Happy New Year's Eve! Blair and I had a fun time prepping for the party that M and I will be attending. Sorry, B, you're 7 pm bedtime isn't quite NYE material. Oh, and thanks to Aunt Lisa for taking one for the team and watching her!

Stay tuned for a 2013 re-cap and some new goals for 2014. Have a great NYE and see you next year! I know I'm sorry...I just had to say it. ;)

Today is a day of mourning...M went back to work. Insert sob face here. We had a glorious week home together and I could totally get used to both of us being "stay-at-homes." Unfortunately if that were the case we would also be homeless and I doubt B would be down with that. So, away M went. Back to work. :(

However we have lots to be grateful for! One being that we got to enjoy a day at the Safari Park with M's parents and sister. B LOVED seeing all the animals and we loved introducing her to the zoo (Safari Park. Whatever). Not sure which animal she liked best but it's safe to say it wasn't the ducks. One nipped her while she was feeding it and she immediately said, "Bye bye duck." Haha.

my wild animal on the tram

thanks for taking me to the zoo gramma!

simba!

up close and personal with the elephants. and yes we are in shorts in December!

not too sure about the lorikeets but none the less was intrigued.

obsessed with brushing the goats. pretty sure santa is gonna have to bring a goat next xmas.

wait...is that a goat i haven't brushed yet?

yup. nailed it.

all fun and games until someone gets a duck bite.:)

she insisted on riding the "horse." which was actually an okapi

five seconds after we got in the car... :)

We seriously had such a fun time and can't wait to go back! Thanks Gramma and Grampa for such a nice treat!

my shirt: here
Blair's romper: here
Blair's shoes: here

Oh and if you want to check out some video footage from the day...
elephants
birds

Honestly, I was probably more excited about what Blair got for Christmas more than what I got. I mean don't get me wrong I got a ton of awesome clothes but her outfits are so much more precious! I did rally up some of my favorite things that were gifted to the two of us. Check them out below!

got these on mega sale at nordstom. winning!

wore these to boot camp today...SO comfy on my high arches

yay for fun jewelry and polish!

the loveliest smelling candle and cute lil necklace

lots of cozy mom sweaters ;)

these bad boys were awesome on my run...let's see how they do with 11 miles this weekend!

gotta love a good target bootie!

anything with bows i can't resist. the ultimate frou frou girl.

a handmade nativity from Matt's Aunt Julie. how sweet is this?

Yay for BlaBla dolls! Her room is thisclose to being done!

 She also received this baby carrier and this backpack that were downstairs when I took these pictures and therefore forgot about. What were some of your favorite gifts? Any big ones?

This weekend we are headed to the wild animal park in san diego. It will be Blair's first trip and should be fun. The weather down here has been amazing so it should be a good time. Have a relaxing weekend!

Merry day after Christmas! ;) We had a crazy busy day of opening presents, stuffing our faces, and then stuffing our faces again. Let's just say today I'm starting off with a run!

Blair was spoiled beyond belief and got some seriously rad gifts. Lucky for me I'm a pretty savvy shopper and got a boat load of her presents from a local gently used mommy group...winning! The toys I scored were practically new and she is none the wiser. Santa the bargain shopper. :)

booster seat for Blair and baby! less than $5!

new crayons left over from when I taught Kindergarten and another baby stroller for less than $5

Dada picked this one out at Target...such a sweet guy!

dress up minnie and purse $3. oh and breakfast of champions...goldfish :/

a tunnel from a friend who no longer wanted it

Lala splurged and got her the classic car. to say she is obsessed is an understatement

Lala also got her this awesome slide. up, down, repeat x100000000.

Lala also put some crayons, stickers, and coloring books in Blair's stocking.

Lala got a snazzy apron and I scored some cute clothes

the girls: me, mom, tiff, and taylar

the birthday boy turns 30!

Merry Christmas from the Bushman's!

 Today calls for some SERIOUS clean up. And I'm so happy to do it with my hubby who has the day off...is there any other better Christmas present? I'll be featuring some of my favorite gifts tomorrow possibly. Hope you all had a fabulous day with your family.

Merry Christmas from the Bushman's! 

truly a california christmas!

2013

2012

Clearly I love that blouse. ;) What a difference a year makes for Blair! We hope you have a wonderful day with family and friends. We are blessed to be celebrating the birth of our Savior (and Matt!) Happy 30th babe!

Isn't it funny how when  you have kids Christmas is SO much more fun than it was with just the two of you? I can't. even. wait. to see Blair's face when we come down the stairs TOMORROW!

Today I am hosting a sit down meal for 30 people but it's really NBD because it's potluck style. All I'm in charge of is tablescaping (which I love!) and one appetizer. Easy. Buuuuut I will use that as my excuse for my skimpy post.

Santa came to visit B a little early...

you bet she ate all the pancake, chocolate, and whipped cream. left the strawberries for me :/

Santa! I know him!

checking to see if his beard is real ;)

And plus maybe my post is skimpy because it's Christmas! I'm happy to report that I'm spending some quality time with my family making some sweet memories. Whether it is Santa pancakes or telling the Christmas story to Blair for the 24th night in a row I'm soaking it all in. I never want to forget the sweet way she says "Jesus" or the eagerness she displays to hear me read her Bible. I hope that she remembers the excitement of Christmas traditions and the importance of why we celebrate it. Merry Christmas dear friends!

T minus two days!!! Are you ready? I'm not. Currently it is 10 pm and I'm blogging then I have to vacuum, finish dishes, and wrap some more gifts. Wah! It really wouldn't be so bad except for the fact that I'm out of town all day today. That was not a wise decision on my part. However, I do get to spend the day with two good friends so I really can't complain! That's what coffee is for, right?!

Earlier last night I laid out my tablescapes for the 30 people that are coming to our house for Christmas Eve. I'm waiting on my third table but here is what I've got goin' on so far...

i added sprigs of pine from our tree out front. along with some cinnamon sticks to spice things up!

and one of the "kids" tables. and by kids I mean 25 year olds :)

scooped a couple of these up at Target. So cute!

it was too late for me to get any craftier than the paper name cards. deal with it.

Yesterday we ran some errands in the morning and decided we needed more Christmas lights. Who doesn't, right? I'll have to show you the finished product when that happens but in the meantime here is a picture of my two favorite Christmas presents...

And just so you know when I put that furry vest on her she declared herself Santa. Looks like I've really hit home with the true meaning of Christmas this year... ;)