Deck the Hall's (House that is...)

Today we had a fun afternoon decorating our Christmas trees...yes, that's plural. We have our main tree and then a "Baylor U" themed smaller tree. On our main tree, we have everything from our 1st ornaments to our collection of yearly chosen ornaments. Decorating this tree is similar to looking through a photo album for me. I carefully unwrap each ornament and love the surprise behind every package. I find silly ornaments, handmade ornaments, travel ornaments from all over the world, and ornaments carefully selected from friends/family. Every ornament is marked with the giver and year it was given. Thus, we have special ornaments like a silver cross from our Godson Ricky, a candy cane man from our first Christmas in our home together, and a clown from my Mom in 1980 that she got in Minneapolis while trying to get on a plane to make it home for Christmas (just to name a few). This year was even more special since Cade was excited to unwrap and "peek" inside at each ornament. He was a huge helper and we gave him several to hang up that were not breakable and were not in the shape of balls, hahaha. He enjoyed one from Nana/Papa that was a train, several snowmen from years past, anything that made noise or had bells, and a "humpty dumpty" one that had moving arms/legs. I think he thought he was in a toy shop! It is fun to see him get into it. We laughed when Charles found two ornaments that had pictures of us as kids. Charles asked Cade who was in the picture of the one of him in 1986, and Cade replied, "That's you Daddy". When he showed him the pic of me in 3rd grade, Cade replied, "That's my friend Daddy." His reaction really shows Cade's personality. He truly has never met a stranger! He clearly didn't recognize me in the photo, but rather than say "I don't know" or shake his head, he replied with his "friend". What a genuine spirit my little boy has! We also smiled when we came across our old '94 Honda Accord key. That little white car gave us lots of miles and memories! Two of my favorite ornaments this year were from my Gangaw Watts. One was a Sebastian toy from "The Little Mermaid". We got this during Christmas time from a McDonald's happy meal in 1988. Gangaw loved to take us to the "Big M". The other was a chili pepper cowboy she picked out in 1996. Made me laugh because Gangaw was as country as they come. Once all the ornaments are on the tree, we save the best for last and everyone gets to put up their own "Baby's 1st Ornament". Cade enjoyed opening his up and looking at the picture of him as a baby in it. Last but not least, Cade helped Charles put the Angel on the top. We had a great time, and loved all the memories. Our other tree is a smaller one with only Baylor ornaments on it. This includes any ornaments from Baylor, Baylor Football, Alpha Chi Omega, or special memories from our college days. The Angel on top of that tree is the Angel that my parents used when they were first married. She is my favorite angel.

Welcoming "Jingle"

My Sis gave us the BEST Christmas gift ever last week...THE ELF ON THE SHELF! I had never heard of it, but it has turned out to be the funnest tradition yet! For those of you who might still be in the dark, "The Elf on a Shelf" was a tradition started by a Mother several years ago for her family. Since then, she has expanded this for all other families and you can purchase the box (with book and elf) at numerous places. Each day when your child wakes up, their elf is located in a different place around the house to watch them and see if they are being naughty or nice. Then, each night while they sleep, the elf flies back and reports to Santa how the child has been. The day after Thanksgiving (Black Friday), we had spent the day decorating the house (except for Christmas tree), talking about the reason of Christmas and dancing to Christmas music. So, that night we sat down to watch the CBS special 30 min show ("The Elf on a Shelf: An Elf's Story") and then let Cade open the gift. He was SO excited! We read the book that came in the box, and Cade selected the name "Jingle" for his Elf. He had been singing "Jingle Bells" all day, so I think that was the last thing on his mind. I wish everyone could have seen the look on his face when he opened the box and saw the elf. Jingle has now been active for 3 days and every morning Cade runs out of bed looking to see where Jingle will be watching from that day. As with the book, we remind him that we cannot touch Jingle or she will loose her magic. He does however talk to Jingle and wave at her quite often, which always makes us smile. Here are a few pics of the beginning of our Journey with Jingle, and her first few hiding places (we have to start out easy!).

