a merry one

Dave's favorite gift, made by Lauren . . . 

My brother & his wife . . .

~ Chad & Lori ~

. . . flew in from Pittsburgh & stayed with my parents.  So, they all came over for dinner Christmas day. 

Taylor had brought everyone gifts from Mexico and got Grandpa a miniature sombrero... 

 Grandpa made Lauren & Carter the coolest boxes... 

 & he made Taylor a jewelry box that hangs on the wall . . . 

It's gorgeous!  Thank you Grandpa!  

I made our traditional Christmas dinner & we played games.  Taylor was still feeling pretty rough, which was a bummer but we loved having my family here. 

Christmas Eve

Christmas Eve we invited my parents, my brother & his wife, the Groppe family, & my friend Lynne over for a potluck style dinner.  We had enchiladas, fajitas, 7 layer dip, chips & queso, pie, cake, & ice cream.  Even better than the food was the company.  Unfortunately I didn't take any pictures.  

After everyone left, we let the kids (Taylor was sick and slept through all the festivities) open one present . . .

* Cutest diary ever found at Pinhole Press. . . Taylor got one too!

Taylor's Mexico Trip

Taylor got invited to go to Mexico City with her friend Emily & her family over the break.  They left on Saturday, December 17th & Taylor flew home on Saturday, December 24th.  She had a fabulous time.  She said she wished she could have stayed longer! 
They went to see the Teotihuacan Pyramids & Shrines. . .

& ate a lot of "different" food. . .

She got her hair & make-up done by a professional stylist. . .

  for Emily's Quinceanera. . .   

~ Emily & Taylor ~

We are glad she got to go & thankful that Emily's family took great care of her.  I would be lying if I said it wasn't hard for me.  I was nervous to let her go to another country without us but knew she was in good hands.

The  Quinceanera  was the last night before Taylor headed home.   They were up super late & Taylor had to be at the airport by 7:00 a.m. the next day.  Evidently, Taylor only got 30 minutes of sleep.  She slept on the plane as well but when we picked her up at 2:00 p.m. on Christmas Eve, she felt pretty bad.  She came home & went to bed.  She slept through our Christmas Eve festivities which was a bummer.  We had to wake her up Christmas morning.  She was sick for several days with a stomach bug.  I guess it's pretty common after you go to Mexico.  But, she said it was worth it!  :)

Piano Recital

The kids had their piano recital on December 10th . . .

I had a hard time getting Taylor's uploaded, so I had to break it into 2 videos . . .

Taylor played O' Holy Night and I Stand All Amazed at the Austin District Music Hymn Festival on December 3rd as well. She played in front of a judge who critiqued and scored her playing. She received a "Superior" score.

Merry Christmas!

Love, The Matheny's

Happenings . . .

It's been a crazy couple of weeks for us.  Our server crashed last week so Dave has spent the majority of his time trying to get that up and running again.  We have 3 computers that run off of the server so it has really been a pain to not have Internet or access to our email, pictures, etc.  Not to mention our microwave and BBQ grill bit the dust.  Our car also needed 4 new tires!  When it rains, it pours.  But, we are enjoying Christmas break and looking forward to spending time with family and friends.  My brother and his wife are flying in from Pittsburgh . . . I can hardly wait to see them! 

Friday night we had our "annual Christmas party" with our awesome neighbors . . .

~ Susan, Halli, Denise, Laurie, Kirsten, Julie, Christine, & Cindy ~

~Denise & Laurie ~

 ~ Denise, Laurie, Kirsten, Julie, & Christine ~

Saturday morning Taylor left for Mexico City with her friend Emily's family.  Taylor is flying home on Saturday afternoon . . . just in time for Christmas!  Hopefully she's taking lots of pictures and having fun.  She was super excited to go.  We are excited for her but miss her already.  It's been quiet around our house without her.  What's been happening around your neck of the woods?

Way Back Wednesday!

~ December 2001 ~

Check . . .

I got my Christmas cards mailed (be on the lookout). . .

and decorations up . . .

Why do I feel like I'm not even close to ready?  Maybe that's because Christmas is only 2 weeks away and I still have TONS to do!  Anyone else panicking?

Grandpa

Today, before school, I took Carter on a special "date" to get hot chocolate.   Our conversation went like this . . .

Me:  "Now, you don't need to tell the girls we did this.  Don't be rubbing it in their face.  It's just something special we are doing."
Carter:  "That's what Grandpa always says . . . you got that from him, huh?"
Me:  "Oh no!  I'm turning into Grandpa!"
Carter:  "But that's a good thing."

Um . . . o.k.????  :)

Carter LOVES his Grandpa more than anything!  Seriously.  They have such a special bond.  I love it.  I love Grandpa . . . and I'm thankful for all the "stuff" I got from him . . . well, most of it anyway!  ;) 

Way Back Wednesday!

~ December 2003 ~