Sweet Journey

While we were there, my kids asked if we could go to the Alamo.  Our plans included lunch on the RiverWalk, and the Alamo is just around the corner, so we did that too.  Visiting the Alamo with a Texas history teacher.  You just can't beat that!


I think we have a picture of my brother and I with our cousins at this spot 20+ years ago.  Here is the next generation!  Out in the woods behind the house or inside, these kiddos had a blast playing together .  What a blessing cousins are!

We have a neat family and enjoy getting together.  All of Grandma and Granddad's children, one grandchild from each family, and six great-grandchildren got to come.  This trip was odd that only one of us was not blood related (for one reason or another the in-laws couldn't come).  We teased that without our type-a counterparts, we would never get anywhere.  But we did just fine, thank you very much!  We did miss everyone else, but we had a sweet time with those who were there!


January has been full of basketball and meetings and gymnastics...we meet ourselves coming and going.  I'm trying to enjoy these days, but I'm looking forward to February!  The end of January finds us at the last Stock Show for the season for us, and Lightnin will be leaving.  When we come home, I'll probably have three teary kids.  (Pray for me!)  I'll check in soon--the mom paparazzi will be on duty!

I know January is almost half over and my decorations have been down for almost a week, but I know me...  I'll be scrapbooking in a month or so and look back here to jog my memory and if it is blank I'll be in trouble!  So if you'll bear with me, here is a recap of our Christmas 2010.

It started off with a Mavericks game with the Lastname family.  That was fun.  I had not ever been to a professional basketball game before.  One observation...as a general rule, basketball fans are tall!  This 5 foot nothing chick felt like a shrimp!  I'm just sayin!  The Mavs won and we had a good time--even with the tall people.  :)


Then we had our Christmas celebration with the Lastnames.  We had a choice for lunch of potato or taco soup.  YUM!  Yes, I had both!  The cousins played and had a great time as usual, then we called them in and we all gathered around.  SweetDoll read the Christmas story and did a really good job.  She only stumbled over Aminidab and said "Aminadibble."  haha  I thought it was cute!


After we exchanged gifts, the kids went on playing and the adults continued to visit.  Later I realized that the kids were not so obsessed about the presents before or after--oh they enjoyed them, but it was the being together that made it a special day.  I loved it!  Other special moments were being with Mamaw and carolling with the church group.  I think that is the first time I have ever carolled with a jam box and song books! 

I wasn't feeling well the last evening we were there and missed out on a hot dog roast at my BIL and SIL's house, but everyone enjoyed that too.  Then it was time to go home to wash and pack again! 

But before we left for my family, we had our "just us" gift exchange.  SweetTate had patiently waited for a really long time to see what was in that big box!

SweetDoll made the boys owls for their gifts.  She said, "I hope they don't open it and say, 'I like the bat.'"  SweetTate opened his and the first words out of his mouth were "Thanks for the bat!"  Oh well.  We tried didn't we SweetDoll.

I got just what I wanted--a Rangers shirt! 

And SweetHeart was too funny playing with the boys and SweetTate's new hotwheels Criss-Cross-Crash.  "It zooms!  It goes fast!  It crashes!  It doesn't get better than that!" 

Moon Dough...have you seen and felt that stuff?  It is weird!  But it is pretty cool!  We had a good time playing! There are perks to having kids!

Then it was off to my family, and this is where it gets interesting.  The original plan was to go on Thursday to Granny and Papa's.  Then we would all go to the aunt and uncles' houses down south on Friday and come home on Sunday.  We arrived at Granny and Papa's on Thursday and all was well until my SIL got sick.  Maybe it is just a little tummy bug, no big deal, we'll leave Friday afternoon instead of Friday morning.  Then my brother got it.  OK, maybe we'll go Saturday.  Then they weren't feeling up to going and it was Christmas and we didn't really want to travel on Christmas...but their flight left from that city.  So we decided to just stay at Granny and Papa's until Sunday.  (Papa and SweetHeart got a touch of it, but the rest of us stayed well. Whew!)  By Saturday they were feeling a little better.  The plan down south was to have enchiladas for Christmas dinner, but we were missing Granny's dressing, so we had planned to have it Thursday before we left, but it wasn't thawed out, so we had it for Christmas dinner--since we were still there.  You can see how we made it to plan Z!  Everyone did feel better in time to exchange gifts and that was fun too.  SweetDoll got an American Girl Doll with a horse big enough for her doll to ride!

SweetBoy got spy gear that he wanted.

Then Granny opened an American Girl Doll too!  Those two were too cute playing dolls together.

(I never liked playing with dolls and Barbies too much.  I don't like doll hair.)  Sunday came and we traveled home and they went south to see the rest of the family and catch their plane.  However, it snowed a bunch and their flight was canceled!  So they got a bonus day with family down south!  Everyone eventually made it home safe and sound after a...quirky...Christmas!  Don't get me wrong, we missed seeing our family that we don't get to see very often.  But all things considered, it was a good Christmas.  God had a plan from the beginning--even to the fact that we had dressing for Christmas!  (It would have been great to have enchiladas with the big family, but I'm just sayin!)  And Granny had already taken off work Monday, so it was no big deal when they stayed south until my brother's plane left a day late.  I just love that about my God!  Even when we think we are off schedule, He works it out.