Valentine's Day

Well...this post is a little late.  But you know what they say...better late than never!  Cody and I have never really gone over the top crazy for Valentine's Day.  One reason is because our anniversary is March 1st which is just a couple of weeks after Valentine's anyways and we would rather just spend a relaxing evening at home and really celebrate our anniversary since they're so close to one another.  Another reason is because everything is so crazy busy and we really hate fighting an insane crowd just to go out and eat dinner somewhere.  So, when we were talking about what to do this year, we just decided to cook dinner together at home and spend the evening together with out three loves.  There have been previous years where we have ordered dinner to-go and gone and picked it up and ate at home...but cooking together just sounded more fun!  I planned the menu and then we headed to the grocery store the weekend before to get everything we needed...again so we wouldn't have to fight the crowds the closer it got to the actual day!  We love being around people...but too many people in one small confined area all going for the same thing and not being all that nice kinda gives both of us a little bit of social anxiety!  When we were talking about what to cook, we realized it had been awhile since we had done anything on the grill.  So, we each picked out the kind of meat we wanted...Cody got a steak and I got salmon.  I also made a salad with tons of yummy vegetables, a baked potato for Cody and a sweet potato for me, and oven baked "fried" okra.  Then, for dessert, I made a four layer chocolate dessert that had cream cheese, cool whip, chocolate pudding, and a walnut crust.  All fat-free and sugar-free of course...and the walnut crust was made with good for you nuts and light butter!  It doesn't get much better when your dessert is good for you!  Cody even liked it...so that was a major plus!  He always gives me a hard time because I make every bit of food that I can healthy...even desserts.  Sometimes he likes them and sometimes he doesn't...but this was definitely a hit!  This past weekend I actually made what he considers "real brownies."  They were definitely made with real sugar, real butter, eggs, and a frosting that was anything but healthy!  They're all gone...I'm pretty sure he ate 90% of them by himself...in one night!

Back to Valentine's Day.  Since this "holiday" is so close to our anniversary, we typically don't get each other anything.  Well...we get each other a little something...but nothing too big!  This year (thanks to Pinterest) I gave Cody a little something every day starting February 1st.  It was the "14 Days of Valentine's Day."  Every day there was a little saying that went along with a candy bar or some other type of little gift.  I left them on the counter for him so that they would be there when he woke up.  Of course, I was already long gone (since I leave the house at 5:00 am to go work out before work) by the time he got up...so it was a fun little surprise for him!  There were a few days that I was actually out of town for a technology conference and my parents had to deliver the gifts.  I had given my dad Cody's key lock combination that he types in on the outside of his truck so that my dad could put the presents in the driver's seat before Cody left for work.  So fun!  On the actual day of Valentine's I had found a little picture frame that said "Love is a Four-Legged Word" and then had a red bone underneath where the picture went that was made out of all kinds of words that pertained to dogs.  I had taken a picture of the three babies (thanks to some help from Bella...my mom!) and put that picture in the frame for him.  When I woke up that morning I had a little surprise myself!  Cody had gotten me the most beautiful arrangement of roses and the sweetest card.  What's funny is that he had spruced up the envelope of the card with pictures of the three pups.  He had found a picture of each of them and then typed up a little saying on the computer and taped their picture with their saying above their heads.  We had to laugh because both of us gave each other something on Valentine's day that related to the dogs.  Can you tell that we love them to pieces and they're completely rotten?!?!? Oh well...they are definitely our babies and they get treated like the spoiled rotten little toots that they are.  There have been many times when we will get up from sitting on the couch and they'll steal our seats.  Or...they'll each be taking up the chair, love seat, and couch and we wind up sitting on the floor cause we don't want to make them move.  And if we do make them move, we call them back up to crawl up and sit in our laps.  Yep...we love them a lot!  We had a great Valentine's with each other and our little family!!!



This is the picture that I put in the frame I gave to Cody...precious pups!!!




I love this!  This is typical of all three of their personalities...Sarge has a "duh" expression on his face, Trigger is being mischievous, and Faith is being a little prissy pot...and smiling big!




Sweet babies!!!




My beautiful roses with a sweet card!




Here's a close-up of the card and their little sayings.  If you've met our dogs...then you know they're personalities and that if they could talk...this would be pretty close to what they would say!




BEAUTIFUL!!!  I have the best husband in the whole world!!!



Happy 21st!!!

Happy 21st Birthday to my baby brother!!!  I CANNOT believe that Michael turned 21 on February 5th!  Where do all these years go?!?!?  Granted...he's been 21 for well over a month now.  But still, I remember waiting at the hospital for him to be born and it seems like it was just the other day!

