Christmas 2011 Memories

We are finally home and the house is eerily quiet.  We have had a wonderful 7 days with family and have seen most everyone we love.  Here is the low down of our holiday in picture perfect fashion.

Abbey's Birthday- we had a lovely breakfast to celebrate the birth of Abbey!  We celebrated a few days early on the 24th so we could all be together.  She wanted my friend's Dana Italian Cream Cake-so I made it!  Abbey loved it and her I touch I pod- she was a happy girl getting to be with her family.

Abbey, Justin, and Hudson

Off to church we all went.  We had the annual Christmas Pickup pageant as part of the service and Connor and I watched it from upstairs at Kirk was ushering.  The angels all ran the wrong direction and it was so funny to see them all from that perspective.  Most importantly we celebrated the birth of Baby Jesus.  We spent the rest of the night enjoying our family and watching It's a Wonderful Life!  I did cook a Turkey Dinner with all the trimmings! Justin joined us for Christmas this year and he is such a blessing to Abbey and the entire family.

Brooke, Travis, and Hudson- such a sweet family

Kirk and Connor at St. Mattts!  Both so handsome!

Christmas Day- Hudsons' first Christmas.  Brooke and Travis spent time with us and we so enjoyed them.  Hudson is very precious and beginning to crawl and stand up.  He loved what Santa brought him.  There is nothing like have a baby around Christmas Morning!  We had a quick breakfast and Skyped with Jeremy, Luci. Finley, and Carter in Oklahoma.

Santa left toys for Hudson!

Christmas morning enjoying Baby's first Christmas!

Off  to Dallas- Kirk, Connor, and I drove to Dallas On Christmas day to spend time with Debbie and Ross and Debbie's family.  We had an awesome lunch and really enjoyed seeing everyone.  We had seen Kirk's mother and older brother Stephen a few days before Christmas and took them the best gift of all- baby Hudson.  Kirk's mom had never seen him!

Smith boys!

Kirk's mom at 86- what a lot of "spunk"

Loving baby Hudson!

We then went to my sister's house for dinner and saw my parents ( somehow I missed a picture of them this year)  and had a lovely time with her family.

The Cardona's- Ellen is an awesome hostess and Gabe makes the best turkey ever!

This is my favorite picture of my parents!

The next morning off to Oklahoma to see Finely for her birthday!  She kept saying she was two, but she was three!  Jeremy. Kirk, and Connor left the next day for San Diego to attend the holiday bowl.  Luci and I decided not to attend as the trip was too short and we were all exhausted from Christmas.  We stayed at home and played with the kids.  You can see we had a great time!

The birthday girl!

Playing at Unplugitts

Finley dressing up as Rapunzel- she hated the hair

She likes her cowboy hat better!

Carter is the cutest little boy!

Loving on her Pops!

So we are home now as of a few hours ago and have picked up our puppies.  Connor is out with friends and Kirk and I are trying to get up off the couch and see what there is for dinner.  We had an awesome holiday and have so much to be thankful for.  May the New year bring you peace, joy, and lots of time with family- because that is what it is all about!

Count Your Blessings,

Bella

Loving Gruene, Texas

Hi all, we had a great visit with Justin's family in Gruene.  Abbey arranged the little dinner outing.  Sasha and Juan live in San Antonio, so we started a new Christmas tradition ( we hope) and met them in Gruene.  Connor and Kirk even wanted to go down a little early and see the sights.  That totally caught me off guard. So off we went.  We walked around and looked in the antique shops.  You really feel old when the things you had in your house growing up such as glass ash trays, a small child singer sewing machine, and plastic place mats, show up in these shops and are worth lots of money! They put their foot down when I asked them to take a picture with the Christmas Cowboy.  We walked through Gruene Hall and saw a band singing Christmas carols and a couple of people dancing at 3:00 in the afternoon.  We ate at the Gristmill then spent a lovely Sunday evening telling stories and sipping wine out by the fire.  Oh, how I love Texas!  Just cool enough for a fire and a great family to share it with!  Enjoy the pics:

Tis the Season

Tis the Season!  We have had a great season of Christmas Celebrations and we are still 7 days away from celebrating  the birth of Baby Jesus! Here is the low down.  The first party of the season was a 60's flashback theme.  I had bronchitis, so did not dress up and just went for an hour.  No pictures please.  I was really sick.

