Christmas cheer, found here...

..and LOTS of photographic evidence of it!

First, let us just say, hey!!  I know it's been awhile and we're sorry for not keeping up with posting over the last two months.  That's a long time and we've had a lot to post, but just never could find the time over the busy Holiday's to sit and write.  With that said, I think I'll just skip all the stuff in between the last time we posted (just after Halloween) and Christmas. 

Well, I do want to share the latest couple of swim meets that Madison participated in, both of which were before Christmas, but I'll save that for another time.  Today's post...all about Christmas! 

Madi's choir class preformed a Christmas concert just a few days before their Christmas break.  My Mom, Dad and Nephew attended the concert with me.  Jack was out of town on business travel (what a bummer!) and could not be there to see it.  That's two in a row!!!

Madison looked so beautiful in her choir dress which made mom cry!

See?  What a beautiful young lady!

These were all taken at home before the concert.

And because being silly is part of Madi's lovable personality, here's a picture of her goofy side. 

Madi's Christmas Choir Concert ~ the 7th Grade Advanced Choir Girls.

So, after the concert, we were officially in the mood for Christmas and for Madi's two week break from school!

Madi and I began baking the day before Christmas Eve.  We had a lot to bake and I'm so glad she was willing to be my helper.  I'm lucky to have her in the kitchen and really enjoy our time together whether we're sharing some great recipes or the latest "experiment"!!!

~ Madi, preparing to make fudge in the picture on the left and sifting flour for sugar cookies in the right. 

Our Christmas sugar cookies!  These were my favorite out of all the Christmas goodies we made.

Madi and I also made Peppermint Mocha Cupcakes.  Ah, Starbucks you've got nothin' on us! :)

I didn't get any pictures of the fudge and to be completely honest, I didn't care for it too much.  Jack loved it (CHOCOLATE), but Madi and I didn't like the texture - too much like biting into a mouth full of sugar. I think it must have had something to do with the cooling process and not having a candy thermometer. Yeah, that's it!  

My poor neighbors and what they must think! I gave them gift boxes, like the one above, that had cupcakes, cookies and some of the mouth-full-of-sugar fudge!  I'm hoping that if Jack loved it, maybe they did too. :}

Madi and I literally spent that entire day and night in the kitchen baking!  We didn't go to bed until after 1am and had to get up and ready early the next morning for Christmas Eve doings.

My Mom and Dad were nice enough to host their Christmas dinner on Christmas Eve again this year.  I didn't take pictures of our feast (for once I wasn't thinking about my camera, just my belly which was totally empty and very angry we me after all that baking and no taste testing!)

I did take some pictures of Mom's after dinner treat which we (the grown folk) enjoyed while the kids (Jason and Madi) opened a gift.  It's sort of a tradition to let the kids (kids only, no grown folk!) open one gift each on Christmas Eve. 

Mom made a strawberry cake which we all enjoyed (super yummy!) with a cup of coffee, a soaked crotch (that's a whole nother story!  Poor Jack.  hehehe) and lots of laughs while the kids opened their gifts...

The next day (Christmas day), Jack, Madi and I loaded up the car with all the Christmas gifts at 6:30am and headed to Mom and Dad's. 

Madi was getting a little impatient waiting on her Aunt Gennie, Uncle Andy and Jason to arrive!  Jack was content. Enjoying a good cup of coffee and some breakfast my Mom and Dad fixed for everyone (mmm...lil' smokies!).

Leo was trying to figure out why we were at his house so early in the morning, disturbing His Royal Cuteness's sleep!

When Gennie, Andy and Jason finally arrived, it was time to get busy!  The kids positioned themselves on the floor and waited on "Santa" (Jack) to hand them their gifts. 

I took WAY too many pictures (imagine that) which you are now about to see...

Our Christmas gift giving started off with a very special gift to Papa from Jason.  A U.S. Army Retiree hat and some dog tags with Jason's name on them. A very thoughtful gift which Jason thought of all on his own.  Good job, son!

After that sweet little moment, things got a little crazy and  it was hard to keep track of all the action!  Hard, but not impossible!  Here we go!

Madison with GiGi and a great big smile.  She's got THE best smile! 