This year, his birthday was actually on Super Bowl Sunday...which made it even more fun because everyone was geared up to watch the game and grill out.  For lunch, he wanted to go out to Perini's and eat, which is a family favorite!  My dad called and made reservations for 11:30, which was nice because it gave us plenty of time after church to come home and let the dogs out for a bit and still early enough that there wasn't a huge crowd.  On Sundays, Perini's has an old fashioned lunch buffet...just like the way Grandma used to cook!  So they say anyways...I always order off the menu!  The buffet includes: fried chicken, chicken fried steak, smoked ham, pinto beans, green beans, corn, potatoes, gravy, green salad, cucumber and onion salad, hot rolls, and bread pudding and strawberry shortcake for dessert.  It always looks really good...I just don't eat foods like that.  So, I order the grilled chicken or grilled chicken sandwich...which melts in your mouth!  My mom is a vegetarian, so she really loves the buffet because she can get all the veggies she wants...plus they have a few special things on the buffet that don't come on the regular menu.  And of course the boys love the buffet because all the meat on the menu is only available on Sundays when you get the buffet.  Not only that...but you can go back as many times as you want!  My dad and mom both went back twice and Cody and Michael went back four times!  I do have to say...the pieces of meat they give you are smaller than you typical portion sizes...so really...they probably only had two good sized steaks...plus all the fixins!  Michael's girlfriend works at Perini's...and she was our waitress when we went!  So that was really fun...plus she's so sweet and we got to spend some time with her while we were there eating.

After lunch, mom, dad, and Michael dropped us off at our house because we had a few errands to run.  Brittany (Michael's girlfriend) had planned to have all his friends and family over at her and her parent's house for dinner that night.  They were going to grill out and of course...watch the game!  Because there were going to be so many people, we all had a few things that we were going to bring to the party so that we could help out and give her more time to get other things ready.  Since she had to work that day, there wasn't as much time for her to prepare for everything.  Cody and I waited until the last minute to get the things we were bringing...so off to the store we went!  Brittany was making hamburgers, hot dogs, chili, baked potatoes, chips, hot sauce, and queso, and of course all the fixins and a veggie tray with dip!  She also made funfetti cupcakes with buttercream frosting for dessert...Michael's favorite!  We were in charge of the buns for the hamburgers and hot dogs and all the veggies and cheese to go on them...and the veggie tray and dip!  When we left the house, we decided to go to Sam's because it would be cheaper.  Then Albertson's for the veggies and stuff since we didn't need as many of them.  Let me tell you...both places were a mad house!  There were so many people in both places buying things for last minute parties...and a lot of people just buying their everyday groceries.  Not the best day to just do your normal grocery shopping that's for sure!  We got home and had a couple of hours to spare before we headed out to Britt's, so we just chilled with the pups and watched some tv and pre-game stuff.

Around 4:00 we headed out to Brittany's house to begin the birthday/Super Bowl festivities!  Everything was still being cooked, but the pre-game show was on and everyone was ready to snack, eat, visit, watch the game, and have a good time!  It was so much fun to be with everyone and for all Michael's friends to be there to celebrate his birthday with him.  The food was also amazing!  There was so much to choose from and everything was seriously delicious!  Brittany's step-dad grilled the hamburgers and hot dogs out on the grill...which is always so good.  You just can't get much better than a hamburger and hot dog off the grill...all those yummy char marks...my mouth is watering just thinking about it!  They had also bought two different kinds of chicken sausage.  Both kinds were so good.  I had a hard time deciding what I wanted to eat because I wanted a little bit of everything!  So, I just had to cut a few bits off of a hot dog and both kinds of chicken sausage so I could have a little sample.  I just couldn't pass up a hamburger...so that's exactly what I had!  I put a little bit of the chili on it with a little taste of the queso...and man it was so good!  But like I've said a million times in this post...all the food was to die for!

For the rest of the evening, we watched the game and just sat around and visited.  It was so fun to sit back and listen to the stories Michael and his friends were telling.  Those boys are all a mess!  But, the good kind of mess.  You know...the funny, silly, light-hearted, and also loving mess!  These boys are really more like brothers, and have been ever since they were in elementary school.  It's a pretty unique relationship that they all have.  And it makes it fun for all of us because we feel like we have an extended family through them.  All their parents are precious and I really feel like I have seven brothers instead of one!  We laughed and joked and talked...really more than we watched the game.  But it was so fun!  Cody and I decided to head out after the halftime show.  We both had work the next day and we knew that the pups would be ready to play and be loved on before they calmed down and were really ready for bed.  So, we headed out and finished watching the game at our house.  Overall, I think Michael had a pretty good 21st and it was so much fun to celebrate his day with him!  I'm so proud of the man that he has grown into and for all he has accomplished in his 21 years and I look forward to watching him grow for many more years to come.  He's been my best friend and partner in crime ever since he was born and I'm so blessed to have him as my baby brother.  I love you Michael!

Michael and Brittany out at Perini's!

Me and my (big) little brother!!!  It's kinda hard to say he's my little brother when he's about 10 inches taller than I am!  And in this picture...I'm wearing 5 inch heels!

Cody and I with the birthday boy!!!  Happy 21st Michael!!!