 Last weekend was the annual Google party and boy can they give a party. It was held in the North End Zone Club at the Darrel K Royal Memorial Stadium.  There was dinner, drinks, music, a photo flip book center, an artist who drew your caricature, table games (fake gambling), and  lots of drawings.  We won nothing for the 4th year  in a row, but we did sit with Kirk's colleagues and had a great time.  It was a wonderful party.

New Outfit, New Boots- Great Date!

Kirk, Lynn, Kelcie, and Casey at the Google party

This past week I hosted the annual office party at the house. It was a great excuse to get everything clean and looking festive.  Kirk and Connor had a huge list of honey do's and I have to admit, the house shaped up pretty well.  This year our white elephant gift was chocolates and spirits.  Here is a cute link of the three administrator's elfing around.  I have to say at Deerpark we are Ranger Strong, but we play hard as well.


Rockin' Around the Christmas Tree



Yesterday was the last day of school for two weeks!  It is always fun at schools over the holidays, but I am ready for a much needed rest.  Last night, we had two parties.  Our God Daughter Rachael graduated from Texas State, so we had to celebrate with her and her family.  Abbey was with us, so it was great night.  Connor had his own party to attend as he runs his own social calendar now.  We finished off the night with good friends at their annual " Pasada" party.  What could be better than sharing stories and GLUG ( some kind of secret spiked hot cider ) around a wonderful fire on a great night in Austin, Texas.  I love this time of year.    There will be more celebrations to come in the next week all leading up to the great day of our Lord's Birth.  Spend time with you family and loved ones and never forget that Jesus is the reason for the season and my favorite quote " Let there be peace on earth and let it begin with me."

Count Your Blessings,

Bella

Had to show you how big my baby is getting.

Rachael with her boyfriend Kyle

Rachael's momma, Robin and Abbey

Blake ( Rachael's Daddy)  and Linda

I'm Thankful For

Hi All,

I wanted to tell you how much Thanksgiving meant to me this year.  I know it is never easy to have large groups of people together under one roof, but it was wonderful to have most of my family here.  Here is what I am thankful for:

Jeremy for loving his dad as much as he does that he treats him to Longhorn games and stays here throughout the week.  Brooke for driving through the night with an 8 month old to be with her family.  Abbey for her sweet spirit and can do attitude in all she does ( the salads were awesome).  Connor for his patience.  Luci for driving with her two kids and staying an extra day ( also voted best dressed by me).  Travis for the best fried turkey ever (voted coolest head with an A and M loss- the things you do for love) Justin for coming over after very little sleep and putting on a happy face.  Thanks for sharing Sasha and Juan with us as well.  They are delightful.  Thanks to Chris and Pete for sharing Travis with us. So glad you could join us this year.  Let's make it a tradition. Wendy and Hank for coming in from Houston for dessert.  You can have the whole meal deal next year.  Momses and Papa for coming down.  What would Thanksgiving be without you?  Lloyd, Deborah, and Alex, thanks for coming this year. We miss you when you skip years.

I am thankful to those we could not be with- Kirk's family and my sweet nephew and nieces, my sister and her family, my younger brother and his family, and my family in Chicago.  Know that you are loved and missed. 

Thanks especially to my sweet husband, Kirk, who didn't know he wanted this big huge family, but loves each and everyone of us fiercely.  And finally what would life be without my three precious grandchildren, Finley, Carter, and Hudson.  Their Bella loves them with her whole heart!  Here are some pictures this year.  As you can see- not as many pictures as usual - I was very, very busy!

My beautiful table

The second table- equally as beautiful

Abbey and Finney

My brother, Lloyd, and Finney playing

Breakfast at Bella's with Dora the Explorer



They are just precious!


"He who thanks but with the lips Thanks but in part; The full, the true Thanksgiving Comes from the heart”


Count Your Blessings, Bella

                 

Seattle- A "Working" Trip

I had the distinct honor of attending the school's band trip to Seattle.  The honor's band won an award and got to perform at a special event.  We all had a great time.  The kids were awesome.  Well ,there were three boys that had to be in my "special group" one entire day- but we all made the best of it.  I had a glorious time touring Seattle.  Here are some highlights:

Ms. Yee and Ms. Williams- Awesome band directors!

