Happy New Year!

Where did the time go?  It seems we just started 2013 and now it's over.  It was a really happy, peaceful year for us...no big changes, other than Alex starting kindergarten, and no great issues for any of us.  We are grateful for God's providence and that everyone is healthy and happy and growing right along - we can't ask for anything more!

Here's a look back at how we wrapped up 2013.  Matt went hunting and the boys and I dropped Casey off with Grandma and drove up to Aunt Stacey's.  It didn't take the kids long to remember we still had gifts to exchange!

 

The boys each got a gift card from Uncle Jason and Aunt Stacey and I was shocked that they agreed to go in together to buy something a little more expensive, along with a few things they each really wanted.  After we'd assembled the new parking garage, Reid and Alex had lots of fun driving goldfish down the ramps.

Every time we visit now, the kids want to hike.  No matter that it was barely 40 degrees in the sun...they had a blast!

Apparently I really slacked in the picture department because I got no close ups of all the kids together.  We had a nice visit, though, and headed back on New Years Eve to pick up the puppy and get home to see Daddy.  On our way back from dinner, the kids noticed that our neighbors had sparklers and they were generous enough to share with us.

They also shared their little tanks...

Then the neighbors down the street shared their big sparklers...

...and eventually it turned into a street party, Alex's favorite activity in the world, although he said that one was a Fireworks Street Party, the very best kind.  The kids brought out their chairs to watch the neighbors set off their big fireworks and Matt brought out the safety glasses.  Safety first!

Everyone bundled up and enjoyed the show together. I love our neighbors!  Did I mention we started at 7:30 and finished by 9pm?  Perfect for us to watch the Aggies' amazing comeback against Duke on DVR.

This little girl had to hang out alone inside but thankfully she wasn't bothered at all by the fireworks.  She is still very shy with strangers and not comfortable around the kids, unless she's checking under their chairs for crumbs.  She had better start warming up to two little boys in this house soon because I'm not going to be the only one entertaining her for the rest of her life!  But this sweet little face sure makes me smile.  And she's sure hard to get in a picture that's not blurry.  Puppies are busy!

This is my first dog and only real experience with a puppy so I'm learning a lot.  Thankfully, so is Casey.  Once I started giving her treats for doing her business outside, she sped up the process enormously and now I don't have to watch her like a hawk every second, waiting for her to pee all over our house.  Puppies are much more fun when they can be trusted in the house!  She has been a good little girl and a sweet companion to me.

Merry Christmas!

Ben and Alex woke up bright and early Christmas morning to see if Santa had come, and he had come indeed!

 

They loved going through their loot and opening gifts.  Ben was happy to get the Planes movie.

For whatever reason, Ben was dying to get overalls and he couldn't wait to open them and try them on.  Naturally, Alex asked for some, too (just a few days before Christmas) but he hasn't been quite as enthralled as Ben.

Even the birds got something new from Santa.

Alex tore into some Fun-dip and after he'd eaten the stick, he decided to dip peanut butter crackers in the rest of his blue sugar.  Hey, on Christmas, anything goes!

After breakfast, we drove to Grandma and Grandpa's for the biggest surprise - the boys met Casey, our new puppy!

Grandma and Grandpa had been so helpful to keep her for several days so we could make it a true Christmas surprise.

Ben was IN LOVE!

Alex was excited, too, but he was also ready to get on to other presents as well.

The boys were turning into pros at unwrapping gifts!

Then it was break time and back to the puppy.

This little girl will never lack love or attention at our house! 

Welcome to the family, Casey!

It was a wonderful Christmas to celebrate Christ and family and all the blessings we've been given.  It was also fun to drive home with one more warm body in the car to love.

Getting Excited

We had lots to do to get ready for Christmas this year and the boys loved every minute.  We baked and decorated cookies one afternoon and ate them all, so we got to make a second batch closer to Christmas.  That's called good planning.

 

I let the kids watch Christmas Vacation with me (although we fast forwarded a few parts..."Can't see the line, can you Russ?"...we'll wait a few more years on those scenes).  Ben thought the scene with Cousin Eddie dumping his sewage down the storm drain was so funny that he drew a picture of it later that night.  It says "sewer is full".

Bart the elf made daily appearances and kept a close eye on the boys.  Alex left a blankie out for him one night in case he got cold so of course Bart had to sleep there.

I loved this sweet gift Alex brought home from school!  It was a craft the class had made but the bag was the best part.

On the last day before winter break, the kids got to wear their pajamas.  Both guys were sporting my handiwork again in fabric they had chosen.

After school, we headed to Grammy and Grumpy's house for Christmas #1 and some good ole fashioned Christmas fun.

The kids didn't mind opening a few presents early!

Ben and Grumpy dove right into the snap circuits board, which was a really cool way to learn about electricity.

We all spent some time at the park enjoying some mild winter weather with the ducks.

The kids had fun in the trees and the grown ups had fun playing games after they'd gone to bed.  We had a great celebration, then said goodbye and headed home while they headed north to spend Christmas with Aunt Stacey and her family.  They are blessed with a baby-to-be but four hours in the car to come here was not appealing in the third trimester.

At home, the kids left out their cookies and milk.

These two crazy boys somehow went to sleep and dreamed of the excitement to come...

Thankful

Before Thanksgiving break, I got to join each of the kids for their Thankful parties at school.  I loved seeing how much this boy has grown this year!  The second graders were like little adults, so polite and well-behaved.

It was lots of fun watching Alex in his kindergarten class...it felt like a zoo after an hour in second grade.  In this picture, Alex is turned around pulling his shirt over the back of the chair while other kids were playing pin the tail on the turkey.  Makes a mom proud, I tell ya.

When it came down to an edible craft, thought, this boy was all over it.  Made his turkey then devoured it!  The second he was done, we ran out the door into the waiting car and started our long drive to Alabama.

As usual, we had to do some 4-wheeler treks through the woods to check on all the trees.

The kids love riding along and looking at everything...and asking a million questions about the 4-wheelers.

We got very close to snow the first night (and maybe got some after everyone was asleep) but once the skies cleared, all we got was very cold weather and a few heavy frosts.

The kids were really hoping for snow, but we still played in the winter wonderland of frozen grass and found plenty to do.

The rain made for some wonderful frozen puddles and the kids found every way possible to break, crush, and destroy all the ice.  They were in heaven!

We found lots of big, thick sheets and loved how it sounded like breaking glass when it crashed.  We don't find much of this in Houston.

It wasn't snow, but some of the frost was still really beautiful.

The kids found plenty to do in the warmth of the house, too.  They spent many hours creating a city with roads and stores of every kind.

Ben even got to shoot the shotgun he inherited from Mr. Scott and he did a great job.

We had a great visit and enjoyed family time and some relaxation, but as always, we still had to make the long trip back.  We were so fortunate not to run into much traffic at all going or coming, but the long drive still took someone out just an hour from home.  Or maybe he was just meditating on something important.

Back home, the kids were excited to find that their elf Bart had reappeared.

We were blessed with a brilliant sunset to wrap up our Thanksgiving weekend.  It's such a joy to pause and give thanks to God for all the blessings He has given us.  Now we can look forward to the joy of Christmas!