Alamo Bowl

My brother, John, and his boys came down on Friday and left today. They came to visit and go to the Alamo Bowl with my Dad.Carter, Austin, Chase, & John

Me & my big brother!

Once Carter learned that my brother played football for Michigan State, back in the day, he wasn't sure who he wanted to root for...(big C sporting both a Spartan and Tech hat)

My dad was Mike Leach's (Texas Tech coach before recent events) high school football coach so he was rooting for Texas Tech, while my bro, being an alumni, was rooting for Michigan State! In the end, Carter stayed true to his roots (being a Texan now).

This guy definitely knew who he was rooting for...
Austin & a "true" Spartan fan!

They went to the river walk...

The Alamo...

and on to the Game...What could be more fun?

Sea World

Yesterday we went to Sea World with my parents. We even got Grandpa to ride this with us...

Grandpa & Lauren anxiously waiting in line. All the "smack" talk Grandpa did on the drive down about fearlessly riding roller coasters did not leave him any room to "chicken out"!

Grandpa's "brave" face!

Here we go!

Grandpa did good and only swore a little bit! :)

We saw the Polar Express in 4-D...

We had a great day! Thanks Grandpa & Grandma for joining us!

Snowbirds

These great people...

...have a little place of their own not far from our house for a couple months! It has been fun to have them closer. Carter has been in heaven as he now has a fellow sports fan who will take him to all the games his little heart desires! On Tuesday night they went to a Longhorns basketball game...

He's counting the days until Grandpa takes him to the Alamo Bowl!

Merry Christmas...

...and Happy New Year!

Christmas Eve Tradition...

...new Jammie's for the kids.

Traditions

Of course there is lots of baking involved...cookies, Carmel popcorn, pies, and breakfast rolls.

Our favorite cookie recipe this year was Oreo Balls (thanks Laurie for the recipe!)...

1 package Oreos

1 (8 oz) package cream cheese at room temperature

1 package Almond Bark

Grind Oreos in food processor or blender. Mix in cream cheese. Form into small balls. Freeze. Melt almond bark according to package directions. Dip Oreo balls in chocolate. Refrigerate.

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Christmas Wreath...My Mom made this every year for breakfast on Christmas morning served with my Dad's famous scrambled eggs. We've carried on that tradition at our house too! I made 9 this year (3 for us and 6 for friends).

What are some of your favorite holiday recipes?

Traditions

Another tradition that the girls love (Carter opted out this year) is decorating gingerbread houses...

What are your traditions?

Moments

...that "leaf" me smiling. :)

I am thankful for these moments.

Traditions

Traditions are an important part of the holidays (at least in my opinion)...so, I will share some of our traditions with you over the next few days. One of our favorites is after we get our tree decorated (soon after Thanksgiving)...(Notice Carter's shirt is "stuffed"...he was pretending to be a fat cop! :))

...we sing Christmas carols every night around the tree before the kids go to bed. We each take a turn choosing a song to sing. We've done this since the kids were little and they love it! It's also a great way to teach them different carols.

What are some of your traditions?

Band Concert

Tonight was Taylor's Band Concert. It was awesome! My parents arrived on Monday and will be renting a house nearby for the next six weeks. They came over for dinner and then went to the concert with us. They were impressed and thought it sounded like a real orchestra! (I've tried to upload video but can not get it to upload, so pictures are going to have to do! :))We are excited to have my parents closer for the next few weeks!

Snow!

It rarely snows here and so when the forcast was calling for a 70% chance for snow, the kids were ecstatic! They were sure they would get to miss school since everything shuts down in the event of snow. We watched the forcast fall to 50%, then 10%, and finally down to a 5% chance and we were all a little sad. I was busy cleaning and was shocked when I looked out the window and saw snow! It didn't stick but it was snowing, briefly! I didn't think to take a picture. The kids were at school and their teachers let them go outside (it's a BIG deal here in Texas!) Lauren's teacher was a bit more prepared and took a picture! You have to look closely but here you go...Lauren's class in the snow! (Lauren is in the front row, far left wearing a blue coat.)

Youth Hunt

Dave took Taylor on a Youth Hunt this weekend. The state of Texas has a wonderful program for the Youth allowing them access to the best hunting leases in Texas at a very minimal cost. I wasn't sure if Taylor would like it, being the animal lover she is, but she had a great time and loved the special one on one time with her dad. There were 6 girls and their fathers who attended the hunt. They came home with a deer and a hog (the hog was courtesy of the Ranch Owner).

They brought in guest speakers and exotic reptiles to show the girls....

Taylor waiting in the blind... Taylor's deer...

The Ranch Owner had a little "initiation ceremony" after each girl got their deer... It's not really "my thing" but I am glad they had fun and that I didn't have to go! :) Evidently it was really cold (22 degrees outside) and even snowed which was pretty exciting!