Two Huge Otters Playing!

Riding the Carousel with the kids

I love this city- we could see Mt Rainer in the background.

Seattle has a great Aquarium

All in all it was a great trip and I would highly recommend taking your family there.  Very kids friendly and the weather was great!

"Experience, travel - these are as education in themselves”

Count your Blessings!  Bella

Weekend With Bella

Finley got to come in last weekend to see her Bella and Pops.  Jeremy came in for the UT game and graciously brought "little Finney."  We all went to the Westwood game.  During the game the cheerleaders throw balls and shirts in the stands.  Kirk and I never catch anything- but not Finley!  We sat on the front row and she just stuck up her hands and they handed her not one but five footballs throughout the night.   She got to see her Connor play the drum and walk her around.  She was so proud and happy to be with her Uncle Connor.  The next day it was just Finley and me- we ran errands and went out to lunch with friends.  She was just like one of the big girls and had a great time.  That evening I cooked chile and she got to see Aunt Abbey and Justin.  She had a great time over the weekend.  Little does she know we were the ones who had a great time enjoying her company.  What a special little girl you are Finley Grace!

Finney getting to take a nap at Bella's house in the front room with Bella and a movie- Fun! Fun! Fun!

My three favorite Longhorns ( notice the pink boots).

Donut date with Bella!  So Sweet!



Abbey and Justin playing around- We all played scrabble.  Justin is a really good and serious scrabble player. 

Count Your Blessings, Bella



Leo- A Tribute

On a sad note.  Justin and Abbey lost their precious Leo on Halloween night.  He was in our backyard and got out and got hit by a car.  It was so very, very sad for all of us.  He was a great dog and brought a lot of love to all of us.  He really enjoyed coming over and playing with the other dogs.  We miss him so much!

The one best place to bury a good dog is in the heart of his master.

For Leo:

My Forever Pet

There's something missing in my home,
I feel it day and night,
I know it will take time and strength
Before things feel quite right.
But just for now, I need to mourn,
My heart-it needs to mend,
Though some may say it's "just a pet"
I know I've lost a friend.
You've brought such laughter to my home,
and richness to my days...
A constant friend through joy or loss,
With gentle, loving ways.
Companion, pal, and confidante,
A friend I won't forget,
You'll live for always in my heart,
My sweet, forever pet...

Count Your Blessings, Bella

The Honor Student

Connor made National Honor Society at Westwood.  The induction ceremony was this week.  Kirk got to walk him across the stage and I walked a friend of his whose parents were unable to attend.  So proud of my baby.  I am starting to realize this will be the last time we have a child make NHS.  They grow up so fast.  He is our fourth child to make NHS and we are so proud of him.  Education has always been a priority in our home and our children have continued to impress us and teach us.  Here is my little honor student:

Love this quote about education:

Do not train children to learning by force and harshness, but direct them to it by what amuses their minds, so that you may be better able to discover with accuracy the peculiar bent of the genius of each.
Plato



Count Your Blessing, Bella

TCU Monday

Connor and I went to TCU to visit the campus on Halloween.  We went up the night before with a few of his friends and another mom.  We had a great time.  We ate at Joe T Garcias on Sunday and had a great night visiting.  The visit to TCU was spectacular.  Those hornfrogs know how to do it right.  We started with breakfast with the Chancellor welcoming all of us - then an extensive tour of the campus with a  TCU student.  Connor and his two friends were in awe and at the front of the line the whole morning.  They then had a catered lunch with student speakers.  The afternoon was spent at the businesss school for Connor.  The boys then got to go and watch a percussion ensemble- they were all in heaven.  So Connor is wearing the TCU shirt.  We will have to wait and see.  He still has a lot more colleges to visit, but TCU knows how to recruit!   The favorite part of the trip for me though was the stop on the way home at one of my favorite restaurants.  We ate at Babes- the best fried chicken and biscuits ever!!!!!!  The pictures tell it all: