Christmas portraits

Okay, so it's about time I finally put up Abby's Christmas pictures. I've had them on my computer forever but hey, I have a good excuse for waiting this long to post them...we were moving! :)

Our precious Abby took some really good Christmas pictures this year. She has really grown up and is such a big girl now. Amazing how much difference a year makes!

Moving In, FINALLY!

I'm finally getting around to posting some news about our new house. It's been a very busy few weeks but we are now settling into our beautiful new home. We moved in over a week ago and it was an experience. 476 boxes + furniture and we were finally in. Yes, I did say...476 boxes!

It actually went smoother than I expected but Abby wasn't feeling well (running fever) and wanted me to carry her everywhere. Two days later I took her to her pediatrician and got the final verdict...sinus infection and a mild ear infection. Also her upper respiratory wasn't that great either.

While we unpacked, Dan and I started feeling bad too and then a double whammy...I was running a fever, had chest congestion and was coughing all the time. Dan ended up going to the urgent care center (since his symptoms had gotten worse) and he had bronchitis. Geez, what a time for all of us to be sick.

Now, we are all recuperating. I'm doing much better, Dan and Abby are on antibiotics and the house...well, it's getting there.

Independence Bowl 2009

On December 28th, we traveled down the road (hehe) to watch the Aggies and Georgia Bulldogs battle it out in the Independence Bowl. It was a chilly day so we went prepared...layered clothing, blankets, gloves, scarves, etc. We were ready!

We decided to take the shuttle bus instead of trying to fight traffic at the game. Thank goodness we did! On our way over there we saw lots of signs that read, "FULL LOT".

Not sure if many of you are familiar with where the Indy Bowl Stadium is but it's not in the best part of town. We took the "scenic" route through the ghetto...literally. I couldn't believe people were paying as much as $20 to pay in people's front yards! And believe me, there were sometimes 4-5 cars parked in front of homes! Sorry, but you couldn't pay me enough to park anywhere near there. My vehicle probably would of been "stripped" or worse stolen if I parked there..seriously. I should of taken pictures so you would see what I was talking about but of course I thought of it AFTER we drove by...oh well.

Once we made in the gates we made our way over to our seats and hey, they were good seats! It was chilly but we were okay (as long as the wind didn't blow too hard). We covered ourselves in blankets and Dan made a run for popcorn! It was actually okay...then the sun went down.

Boy, did it get cold fast!

This was also Abby's first Aggie game! She was very excited and kept saying, "go Aggies! go Aggies!"...it was very cute and of course daddy was very proud! She had a great time then fell asleep right at the start of the second quarter and through half-time. We wrapped her up like a papoose and she was fine.

The game was exciting and we had a great game going until the third quarter. They fell apart and couldn't recover after that. We decided it was time to head out about that time. It was getting colder and Abby was cold too.

Overall, it was a fun time we had as a family even if the Aggies lost. :)

On the shuttle bus on the way to the game!

The view from our seats!

Independence Bowl (Aggie band to the right)

Gig'em Aggies!

The B-52 bomber, from Barksdale AFB, making the fly-over.

That was a huge plane!

zzzzzzzzz.....

The Fightin' Texas Aggie Band!

Very impressive, as always!

"WHOOP!

Christmas Eve in Beaumont

Over the river and through the woods, it's off to Aunt Deb's house we go!! This year we spent Christmas with my wonderful sister-in-law, her husband, Kenny, and Dan's parents.

On Christmas Eve we attended service at a nearby church then had a delicious meal at one of our favorite places, New York Pizza & Pasta!

A favorite Christmas Eve tradition we like to do is make Christmas treats...including cookies! Abby helped make cookies for Santa ( I'm working on a separate post for that fun activity!) and even brought out carrots for Rudolph and the reindeers.

Before we head to bed, we each open one gift on Christmas Eve. It's no surprise to anyone that we always get new pajamas to sleep in! We have been doing this for years and we always look forward to getting our new p.j.'s!!

Abby with her Christmas Eve present!

Posing in front of Aunt Deb's gorgeous tree!

Our family

Abby and Grams

Abby opening up her present...new cozy Minnie p.j.'s!!

Getting ready for Santa and Rudolph

As I metioned earlier, Christmas Eve is spent making Christmas treats for everyone. This year was especially special since Abby insisted on making cookies for Santa. She also said she wanted to get carrots for Rudolph. :)

I think this Christmas has really sparked interest in Abby. She went to visit Santa 4 times! She talked about him alot and we saw so many Christmas movies that she has started to realize what Christmas is all about and of course, who Santa is!

Abby loves helping in the kitchen and she had such a fun time making cookies for Santa. She was very hands-on and did a super job! I can tell that we will have many more fun times with her in the kitchen!

Lastly, she made sure to set out the cookies and carrots by the fireplace. She was very careful putting these out and she was very proud of it!

rolling out the dough...

Having fun with Aunt Deb and the cookie cutters!

waiting for the cookies to cool...

Putting the finishing touch on Santa's cookies!

Viola!

Don't forget the carrots for Rudolph!

She was very careful with these!

Ready for Santa and Rudolph!

Merry Christmas from Beaumont

A funny thing happened Christmas morning...

I was already up just laying in bed taking my time when I heard Abby moving around and out of no where she popped up from her inflatable bed and ran to the door. She was already out the door by the time I jumped out of bed to "catch the moment" on my camera! Dan sprung out of bed and we headed to the front room. Boy, she didn't waste anytime!! She was so excited to see what Santa had brought her!

Abby was in awe of what she saw and of course she had to scan "everything" first before she even opened her gifts. I think she was in shock because she didn't grab anything to open. She just looked "wide-eyed" at her presents. I guess she couldn't decided where to start first! :)

She noticed her cookies for Santa were gone as were the carrots....she had a big smile on her face!

While opening up her presents she was very excited that "Santa" brought her the gifts she had asked him for 4 times! I guess she figured if she asked him that many times he better bring them! (haha)

What a wonderful Christmas morning!

Wow, Santa and Rudolph were hungry!




Christmas morning...

Remember Hungry, Hungry Hippos??? Abby LOVES this game!

New winter boots....we need those!

Wow, the mother load of play-doh!!!

Thanks Auntie M & Uncle Will!

The "big" gift this year...a doll house!

Abby's Christmas Program

I know what all of you are thinking...what has taken you sooo long?? Well, we did a bit of traveling during the holidays and it has taken me THIS long to get all the pictures and videos uploaded. Whew, there were a lot too! Now, I can finally get some more posts going and share with you all our wonderful adventures from the Christmas break!

On Abby's last day of Mother's Day Out, she had a program at her school. She did such a wonderful job singing "Go Tell it on the Mountain", "Happy Birthday Jesus" (my favorite..it made me tear up) and "Jingle Bells".

Abby was shy at first being in front of several parents but she eventually "pushed" her way to the front and participated in the singing. The song, "Happy Birthday Jesus" was my absolute favorite and I had to wipe away several tears during that song. It was so beautiful and watching her "sing" it and use her hand gestures was priceless.

After the short program we went back to her classroom where they decorated sugar cookies and sang some fun songs with their teacher.

We are so happy that Abby is enjoying her time at Mother's Day Out!

Ready to sing!

Our little songbird...

Getting ready to eat her cookie and chicken nuggets from Chick-fil-A!

The whole class enjoying snack time!

Singing the "gator song" with Ms. Hailey!







Below is a video of Abby and the children at MDO singing, "Happy Birthday Jesus". Abby was a bit shy at first but then starts to participate. Brought tears to my eyes!