Hello 2009!

Happy New Year To You!


OK get ready for a photo dump of our Christmas break. This is mostly for our family who weren't able to be with us, but the rest of y'all are invited to wade through the photos, too! :)



Christmas Day

My sister Ali and her *new* husband Jed (they were married in the summer!)
They got to spend their first Christmas amid the craziness of our home, what a treat! ha ha

My brother Jeff, thrilled that he got a tie. :P

My not-so-little sister Angela. In a few short weeks she'll be driving and dating.
Aggghhh!! Where did the time go?

Jeff again, sorry for the blurry photo, but you get the idea

Nate says: "Thanks, cousin Eli! I can't wait to put this Lego City together!"

Santa brought Aidan his favorite toy of the day: a truck with two little cars to transport
(very close second was the 18-wheeler with a billion hot wheels cars from Nana and Grandpa...can you tell what he's "into" right now???)

Aidan with the mounds of Christmas behind him :)

Jeff and Angela :)

Playing Mexican Train with our new dominoes. I won both games, but don't worry, I didn't rub it in too much ;)



San Antonio Trip
The weekend after Christmas, we packed up and headed south to see our beloved San Antonio!

Nate at our classic stop on the Riverwalk...the ice cream store.
I can remember going here a lot, on dates and after dances and with some of my best friends. It was fun to take him there to see it.

Adam and Emily on the Riverwalk

What is a trip to San Antonio without pretending to be a tough cowboy? (And yes, Jeff bought that hat downtown. He makes a good cowboy, no?)

I thought that this Vintage action in Photoshop fit the mood perfectly. Angela and Jeff.....

Jed and Ali....aren't they a darling couple? We just love them.


Playing with Christmas Toys





Saying Good-bye to Nana

Chuck E. Cheese's

I'd told Ali that I'd won on this game before...hit the jackpot of 200 tickets...and then told her I was going to do it again. Well, I did! I won the jackpot again! Must be luck or incredible skill ;)

Aidan's favorite ride at Chuck E. Cheese. He'll ride this over and over again and loves it! It takes your picture and they always turn out so funny. Best 10 cents we ever spend!


Northpark Center "Trains"

Each year one of the malls in Dallas puts together a train exhibit, to benefit the Ronald McDonald house. You walk in, and are surrounded by model trains that run past so many fun scenes. I hadn't been to this exhibit since I worked at the Williams-Sonoma in the mall (which was about six and a half years ago) and it has changed and developed and grown so much since then. It even has its own store space now. So cool, and a lot of fun, even though Nate wanted to continually remind us that "Trains are NOT my favorite thing." Point taken. But still an awesome thing to do.

Traditional Christmas tree pictures

Christmas Joy

Okay, I hate to admit that I have a favorite gift (everything I received was fabulous, really) but every time I look at this Willow Tree statue that my sister Ali gave to me, I get teary-eyed. I've never seen this one before, and I love everything about it. I love how the little baby is reaching up to its mother, and how they are all turned toward each other. It reminds me of what is most important in my life, and what a significant role a mother plays in shaping her children into productive and contributing and loving adults. It is just so sweet, and exactly how I would want to remember this time in my life, with my amazing two little boys who bring me so much joy. I am so thankful to be a mother.