Merry Christmas 2008

We spent such a wonderful Christmas together- just the four of us. Truthfully, it is always difficult to be without family but this was our second Christmas without travel or family, and we did really enjoy ourselves. It really makes our family unit feel stronger! We made sure to thank God for all of our blessings- most importantly, we thank God for Jesus. We read the Christmas story together and witnessed such a beautiful little prayer from little David. We woke up early and opened gifts- then Daddy and David went to play golf at Escondido, we watched a little bit of Christmas programming on TV and then went out to eat at the Marriott in Horseshoe Bay. It was a perfect Christmas for us and although we miss spending it with our extended family, we are so grateful for this time together. Merry CHRISTmas!

Another David musing

"Mommy, how can something with stickers for eyes be alive?"
This is what David asked me in reference to "Charlie" his "Elf on the Shelf". "Well, David....it's magic." This is my new answer for everything. "How can Santa get from the walkway at Marble Falls to the North Pole so fast?" "Why does that Santa in Marble Falls look different than the santa in Austin?" It's just magic Son! What will I do when that answer doesn't work anymore?! :)
I am always amazed at the sweet, poignant things David says- I love seeing the world through his eyes!

A Christmas Smattering of Things

My next post is a collection of our latest events. The first of which is David's Christmas musical. The Pre-K classes at First Baptist Christian School held the musical and it was soooo sweet. Unfortunately, as you may have noticed from some of my previous posts, my camera has been acting up. The pics I got are terrible but I was able to catch a few quick video snipits. I have enjoyed hearing David practice these songs at home, in the car, in the grocery store check out line, in the post office.....you name it- my boy loves music!!!!

The second event is our Mother/Son date night to the Nutcracker. David and I got all dressed up and headed out to the show while Daddy volunteered to stay home with Grant. We had a very nice time and we snapped one quick (way to close) pic for memory sake.

The third event was our day with the Corry girls. We wanted to soak them up a little before they head to SC so we had a nice trip to the mall in Austin. Santa was very much the popular guy today and we weren't able to stand in line for eons so we settled for letting David and Rynn ride the train and a visit to the chocolate store. Hey- as long as there is chocolate- who needs Santa?!!!

Walkway of Lights 2008

We visited the walkway of lights in Marble Falls again this year, but this time we had another set of Corry's with us. We had a great night of exchanging gifts and pizza followed by hot cocoa from Starbucks, a stroll through the walkway and a visit with Santa. It was another great night spent sharing memories with family. David and Rynn had fun "bracing" in front of the soldiers and always keep us laughing with their love/dislike relationship. One minute they are hugging and the next they are bickering like brother and sister- it's terribly cute- and their love always wins out in the end! Grant was a little less than thrilled with Santa and it was getting cold but she and Raegan hung in there. Even big girl Reese (who is almost as tall as Santa) had a seat on the "big Man's" lap. It was a fabulous Texas Christmas Festivus! :)

Thanksgiving 2008

I'm quite behind on my postings so I'm trying to play a little catch up. We had a very nice Thanksgiving dinner (lunch) at our house with Donald, Kelsey, Reese, Rynn and Raegan. Kelsey and I prepared the food and we had a great little feast! The kids had a fun time playing in the back yard, riding bikes, building a gingerbread house and many more activities. We were so thankful to have a Thanksgiving dinner with family. It was a wonderful day- however, I only have 1 pic from the day and it was in front of our puny little loved Christmas tree. P.S. Not sure why David feels the need to pose this way but it has become his new "thing".

Citadel Homecoming 2008

Daddy had his 15 year college reunion this year at the Citadel. He was so excited to go and participate in all of the events and see his buddies. We missed his 10 year because Little David had just been born. So, off we all went to Charleston to celebrate with Daddy. We had a wonderful time at the reunion party and even went to dinner with some friends while Nana was so gracious to stay in the hotel room with the children for us. We so rarely get out that when we got all dressed up to go out, Lil D said, "Mommy, is it your anniversary?" :)
We also had a great time showing David all around campus. We went in to the chapel where we were married, we visited Pop's tree and monument and the Star of the West monument with Daddy's name on it, visited the barracks where Daddy lived, went downtown to the market, visited Gaga and went to the football game. It was such a fun-filled weekend and Daddy was so proud to show off his family! Little David can't stop talking about the bagpipers and the summerall guards. Daddy taught him how to "brace" and how to stand with "cheerios" in his hands like the guards. Silly! What an awesome weekend for all of us!

Grant's 1st Birthday party

We had a great 1st Birthday party for Grant at home. We celebrated with family and friends and the kids had a blast! We had cupcakes galore and although they were not the most beautiful of cupcakes (Mommy made and decorated them) they were pretty tasty. I can hardly believe that Grant is 1 now. She loved her cake and enjoyed playing with the other children. She was sacked out by 6:00! Grant is walking, babbling and has 5 teeth and is working on breaking out one of her back teeth now. She weighs almost 21 lbs and is so smiley all of the time. She always has her mouth open and is quite the little squealer! She is learning some signs so we can communicate without the piercing screams and is showing some progress. She loves dogs and every time we see one she starts to make a woof woof sound. Her hair is starting to fill in and I can get a bow in it now- but she pulls it out not long after I put it in. She is such a joy in our lives and we love our baby girl!