All the boys that came to celebrate Michael's birthday!  Love them all so much!

The whole gang!!!  Such a fun group of people to be surrounded by on such a milestone birthday!  We love you Michael!!!

She's Here!!!

"Every good and perfect gift is from above" James 1:17

On a beautiful day back in January...we welcomed the most beautiful little girl into the world.  Jansen Hadley Jordan was born on January 25, 2012 at 5:55 pm weighing in at 6 pounds 13 ounces and 18 3/4 inches long.  Let me tell you...this little girl is BEAUTIFUL!!!  But I don't see how she couldn't be...both her mommy and daddy are beautiful too!  It has been such a joy and honor to be a part of this journey with Brent and Bria.  We have watched them grow spiritually, emotionally, and closer together throughout the ups and downs of trying to have a baby.  God couldn't have blessed them more when they found out Bria was pregnant with Jansen.  They found out when Bria was about 3 weeks along and their doctor was able to get her on some medicine that helped her to carry Jansen full term and have a beautiful, healthy baby girl.


Bria was induced that morning around 7:30 and from there on, Jansen was on her way!  While we were awaiting her arrival, we sat and visited outside of the delivery wing in the hallway until she was here.  Brent and Bria's family had been there all day long, so when Bria started pushing, they moved out into the hallway with us.  There's a really nice little sitting room for families when they are going to be there for awhile.  That's where their family had been up until the point when Bria started pushing.  I guess we got there around 5:00 and as we were walking in, so were a few other couples.  There was so much anticipation for when Jansen would be here, and we were so excited we could hardly stand it!  It was really fun to sit out in the hallway with everyone and just visit and talk about what Jansen would look like and how much fun it was going to be to have another baby girl in our little circle of friends...who really are our family!  After Brent came out and told us she was here, how much she weighed, how long she was, and what she looked like, we all waited our turn to go back and see her!  Our group of friends all went in together...and let me just say it was amazing!  First, Bria looked absolutely beautiful.  Second, Jansen looked so perfect and so beautiful.  She had a headful of dark black hair, Bria's mouth and nose, and Brent's eyes.  She looked so peaceful...like a little angel.  And third, Brent had the biggest smile on his face that was priceless!


It was so much fun preparing for this sweet baby girl.  And I know if all us other girls had fun...Bria had a blast!  We planned showers and watched the nursery come together and become a beautiful room perfect for a little princess.  There was also some shopping involved...duh!  The boys also had fun.  It's been really amazing to see how Jansen has grabbed a hold of Brent's heart.  From the moment she was here...she had Brent wrapped around all her little fingers and toes.  He loves his little girl so much.  I also think it's been really cool to watch some of the other boys around her.  They are all so protective of her...but also so loving and gentle.  When we all get together, everyone wants to hold her and love on her...she's just so sweet!  They are both such amazing parents!  We are so blessed to have ya'll as friends and it was incredible to be a part of this journey with you...we love you three so much!!!

Abbie, Erica, Leah, Me, and Leah's beautiful baby girl, Sydney waiting on sweet baby J to be born!!!

All our boys waiting on the newest member of the Jordan family!  Jacob, Josh, Adam, and Cody are all so excited for this precious little girl to come into this world!

Look at those beautiful, big blue eyes!  We love Sydney...she is the best little girl ever!!!  Not to mention that she's absolutely beautiful...and her parents are the sweetest people ever!  We have the BEST friends!

Bria's Mom, Brent's Mom, and Brent's Aunt all anticipating the arrival of sweet Jansen!

These are Bria's nieces and nephews...Jansen is the 10th grandchild on Bria's side of the family!

Another picture of these sweet kiddos waiting on their new niece!  It was so much fun to be waiting with both of Brent and Bria's family.  There was so much love and excitement all around...it was amazing!

This is the moment Brent walked through the doors to tell us that Jansen was here!  Look at that big grin on his face!!!

The new daddy telling us all about his precious baby girl...so sweet!!!

Brent telling us more about Jansen's arrival.  The delivery went so smoothly and Bria did amazing.  I have to say...she is such a wonderful mommy!!!

This was the first picture that Brent took of Jansen!  Look at how beautiful and perfect she is!!!

This melts my heart!  Brent is such a good daddy and has so much love for this precious bundle of joy!!!

Look at this beautiful little momma!!!  This was about a month after Jansen was born.  She looks so much like Bria...which means that she is absolutely beautiful!!!  Both these girls are so sweet and so special...I love them both so very much!!!

The Jordan trio!  What a perfect little family!!!  We love you guys so much and are so blessed to have you in our lives...we are so very happy for you!!!

My Husband is AMAZING!

I am one lucky girl to be married to such an amazing man! He is so caring, thoughtful, considerate, kind, ans just really amazing!  My sweet hubby did something so thoughtful and sweet one morning for me that I just had to write about it!  This happened back in January right after school had started back after the Christmas break...but like I said before...I have some catching up to do!  He typically stays up later than I do by at least an hour...most of the times two hours.  I get up at 4:30 to go work out before work and he usually doesn't get up until 7:00 or 7:15...so I go to bed between 9:30 and 10:00 and he comes to bed between 10:30 and midnight.  Anyways, this one morning back in January, I woke up to the sweetest notes laying around various parts of the kitchen and garage waiting for me after I had gotten up.  I had actually decided to work out in the afternoon that day because I was out of the habit of getting up so early and thought it would be better to ease my way back into it than just start getting up so early the day school started back.  I had told him this before I went to bed the night before, so he knew that I would be feeding the dogs and getting all the other things ready for the day that morning rather than doing it all the night before.  When I go work out early in the morning, he takes care of the dogs and I get all my stuff done the night before so I can just grab my lunch and my school bag and head out the door without turning any lights on and disturbing him and the pups while I leave the house.  Plus, I just don't have time to do anything when I leave that early...and I'm still half asleep!  So...this is what I got to wake up to:

This sweet note was in front of my lunch in the fridge.  It is the first place I go to in the mornings to get out my coffee creamer and my lunch for that day.  So sweet!!!

This note was obviously in the dogs food storage...which is the second place I go after I've let them out, and of course, loved on them.  They are pretty demanding for their breakfast...so I immediately get their food after I've made sure to take my food out of the fridge (I've forgotten it one too many times!)  What's funny is that I didn't even realize the next one because I was so excited to receive the first two!

This was the last note...and just so precious!  It was taped on my driver's side window of my car.  Right before I go back into our bathroom to change clothes, I take my school bag and purse out to my car and turn it on so it's nice and toasty (or nice and cool depending on the time of year) when I leave.  He is so sweet and knows me so well...he always does these sweet little things that touch my heart.  It was an amazing way to start my day!!!  I love you so much Cody Michael Kelley!!!

My New Kitchen...IN LOVE!!!

So...I got a brand new kitchen!!!  WOO HOO!!!  I'm completely in love with it too...it's wonderful!  However, the reason why we wound up re-doing our kitchen was a smidge irritating.  I had been noticing for several months that our oven wasn't cooking things right.  It would take an extra 30-45 minutes to cook most things...which was no bueno in my book.  I cook dinner once or twice a week...enough for a night or two of leftovers so that we have yummy dinner every night of the week.  So, this whole extra time for cooking thing was really getting frustrating.  One of the reasons is simply because I don't have a lot of extra time to wait on food to cook.  With my commute to and from work, I'm on a time crunch to have dinner ready by a decent time...my tummy tells me so!  Plus, I don't like to have other people (my hubby, family, or friends) waiting on me to have dinner on the table when it should have already been there 30-45 minutes prior.  I really started noticing the oven right around Thanksgiving...great timing right?!?!?  I was baking the pies the day before so that I could free up a little more time the day I was cooking the big meal, and the pies just wouldn't cook.  I'm pretty sure they cooked double the amount of time required...so they were in the oven for almost two hours...ridiculous!  Well, we made it through Thanksgiving with the oven still working, which was a huge relief.  But, that very next week is when disaster struck.  I was making brownies for a luncheon at work and Cody and I are in the kitchen and we hear this loud "POP!"  We both look at each other trying to figure out what it was when I turned around and saw this red glow coming from the oven...yikes!  Well...I have no clue what to do.  So, I do the smart thing and open the oven door.  NOT...that was so dumb of me!  Thank goodness we have friends who are firefighters!!!  But, we didn't have to call them...thank goodness!  As soon as I opened the door Cody flew up behind me and shut the door and turned off the oven.  Praise the Lord I married a smart man!  He's many other things of course...but that night I was extra thankful for his smartness!  He told me that the oxygen from the air could cause a fire to start if I opened the door where a potential fire was...duh!  How did I not know this?!?!?  So, now I have this new bit of information...but brownies that need to be cooked and our oven is...well dead.  Thank goodness my parents are close...otherwise I would have had to come to school empty handed...and that's no good for anyone!

Now that we realize we have to buy a new oven, we just decide to break down and buy a new microwave and refrigerator while we're at it.  We had already bought a new dishwasher last February...so we didn't have to worry about that.  When we bought our house, we knew the appliances and kitchen were something that we wanted to change and update...but we just thought we would do it on our time...but our appliances had other ideas!  After work one day, we went into Sears and got an amazing deal on some awesome Kenmore stainless steal appliances.  We went in the Monday right after Thanksgiving and the guy that helped us gave us the black Friday prices...amazing!  We got a convection/convention stove, a french door fridge with the freezer on the bottom, and a microwave that can also be a mini oven if need be.  The dishwasher is awesome too...also Kenmore...but I've been using that for about a year now!  Once we realized we were getting new appliances, we knew we had to get new counters and a back splash as well.  I know that in most cases you don't HAVE to do these things, but for us, we did.  See, when the builders built our house, they put in a stove that was a built in.  Meaning, when it went out, we had to cut part of the counters off on the sides and part of the cabinet off on the bottom for the new one to go in...since it was a slide in...not a built in.  What's crazy is that these built in ovens cost twice as much as a regular oven...even more than the oven we got that can be either convection or convention.  We thought this was crazy...to spend twice as much on a oven and not get one that's as nice as the one we got.  So, we made a phone call to Encounters to give us an estimate on granite and an Austin stone back splash.

