Christmas Gifts ~ An UPDATE

My kids are definitely players...

and I don't mean it like PLAY-Ya's!

I mean they just love to play with their

toys, with their friends, with everything!

I was the same way as a child...

imagination station!!!

Since Christmas, the kids have had a blast

playing with their new things all the time!

One of the many treats that Grandmother

gave Walker was the game 'Pick Up Sticks'!

What a great idea...such a classic!

Grandmother even came over to teach Walker

how to play (and of course you know who

just had to join in on the fun!). The Hannah Montana guitar has been a HOOT!

Hadlee loves to sing "Best of Both Worlds"!

We can all sing it now!!!You might wonder why my two year old

even knows who "Hannah Manna" is.

Well, she stays with Sweet Mrs. Heather

who has a four and six year old little girl

and they happen to be HIP and CUTE

as everything!!!The Nintendo DS lives on...in much glory.

It's devastation city if he forgets to charge

it over night! He started out with this

thing telling us how terrible he was at his games.
Now he wins first place all the time!!!

Nothing like a scarf and a Nintendo DS...Even better was when Walker decided to use

some of his Christmas money to purchase

a case for his Nintendo DS. He immediately

comes home and gets out the belt with

his A&M belt buckle to carry his game on!!!

We were CRACKING UP!!! It's quite a look!

(Better than a fanny pack, right?!?)

Our Little Lady continues to love and nurture

her baby dolls in such a sweet way!

I love LOVE love watching her!

The new high chair from Santa has been fun

for the Little Mommy and her twins!!!The sunglasses in the stocking have

also provided much entertainment!

Why does Walker look like Rudolph you ask?!?

He doesn't want us to take the tag off

of his new glasses!!! Go figure!And when all else fails...

the sink with running water works just fine!

Yes, this is Hadlee's favorite new past time.

Washing her hands, brushing her teeth...

anything as long as she has running water!!!
Daddy just might put an end to this when

he gets our water bill!

Hope you are having fun with your Christmas treats!!!

My Travis / My Macy

Have you ever noticed how I love to use

the possessive adjective "my" in front of

my favorite people's names?!?

Just something I like to do!!!

Okay, first & foremost today...

Happy Birthday to my Handsome

Nephew Travis!

He is 20 years old today (HOLD ME!!!).

We will be celebrating his birthday

this weekend and he'll get his full

spotlight on my blog after that!!!

He is my first nephew and I often

think it was at his birth that I learned

what true love is really all about.

Now on to my Macy...

It was our privilege to go see

Macy play basketball at MCC

the other night! We got decked in our

blue & headed out there!!!

MCC has this awesome dance group that

performed several times during the game.

This was Haddie Girl's impression of them...

Complete with orange starburst in her mouth!Hadlee had HUGS for everyone...

I told my Little Stud Muffin to really

pay attention to the game because

his first game is THIS WEEK

on Thursday!

Logan's season is well underway, too!

WAHOOOOOO!!!

I never knew how hard it was to play a sport

on the college level...junior, major, whatever.

It is TOUGH!!!

Macy is getting a 'free ride' but boy, oh boy...

she is working her bootie off for it!!!

We are so proud of her!!!
She still has quite the fan club...

Troy's a member, too, but he was out of town! I truly don't know what it is about my

niece and nephews...I just love them so much, it hurts!

I guess there's nothing like a sibling...so there

is also nothing like your sibling's children.

(And when I say sibling...I think of my dearest

& best of the best friends, too, who are just like

sisters to me. LYLAS BAWLM lives!!!)

Seeing their accomplishments, heartbreaks, and

everything in between has been

TOUGH, yet AMAZING!!!

And now I'm on that very same journey

with my own children.

I love my Travis and my Macy,

that's for sure!!!

Go Fish?!?

What better thing to do while your

Mommy & Bubba are playing Go Fish...

This will surely get their attention

back on MOI!!!

Don't worry your pretty little blogs...I was

right by the cute dare devil (I mean angel)

so she wouldn't fall!

Or perhaps this was a scheme...

because this Little Guy sure was cheating!!!

Have a GREAT week!!!

Ringing in 2009 ~ Hoodie Style

Did you think we didn't celebrate the

last night of 2008?!?
Come on now!?!

No seriously, if we didn't have Hoodies then we

probably wouldn't have done anything special!!!

Daddy was lovin' his family and REQUESTED

to take our picture (usually kinda annoys him!).

Let me clarify...Daddy ALWAYS loves us ~

just usually doesn't care for our picture taking antics!!!

I include this silly picture of myself for a reason and it's not because I like myself in it. I include it because this is a look, not THE LOOK, that I give my hubby a lot. It's the "You are driving me crazy, but you are so dang funny & cute, that I can't help but smile!"
While Daddy left to go and pick up pizza for the Little Hoodies, I decided one last photo shoot for 2008 wouldn't be such a bad idea...As usual I was wrong...until Haddie said, "Mommy do it!" Absolutely, if it will get me a good one of the two of you!

I was also thinking with my crown it would be the closest I'd ever feel to being Miss USA anyways.So did Miss USA's photo shoot do the trick?!?

You be the judge...

Pretty cute for 2008!!! I'll take it!

Wasn't Haddie a little hottie in her bling bling

outfit from Aunt Lynna!?! Loved it!

OH wait, one last thing for '08!

Forgot to give Haddie this for Christmas...

her very own TROY doll!!!The Oakley's were awesome enough to host

our par-tay! They were fabulous hosts!!!

We did a Mexican Stack for our dinner &

the kids ate pizza...The Reeds were gracious enough to open

their home for the Little Hoodies to go play at with

our favorite sitter in the world...Carli!!!They were a little bit excited...Trey & I got into some FIERCE competition

on Ms. Pacman. This is the only thing

I am good at in this world!

Unfortunately Trey took me DOWN.

I'll be back in 2009 better than ever though!I still can't get over the fact that we have

found these AMAZING friends literally

right out our door step. It is unbelievable and one

thing I ALWAYS give thanks for!!!

We all have such a good time together...

Hoodie Men and Hoodie Women!!!This must have been a pre-game huddle......because a game of Scattergories was up next!!!

Hoodie Men vs. Hoodie Women

I've never been a fan of 'games' until this group...

we have a BLAST!!! It's always a HOOT!!!

There was no better way to ring in 2009 than

with our Hoodies!!!

Love you all!

HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!

Happy Birthday, Michelle!!!

Yesterday was my Beautiful Sistah's 44th Birthday!
Yes, she was the first baby born in Waco in 1968.
Go Michelle!!! Hot as EVER at 44!!!
Michelle is the sister that is ten years older than
I am. She is something else, too!!!

Michelle has the most tender heart of anyone
I've ever known...for people, for animals,

for anything. Growing up,

sometimes Michelle had to share a room
with me (keep in mind the age gap), and she
NEVER, EVER minded. She actually liked it!

I can remember being so painfully scared about
being left at Sunday School...

Michelle would STAY in my class with me

and sit in the back so I could enjoy it and not be afraid.

It was the COOLEST
when Michelle would pick me up from elementary
school in her cheerleading suit to take me to the high
school pep rallies! I was BIG stuff!!!

Even cooler was when she would pick my friends

and me up from middle school
in her Z28 and drive us up and down Hewitt
Drive (remember Kelli G?!?). What a Sistah!!!

Michelle is spunky & loving & fun & SO down to earth.
Sometimes I envy her for being so non-caring about
clothing & material things.

She is also CRazY fun & funny!!!

You can't help but LOVE Michelle!!!

My family LoVES to celebrate birthdays...

with Michelle's being the night

after New Year's Eve, it's always

a little tougher to get things moving!!!

My mother always cooks a DELICIOUS

birthday dinner & cake on New Year's Day

to celebrate.

Good times...always!

Happy Birthday Beautiful SISTAH!!!

Macy & Logan got lap tops for Christmas. They kinda upstaged Walker's Nintendo DS! ha!!! Not really, Logan still helped Walker win more tracks on his CARS game!!!

Michelle is my big LITTLE sister!
(I am about a head taller than she!).

She is a wonderful mother to Macy & Logan

and just the best sister anyone could ask for!

I am so blessed with my older sisters who

have always loved me like their own.

What a BLAST it is know and love my sister

Michelle with her wit, humor,

fun personality and most of all her sweet heart!!!

I love you, Beautiful Michelle!

Happy Birthday!!!

Here's to 2009

***NOTE to Sweet Blogger Friends...

Please forgive me for this ultra mushy personal

note to Walker & Hadlee, but as I often

say...they are for the most part the reason

I blog (obviously!). I follow a certain blog and I
LOVE how she writes sweet notes to her little boy

on it from time to time. Oh, and Happy New Year...

more on celebrating that SOON!***

Dear Walker & Hadlee,

What a year 2008 was! There are too many wonderful things to mention right here and now. Walker, one highlight I can't overlook is your AWESOME start to kindergarten & Hadlee, your FUN start in gymnastics! Both of these things I will never forget. Walk-Man, I also won't forget your love of life & you playing soccer and t-ball. And Haddie Girl, hearing you learn to talk and seeing your little Miss Priss personality emerge has been amazing! There is so much more. We've had our 'moments' but for the greatest part of this year, it has been nothing but wonderful.

My hope for 2009 for the two of you is the same hope I have for your entire lives. May you ALWAYS love Jesus. Your little loves for Him right now has to be the GREATEST thing a Mommy can experience. My prayer above all else is that this love will continue to grow and grow for your entire lives. You might doubt God from time to time and that's okay. But I know FIRST HAND, without a doubt, when ALL else fails, GOD DOESN'T.

I also LOVE how you love your family...mommy, daddy, each other, your grandparents, your cousins, your friends...WOW! You know them all and you love them all. There is nothing like family & close friends...never forget that.

You both seem to have the kindest little hearts. I pray this never changes. Being nice to EVERYONE is something that Mommy believes in with all of her heart...not just sometimes, but all the time. I learned this early on in my own life.

Surround yourself with lots of friends & family and LOVE them. Yes, you will be let down from time to time by friends, by events, by activities...and you might even be lonely here and there. Charge on...move on...be strong! Your family & real friends and, most of all, your faith, will be there to get you through.

Give thanks...to God, to your family, to your friends. Be thankful. We have been given MUCH. We have MUCH to be thankful for...just look around. Even on our saddest day, we still have MUCH to give thanks about. There isn't a night that I don't sneak into your rooms and peak into that crib to say thank you Lord for my little girl & then tip toe across the hall and kiss my sweet little boy's cheek. Thankful for SO MUCH.

Have FUN!!! Enjoy life. Experience life. Go and absolutely SHINE in everything you do. Mommy & Daddy will do our bests to help you experience as much as you possibly can. Love makes the world go 'round...and FUN makes the going 'round even better!!!

In August of 2008, we went to a REAL photographer. Mommy & Daddy went in with the intention of capturing our little family TODAY as we are. We told the photographer we wanted one good family picture, one of the two of you, and one of us with EACH of you. Guess what?!? That's what we got...and when I look at these photos, I can see the LOVE, our LOVE for one another.

These pictures are priceless to me.

Walker Age Six & Hadlee Age Two

There is so much more I could say today as 2008 comes to an end. I started this blog with the intention of you reading it someday and enjoying it. I hope that will be the case. Perhaps you will never doubt my love for you because you'll have this to read and know that every single day of your life, your mommy & daddy have loved you. We are far from perfect, but we certainly try our hardest to be better because of the two of you.

Want to know something else?!? Your mommy & daddy love each other like no other. Sometimes we stop & look at the two of you and can't believe that you are ours. That makes us love each other all the more. The two of you are our greatest gifts of all time.

So here's to 2009...may we love, laugh, and live even more than we did in 2008!!!