Bella and Leo got gifts too, of course!

Some of my favorite reaction pictures of Madi. 

Jack and I gave my Mom a picture of a flower (a weed really) that I had taken at her house over the summer. I've taken so many pictures on my Mom and Dad's property that it was difficult to pick just one - the one.  Once I narrowed it down to two pictures, I asked Jason and Madi to pick the "it" picture. They both agreed, with no hesitation, on this one.  I hope Mom is happy with our decision.

It's my Dad's tradition to have one shot of Crown Royal every year on New Years day.  If Jack or any of his other son-in-laws are around, they are offered a shot as well.  We gave him a new bottle of CR for Christmas because his old (and I do mean old!) bottle from 1978 was almost gone.  Seriously, Dad has had the same bottle of CR since 1978 - 33 years!! 

However,  the old bottle (above) was emptied of it's last remaining 33 year old contents on New Years day, 2011; and so continues the tradition with a brand new bottle next year!  

I had to snap a picture of Gennie being silly ~ wearing Jason's helmet toboggan (thanks for the name, Tracy!) thingy!  Hopefully she wont hate me for posting it...

His Royal Cuteness looking...well, looking cute!

After cleaning up and repacking our car, Jack, Madi, Jason and I headed home to get cleaned up and ready for Christmas, part two, at Jack's Mom and Dad's. 

I waited to give Jack two of his gifts from Madi and I till we got home because they were just to heavy and awkward to bring out to my Mom and Dad's.  

I'm pretty sure he LOVED these last two gifts - a miter saw and a sort of "wine lover's" gift basket that he was eyeballing in Specs a few days before Christmas.  He's got this fascination with collecting power tools and has wanted a miter saw for some time now. I say "collecting" because I haven't seen him actually use them yet.  :)  

After a quick trip home, we loaded the car (again) and headed to Jack's Mom and Dad's to spend our Christmas afternoon and evening. 

Reaction number 1!

Reaction number 2!


I'd say she's pretty happy!!

Jack and I really wanted to do something special for his Dad this year and  we knew that the Great Blue Herring that hangs out in their backyard ( on the lake behind their house to be more specific) was pretty special to him.  So, we had a picture that I had recently taken of  "Blue" blown up and framed for him.  We think maybe he liked it, he hung it up the next day! :)

We had such a wonderful time visiting with Camille and Johnny!  Their Christmas dinner and Camille's Pecan Pie was amazing!  So was the company!

Once we were home, Jack and Madi couldn't wait to try out the PlayStation 3.  I couldn't wait to crawl into bed; I was exhausted and couldn't believe their energy!  That Jack, he's just like a kid!!  Just as excited as Madi about his Christmas gifts!  But, I love that about him.   These two "kids" stayed up till 2am.  That's just crazy!

Here's Madi playing with her new eyepet game.  I watched her play it for a few minute before I went to bed and thought it was a super cute and fun game.  

We had a really great Christmas and would like to thank both of our parents for making it so amazing!  Also, thank you for all that you have done for us throughout the year and for all of the wonderful times we have shared together this past year.  We look forward to many, many more over the years to come!  Maybe next year we can give you guys a break in the kitchen more often though!  :)

We would also like to say that we are SO thankful for all of our blessings and gifts this Christmas. To our family and friends, we have enjoyed another year shared with you in love but, more than anything, we celebrate the divine reaching down to mankind through the birth of our Savior, Jesus Christ and remember that His gift is more than we will ever deserve!

Monster Dash

On Saturday, Oct. 23, Jack and I participated in the Harker Heights Monster Dash 5k. This was our first ever run for a cause. The cause: Polio. Who knew Polio was still a concern? We sure didn’t. Anyway, since this was our first 5k event, Jack and I were a little nervous and didn’t really know what to do or what to expect. But, once we were situated with our numbers, goodies bags and T-shirts, the only thing left to do was run and we weren’t so nervous about that.

We met up with some friends, Tony and Nessa, before and after the race. Tony ran the 5k, but unfortunately an injury sidelined Nessa for the event. So, she let Madi hang out with her while Jack and I ran. I know she was very disappointed that she couldn’t run, but Madi was happy to get some time with Ms. Nessa!

