MDO Christmas Program

O Holy Night, or so I thought it would be at Justin's Christmas Program at school. I just knew he would love his small part in the program, being that he loves music, loves to sing, and loves to be the center of attention (note to self, who does that sound like?). So as the 3 and 4 year olds were doing this picturesque moment.....


...my son has his hand over his nose the entire duration of the 2 year olds' Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star.

Yep, still has the hand over the nose.


I guess I can cut him some slack - first time in front of a big crowd. Maybe next year they will give him a microphone for a solo singing moment. After the program I took some photos of some of the other kids' families in the class.

The Browns.


The Michaelis'.


The Pines.


The Bethancourts.


Just so thankful for our precious little Mother's Day Out that we go to. Thankful that they love the Lord and aren't afraid to teach it.

Merry Christmas....

...to me! What could it be?



An external flash for Shani. Experimental photos to come in the future - no more mugshots due to a junky flash, that's for sure. Thanks Mom & Dad & Grandpa & Grandma for the monetary Christmas gifts to help make this happen! I have a diffuser on back order and curious as to that device helps out.

I've only been "needing" this since last May....

Campbell is Home!

I was able to re-meet Campbell right when I came back from Lufkin. What I mean by that is that I got to see her at her own home, without tubes, monitors, etc. I tried to take a few pictures of this sweet face, even though the lighting of the room was eluding me.

Such tenderness

Big yawn!

I love it when they lay on their bellies, bottom up in the air

At the end she finally opened her eyes for me.


And we can't forget about big brother Chance.


Looking forward to watching this baby girl grow. Welcome home, sweet thing!

Megan's Baby Shower

I helped throw a baby shower for my buddy Megan the weekend before Thanksgiving. Overdue post? Yes, I think so. Megan was my first friend that I made in dental hygiene school. She came up to me and boldly asked if I was a Christian. Thus started the rest of our friendship. We would hang out all the time in hygiene school, venturing to biblestudies, spending the night at her Aunt Judy's house, going to movies, you get the point. She was blessed in December 2007 to marry her hubby. In January of 2009 she will be giving birth to their first child (no one knows what they are having). They are getting started pretty quickly on expanding their family - and everyone is thrilled!

Here's one of the flower arrangements that my mom helped arrange. Gotta love HEB flowers.


The table. We hosted this at her aunt Donna's house, so I had to bring my whole house with me to help "baby shower" the place. We had a green and brown theme since we don't know if its a boy or girl.


The lovely Roundtop signs. So glad I made these purchases since I've used them for every shower. I love looking at the baby photos as well.


We were getting kind of desperate for subtle decor. We put fun green and brown candy in baby bottles with candles in between on the mantle.


We put a fun bible verse on another table with baby bottles. Longtime family friend Mary gave a devotional to start off the shower.


Since both of this poor baby's parents went to A&M, lots of maroon was surfacing in the gifts. Megan doesn't love the spotlight, so it was fun to watch her be the center of attention.

Dom & Megan. Megan's grandmother, sister Chelsea, Megan, her mom, and Aunt Judy.

Me & Megan's belly. We usually do pretty silly photos, so this was all we could handle with that belly. Chelsea & I showing off our hostess gifts.


Can't wait to meet this baby in a few weeks!

Smith Cousins

Here's some photos from the weekend we were all in Lufkin for my Mamaw's funeral. Even though it was a time of mourning, it was also a time for celebration. Family & friends from all over came to tell my family how much Mamaw meant to them.

Like our buddies, Coy Blevins & Roland Lundy. These are some of my family's very best friends. They are basically like family. These three amigos were best buds at Baylor, and continue to be until this very day. They have modeled that it is possible to stay just as close to your dearest friends, even if they live in Atlanta & Nashville.

A little someone got into some stickers, aided by his Uncle Shane on choosing to put them all over his body.

I finally got to meet sweet Charley. She was born in Australia and has since been living in California. She is such a doll, and a laidback one at that. Great grandkids Connor, Livia, Charley, & Justin.


At the meal at the church following the memorial service, Uncle Steve was putting a kleenex in the pool table to act like a snake. Justin was startled and surprised everytime it came back up.

Great grandkids Carter & Avery (baby sibling due late spring).

Charley watching the kids play. Justin making a slam dunk with Bryan's help.

All the grandkids: Lee & Monica, Wesley & Rosemary, Bryan & Jennifer, Brad & Molly, Amy (hubby David had to stay in California), Elise & Aaron, Kaki & Shane, me & Big D. Such a treat to have so many cousins and all in one pace at the same time.


A special thanks to the Kruegers, my mom's parents, brother, & two sister-in-laws for also coming up to help support my dad. You'll never know how much that meant to him!

New York

New York, New York.....

Derek and I had a blast on our weekend in New York City on our own. We've been to NYC several times, but not together since 2003. It was so nice to not have a schedule, not feel like we had to sight see, and not to have to take that many pictures (I can't believe I just admitted that). Derek nicely asked me how often I would be taking photos. I took the hint that since this trip fell over his 30th birthday, that I would respect his wishes. It was so freeing!

Every plan we made was last minute, and so we last minute decided to go to Serendipity for a Frrrrozen Hot Chocolate. (This post has been messing up for two weeks now, so I am going to give a quick recap here). We went to Magnolia Bakery, a yummy cupcake store, rode a horse-pulled carriage ride through Central Park (touristy, but it was just fun to do), shopped til we dropped, and ate all day. My favorite restaurant was the Sea Grill. We sat at our table with a view of the ice rink in Rockefeller Center. The Christmas Tree lighting was going to happen the next night, so we got to see the tree and all the decor for the special event. It was such a great view and a perfect place for an eatery.

Wish we could go back tomorrow! But we had a wonderful time with just the two of us. It's been so long since we've been able to take a trip like this. Such a treat, and I treasured every minute of it.

Logos Christmas Dinner

Last week my Sunday School class had their monthly women's dinner. I've only been able to attend one of these due to the timing of a lot of baby showers being planned on the same night. So I was excited that it worked out for me to be able to attend the Christmas dinner. We all brought a wrapped $10 gift for an exchange (and let me tell you, I've never seen $10 stretched so far). My chosen gift was stolen several times, and eventually we all ended up with some smashing gifts. Here's a photo of the Logos ladies:



Some of the gifts before we started delving into them.


And last but not least we had a cookie exchange. Due to the timing of my grandmother's funeral and me getting sick, I last minute bowed out of the exchange. But there were some great cookies to be had by those that participated!


I never realized how much I needed the support and friendship of a Sunday School class until Derek and I really got involved with one. These ladies have been such a blessing in my life. We are so thankful that the Lord matched us with these wonderful families!