Christmas time is here

We were all very excited about spending our first Christmas in our new home. Of course Christmas time is very busy for a mom who sings!

 The GRE Choir sang beautifully this Christmas, and I gave them some pretty challenging stuff!

 I also had an awesome time with out staff ensemble!

 I was also given the privilege of leading the children at our church.

 There were parties for hosting. I am hoping to get some pictures of the Bach Society party that we hosted at our home.

 and school parties. I love Davin's mouth right now!!

 We went to the mall on December 23rd to get our picture with Santa, but the line was way too long.

 So we played in the giant snow globe instead.

 As is our tradition, we made Christmas cookies on Christmas Eve. It made such a mess that the boys went shirtless.

 Doug's turkey skills

 

The kids could hardly wait to open a present when we got home from church.

 

 I really do not care for Claire's haircut with bangs, but we had no choice after she gave herself a haircut, and had to try to do some sort of damage control. I really preferred it side swept in the front at an angle and stacked in the back, but it is hair and it will grow. Notice Davin still grinning in the background as he tears away the wrapping above?

 Until he pull out a "rock" as he called it.

 He was so baffled!

 I think his facial expressions in these pictures are priceless!

 Claire and Ethan didn't mind their souvenir coal from Papa Don so much!

 

The coolest surprise for ALL of us on Christmas Eve was Santa heard that we had come to see him at the mall, but couldn't wait in line for two hours to see him so he decided to drop by our house!! Davin showed him all of his missing teeth.

 

 Ethan was really sure what to think!

Claire was absolutely enamoured. Santa told them that they needed to go to bed so that he could come back with Rudolph and deliver all their presents! The kids got up and found all the stuff, and didn't even come and get Doug and I out of bed first so I didn't even get any pictures. The still woke us up at 6:30 so that they could open their presents!

We all had a very Merry Christmas, and spent the rest of t he day at Grandpa and Grandma's house. We are all looking forward to a bit more caroling, and the New Year's Eve gathering!

icemageddon 2013

Well a blogger said that DFW would be entombed in ICE, and he was correct! Denton ISD had to cancel 4 school days, and there was a weekend in the middle of that! Crazy!! Below is the picture of how our grocery store trip that ended up being a near death experience came to a close. Doug couldn't even get the truck to stop!

 Icicles on the icicle lights

We all had a blast snowboarding in the front yard!

October

 We had so much Halloween fun being back in our old neighborhood! Trick or Treating was a blast this year with friends and neighbors old and new!

 Davin was a werewolf power ranger!

 Not afraid!

 My little bat girl!

 I was Katniss Everdeen from District 13

 fun at the haunted house!

Pumpkin Carving fun!

   

 Thanks, Sarah for my Katniss braid :)

Monica and I getting in the "spirit"! Everyone must have skull wine glasses!

The scariest part of October for me was my microdiscectomy to repair where my l5S1 had herniated into my sciatic nerve as a result of the great fall of 2013 when I broke my tailbone. Thanks be to God, the surgery was a success, and my right leg works correctly again! I did not love back surgery.