Our Family Advent Tree!

So I got together in early December with a group of ladies from my M.O.P.S. (Mothers of Preschoolers) group, and we made these Advent trees. We cut out 25 symbols representing meaningful stories in the Bible that represent God's love and faithfulness. Each night (from Dec. 1-25th) we read a prayer that goes with a specific Scripture, and then Katelyn puts the assigned symbol on the felt tree. Below is a picture of our tree and then a video of Katelyn putting a symbol on the tree.

On another note, we are traveling this week to Austin and Waco to spend time with our families. We went to Waco this afternoon for a Christmas party that Dave's mom hosts every year, and then headed to Austin....which is where we are now (Saturday) and will leave for Waco on Christmas Eve (Wednesday) and then back to Dallas on the 28th (Sunday). We'll be hosting our Chinese friend from SMU on the 29th/30th to celebrate a belated Christmas and share our special traditions with him.

Take time to linger at the manger in the coming days, and in doing so, may you have a wonderful Christmas!

Holiday Fun!

My grandparents (Mom and Pop) sent Katelyn this really cute little winter outfit! Katelyn loved feeling the "fur" on it, and we loved watching her look so stinkin' adorable in it!


Also, Katelyn really got in the spirit of decorating the Christmas tree this year! Look closely and you'll see her shoes nestled in the branches! Thanks for the special touch, Katelyn!

Giving Thanks!

We had a great Thanksgiving holiday with my family in Austin, and we also were able to visit with Dave's family in Waco on our way back! We have so much to be thankful for...as I write this tonight, I am thankful for another day to live! The highlight of our Thanksgiving was having my grandparents (AKA mom and pop--my dad's parents) from Beaumont there! We hadn't seen them since May, and my dad drove to pick them up so they could share the holiday with us! Katelyn and I had a little bit of a stomach bug, and my sister Brittany was also a little under the weather during our stay in Austin, but the way I see it....what better place to get sick than at home with people who care and want to take care of you?! Here are a few pictures from the trip! Enjoy!

The gang!

Mom and Pop

Katelyn in her oversized PJ's

Katelyn after waking up from a nap and seeing a room full of people looking at her.
She's seen better days. :(

Katelyn playing with Jerry dog and MaMaw

Katelyn sharing her goldfish with Jerry dog