Happy 40th Anniversary!

My parents and my aunt and uncle were married in a double wedding ceremony 40 years ago today! It is something to celebrate and be proud of so my sister, cousins, and I planned a small reception for them to mark the occasion.  We had a good turnout even though it was on New Year's Eve..thank you to each one of you who could make it!  It was fun to watch our parents' marriage and families grow through the pictures on the slideshow I made for the reception...lots of wonderful memories for sure! 

Mom and Dad/Aunt Joni and Uncle Gary...We all feel so blessed to be your daughters/nieces and have so much respect and gratitude for your marriages.  May God bless both of your marriages for the next decade and more!!!  We love you!

Christmas at the Ranch

We met back at the ranch with my sister's family on New Year's weekend to have Christmas together with my parents.  The kids and I went on to Llano a few days early to just relax and spend time with Granden and Oni (my parents).  My sister's family and Ricky showed up on Friday morning.  That evening my mom invited her family to come out to the house to watch my sister's family and our two oldest kids (Kalyn and Sheldon) open their presents from Christmas Eve since they weren't there with us this year.  It was fun to watch them open their gifts and it was good to be with everyone.  On Saturday morning the kids got us up early to open MORE gifts with Oni and Granden.  It is always fun to see the kids in their pajamas and all the fun they get out of opening their presents...it is almost like Christmas morning all over again! :o)

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Christmas at home with the kids

Santa left some more toys for the kids early this morning!  Kalyn and Sheldon were so excited to see the Harry Potter Hogwarts Legos for Sheldon,  Easy Bake Oven for Kalyn, and Construction toy for Ryder in front of our tree.  An extra bonus for mommy and daddy was a night of uninterrupted sleep since Ryder decided to sleep 9 hours straight!  Hallelujah!  Guess he was tired from all the traveling during the last few days.  After the kids looked through their stockings, we took turns opening our gifts...it was fun and we enjoyed seeing each other's reactions.  Precious moments I will cherish forever!!!

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Christmas Day with Ricky's Family

Ricky, Ryder, and I left Llano early this morning and headed to Leander for the annual Christmas brunch with the Cox family.  We hadn't seen them in awhile so it was really good to see everyone.  Some had not met Ryder yet so that was even more fun!!  It was bittersweet to see Ricky's dad's siblings hold Ryder knowing how much he would have loved his grandson if he was still alive.  After brunch we headed to Georgetown to have Christmas with Ricky's mom and brother's family.  However, it was a full house with so many different people in and out throughout the day...there was a lot of food, laughter, and visiting.  Ricky and I got Kalyn and Sheldon back with us from their dad earlier this afternoon so they were able to be part of the fun at Brad and Damary's house which was so great!!  They were surprised to see that Santa had dropped off one gift early for them to enjoy on Christmas...our new chocolate lab pup, Bella.  They were so-o-o excited as she was just what they asked Santa for! :o)  It was a good day!

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Christmas Eve

Ricky, Ryder, and I came to Llano a few days before Christmas Eve to relax, hunt, and spend some time with family (Kalyn and Sheldon were with their dad).  I helped my mom finish her decorating, gift wrapping, and did some shopping too! :o)  This evening on Christmas Eve we met at Granny and Papa O's house with my aunt, uncle, and cousins.  We ate  mexican food and lots of sweets.  Afterwards we opened presents...what fun!  It was not the same this year without my sister's family and our other two kids being gone.  Next year will be much better!

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Muddy kids and cookies galore

Kalyn and Sheldon found some mud to play in after all the rain we were blessed with.  They did a good job getting REALLY dirty...not just their clothes, but their hair, the door, door handle, tile floor in the utility room, etc!! :o)  While the kids were outside having fun, I had my own fun in my kitchen baking my Christmas cookies.  I have always enjoyed doing this each year...and they're yummy too!

It's time to PARTY!!!!

Kalyn and Sheldon had their Christmas parties at school this morning...it was crazy!! Having Ryder with me, I wasn't sure how it would all work out with me going back and forth between classrooms and keeping him happy...my sweet baby boy slept through the whole thing!! WHEW!!! I just put his carrier in his stroller and pushed him all over the school. :o) Sheldon's class had pizza and lots of goodies, played several games, exchanged gifts, and played with their new toys. Everything that Kalyn's class did was linked to "The Polar Express" so it was really fun! They had pizza, hot chocolate and rootbeer. They played games and had a candy exchange. By the end of the morning we were ALL ready to go home and start our vacation!!!

Mmmm....sugar cookies with icing!!!

Another fun tradition Kalyn and Sheldon look forward to every Christmas is decorating cookies. I baked the cookies earlier today since we had a busy afternoon. As soon as we got home and ate some supper, Kalyn and Sheldon were anxious to get started. I know I say this every year, but those times with my kids are just precious to me! We had fun with our creativity and had lots of laughter in the kitchen. So fun!!

Holiday Open House

Lexington Elementary hosted its first "holiday open house" this year. Basically parents got the opportunity to see the classrooms and halls all decked out for Christmas, see what their kids have been doing in class, and visit with the teachers. Some teachers had fun "holiday" activites for whoever showed up. Sheldon's teacher had games going on and Kalyn's teacher had a cookie decorating center set up. It was neat!
 

Cinnamon Ornament Time!!

Kalyn and Sheldon always ask when we will make some cinnamon ornaments...I guess it is now a tradition! I am so glad they enjoy doing those things with me in the kitchen and hope they will always treasure those memories as I will. I love you Kalyn and Sheldon!!

Ho Ho Ho...what a cute little Santa!

MSCC Youth Progressive Dinner/Movie Night

Ricky, Ryder and I tagged along with the youth from church for their progressive dinner this year. We had so much fun! Kalyn and Sheldon loved being with their friends and we enjoyed visiting two different homes for some yummy appetizers and main course. Thank you to the Hicks and Sanders families for being wonderful hostesses! Following the dinner, we went back to the church for the family movie night which was fun. The feature presentation was "Facing the Giants." The kids enjoyed laying on sleeping bags while snacking on some popcorn, cookies, and drinking hot chocolate. We are looking forward to the next family movie night!!

I love my Daddy!

2 months old!!

Wow what a month! Ryder, you are growing so much and Mommy is trying hard to keep you little for as long as she can!! We went to see Dr. Jatzlau this morning for your well-baby check up and shots (so sorry). You now weigh 12.2 lbs and measure 23 inches long. You are growing...thanks to your momma's milk! :o) Nursing is still one of the highlights of your day/night...and for me too. I love all the opportunities I get to hold and cuddle with you because I know they won't last long. You are already proving to be very independent and enjoy laying down on your back instead of being held. You continue to have fun with your little gym and have recently started holding a couple toys. The smile you give us is contagious and it is stinkin' cute! Even though I want you to stay this little forever, I can't wait to see what the next month brings us...love you Ry!

Santa!

While we were in Llano for Thanksgiving, we took all the kids to see Santa at the park and walked through the trail of lights. This has become tradition for us and we look forward to it every year even though it is pretty much the same each year. Kalyn asked Santa for an Easy Bake Oven and Sheldon asked for the lego set for Hogwarts from Harry Potter. They both also asked for a lab puppy as well. Ryder doesn't know what he wants so we will come up with something to tell Santa to bring for him! :o)