Christmas in Texas

We had such a nice time in Texas this year celebrating Christmas with our families. We got to spend more relaxed time with our families than we have in the past. We started our time in Carthage with the Allens. Kie & Poppa fell even more in love with each other and we enjoyed some wonderful Texas BBQ as is our yearly tradition! It was so fun to just play and hang out.

After spending time in Carthage we headed to Bryan to be with the Cargill's. We got to see our large extended family and got to see my parents new house on the ranch for the first time. It again was nice to just enjoy being together. It was different not being in Kilgore but it was much more important to be with the ones we love no matter where that was.

And after all the travel we were exhausted. Kati Ann makes it pretty clear how all 4 of us felt!

Christmas cheer

It is so hard for me to believe that we have a 4.5 year old that is so grown up. We went this week to her Kati Ann sing in her Christmas program with the other 4 year old classes at her preschool. She knows the songs so well and sings all the time. I love to hear her tell the Christmas story complete with "Jofus" and "the Wizzmen". She definitely offers lots of Christmas cheer as we see Christmas through her eyes. It is a stark reminder that Christmas really is the celebration of a birthday and we love to party in honor of a baby that changed everything.

A Little Procedure

Around July, I noticed a "bump" behind Kie's right ear while he was sick. It wasn't something I thought was normal but thought it might have something to do with him being sick. It kinda felt like a swollen gland but was not where you would usually feel for one when your sick. I monitored it and it never went away. We visited 2 general physicians and finally the ENT about it. The recommendation was to have it removed. Jared & I wrestled with if that was the right thing to do. We just weren't sure that putting him under and cutting on him was the best move. We prayed and sought further medical advice and finally decided to go forward with the surgery.

And we are so glad we did. We had the surgery at Huntsville Hospital and it was such a pleasant experience as you can see from him watching the Disney Channel in his little gown. He had the surgery on a Monday and I had made arrangements to not do much for the week. However by Tuesday morning he was better than before. Kie has felt remarkably better since his surgery and we are blessed to have 2 healthy children

Thanksgiving in Oklahoma

Every couple of years, we make the drive (or flight) to Northeast Oklahoma to visit Jared's grandmother for Thanksgiving. It was the first time for Grandma Joan to meet Kie and Jared's parents met us there.

Grandma Joan lives in a fabulous duplex connected with the Baptist assisted living village. Right outside her back door is a little playground. We were blessed with wonderful weather that allowed us to spend lots of time outside enjoying the playground.

We also enjoyed some delicious food! Grandma is some kind of cook and it was good to see her.

A "Kati Ann"

Can you guess from the pictures what a "Kati Ann" is?

A "Kati Ann" is a recently coined phrase by a little girl in one of Kati Ann's classes. A little girl named Kendall was getting ready to go to church and informed her mom, "I want a Kati Ann." The mom wasn't really familiar with who Kati Ann was and was slightly confused. "What is a Kati Ann?" asked the mother. She quickly learned that a "Kati Ann" was when you wear your hair on the top of your head! I thought this was hilarious! Trend-setting at four...who knew?

Fall Retreat 2011

Every fall we get the opportunity to hang out with Jared's group at Fall Retreat! We don't often get to do things with Jared's group as a whole family because I'm involved with my own ministry and there are only a handful of things small children can do! But we get to hang out at Fall Retreat. In the past, we have just gone for part of the day on Saturday. This year, we went Friday night and Saturday morning. It was fun getting to eat and hang out with the "big kids." We even slept in a cabin and had a great time! Its fun to make memories in student ministry together!

A boy that loves his ball!

My precious girl that just keeps getting big!

Future drummer?

Halloween 2011

So, in case you hadn't guessed, we are officially eaten up with the Princesses at our house, specifically Cinderella. Kati Ann dressed up as Cinderella for Halloween and really wanted Kie to be her "Prince Charming". As precious as that would have been, Prince Charming costumes are out of our price range for a one night event in the parking lot of the church! So, instead we went for Gus, Cinderella's mouse! I thought they were adorable! Here's just some of the sweet pictures that we had!

Kati Ann just hopped up there and immediately posed for her picture! What a diva!