First of all, be sure and read the post below it is a new one from our Christmas festivities! Here are some pictures from the beach trip last week. We did some fun things including going to the Texas State Aquarium, and toured the Lexington, also went on a dolphin watch where we saw many dolphins swimming. We did get to play on the beach one day but still had to wear warm clothes. No swimming in the beach this time of the year for us!! Anyway it was all fun, the boys had a great time especially since their little cousin was there to play with. I bet that little girl is enjoying some peace and quiet this week!!:)

Pop and Gram
Aunt Lori entertaining the kids

In the sand with Daddy....where did their feet go??
Diligently building a sand castle
Even Matti is having fun in the sand
The guys enjoyed some frisbee
Trying to make a sand angel
Sweet boys!
Love these guys so much!!

Morning walk on the beach...in my grubby wear and crazy hair!!:)At the Aquarium

Alright, we are home and we survived:) The week of Christmas the boys and I went to Grandma and D-dad's house a little early. We left on Monday and didn't get back home until Friday morning at 1:30am. We got up Friday morning(day after Christmas) and did our Christmas with the boys before Jason had to leave for work. It was such a hectic week. Don't know if we will do that again unless Jason has a little bit more time off during the Christmas holiday. Jason's grandparents were here visiting at his Dad's house until following Sunday so we spent Friday, Saturday, and Sunday after Christmas going to visit them before they headed home. The following Monday we left for a family trip with Jason's whole family, I believe there were 13 of us and we didn't get back home until this past Saturday. I've almost got the house back to normal, finally finished up all of the wash, now it's time to do more!!! Anyway, the new year has begun and my classes will start back up next Thursday. Keagan started yesterday and we are all just about back into the ole routine and it's kind of nice:) Hope you all had a great holiday and that you will feel happy and blessed during the new year!! Also......don't worry, I didn't remove you from the Christmas card list this year, I just didn't send any but hopefully I can get the new year's cards out very soon!!!

Opening gifts at Grandma and D dad's on Christmas morning

Making Christmas cutout cookies at Grandma's with Uncle Kevin

Kason and Brooklyn trying out their new scooters....Kason loves it!!

Keagan was in "Family Night in Bethlehem" at our church the Sunday before Christmas. His part lasted about 5 minutes but he played the donkey well:) He is the one on the second row with the crooked donkey head...LOL


Keagan's class had a book exchange this year but the mom's surprised the kids with a gingerbread cookie decorating party. Here Keagan is having a great time!!

Hello All: Just a note to tell you all to go to my sis-in-laws site on my link list....Matti K Designs and check out one of her new products that she is doing. Very cute monogrammable drink containers (coffee mugs, thermoses, and the best of all......sippy cups) If you would like to order, her info is in the side bar on her page!!

Busy, busy, busy season.....we've been baking Christmas goodies, making a gingerbread house, preparing for Christmas parties and trying to make sure that our boys will grasp the true meaning of Christmas. Not Santa's visit but Jesus' birth!! I'm posting a few pictures of what we've been doing lately. One of my favorite things during the Christmas season is to bake in the kitchen with the boys. We've done a few things so far but my favorite.....Christmas cut out cookies and decorations will probably be next week while Keagan is out for his Christmas break.

Baking with the family. Jason was actually here to help too....how fun!!

Matti(our niece) thinking of telling Santa(AKA Kason) what she wants for Christmas

My boys

I love, love, love doing this with Keagan each year. I normally let Kason join in but this day Kason was napping so I took advantage of some sweet alone time with my favorite 5 year old in the whole world. I like the picture below where you can see Keagan sneaking another lick of the icing:)

Looks like Keagan and Santa were having a serious talke:) What if we don't want to get Keagan what he told Santa he wanted?? Will he really realize it if it's not under the tree. The kid will rack up on toys since he has 3 sets of grandparents and several aunts and uncles who buy for them both. I'm not sure what to do. I think he'll like what we got him but like I said....it's not what he told Santa he wanted.....any of you have some advice for me?? I know though...it's not about getting what we want but grasping what Christmas really is!!

watching the parade with Aunt Lori and Uncle D
Each year we go the the "village" and watch the Christmas parade with Jason's family. The boys love it and always have a fun time!

Keeping warm while watching the parade

Look at this traveling snow hill that came through a town near us. I just had to let Keagan go slide down. Those guys were making a killing at $2 a slide. Keagan really thought it was a lot of fun.

Living in the area we are in we have really become aware of what our soldiers and their families go through. Please keep our soldiers in your prayers this holiday season. We have several friends and members of our church family whose husbands have just recently deployed and will be spending the holidays away from those they love the most. Some of them for the 2nd or 3rd year in a row. It's not only the soldiers who make a sacrifice but also their families who support them and their decision to serve and defend our country for us!! I just want to say thank you from the bottom of my heart to each one serving or has a loved one serving our country!!

Keagan's Christmas choir program. They were so cute!!

Whoa!! Seriously am I dreaming or is it really December already?? What a whirlwind the past couple of weeks have been. We've been to Keagan's school twice, once for a parent Thanksgiving breakfast his class had and another time because Keagan's class led chapel. I am so sad that we did not have the camera either time. Actually we might have had it for the breakfast but I didn't get to go because I had class that morning. Jason was the designated parent so I'll blame him for no pictures that morning:) Kason and I made a trip up the road to an awesome children's museum with a friend of mine and her little guy who is Kason's age, we did get pictures so maybe I'll post some of those. Then the Friday before Thanksgiving the boys, Gram, and I went to see Disney on Ice. It was a lot of fun but I definitely think that Kason enjoyed it more than Keagan. Let's see....Keagan was out of school the entire week of Thanksgiving. Grandma called and wanted to spend some time with he and Kason so I met her and D-dad halfway and the boys spent a few days with them before Jason and I headed up their way. Jason's uncle unexpectedly passed away 1 week ago today so needless to say our week was definitely busy!! The good thing though is that at one point or the other we were able to spend time with three sets of parents and family which normally doesn't happen on Thanksgiving. I hope in the business of this time of year you all will make time to stop and think of the things we have to be thankful for. Even though sometimes it seems as though we have it bad, all in all, I believe God has truly blessed each of us in immeasurable ways. Don't forget to celebrate the birth of Jesus Christ our Saviour in the rush to mark things off of your lists!!



Kason, Gram, and Keagan


Kason and Luke at the children's museum


Kason, Matti, and Keagan we are missing Brooklyn from this pict, she didn't feel like getting her pict taken at the moment.:(



Keagan took some picts with my camera while and G-ma and D-dad's, Heidi I think Abigail is definitely a better photographer than Keagan!!;)

This is mainly for the one that keeps asking me to send pics of the boys in the costumes...here you go:) Halloween night I took the boys to the Fall Festival at our church. There they played games and got tons of candy. Jason was able to get off of work a little early and went trick or treating with us after the festival. Good friends of ours the Gallaways live out in the sticks;) so they decided to come to our neighborhood to trick or treat with us and also another friend of ours husband was out of town and didn't want to take her boys trick or treating alone so Tiffany joined us as well. We were so glad they all came by because the boys ( yes we all have 2 boys each~ no girls here!) had a great time and Jason and I enjoyed hanging out with our friends too!!











This is a picture of Keagan's last soccer game, thanks for coming so far Uncle Kevin to see him play!!! Gram and Pop were there too but they didn't have as long of a drive:) I thought this was a cool picture you can see Keagan has just finished turning the ball around to go toward his team's goal and you can also see the air he got on that ball. He thought that was pretty cool. Over and out have a great day!!