geographic magazine. Then we laminated them and hung them on the tree.

Now that we have "proper" ornaments, we still pull these out and hang them every year. And we add friends and family members that have joined us that year. When people come over and see this display in our front hall, I tell them it's for the kids, but let's be honest, they make Garreth and I smile, too.

I found this sweet little rocking chair at a local antique shop and fell in love with it, but I wasn't sure about buying it until Declan saw it and exclaimed "I could read my books by the cozy fire in this chair!" Well, how could I pass up seeing that adorable image?

Preston

It has been a long time since we've been in Preston for Thanksgiving, and we really had a great weekend. We went to the Festival of Lights parade,

and had lots of cousin time.

Every year my family officiates the Bed Race (yes, they race beds on wheels down Main Street. What... your town doesn't?)

Garreth, Liam, and my brother-in-law Lance were the finish line judges,

and I got to watch the action with this adorable bunch.

Including my favorite 11 month old on the planet.

The day we were supposed to leave, a huge snowstorm hit, so darn it, we had to stay an extra day. Which gave these four hooligans plenty of time to frolic in the snow.

Getting the Tree

After three years chopping down a tree at a Christmas tree farm in Washington, I was ecstatic to get back to the family tradition of going to the mountains for one. The day after Thanksgiving was absolutely beautiful in Strawberry Canyon, but the amount of snow made it impossible for the 4-wheel drives to get up to where we normally go. (Affectionately known to us Becksteads as "Christmas Tree Heaven.")

Instead, we parked in a parking lot off the highway, and divided into two groups - a tree hunting group and a kid sledding group. Garreth and I were in the tree hunting group and set off through waist-deep snow in search of "The One." We didn't trudge too far from the road before deciding that our standards would have to come down a little this year. It was hard work! We finally settled on this beauty:

Did I already mention what a breathtaking day it was?

Meanwhile, back at the sledding camp, the kids had a ball and, more importantly, totally wore themselves right out.

Grace's 11th Birthday, part two

The birthday fun continued on Thanksgiving day. We ate a big, delicious dinner at Davy's house and then celebrated with the Ratchford side of the family, which included a very fun Skype call to the cousins in Dublin. They sang "Happy Birthday" to Grace in Gaelic,

then she opened some of her presents in front of the computer.

You might think, being only 16 years old, that Justin Bieber wouldn't have enough material for an autobiography, but it turns out... he does. And boy, does Grace love this book! Thanks, other Ratchfords!

Grace is VERY popular with her cousins, on both sides. She definitely holds the coveted position of "Coolest Older Cousin."

After the party in Layton, we headed up to Preston to party with the Beckstead side of the fam.

Once again, lots of Grace-love from the cousin admirers.

I love them all trying to get into this picture:

It was definitely a special day for our special girl.

We feel so lucky to have spent it with so many of the people we love!