Work Christmas Party

Every year, my dad's company in El Paso has a big Christmas party. This is the first year we have been able to attend. My favorite part about their annual Christmas party is that the whole family is included. It is so much fun to take the girls with us! I had forgotten how much fun parties in El Paso can be. This year it was at a rented party hall. The party started with a visit from Santa. This Santa didn't look as real as some, but he was awesome with the kids!!! He read them the book Twas the Night Before Christmas, and then he let each of them sit in his lap. He asked them all about what they wanted and told them how good they had been. Shelby being the shy little thing that she is, kept getting back in line to sit in his lap. I think she did it at least four times. Their was also lots of food and lots of music. The girls loved dancing. Even Bret got out there and danced a little. Shelby spent four hours solid in the middle of the dance floor. She danced with anyone that would dance with her and by herself when she couldn't find a partner. At the end of the night, we were all exhausted. It took the girls about 30 seconds to fall asleep in the car on the way home.

School Christmas Parites

I have always been the girls room mom which means I get to plan all their holiday parties. It is a lot of fun and a lot of work. I do it because it allows me to get to know the teacher and other parents so much better than I would otherwise. At the girls school this year, they don't have room moms. They also don't really do parties so when I suggested to the teachers that I do one for the class they were thrilled. It was a lot more fun than it has been in past years because they had no expectations. Everything was very laid back. I didn't take my good camera because I was busy and had Shelby. Macey didn't feel well at her party so I didn't even get a picture of her.

Christmas Musical

I haven't been able to blog much because our Internet has been out off and on for two weeks. So I have several things to share. The girls had their Christmas musical on Tuesday night. It was so much fun watching them. They were on stage for about an hour singing songs and acting. The kindergarten through sixth grade were in it. Abby loves to sing so this was right up her alley. Macey loves to dance so she especially got into all the motions that went along with the songs. They were so cute up there. The musical was about Christmas not meaning anything without Jesus. It was very moving to watch these little kids sing their hearts out about Jesus. They have such faith. When I asked Abby about the songs she was singing, she said "Mommy, its the Great Commission. We are supposed to share Jesus with others." I can't believe how big they are, and I feel so blessed that they are in a Christian environment everyday. There music teacher did a fantastic job. Here are a few pictures from that night. I didn't take my big camera because I needed both hands to keep Shelby still and quiet through it all.

A love-hate relationship

Here is a picture of our furry babies. Sandy is the white Lhasa and is ten. The poor thing has had her world turned upside down with the birth of each of the girls, but nothing could prepare her for Huck. He is three years old and almost as hyper as he was when we got him. I thing I have mentioned before that he is one of the sweetest dogs alive! She pretends to hate him if any of us are watching, but I know that he is good for her. At least once a day she will run around the house and play with him. Last night we were all busy, and the house was cold. I caught them snuggling so I had to take a picture of it.

Snow

It snowed here this afternoon which was very exciting for the whole family. It has been years since Bret and I have seen snow. The girls have never seen it before so this was especially exciting for them. Abby and Macey are at school so I don't even know if they got to see it. Shelby couldn't quite figure out what it was. She just kept laughing while we walked around outside. I tried to get a couple pictures, but we got cold and had to go in after only a few minutes. The snow didn't even stick. I can't wait till we get snow that stays around for a while.

Happy Birthday Papa

We celebrated my dad's birthday on the 28 by going to the El Paso club for dinner. This was the girls first time there and they loved it! It is on the top floor of the Chase building and very formal. The girls were really excited about getting all dressed up. Shelby seemed to enjoy it more than the other two. She even loved the food which surprised me. This has always been a special place for our family because growing up, my dad took us there every year for our birthday. We had a great time.

Happy Thanksgiving

Sorry our Thanksgiving pictures were delayed. We have had more illness in this family the last couple of months. Shelby and I had bronchitis for a month. Abby is still getting over pneumonia, and we have had a stomach bug passing through the family this week. Despite no one really feeling good, we had a wonderful Thanksgiving. It was so nice to be able to be with all of our family, mine and Bret's, at one time. We have so much to be thankful for! A beautiful house, loving family, and most important three healthy, happy girls. I could go on for days listing all our blessings. I hope everyone had a great day!

I also decided that today would be a good day to get a picture for our Christmas card. What a frustrating experience that was! I now have so much more respect for people who do this for a living, and for Kelsey who took great pictures of my girls in Houston!