A sweet note....

How much sweeter can my year end, than with a sweet note like this!

God blessed me with two wonderful kids. I have been challenged by them so much these last 5 (almost 6) years, but they have made me a better mother because of that. I'm learning to overlook the small things, and just appreciate the blessings I have. I still have a lot of growing to do as a mother, but my kids have helped me in so many ways. They have taught me lessons I never would have learned. And I laugh and smile more than I ever have. I thank God for them every day, and I can't wait to see what He has in store for us in 2010!

Christmas 2009

I decided not to blog separately about each family get-together...I'm just posting my favorite pictures from all of Christmas (and these aren't even half of them)! I just don't have the time to be that organized. But, we all had a wonderful Christmas full of family, which is what it's all about!

Come on spring, we're ready for the puddles now!

Decorating cupcakes. We decided to do this without Nathan since he couldn't eat the cupcakes. :(

Four wound up kids ready for Santa to come!

We drove home in the blizzard (well, blizzard for Texas!), put out the reindeer food, got the cookies and milk ready, jammies on, and in bed! Nathan was too tired to care about all the stuff for Santa. Maybe next year he'll be more into it!

Santa came!!!! And he ate his cookies and drank his milk too! Madison was beyond excited, but Nathan didn't fully understand this year. He liked his gifts, but he would've been fine without them too!

Madison thought to ask Santa AT THE LAST MINUTE for a real camera. Apparently, Santa was able to pull some strings and bring her one! She was VERY happy!

Nathan got a scooter of his own....so now he doesn't have to ride the pink Princess scooter around!

We had a white Christmas!!! It wasn't total coverage, but still, there was snow! We decided to go out and play for a bit before heading over to Nana and Papa's. Nathan fell down on the sidewalk from the ice, and that's all we heard the rest of the day!

Taylor made Madison a scarf for Christmas, and Madison was so excited about it! She loves it!

Nathan had to get EVERY single speck of wrapping paper off!

The highlight of opening gifts....seriously, his clothes. He LOVES them!

I know, I married a strange man. :) I think we were all a little delirious and tired by this point!

Nathan was loving on Chance, and Chance didn't know what to think of him!

We are so blessed to have such wonderful families, especially during this time of year. We talk about Jesus every Christmas, and let our kids know that He is the real reason we celebrate.....this day, and every other day of the year. Madison is catching on to this concept, and has been asking so many questions about God and Jesus and heaven lately. It melts my heart when she says, "Do you know who my favorite people are?" and answers "God and Jesus". We must be doing something right!

Horses...and lights!

We got to enjoy a horse drawn carriage ride, thanks to Donna! There were a ton of pretty lights to look at, and we all had a great time! It was cold, but not TOO cold, which made it even more fun. It was a perfect night!

The kids would get so excited when we would turn the corner and see more lights!

Nathan went from lap to lap the ENTIRE time. He couldn't sit still....he'd stay put for about 30 seconds and then was off to another lap! I really thought the lights would be entertaining enough for him, but I was wrong. He did, however, find other things to occupy his time! I thought this was particularly sweet though....Lacey loved holding him!

At the end, he gave daddy about 20 kisses in a row....he was all about loving on daddy tonight!

We had the best time tonight....it really got us in the Christmas mood! I was especially thankful that the kids got to experience this with their cousins! A night to remember for sure.

The long-awaited day!

Lacey and Cody are here...let the fun week begin! Madison and Nathan have been SO excited to see their cousins!

Cody and Nathan "making music" on Gaga's hanging pots!

Nathan was all about Aunt Traci today! He gave her most of his attention!

It is a mad house when these kids are all together....loud, loud, loud! But they have the best time with each other, which makes me sad that they live so far away. Even though they only see each other a few times a year, these sweet cousins are the best of friends!