They came out and were so nice and so helpful...and made our kitchen look like it's from a magazine!  Cody and I had so much fun picking out the granite and talking about what it would all look like when it was done.  When we were picking out the granite and stone, we also decided to have them do the area under our bar where the bar stools are.  There are scuff marks and such from when people sit at the bar and there shoes scrap on the paint...so we thought if we put the Austin stone there too...that problem would be solved.  After picking everything out, we scheduled a time for them to come out and install everything.  Our appliances had already arrived...I guess we had had them about a week before the guys came and installed the granite and back splash.  They came on a Monday and were finished by Thursday...and it was perfect timing!  They finished getting everything done and cleaned up the day before I was off for Christmas break!  So, I was able to have a brand new kitchen with working appliances so that I could cook Christmas dinner and not have to panic that something was going to go out.  I spend a lot of time in our kitchen and Cody was so sweet to be the one to suggest that it was time to have it re-done.  He also really loves the way it looks...he comments on it quite frequently!  Having the kitchen be updated makes our house just feel more like us.  We've been there almost four years and little by little we've updated it and made it be just perfect for our style and how we like things.  I feel so blessed to be able to have a home that I come home to everyday to the little family that I love so much.  God has truly blessed us in so many ways and I am so thankful for the life that He has given me...I couldn't be happier!!!  Now...I'm off to cook something delicious in my shiny new kitchen :-)

I've been MIA...

Well...I'm sure by now many of you have noticed that I have not written a new blog post since January 18th.  That's a long time!  I promise I have a good excuse...and I also promise I've got several posts waiting to be written!  For the past seven weeks I have been taking the hardest class of my life and it has consumed nearly every minute and spare minute of my time.  My poor husband, family, and friends have had to put up with my crazy emotions as I've gone through this class...but I'm done now!  I'm still not sure what I made in the class.  As of right now, I have a 93.  But, there are several grades that need to be graded...so we'll see!  I have talked to many people that have said this is the hardest class that you'll take through this Master's program...and they weren't lying!  I'm so very thankful that this was one of the last classes that I had to take.  It was much easier to tolerate and bear down and study, read, and write knowing that I'll be graduating in May.  Now all I have left to do is write a couple more big papers for my Practicum and give a 45 minute presentation and I'll be finished!!!!  Woo hoo!  I never would have thought that two years of this program has already gone by...but I'm so thankful that it has.  I'm so glad that I decided to go back to school and get my Master's, but I'm also so ready to be DONE!  If I pull an "A" in this class, then I'll be graduating with a 4.0 and Summa Cum Laude honors...fingers crossed!  I thank everyone that has believed in me, pushed me, and put up with me these past two years and especially these past seven weeks...I couldn't have done it without any of you!  So...now you know where I've been and what I've been doing since I last blogged.  But keep checking back...I promise I won't leave you hanging!

The Most Wonderful Time of the Year!!!

I absolutely LOVE Christmas!!!  It has been my favorite time of year ever since I can remember.  I know that a large part of the reason why I love it so much is because of all the special things that my parents did for both me and my little brother when we were growing up.  Santa Claus was a huge deal at our house and my parents started this fun tradition from the time we were babies.  I remember one year my dad had started a fire in the fireplace on Christmas Eve and when I woke up there was a boot mark in the soot...Santa Claus's boot obviously!  Another year, Santa left behind a piece of his velvet red pants that he must have accidentally torn on the fireplace screen when arriving or trying to go back up the chimney.  When Michael was born, I was 5 and Santa Claus became so much more fun.  I had a partner in crime to rush into the living room with to see what Santa had left us on Christmas morning.  We However, my parents always made us wake them up before we ran into the living room to see all our goodies.  They would go and turn on the Christmas tree lights, turn on the Christmas lights outside, turn on Christmas music (Neil Diamond's Christmas of course), turn on the lights in the living room so they could see us, and set-up the video camera so that they could catch our reactions as well as us opening everything.  As soon as they told us they were ready, we made a bee line for the living room.  When Michael was little, he started sleeping on a pallet on the floor in my room so that we could wake up together on Christmas morning.  This tradition actually lasted up until Cody and I got married.  The last year that I lived at home before the wedding, Cody slept in Michael's room and Michael still made a pallet on the floor in my room.  In fact, the first couple of years we lived in our house, Michael would stay in our guest room and when we were all ready to go across the street, we would call my parents and tell them we were ready.  They would still make us wait until they got everything set-up before we could walk over.  My parents still do Santa Claus for us even though we're all in our twenties...some of us late twenties...but I won't mention any names! 

Our Christmas traditions have been the same ever since I can remember and I love that it's that way.  It makes me think about my childhood and just the warmth of having family all around and being together with each other.  On Christmas Eve, we always open the presents that we got for one another.  The youngest opens one first and we go all the way around to the oldest and then start over again until all the presents are opened.  Then, we watch Christmas movies, usually the Santa Claus, then head to bed and try to get some sleep before Christmas morning.  My daddy always makes sausage balls and we still call (or text) before we walk across the street to do stockings and Santa presents.  Neil Diamond's Christmas CD's still plays in the background and to to this day, they are my favorite Christmas songs.

After we open our stockings and have breakfast, Cody and I usually go back home to get ready for Christmas lunch.  Depending on the year, we either eat lunch here in Abilene or go to my Mimi's house in Hamilton and have Christmas lunch with my mom's side of the family.  This year, we spent Christmas Even in Hamilton with my aunt, uncle, cousins, their spouses, and the two kiddos that one of them has.  Our families are the same when it comes to how many children my mom and aunt had as well as the gender of each of us.  My aunt had Amber first, then Drew a few years later.  My mom had me first, and Michael nearly 6 years later.  We are not that far apart in age and have always been close.  Chad and Amber have been married now for nearly 11 years and have two precious puppies.  Drew and Tamara have been married for almost 8 years and have two boys, Hunter will be 8 this year and Maddox will be 4...I think.  My Mimi was really excited that we were all going to be there this year.  Her entire family that now consists of 14 people, including herself, were all together for Christmas and spent time eating, laughing, and talking for an entire afternoon.  Time goes by fast though, and shortly after lunch we headed back to Abilene to celebrate Christmas with our own little family.

This year, our traditions were still similar, but also a little bit different.  We are all older now, and really, there is nothing that any of us need that we couldn't go and buy for ourselves.  So, we decided that we would all get together, my family and Cody's family, and adopt a family and provide a Christmas for them that they might not otherwise have.  It was probably the most fun Christmas we've had in a long time.  We all got together one Sunday evening and went shopping for a sweet mommy to a four year old Autistic little boy.  She also has two other children, two girls, one lives with her grandmother and the other lives with her dad.  This precious family was so sweet and it was so overwhelming to see the look on that little boy's face when we came over to their house to drop off the presents.  We were truly blessed by this family and got to see the real reason why we celebrate Christmas right here on earth.  Before we left, we all joined hands and prayed together.  Christmas is such a wonderful time of year.  It's a time to be with your family, to just sit back and enjoy things and not rush around like you do every other day, but it's also a time to remember and celebrate our Lord and Savior's birth.  It's so much fun to do presents, Santa Claus, and stockings, but to be able to do it for someone else has truly blessed all of our lives more than we know.

When Christmas day rolled around, I called dad soon after we had gotten up and he told us to come over around 8:30.  He always makes the best sausage balls, but I thought I would add a few more dishes to the breakfast table this year.  I made a overnight breakfast hash brown casserole, sticky bun breakfast ring, and baked cranberry banana oatmeal.  After all that was done cooking, it was about time for us to head over for breakfast and stockings.  My parents still decided to do stockings for all us kids (which I was secretly excited about because I always loved seeing what Santa had brought me in my stocking) so after breakfast, we dug into our stockings to see what we had gotten.  All of us got pretty much the same thing, some candy, a blanket, new pj's, and a few other things that we each love and are unique to us and our personalities.  We stayed over there for about an hour after breakfast and then headed back home to watch a movie or two and spend some time with our babies before we went back over for lunch.  I love that Lifetime always plays tons of Christmas movies from right after Thanksgiving all the way through Christmas day.  So, we just turned it on and watched the movies that were playing while we relaxed and waited for lunch to be ready.  My parents cooked the traditional meal...and it was SO good!  We had turkey, ham, dressing, sweet potato casserole, green bean casserole, green beans, cranberry salad, and pumpkin pie.  Needless to say we were stuffed!  In fact, we were a little worried we wouldn't be hungry for dinner.  Which normally wouldn't be a big deal, but Michael's girlfriend and her family had invited us over for Christmas dinner that evening.  Thank goodness we finally got hungry because that meal was also delicious!  They had fried turkey, steaks, two different kinds of green beans, stuffing, mashed potatoes, rolls, a salad, and a huge veggie spread with lots of yummy dips.  We spent the rest of the evening talking and spending time together before heading back home.  Cody and I stayed up for another couple of hours just laying on the couch with the three dogs piled up there with us.  We watched another movie and just enjoyed the fact that we could actually spend some much needed time together and not have to worry about the next place that we needed to go or having to cross something off a to-do list.  Christmas was so much fun and we enjoyed just getting to stay home and spend the entire day together with our families and our sweet puppies!

The day after Christmas, Cody's family came over for Christmas dinner with us that evening.  I debated and debated and went back and forth a million times on whether to cook a traditional Christmas dinner or do something super non-traditional.  The more and more I thought about it, the more and more I was craving the traditional Christmas meal.  Even though we had already had two traditional meals, one at my Mimi's and one at my parent's, it just doesn't seem like Christmas unless you get the full fledged traditional meal.  Then, I was on a mission to scout out the yummiest recipes to make for our family's dinner.  Of course, I could have just used family recipes.  But I like to find new recipes and put my own little spin on them.  Thanks to Pinterest and the 20 plus food blogs I follow, I came up with some pretty amazing recipes that I was super excited to try out...and eat!  Here's what I made: a brown sugar-pineapple glazed ham topped with pineapple slices from Taste of Home, traditional stuffing (I made alterations to it) from The Pioneer Woman, sweet potato casserole from Skinny Taste,  green bean casserole from For the Love of Cooking, pumpkin pie from Skinny Taste, and a pecan pie from The Pioneer Woman.  I also bought some King's Hawaiian rolls and made our family's holiday punch recipe that we make every year.  It's made with orange juice, cranberry juice, and ginger ale...and it's so good!  Cody's family came over around 6:30 and we had so much fun eating, talking, and spending time together.  The whole gang was there: Cody's parents, his sister, her hubby, and their three kiddos were all able to make it so that we could enjoy Christmas dinner together.  Everyone loved all the food, and there were even leftovers.  Which I was super excited about because this kind of meal is so, so yummy leftover!  There wasn't much though, but I promise it all got eaten!  I actually need to make another pecan pie because it's Cody's favorite and he only got one piece of it.  His company went on a little vacation to Ruidoso that next morning and got back that Thursday.  But, by the time he had gotten home, it had long since been devoured.  I wonder by whom....  The dogs were also glad to see everyone.  When people come over to our house, they think that everyone there is there to see them.  We have so much fun with Cody's family and it even seemed like a continuation of celebrating because Chrissy had just graduated a few days before they came over for Christmas.  So, that was super fun!  The kids are growing up so fast and it amazes me to watch how fast little Aaron is growing.  I swear it was just yesterday that we were going to Del Rio to celebrate his birth and he'll be two in June!  Airicka will be driving this summer...on her own and Eli is going to be a teenager in a few days.  What?!?!?!  Time really does fly by.  But, we savored every moment with them while they were at the house and just enjoyed being together as a family.  Christmas has been so much fun this year...but it's not over yet!

New Year's was fast approaching and one of our very best friend's birthday is on New Year's Eve!  How much fun would that be?!?!?  We decided awhile before her birthday that we would get together at Brent and Bria's for brunch on New Year's Day.  On New Year's Eve, we each did our own thing.  Dallas cooked an amazing birthday/New Year's Eve celebration dinner for Britian including stuffed lobster, steak, and asparagus.  Brent had to work all day and night (he's a fireman) and Bria also had to work a shift at the gym, so she just went home afterwards to relax and have dinner.  She's about to have their little girl, Jansen, so she was thankful to have a nice, quiet evening at home.  And Cody and I just spent the entire day together watching TV shows on Netflix.  We literally laid on the couch all day long watching episode after episode of season 1 of a show that I will not name because I've been threatened to not expose this information to anyone!  I got Cody addicted to a show that is not very manly and I promised to keep it a secret...hehe!  I cooked dinner for us that night and we celebrated the new year with our three loves while watching Netflix all night long.  The next day, we headed over to Brent and Bria's for brunch and a birthday celebration for Britian.  Bria made pancakes, two different kinds of quiche, fruit, cream cheese rolls, and mimosas.  It was amazing and we stuffed ourselves full!  We sat around the table and just visited for a long time before it was time to play the Wii.  The boys played games and we went in Jansen's room and just sat on the floor and talked for several hours.  Shortly after, we got a little hungry and headed downstairs for a quick snack and then right back upstairs and watched the boys play the Wii...they are so funny!  They were yelling and laughing...so competitive but so funny at the same time!  Everyone brought their own meat to put on the grill for dinner, Bria made some side dishes to go along with it, and then the Cowboy's game was watched.  It was an amazing way to bring in the new year and just made me even more thankful for the precious people that God has put in my life.  I truly have such amazing family and friends!

