Team Mueller: December 2011

Daily Tide 12.23: UFC Christmas {the prelude}

This Christmas is going to be extraordinary...

Very. Very. Special!!!

For a lot of reasons...

Reason #1. Because we will be celebrating our Savior :)

Reason #2. Matt's family & my family & a few close friends will ALL be here...

All together for Christmas...

We're beyond excited!

Want to see a snippet of our "Christmas" email that Matt sent out to our family...

Ready?

Good.

Ladies and Gentlemen, get ready for the main family event of the year!!! Introducing to you today: UFC 1!!!

Our inaugural ULTIMATE FAMILY COMPETITION will be coming to you live December 25^th from California’s own inland empire.

Featuring five rounds of fierce competition in the UFC’s light to heavyweight division and 16 warriors paired into 8 ferocious teams…"

There you have it.... our UFC Christmas prelude :)
The teams each sent in their own team name...
Do you wanna meet our contenders?

Can you guess which one belongs to Matt & I?

Ok, I'll give you a hint... Matt did NOT grown up with Santa Claus... I, however, very much did...

I remember finding out this little, unknownst to me, fact while gathered around his parent's dinner table...
Pretty sure I did not have time to catch/alter/mask the apparent confusion that played across my face...
Oh, the horror of it... No Santa Claus???

Six years later, we have yet to resolve if Santa Claus will one day visit our kiddos...
But we do have lots of happy memories as we playfully banter over the issue...
& every year my mom buys Matt something Santa Claus... :)

So have you guessed which team name belongs to us?
Yes, I think you have...

In the spirit of our first ever combined Mueller/Rothaus Christmas...
And in honor of two becoming one, with a lil playful rivalry to boot; this Christmas Matt and I =
Mr. & Mrs. CLAWS!!!

The family arrives in two short days! And, pretty sure you already know this but, we can't wait!
Yes, we are anticipating the upcoming games, the fun that is sure to be had...
We're looking forward to moments of laughing so hard it hurts and lots of yummy food...

But this year also, more than any other year,
Will be about savoring the REAL meaning of Christmas.
This year is about being together...
Creating memories...
About enjoying Him and each other!

Hope you are doing the same.
Have a very BLESSED Christmas my friends!

Daily Tide 12.22: Christmas Twinkles :)

I ♥ me some holiday lights. Feels a lil bit like magic :)

Daily Tide 12.21: Good (Enough)

Four
Days
Till
Christmas!?!

We're finishing up the last of our Christmas "pre-game" around here (more on that soon)...
But we've also made the decision to not get caught up in the needless pursuit of a magazine-cover-perfect-Christmas... in that ever-elusive, joy-killing notion of perfection.
Instead, we are doing what we can. Working with what we've got. And remembering WHY we do this.

Yes, I could spend tonight out running around looking for that perfect Christmas tree topper I have yet to come across...
OR
I could settle for good enough and enjoy this gift of an evening with my wonderful husband...

I choose him :)

Here's to working with what you've got...
& to remembering to keep the important things important...

Daily Tide 12.20: Christmas Countdown

Happy five days till Christmas! We're eagerly counting down the days, anticipating our family's long-awaited arrival :)

Today was round TWO of grocery shopping...

Wish you could've seen the pile I toted home from Costco yesterday...

Daily Tide12.19: Matt & Me :)

It was a great week.

Indulging in

anniversary festivities,

in six days of anniversary festivities…

Spoiling ourselves with lingering lounges under piles of covers

while the rain pours down outside…

In unhurried conversation

Reminiscing a few favorite memories together

We are blessed…

Beyond measure, in fact…

It feels like we’ve already shared a lifetime of insanely amazing times together…

in piles of adventure…

We’ve visited beautiful places, taken incredible vacations…

We’ve loved fiercely.

Six years together has given us a lot to be thankful for…

At the same time, it feels like just yesterday I was putting on that white wedding dress…

& running up the walkway to see him…

If a highlight reel from my life was played,

that moment would be on it.

I could not wait to marry Matt…

I knew the best days of my life were in front of us…

Becoming Mrs. Matthew Mueller marked one of my life’s greatest and most blessed adventures…

I knew six years ago that Matt was the one...

I had a thousand reasons why…

I knew that I loved him…

But perhaps I was too young, or perhaps too crazy in love, to really see how really amazing he is…

I tried explaining this to him this past week…

That he has rocked my world…

Made my life better…

Made me better…

That life with him is better than I ever thought it would be…

That he’s given me a million more reasons to add to my list of why…

I love him…

He is easy to love…

Perfect for me

I love him more today…

That will be true today, tomorrow and the next…

Daily Tide 12.11: Brick Porch... Day Four

Almost time for my favorite part... bricks are all down and the porch is almost ready for a lil front porch foofing :) I'm thinking a couple white adirondacks, potted plants and a place to put my coffee in the morning...

Daily Tide 12.10: Brick Porch... Day Three

Last Saturday the weather was just lovely. Exactly what Danielle believes a southern California winter should be... upper 60's & sunny :) Lovely. The sunshine had me eager to put my elf hat on; to get our there with my amazing husband and help finish what will be a splendid brick porch.

We made quite the dent in our stack of bricks... But whatever will we do with the leftovers... hhhmmm... the possibilities :)

We made lots of progress...

And then, with 3 feet left to go, we ran out of mortar... :/
Isn't that how projects go? You can see the finish line... you're almost there... then... you run out of that last necessary bit of supply and are forced to stop... You look at the clock and immediately start calculating if you have enough time to rush to Lowes, checkout, rush home, mix and finish before the sun sets...
It happens to us all the time...

Daily Tide 12.8: Friends :)

The brisk December air is here. This morning I could see my breath hesitate in the air before me...

I'm mainly a summer-is-the-greatest kind of girl, but oh how I do love me some snuggling under a gargantuan pile of warm, fleecy blankets :)

I also love the holiday festivities... especially getting together with friends and family over steaming mugs cider!

Last Thursday a few sweet friends and I did just that. We drank cider. Talked. DIY'ed ornaments. Talked some more. Ate the yummiest mocha pie. And talked some more...

So FUN!

Daily Tide 12.12: SIX Years Together :)

Six years ago today, I could not wait to marry this man!!!

All I wanted was to be Mrs. Matt Mueller...

The last six years have been the best six years of my life :)

Daily Tide 12.4: Brick Porch... Day Two

Like his method of brick transport? Smart man...

Daily Tide 12.3: Brick Porch... Day One

This project = all Matt...

It was his idea (genius) to add brick to our front porch...

It was at his suggestion we headed out to the brick yard...

He's the one out there working in the cold...

And the result (which I'm confident will be beautiful) will be because of all his hard work...

Either I'm rubbing off on him...

or...

He knows me well, loves me A LOT and is spoiling me before my parents come for Christmas...

Trust me, it's the latter of the two...

Daily Tide 12.3: Date Day :)

These are the kinds of things that tend to happen when Matt and I go out on a date... we come home with things like this...

And, instead of talking over dessert, we talk, as we empty out the back of the truck brick-by-brick...

12.2: It's Beginning To Look A Lot Like Christmas :)

Things are getting a little sparkly around here...

a lil Christmassy...

We're getting ready for a houseful of our favorite people...

Excitement is in the air...

Especially when we think about the promise of having our ENTIRE family together for Christmas...

Our Christmas tree is all sparkled up!

Ornaments have been added to just about everything that doesn't move...

And sparkle... I ♥ me some sparkle...

I ♥ ♥ ♥ fresh fir... especially if draped over anything white...

and white poinsettia's...

Stockings are a hanging :)

And, because two wasn't enough...

Frosty has made his appearance...

And presents wait under the tree... tis better to give than receive... :)

Shimmery candle holders are scattered about...

I ♥ this lil Charley Brown tree! It was Matt and I's very first Christmas tree, currently decorated with a few of our childhood ornaments... I ♥ it!... Errm, did I mention; I ♥ it!