Santa Babies!

Today Karen and I took Lucy and Eleanor to The Galleria to meet Santa for the first time! The girls did GREAT....they loved Santa! Now, next year may be a different story! Since we both purchased a picture package, Santa's elves were kind enough to let me take a few pictures with my camera. Are they not the cutest Santa Babies you've EVER seen?!

The picture I paid $20 for...such a rip...but so cute! (I took a picture of it with my iPhone)...

One of our favorite Christmas traditions...

Is the annual Christmas dinner party and gift exchange that we have with our dear friends, The Rectors, Simmons and Brazeals. We started the tradition in 2007 at our little one bedroom apartment in Dallas....and now it has turned into one of my very favorite evenings of the year! We switch off who hosts each year. This year it was The Simmons turn....and boy did they do it up right! Everything was perfect....we had so much fun celebrating the season with our dear friends!

The BEAUTIFUL table...

Merry Christmas from Elizabeth, Jordan, Karen, BJ, Marina, Chris, Mindy and Josh!

The girls...

The guys...

The Rectors...

The Simmons...

The Brazeals...

Us...

Everyone got great gifts....but I think the best gift of the night was compliments of William Joseph Rector who gave me an Ionic Crystal Salt Table Lamp. Karen told me that BJ shopped for me on his own, so I completely thought that he was serious when I opened up the jewel! It was awesome!

I was crying I was laughing so hard...

Give it a lick...yes, It tastes like salt!

When I realized that it was a lamp....even better!

The ionic crystal salt table lamp...in all it's 30 pound, glowing glory.

I was completely satisfied with my new table lamp, but BJ gave me these adorable PJ's too as my real gift. Thanks BJ!

Chris had Liz...

Liz had BJ...

BJ had me....I had Karen...

Karen had Jordan...

Jordan had Marina...

Marina had Josh...

And Josh had Chris...

The best surprise of the evening....Elizabeth announced at dinner that she is PREGNANT!!!!! Whooo hooooo!!! We are all so excited to welcome baby Brazeal in July!!

A little different this year...

Christmas is a little different for us this year with a newborn. The decorations are quite a bit simpler...but the tree is up (minus an entire storage box of ornaments), the mantle is decorated and the lights are on the house. The majority of our shopping will take place online....actually I'm not complaining about that....not fighting the crowds is nice! I don't have time to shop for any new festive outfits (are sweat pants OK to wear this year?) and we can't attend all of the holiday parties and events like we normally do in December....But my heart is FULL OF JOY this Christmas season as I'm reminded of the life changing gift of Christ's birth...a mighty God in the form of a helpless baby. Quite remarkable. Now that Lucy is here, I can begin to relate with Mary with how she must have felt that first Christmas night holding her new born baby. What a responsibility she had as a young mother to raise the savior of the world! I wonder if she ever got frustrated with Jesus at 3am in the morning? Surely not. :)

Lucy's first Christmas tree....Lucy, mom promises to go all out next year and actually help decorate the Christmas tree! Thank you Jewelz for doing our tree this year...we probably wouldn't have one up if it wasn't for you!

Lucy is ready for Santa and his reindeer to get here! There's no doubt that this little lady is going to have one heck of a Christmas!

Loving her new swing...

Lucy is LOVING her new swing! This one swings from side to side and front to back. She can't get enough of the side to side motion. It puts her sound to sleep every time!!

She wanted NOTHING to do with her old swing. We tried and tried. She looks so little in this picture...and MAD!

Thanksgiving in Odessa

We spent Thanksgiving this year at my Aunt Patsy and Uncle Tiny's house in Odessa. My Aunt Pat is the best cook ever....she spoiled us rotten with amazing food all week long! We left on Tuesday and Miss Lucy did great on her first road trip out west. It took us 8 hours to get there (we had 3 feeding stops), but we made it home in a little less than 7 hours on Saturday (only 2 stops)! It usually takes 6 hours, but traveling with a baby changes EVERYTHING! We had so much stuff in our car, you would have thought we were moving to Odessa! Little lady really enjoyed her first Thanksgiving in Odessa...and all of my family LOVED meeting her! We sure do have a lot to be thankful for this year!

My Aunt Pat always puts up a Thanksgiving tree....how cute it that?!

Lucy Kate loved laying by the tree!

The leaves were beautiful in my Aunt and Uncle's neighborhood!

Jewelz and Lucy...

Lucy's photo shoot in the leaves....she loved it!

Happy Thanksgiving!!! Lucy is holding up 1 finger for her 1st Thanksgiving!

Aunt Jill and Jewelz with Lucy...

Lucy's great Aunt Shirley and 2nd Cousin Paula...

Family pic!

Kalie, Jill, Cole and Jimmy...

All of the ladies...

Getting ready to dig in to our delicious Thanksgiving lunch...

Wardrobe change for the A&M/UT game...GIG 'EM AGGIES!

Lucy Kate ♥'s her daddy...

A&M Beat UT!! WHOOP!

Cole turned 7 on Friday (11/26)....he is the Lego KING!

Lucy busted out one of her Christmas outfits on the day after Thanksgiving!! We are ready for the holidays!

All of the football games wore little lady out!