We are so Thankful

We are so blessed in many ways with family, health, wonderful jobs, loving extended family, friends who surround us, wealth, etc. I could go on and on with the countless ways we are blessed in our lives. Anything and EVERYTHING we have ever truly desired or needed, God has provided. Sure, there are times we do not get what we want or think we deserve, but those moments are when we learn the most about who we are and what we truly NEED. We are thankful for those moments as well. We started Thanksgiving day with sleeping in and lounging in our PJ's. THAT is my kinda day, hehehe! We were so blessed when my best friend, Lizzy, of about 26 years came to visit us. Her family lives in Sugarland and she spent her morning coming to see us. Lizzy is one of those friends that I wish everyone could have. After lunch we went to Gamee/Grampee's house to be with Charles' family for the afternoon/evening. Uncle Corey had driven into town for the weekend, and Uncle Christopher/Aunt Heather came over for dinner also. So, we were so blessed to have everyone home at the same time! We enjoyed hanging out, cooking (Gamee/Grampee pretty much everything already done!), napping, and of course watching football! Dinner was amazing and we managed to eat quite a lot...I cheated and wore stretch jeans and a baggy shirt! I was most impressed by Gamee's decor on the table with fresh flowers, candles, and beautiful fall colors. After dinner, we enjoyed some football. I must say, this is one of the few times you will hear "hook 'em" or "C'mon horns" coming from our house...but last night was one of those times. Let me just say, we were thankful the horns were able to give the Aggies a little escort goodbye out of the Big 12. Although we will miss the rivalry between these teams, the game was one we can remember for a long time. Thank you God for all the many gifts you provide us daily and the wonderful Thanksgiving Day we had this year! Ps- If it appears that we hardly have any pics of Cade, that is correct. Cade is a busy little man and is not exactly interested in a "quick pic" with the family! He preferred to be running around and playing at Gamee's house. :)

Jaxson's 1st BD

Cade and I had so much fun this weekend going to Round Rock to spend time with my family and celebrate Jaxson's 1st BD. I cannot believe our lil "Jax" is 1 year old today...HAPPY BIRTHDAY JAX! A year ago today we were all at the hospital celebrating. Caelin stayed in town with Charles to avoid any contact with lil kids, outdoor theme parks, etc. Being on steroids, the doc had warned us that her immune system is lowered. So, there was no chance we were gonna risk another illness that might put us back in the Hospital. Cade and I had an awesome time, and I must say my favorite thing about Cade is his good natured spirit. He is almost always happy and well mannered. I am proud he is my son and I love seeing him enjoy life. At Jax' BD party (Kiddie Acres), he ran around constantly hanging with the big kids and riding all the rides. He was one of the loudest singing "Happy Birthday Jaxson" and gave Jax lots of kisses. He is such a loving boy. Jaxson's birthday was an old fashioned Circus theme with red/turquoise colors, very cute! Each kid got to ride every ride at least once and we had popcorn and candy. Jaxson did not like the cake in his face, but certainly was overjoyed when he got to open his presents. He is such a joy in our family and I love to see him laugh or dance (he has some good moves). We love you Jax and HAPPY BIRTHDAY!
After Jax' BD party, Kennybug spent the night at Nana/Papa's with Cade and I. Those two were inseparable the entire time. They spent the night playing hide and seek around the house, taking a bubble bath, eating a pizza picnic, and talking until they fell asleep. They were so funny to watch, almost as funny as watching Papa shake his head and take out his hearing aides!

It's Official

This past Thursday Charles was announced at our School Board Mtg as Principal of Ehrhardt Elementary! We were overjoyed to have our families there with us. Charles' parents, brother Christopher, My parents, and the kids were all there to watch the action. We are so proud of him and his accomplishments so early in his career. Way to go Charles! After the Board Meeting, we all went to celebrate at Spring Creek BBQ along with my Aunt Lou and Cousins Rob and RB. It was a night to remember and we were all so excited for Charles. He will start at his new job on January 2, 2012 (1-2-12...funny date, right?). So, please pray that God continues to use Charles for his glory!