And finally, this past weekend, we finally got around to going to Kerrville to see my Grandma and celebrate Christmas with her.  It's been kinda crazy with all her treatments as well as her recovery from the surgery.  But, we managed to get down there to visit her.  She was fighting a cold, but was feeling amazingly well.  The reason that we didn't go down there the week after Christmas like we normally do is because she had had a chemo treatment on the 27th.  We wanted to make sure that she was feeling well enough after her treatment to accommodate us, so we decided waiting until the next weekend to go down and visit would be the best thing to do.  It's been amazing though, she hasn't really felt bad at all throughout all her chemo treatments.  In fact, I think the only time that she ever really felt queasy and didn't have much of an appetite was after the second treatment.  This last one she just had was her sixth treatment.  She'll have just one more, so seven in all, and then only have to go in for routine check-ups to make sure that the cancer is still gone.  Gone...that's insane to even think about considering what we were told in the beginning.  My Grandma's close to being in remission, this is completely God's healing hands performing miracles on this earth in front of our very eyes.  I honestly have to say that we had one of the best weekends down in Kerrville that we've had in a long time.  Cody and my dad went down there on Friday night and stayed down at the ranch so they could hunt or do whatever else...like relax...which is exactly what they did!  Mom, Michael, and I got up early on Saturday morning and got there around lunch time.  We decided to go straight into Comfort, pick up the boys, and head to Boerne to eat at this amazing little place called Hungry Horse.  My grandma and cousin met us for lunch and we all ate and enjoyed every bite...this place is just so good!  After we ate, all the boys went back to the ranch and we headed back towards Kerrville.  When we got into the actual town of Comfort, us girls stopped at the Comfort Candle Store, picked up a few goodies, then went back to my grandma's house.  We sat around and visited for a little while, then my grandma got a little tired and decided to go rest for a bit.  Mom and I headed into town to piddle for a little bit and go to a few of Kerrville's little boutiques before it was time to go back home for dinner.  We decided to just eat at home, but order food from Fuddruckers, and just go pick it up so that we could just be at home and eat...but not have to do any of the work!  After dinner, we did our family Christmas, and then just sat around and visited for a little while before the boys left to go back to the ranch.  After they left, we stayed up and talked a little more, but we were all so tired, we went to bed pretty soon after they left.  That next morning, mom and I always go into town and get coffee...we're spoiled!  Getting coffee from a coffee shop just makes the morning better.  Don't get me wrong...I love making coffee at home...but a little treat every now and again is good for the soul!  We got some for both of us as well as for my grandma.  She was still asleep when we left, so we just got some for her just in case she wanted some when she got up.  When all of us were up, caffeinated, filled full from breakfast, and ready for the day, we decided to head back into town and do some shopping before the boys came in for lunch.  My grandma went with us this time because she was feeling really good, and we seriously had the best time.  We went to a couple of stores and just got some odds and ends, some fun goodies, and I even got a new mixing bowl!  I was super excited about this because I broke my big one that I mix everything in over the Thanksgiving holidays.  About the time we were finishing up, the boys had called that they were in town and bringing a deer into the processors that they had shot the night before.  Spotlighting is illegal...but we have those Axis deer on our place and they're exotic.  So, those can be shot at night with a spotlight, which is exactly what they did on Saturday night.  They got one Axis doe and were bringing her in before they met us for lunch.  We met up at Cracker Barrel, a family favorite, and had an amazing lunch.  The predicament that all of us have there is whether to order breakfast or lunch.  I decided that I would just have both!  So, I ordered off the kids meal so that I could have exactly what I wanted and not have to sacrifice their delicious breakfast or their yummy lunch.  I got the kids chicken tenders with a side salad and a pancake...oh so good!  I got a bonus too because my mom ordered the big pancake breakfast and gave me one of her pancakes...I love their pancakes!  Everyone else got breakfast and my dad and I also had some coffee to go along with our meal.  We spent a lot of time together throughout the weekend and enjoyed everyone's company as well as the conversations that went along with it.  After lunch, we packed up and headed home.  It's always hard to come back home from being out of town all weekend long, but it is so worth it when you get to spend precious time with family.  The entire Christmas break was spent enjoying every moment with family and friends, relaxing, and just being ever so thankful for my wonderful family and precious friends!  Happy New Year!!!

My beautiful cousin...love her so much!!!

Me and Cody with my cousin Amber and her hubby Chad

All of us kiddos!



The kids plus the little kids!



Sweet Mimi with her grandchildren and great-grandchildren

My Mimi's ENTIRE family.  Two daughters, two son-in-laws, four grandchildren, three grandchildren-in-laws, and two great grandchildren...what an accomplishment for such a wonderful woman.  We love you so much Mimi!!!

My sweet Mimi with her two beautiful daughters...my momma and my Aunt Carolyn



Me and my little brother...love him to death!

Me and my handsome hubby in Hamilton at my Mimi's house :-) So glad that I get to spend every Christmas with this amazing man!

Uncle Cody with sweet Aaron!!!

Chrissy and I before dinner...so blessed and thankful to have her as a sis-in-law!!!

This little boy LOVES his momma!  So sweet!!!

Relaxing on the couch after dinner...some much needed "guy" time!

Love these people!

Merry Christmas from the Kelley's!!!

Me and my love with his precious sister!

Cody's parents with their three sweet grandchildren!

Our beautiful niece, Airicka, and our two handsome nephews, Eli and Aaron.  Such sweet kiddos!

Cody and his sis :-)

Love this girl!!!  Great way to start off the New Year!  Hope everyone has a fabulous 2012!!!