Nessa was also kind enough to take pictures of Jack and I during the run...

just before the 5k.  Well, just before some rain, thunder and lighting caused a 30 minute delay. 

~right as we came into the park area for the last half mile or so.  Jack and I are both smiling as Nessa and Madi cheer us on!

~crossing the finish line!   I love that we're in total sync!

~we did it, together!

Our final time was 30:56. We were okay with that, but hope to do much better next time. My goal was to get under 32 minutes and I did that, but I had really (kind of unrealistically) hoped to get a 27/28 minute time. Jack could’ve left me behind and gotten a much better time, but he stayed with me to the end. He’s sweet like that. Thanks baby!

Anyway, we never even saw Tony. He was way out ahead of us and finished looong before us! Way to go Tony! I know Nessa was super proud of her honey!

Jack came in 4th in his age group (30-34) for men and I came in 6th in my age group (30-34) for women. So, we did alright I guess. Now, I just need to work on maintaining the same pace (working on 9 min. miles) throughout the run. Not sure if I can do it, but I'm really putting in some major effort!

All in all Jack, Madi and I had a great time during the Monster Dash!  And in the process we helped raise money and “Scare away Polio”!  So, we did good! :)

Halloween Happenings

We hope everyone had a spooktacular Halloween! There wasn’t much spook to our Halloween, but it was a happy one. Err, well, other than Jack breaking a few toes, his Fighting Irish losing and him leaving for business travel on Halloween day, it was a happy one.

I’ll start with the first broken toe and later I’ll get the other (possible) broken toes. Yes, you read that right, there’s more to come. Anyway, the first incident happened on Friday evening after Jack got home from work and just before we went to grab dinner. I don’t know exactly what he was doing at the time, but somehow he slammed his foot right into the leg of one of our bar stools. It bent three of his toes back, but thankfully only one broke. Unfortunately, those that didn't break wouldn’t be safe for long.  It was pretty obvious that the one that did break was a pretty bad break; swelling and turning purple almost immediately.

After that unfortunate incident we went to grab dinner then came home to relax, get Jack off his feet and wait on our nephew, Jason, to be dropped off.  We were lucky enough to have him stay with us for the whole weekend. This is always a treat! My sister and our soon-to-be brother-in-law, Andy, came out to drop him off and stayed for a short visit.   

On Saturday morning, Jack and Jason went to the computer repair shop (we continue to have issues with two of our computers– it’s getting pretty frustrating!) while Madi and I went to pick up some last minute supplies for our Halloween cookies.

By the time Jack and Jason got back home, Madi and I had started the cookies and the Notre Dame game had started.  Because he cannot watch the game without a beer, of course, Jack went out into to garage to grab one and that's when it happened!  On his way back in he slammed the same foot, with the already broken toe, into a big 22 pound dry dog food storage container.  Oh. My. Goodness.  He was SO mad! He yelled out in pain and anger and threw the container down. I was thinking (and he admitted later that he was too) “Seriously? Twice to the same foot in less than 24 hours!???”  But, in his defense, he was distracted when Madi met him at the door to tell him his phone had been ringing. He looked down to grab the phone and BAM!  Poor guy!  Because the three toes were already bruised and swollen, it was hard to tell if he finished them off/broke them or not, but he said it felt like a second one was for sure broken and maybe a third. Yikes!

So, Jack was pretty much done for already and when Notre Dame gave up a win later that afternoon, I thought he would seriously lose it. I think throwing his hat around and yelling at the TV for several minutes helped him get his anger about the toes and the game out. Then, it was time for him to pack for his six day business trip to Virginia. So, honestly, I don’t think his weekend was all that happy after all! :(

The trick-or-treat Confusion: Belton and our surrounding cities; Temple, Harker Heights and Killeen, were not on the same page when it came to trick-or-treating.  Some had it on Saturday and some had it on Sunday. We thought (mostly because Madi told us and because we didn’t check the cities web-site. Hello!) that trick-or-treating was on Saturday night for Belton. Jack’s Mom knew that Harker Heights was having it on Saturday and that Killeen was having it on Sunday evening. So, our plan was to hand out candy at our house on Saturday and then hand out candy at the Johnston’s on Sunday. The kids were super excited about this plan! They love to hand out candy and are really good at it, especially Jason. He chats with the trick-or-treader's and always tells the little ones how great they look in their costumes.

