Holiday Bright Spots

1. Hudson and Solomon’s snuggle ways.  Seriously, like seriously seriously, I hope they do this for their entire lives.  ENTIRE LIVES!!!!

2. Winter and Amon picking out treats at the drugstore.  There is something about watching my kids pick out treats in gas stations and drugstores that I absolutely LOVE!!!  All the choices, all the deliberating.  It’s adorable.

3. Our Toby painting.  Toby painted us a rainbow and I adore it so much I can barely stand it.  It now resides in our kitchen and is a constant reminder of hope…white knuckled, jaded, gorgeous hope.  I’ll never get enough.

4. Hello Panda cookies.  They are the bomb!  So tasty.  So delicious.  A full on Kelley crowd pleaser.  We pick these up at the Asian market, but word on the street is you can get them from Costco or 5 Below.

5. Winter and kindergarten and her learning to write and spell.  The end.

6. Taking down Winter’s hair.  It’s a family affair and it was really sweet when Josh Kelley sent me this picture.  It’s messy and a bit blurry and we’re all fresh awake and still in bed, but I love the 3 Kelley ladies all together.  Harper, Josh and I all jump in and help take down those beautiful braids.  Tuck away memory forever.

7. Middle school photo booths at Halloween that include a fake chainsaw are the literal best!  It still makes me laugh so hard.

8. Halloween chocolate candy cookies are a massive fan favorite in our house.  After Halloween we took our favorite chocolate chip cookie dough recipe…or sub in your own…and the Kelley bigs chopped up all the different chocolate candies…minus any with peanuts because we’ve got a peanut allergy in the house…KitKats, 3 Musketeers, Milky Ways, Twix, Whoppers, Hershey Bars, M&Ms, etc…threw them all in the cookie dough and baked to perfection they will change your life.  Just do it!!!!!

 9. Everett’s beach photos.  I love this child with all of my being.  Miss his squishy face so much.

10. Leo and his obsessive love with his rainbow blankie.  I will let him haul it around wherever he wants.  And also, have all the treats and take all my money.  I’m a sucker.

11. Tennessee winter skies.

12. Hudson’s new pastime of taking a photo of you when you don’t know and then photoshopping it to make you out to be a freaky David Bowie fan/possible serial killer.  When I saw this one, I felt a tad scarred.

13. Leo’s painting of him and his daddy.  OH MY GAH I LOVE THIS CHILD!!!!!

14. The Finding Fred podcast.  I listened to one episode and then binged listened to SEVEN episodes while I sewed 250 key fobs.  I laughed.  I cried.  It is such an amazing podcast.

And 15.  My top two favorite Christmas items:

All the rainbow wrapping paper.  I started buying only rainbow wrapping paper after Everett died and I’ve stuck with it ever since.  So rainbow wrapping for Christmas.

And Pick a Pine Tree book.  Such a sweet adorable book.  My favorite new Christmas book!!!  The cutest illustrations and a crazy sweet story about enjoying the holiday season together with community.  It’s the cutest.