Christmas Cookies...

One tradition that we have always wanted to have is decorating Christmas cookies with our family. A few years ago I invited my nieces over to decorate cookies and last year we broke the tradition because I was pregnant and couldn't travel. This year we were back on!

I love my beautiful nieces! They are so talented and creative! I hope that my daughters take after them!
Here is Morgan working on her perfect candy cane...


and Addy Grace with her Christmas tree...


and finally, Peyton. Peyton made an awesome zebra Santa hat that I loved!


Here are their cookies!

Pey and Morgan...

Now, I love Morgan, but I can't get her to see the light that OU is better than Ole Miss...we have a few more years to convince her though!

I love this picture of Peyton...

What do we do with all of the extra icing, you ask?

Here are the girls with their Grandma, my mother-in-law, Gloria. She came to supervise!

Thank you girls for decorating cookies with me! Can't wait for next year!

Santa!

A few weeks ago we were invited to a Christmas party by a couple from our church, so we decided to pop by. We are so glad that we went. Not only was their home gorgeous, but Santa was there and they took photos of all the kiddos and up them up online for everyone to see...how awesome is that? I can't wait to go back next year!

Here is Eli with the big man himself. I was so proud that he didn't cry!







Here is Eli and I. I don't think Chris was really trying to take a picture of us, but of the beautiful house instead...thanks, honey.




Clearly, I was focusing on the two of them! :D



What an incredible year this has been for our family...God has been so good to us. Here is our Christmas picture from last year as we awaited our precious little gift.


And here is our little family today.


We are so incredibly blessed and we thank God for everything that He has given us.
Please take time to focus on the true meaning of this season and not get tied up in gifts and commercialism. Spend time with those you love and let them know how much you care about them. Have a very merry Christmas, everyone!


P.S. For those wondering, I have not given up my glasses and gone back to contacts. My glasses broke the day before that picture was taken...I was freaking out, but all is well and hopefully my new glasses will be in soon!
Also, I love to give credit where credit is due. Our Christmas picture this year was taken by Amanda Means. She was so kind to come and take a few pics of our family during Thanksgiving. She is a wonderful photographer from White Deer. Even though we have many, many, pictures of Eli, it is hard to get ones of the three of us. Thank you Amanda for helping us out and we are so excited to take pictures of your family soon!

The story of us...

5 years ago today I married the most amazing man that I have ever met.
What a wild ride the last 7 years have been! I wouldn't change a single thing.


Here is the story of us...


We were set up on a semi-blind date by a mutual friend (God bless you, Eric Rath!).

I was majoring in music at the time and Chris was a band director. We hit it off right away. I had just got out of a 3 1/2 year long relationship about 3 weeks before we meet and I was dating many different guys. The night after my first date with Chris I called it off with every single one of them. It was February 22nd, 2003.


Here was our first picture together... (I have no idea what I was thinking wearing a turtleneck! They just don't look good on me. I haven't worn one since...and my hair- is it parted down the middle? Ah!) This was late April 2003.



This was Chris's birthday dinner in May. It was the first time I met his parents. Could my smile be any bigger? I was totally smitten. (When did Chris meet my parents, you ask...oh, you know the day after we first met! Every guy's dream encounter of the over-bearing parents of a young college woman! I was mortified and certain that I would never see him again.)


After Chris decided to stick around and not move to the Dallas area, he bought this cute little house. I was so relieved that he decided not to move. I had already decided that I was totally in love, but I held out on saying anything. He told me that he loved me in late July of 2003.

Of course after the house he got a dog...our first born, Callie.

I helped him fix up the house. I knew that this was going to be the man I married. I even told my parents to be prepared...this was October, 2003.

He finally proposed in San Antonio on the River Walk February 12th, 2004 at TMEA...we are such band geeks!

Here we are at a family cookout that summer.

We decided that Callie was lonely, so a month before we got married we got our second-born, Kaikeyi.

Here we are at an engagement part at our house just a few weeks before the wedding.

We were married December 18, 2004.

We spent Christmas at home and then left the Monday after for our honeymoon in Rome. I love that we stayed home for a few days in between the wedding and honeymoon...I can't imagine leaving right after the reception! There was still so much to take care of.

Later that year we went to New York with the band.

Our second married Christmas.

That summer Chris decided to quit is his band directing career and go to law school. We put a for sale by owner sign in the front lawn and sold the house in 3 hours.

We packed up and moved to Topeka, Kansas for Chris's first year of law school. I got my first full-time job and supported us while he was in school. We did everything completely on our own...it was so scary, but also one of the best times of our marriage.

Chris's first day of law school...

Gosh, we LOVED Topeka! The people were amazing, the school was wonderful to us and everything was so green and beautiful. But, Chris promised that he would try to transfer closer to home because my dad had been diagnosed with cancer right before we moved and it was so hard not to be close to home. So we moved to Norman...Boomer Sooner, baby!

We celebrated our 3rd anniversary in OKC.

I started my grad work. What a great year and a half. I grew so much during that time. I LOVE being in school. Just to be surrounded by people challenging you...ah, if I ever get the opportunity to go back I will in a heart beat.

We decided to have a baby!

Chris graduated law school and I got my Masters.

We moved back home to Texas.

And here we are today...

Chris, thank you for choosing me to share your life with. There is no one else that I would rather take this ride along side. You are truly amazing and I am so proud to be called your wife.

It is so fun to look back. I can remember so many times of joy, anxiety, impatience, laughter and anticipation. I can see how God shaped everything to come together to where we are today. I thank God that His plans are greater than my own. Truly, I am blessed beyond measure.

11 Months

Last week Eli turned 11 months old.
I can't believe that I am planning his one year birthday party; I am in total denial that my baby boy isn't really a "baby".
I guess that he will always be my baby though...after all, I still call my 5 and 12 year old dogs puppies.

What are you up to these days, Eli?
Well, what are you not up to? You are walking everywhere! You keep me on my toes all day long.

You love to be in the kitchen "helping" mommy cook.

Your favorite time of day is when daddy comes home for lunch. Mommy's favorite time of day is your long morning nap before daddy comes home for lunch. (See pictures below for after-nap-hair fun.)

Shortly after this picture was taken you got your first haircut!

You and mommy play all day long...here is your "train" that you like to ride around the house in.

You have a total of 6 teeth and are working on another one.

You love to dance to your Santa doll.

You have conquered the sippy cup! YAY!

You have added toast and Cheerios to your diet.

You have said "Hi", "Bye-bye", "Mama", "Dada", "Woof", and "Memamaw".

Baby Eli,

We are so proud of you. You bring so much joy into our lives. Thank you for making us smile everyday. You are such a good baby...I hope that your other brothers and sisters are just like you!

Oh, and did I forget to mention....

Chris passed the Bar!

I know that I am REALLY behind on this post! We found out the first week of November that he passed. I am so proud of him and all of his accomplishments.

Tim, Chris's brother introduced him to the court.


Chris, signing his life away...HA!


Chris & Eli. He wasn't in the room when his daddy was sworn in...he was screaming in the hall. We found out later that week that he was cutting another huge tooth! (On a side note, isn't my husband a hottie? Wowzers.)


Chris & his family that came to watch...

Sorry it took me so long to post this, honey! I am still so very proud of you!