This Christmas!

As you know, we created a 2015 Christmas Bucket List. Well, there's only a few days left before Christmas, so I figured that I would post an update before this get super hectic. Here's a link to our Christmas Bucket List.

Kiss Under the Mistletoe. I'm so happy and blessed to have Nathan to spend my Christmases with. 

Look at the Lights at the Opryland Hotel. I have been to the Opryland Hotel before, and have even been there around Christmas (The first time I'd been there at all was with Nathan, if you can believe that), but I'd never walked around and looked at the outside lights. This year, we wanted to do this together.

Make Christmas Candy. Last year, I made Christmas cookies and candy for our Christmas Party, but this year, when we realized we were not going to be able to host a Christmas Party, I just decided to randomly make the goodies. 

Go See the Dancing Lights. Last year, we discovered the Dancing Lights of Christmas at Jellystone Park in Nashville. The ad recommends bringing your pets, so last year, we brought Koba, and he actually seemed to like it. This year, we were brave and brought both Koba and Yuki. Well, they really enjoyed the light show put to music by staring at the car floor the entire time....

Sleep Under the Tree.... Well, we never slept under the Christmas Tree. Honestly, we wouldn't have fit under this year's 2-footer, but I just wanted to show a picture of our tree ;)

Have a Christmas Movie Marathon. I collect Christmas movies and so every year, I try to watch as many as I can until I get annoyed with the cheesiness. This year, I didn't get far into my marathon. We did watch a few, and we also went to see "How the Grinch Stole Christmas! The Musical." It was enjoyable.

Undocumented Items...

• Go Black Friday Shopping
• Drink Hot Chocolate

Our Christmas Bucket List Failures....

• Watch a Christmas Parade
• Host a Christmas Party
• Sleep Under the Tree

More Mistletoe Photos

Merry Christmas!

BPP #13

K + D Forever. Two weekends ago, Dustin Tysver and (then) Kaitlin Chiaventone got married! I was given the opportunity to not only be a bridesmaid, but also help out on the invitations and programs. I have to say, it was such an honor to serve and celebrate with Kaitlin and Dustin! Congratulations, you two! Also, note this was our 4th wedding (and I think last) for 2015.

USA Forever. Our biggest event for 4th of July weekend was attending the USA vs. Guatemala Soccer Game. Neither of us had ever been to a soccer game, and really did not know what exactly to expect. I'd have to say, overall, it was pretty fun and extraordinarily patriotic. For more, click here.

Weird Al Forever...? When Nathan said he wanted to go see Weird Al Yankovic in concert, I was a bit skeptical. For one, I don't know many of his songs, and secondly....well.....he's weird. Long story short it ended up being a fun concert, and an interesting night, to say the least. For more, click here.

K + Y Forever. CAT PHOTOSHOOT. No explanation needed. Leave a comment on which photo is your favorite!

Koba:

Yuki:

Koba & Yuki:

Brown Paper Packages #10

Wow! Already time for a new Brown Paper Packages! This one snuck up on me a little bit! A few fun things have happened in the midst of our busy-ness the past two weeks... Here are the top 6...


A New Hammock - WE ARE SO EXCITED to have a hammock!! There are much more significant things that have happened in the past 2 weeks, but this has definitely sparked the most raw excitement. That's actually saying a lot, seeing as how neither of us typically show that much outward excitement. 

Mother's Day - This year for Mother's Day, we were so blessed to be able to see BOTH of our moms!! It was a beautiful day to celebrate our mothers and we enjoyed spending time with both! Thank you mom and Melanie for being so loving, understanding, and fun! We love you both!

Spending Time with Braxton - Last week, Braxton spent the week with us. We pretty much did our normal routine, just with an extra person! It was fun to spend time with him and have interesting and thoughtful conversations. Koba and Yuki really enjoyed having him there too!

Koba's Birthday - Koba turned 1 on May 15, so of course we celebrated! Click here to read what was included in the birthday festivities. He just looks so happy in this picture :)

We're Moving - When we got the hammock, I made a comment about how I wished we had a bigger yard. Several conversations, 2 rolls of packing tape, and 1 week later, we had found a new place, scouted it out, fell in love with it, and arranged to move. There will be more information about this coming soon.

Koba Turns 1

Friday was Koba's Birthday! To celebrate, we got him a "cake," some gifts, took lots of pictures, and gave him a birthday survey. The answers to his survey are first, followed by some of the pictures we took.

Name: Koba. Pronounced Ko-BA

Birthday: May 15, 2014. I was adopted on July 27, 2014.

Current Weight: Isn't this a little personal? But if you must know, 10.2 lbs. I'm a fully grown adult cat now.

Name Origin: Koba from "Dawn of the Planet of the Apes" (2014). He's the villain ape trying to rule over all of the apes. 