So, at five o’clock on Saturday, the kids are ready. They were setting in their lawn chairs with a big bucket of candy, ready. Bella was also ready. I dressed her up as a sort of fairy, it was a cute little get-up!  You'll see.  Anyway, Bella hated it!  She was so embarrassed and she still hasn’t forgiven me; you should see the way she looks at me! AND she’s been rebelling ever since by pulling trash out of the bath room trash cans and slinging it all over the place! She’s trying to get back at me, I know.

So anyway, the kids and Bella were ready! Here they are… 

 Their pretty happy (the sun was in their eyes, so they don't look happy, but they were!)  
 Fifteen minutes later, there were still no trick-or-treader's.  Jason and Madi weren't so happy anymore!  Madi texted her friend, Maggie, and found out that Belton was doing trick-or-treating on SUNDAY!  Ugh, boy did we look silly out there!  I joked with the kids that it was just a practice run.  I don't think that made them feel any better. 

Madi, Jason and I finished up the cookies late Saturday night.  They turned out pretty good.  We forgot to use our sanding sugars during the outlining process, as we had planned, but they turned out pretty good without it.  

The kids are so creative and I’m always surprised by their ideas.  Good job Jason and Madi!  I had so much fun making cookies with you both! :) 

On Sunday (Halloween day), Jason, Madi and I reluctantly drove Jack to the airport. After a quick drop off and sappy goodbye, I drove the kids out to my Mom and Dad’s for a visit. I wanted to check out their newly remodeled kitchen and the four room additions which are just about completed. Their house is really looking great and after three (or maybe it’s been four) long months of construction, I know they are happy it’s just about over! Our visit was short but it was nice.

Then it was time for the Trick-or-treader's. For real this time! So we headed to the Johnston’s for some Halloween candy givin' good times.  Because my cut off age for Madison to actually go out and trick-or-treat was ten, she has been handing out candy for the last few years. I just don’t agree with big kids trick-or-treating and if they come knocking on my door, I tell ‘um.  Jack isn’t so cold hearted and so he’d rather I leave the candy giving to him and the kids.  But, I love to see the little ones in their costumes, so I have to get involved! So anyway, usually we try to find Madi a costume for her to have while handing out candy, but this year she just didn't seem interested in it. I asked her several times and even asked her one final time on Saturday while we were out if she wanted to look for one and she said no.  I should have known better!  Just hours before it was time to for the trick-or-treating to begin, she decided that she needed to have a costume. You know, because Jason andBella had costumes.  So, she improvised – she tucked her shirt into her pants, put on a pair of three D glasses without the lenses and with purple tape on the nose piece and put on a bow tie.  She claimed she was being herself; just bring out her nerdy side.  Haha!


Sammy was a super cute pumpkin for Halloween. He didn't act like it bothered him in the least.  He wasn't embarrassed and was just as wild and crazy as ever!

See?

 The pumpkin chasing the fairy.

Bella thinks that if she shakes hard enough, she might get rid of her silly costume! 

I thought Bella looked adorable in her costume.  So did the trick-or-treader's!  I loved the colors and I took way too many pictures of her in it! It's serioulsy like having a toddler!

And we can't forget Max!  He didn't really want to be outside with us though, he wanted to watch the Rangers with Johnny.  I don't blame him!

The trick-or-treader's were few and fair between.  Camille and I figure it was due to all the confusion of when certain cities were doing trick-or-treating because they live on the very edge of Killeen bordering Harker Heights.  But, we all (including the dogs) had a good time and enjoyed spending time together.  We just wish Jack would've been there with us.  He makes everything so much fun!  

So, that's our Halloween weekend.  Jack should be home from Virginia on Saturday morning, but he leaves again on Sunday morning and will be gone for a few more days.  So, he'll be traveling and away from home for the next 8 days.  Please keep him in your prayers for safe travels and for his poor little toes! :)  Thank you!