Wednesday, December 24, 2008

Merry Christmas


It is Christmas Eve and we just returned from our yearly tradition of going to Cracker Barrel for breakfast. It has been a wonderful Christmas season. The kids LOVE the lights and decorations. I'm not sure what they're going to do once we have to put it all up.

We went to Santa's Wonderland in College Station last weekend. It was so neat. The kids loved it! It was a little crazy at first. We had to walk about a mile just to get there (and we forgot the stroller) and it was a little warm. We then had to wait in line for the hayride for nearly 2 hours. Not much fun with two kids under three. One of us had to stay in line. But once we finally made it to the hayride, it was so worth it. A big cold front moved in and it was cold. The hayride was so quiet and peaceful. It was so magical. Did I mention the kids loved it? They impressed some of the passengers when they would yell, "Merry Christmas" or sing "Will Will Rock You."

Once we were off of the hayride, it had cleared out A LOT! It was cold and the huge fires gave off so much heat. It finally felt like Christmas! After buying a few things here and there (the kettle corn is AMAZING), we went to the petting zoo. The kids were so cute. Kaden saw a baby goat and yelled, "Awe, a reindeer!". Reagan was a little freaked out by some of the animals. She took of running as soon as any of them got near her.

After the petting zoo, we decided to go ahead and visit Santa. We had planned to take them this week to the mall (so glad we didn't...2 hour waits!), but we decided since there were only 3 people in line, why not? We were a little hesitant. I just knew Reagan would freak out. I wondered if Kaden would too after last year.

We walked in and the kids were drawn to him like a magnet. Kaden wouldn't stop smiling. Reagan kept checking him out. He was an awesome Santa! Kaden didn't want to leave. We were so glad we decided to go ahead and do it. They turned out to be so darn cute.



We definitely will be going back. We plan on making it a new tradition. However, we will go much earlier...not the weekend before Christmas. http://www.landoflights.com/










So tonight we head to Wade's Aunt's house in New Waverly and then we wait patiently for Santa. I can't wait to see their faces this Christmas! We have a VERY busy next few days! I wish a VERY Merry Christmas to all!

Friday, December 19, 2008

Four Years and Counting

Today (or should I say yesterday), is our 4th anniversary. What a journey it has been. I can say, that with every passing day, I love Wade more and more. He is truly my best friend. To try and explain how much he means to me is impossible. If more couples had what we have, this world would be such a happier place. Wade is an incredible husband, father, son, uncle, brother and friend. He is an AMAZING person. He has had to go through things that some people never have to face in a lifetime. Because of this, he sees things differently. He doesn't take things for granted. To watch him with our kids is indescribable. I always say I have three kids. He has a true bond with both of them. He is Kaden's best friend and Reagan is his little girl. Being a father is what he was meant to do. And how blessed am I to have this amazing man as my husband? He surprises me everyday. Not one day goes by that he doesn't tell me he loves me a million times. He makes me feel special and is always there to comfort me.

I always try to tell him that when I'm not talking to him, I am thinking about what I am going to tell him. Of course I don't remember half of it, but I have good intentions. I am always wanting to share every detail of my life with him. I am always thinking of him and loving him. We have been through so much together and we have so many wonderful memories together. I love that I will spend the rest of my life with him. I love that my best friend is the love of my life. I love my husband with all that I have.

I love you baby! Happy Anniversary!!!!!












Thursday, December 11, 2008

Winter Wonderland

Last night was amazing. We were shocked at the amount of snow that was dumped on us. It was "pouring" snow. It snowed 4 years ago here, but not quite like this. Kaden loved it! Reagan was just cold. She said she wanted to touch the snowballs, but when she did, she didn't want anything to do with it. We couldn't keep Kaden away from the snow. We'd stay outside, come in and sit by the fire and then we were out again. We did this like 3 times. There is nothing sweeter than seeing your children so happy they can barely stand it. What a wonderful night it was.











Wednesday, December 10, 2008

SNOW!!!

It is snowing at this exact moment. I'm so cold though that I can't stand the idea of going out there. I mean, it is SERIOUSLY soooo cold! I'm waiting for Wade and the kids to get home. I'm sad I didn't get to see their reactions when they first saw the snow. It's a first for both. I was told Kaden was screaming, "It's snowing!" and sticking out his tongue to catch the snowflakes. So now I wait...in my warm, cozy, Christmasy (I know, not a word) house with a beautiful fire blazing. It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas!!! YAY!!! I love this time of year!

Friday, December 5, 2008

Happy Saint Nicholas Day

So tomorrow is "Saint Nicholas Day." We've celebrated this for the last 3 years (that I can remember) at our school. All pre-k, kindergarten, 1st and 2nd graders listen to The Legend of Saint Nicholas. (http://www.stnicholascenter.org/Brix?pageID=745)They then walk back to their classrooms to find the special gifts Saint Nicholas left for them. There were backpacks FULL of toys...balls, jump ropes, funny glasses, Frisbees, xylophones, crayons, etc. Saint Nicholas' helpers were Administaff. They are amazing to do something like this. The kids love it!


To celebrate Christmas at our school we do a door decorating contest. Kids bring canned foods in and use them to vote for their favorite doors. Here's a picture of our door. My kids love the book Chicka, Chicka Boom, Boom! so I couldn't think of a better way to decorate the door. Of course the kids help! Santa's climbing our tree and hoping there's enough room for him too.



On a side note...I've gone to the doctor twice this week to have tests done. They're trying to figure out why I keep having kidney stones. I had kidney stones horribly bad when I was pregnant with Reagan. I felt better for about a year or so. But lately I get these pains in my back. I can handle some days better than others. Either way, I have to get it taken care of. My stones are 88% calcium phosphate so my body may be producing too much calcium. It has a name but I don't want to go into it because I may not even have it. Why worry when you don't need to? I had blood work done for that and a CT scan done today to check out my kidney function. More on this as we find things out.

Thursday, December 4, 2008

New Job

So I've decided my new job is going to be a radio personality/DJ. Okay, so not really. But I was on the radio this morning. I called into 104 this morning when they were talking about teachers and the wonderful gifts they get for Christmas from their students. Or course my take on it all was the gifts I get are "it's the thought that counts" gifts. They love to give you whatever they can...even if it's a rock they found on the ground that has a special glow. There was one person that called in that was talking about getting something like $2,000 in gift cards. I mean really? I'm not sure that it would be appropriate to accept something like that. Who knows. Ryan was VERY nice. He said some really nice things about teachers. A few people heard me on the radio. Crazy!!!!

Tuesday, December 2, 2008

Parade of Lights

We made it to our annual Christmas parade tonight. It was a little over an hour long. I think that I could have stood it to be a little shorter, but hey, they loved it. And I must add, the kiddos were more than adorable. They loved the police cars, band, firetrucks, horses, lights, lights, lights and of course Santa. My dad bought Kaden one of those lights...you know, like the glow necklaces kind of thing? Kaden loved it. We met a co-worker of mine and her family there. Her son is almost exactly a year older than Kaden. They had a great time! Afterwards, we walked back to my grandparents' house and ate soup. It was delicious. Here are some of the pictures...