Nicknames: Mr. Grumpy Whiskers, Koby

Favorite Color: Green

Biggest Fears: Bath time, Yuki

Current Hobbies: Bird-watching, napping, EATING, playing tag with Yuki, dancing


Now for the pictures!!!

"It's my birthday! HEYO!"

"This tastes like regular food, but it must be different because of the candle..."

"I. Love. Birthday Cake."

Yuki getting ready to steal the rest of Koba's birthday cake with a sneak attack.

Birthday Presents!

Yuki trying to steal Koba's thunder.

A series of terrible selfies.

Right photo: Everyone tired of taking pictures....

Finally a good one, after a short break.

Happy Birthday, Koba!

Koba's Human Age

Every morning we wake up to meows every 2.5 seconds to remind us that it's breakfast time. If we push the snooze button, he politely starts knocking stuff off of our night stands. He's so helpful. Not being a morning person, our kitten is super annoying starting at around 5:00 am until we feed him. His crying and throwing a fit makes me wonder what age Koba would be if he was a human, based on only his actions.

Infant: Koba likes to be carried like a baby... Apparently, being held belly-up is not something that all cats like. Koba does, at least for a few minutes until he finds something better to do.

Age 2: Early in the morning, Koba acts like a two year old. as I mentioned, he will meow and meow and meow until we get up out of bed. If that doesn't work, he starts knocking things over. Once one of us is up and out of bed, he will continue meowing until he thinks we are following him, and then try to lead us to his food bowl. Apparently, he thinks the reason we aren't feeding him is because we forgot where his food is. This is literally an everyday occurrence.

Age 3: Koba's curiosity reminds me of a 3 year old. Sadly, he can't just accept the fact that he's not allowed to do certain things. He just has to check out everything new, and he's quick enough to run away when he gets in trouble. He's so excited to go outside and explore, but half the time we take him out he's either scared or cold and wants to go back inside.

 

Age 6: When Koba is playing he reminds me of a young boy. He will wrestle with you until he feels like he is losing, and then he will run away. He loves to play catch and jump for a string. He loves to play!

  

Teenage Boy: When it's mealtime, he scarfs down his food like a teenage boy who just got home from football practice. He scavenges for food EVERYWHERE and he doesn't care if its several days old. Its gross.

Old Man: At bedtime, Koba acts like an old man. The way he will just lay on us, or snuggle up to us to get warm, or nuzzle his nose under the covers is so sweet.

So who knows how old Koba would really be if he was a human...

Click Here to watch a video of Koba when we first got him!

Brown Paper Packages #1

I've decided to start a new series called "Brown Paper Packages" which will basically consist of Our Favorite Things (If you don't catch the reference, watch the South of Music). It's basically going to be somewhat of a review of awesome things that have happened.

Now, before you start judging me for being a braggart or a show-off or arrogant, please note that I don't anticipate these types of posts to be primarily about us or things that have happened to us. Honestly, its an excuse to brag about people we love and show others how awesome they are!

So, without further adieu....Brown Paper Packages.

This Engagement Picture

Not only does the photo show one of my best friends with her fiancé, it also completely shows her devout faithfulness to the Green Bay Packers. My only regret is that the cheesehead didn't make it into the picture. ADDITIONALLY, another one of my best friends was the photographer! Great job at being awesome, Katie and Kaitlin (and Dustin)!


This Ministry

My mother-in-law has recently started a Women's Ministry at their church. After only a few events, I count over 20 women in this photo alone! So thankful that Nathan and I both have parents who have chosen to follow God's calling on their life and set great examples for their children. Thanks for being awesome, God!


This Bedhead

My friend's two year old daughter is so beautiful even with this craziness on her head! Its so hilarious!... thats all I really have to say. Thanks for the awesome pictures of your kids, Melissa!


This Weather

As you may have remembered, last Saturday gave us some AWESOME WEATHER! It was above 60 degrees, if I recall correctly. Nathan had gone to a Predators game, so I decided to walk Koba around the block to enjoy the sunny day. And when I say walk, I mean carry. We talked to a few neighbors who were also enjoying the day. At the end of the walk, I wanted to send Nathan some pictures of our adventure. Here are just a few of what I got. Koba has proven over and over again that he has ADHD when we go outside. Anyway, it was still a great day! You gave an awesome 60 degree day in February, weather!


This Accomplishment

What can I say, my cousin is talented. She got freaking first chair in the whole state of Tennessee in choir! #NotSurprised She is honestly, probably the best singer I have ever heard in my life. I'm glad I taught her everything I know. Just kidding. But seriously, I remember when she was about 10 or 12 her singing some random 80s song ("whats up" by 4 non blondes) with her dad and thinking, "...wow..." She has only gotten better. Awesome job, Kait!


So, these are just a few things that I have come across this week alone that have become some of my favorite things. Leave a comment of one of your "brown paper packages"... or don't. Thats ok too.