Going to the chapel...

This past weekend we traveled to Odessa/Midland for the wedding of Daniel's cousin, Holly. It was a beautiful wedding and reception, and I'd like to think that my beautiful kids had a little bit to do with that.

Abigail, along with her cousin Avery, were flower girls. This was Abigail's first wedding to attend, and she absolutely loved it!








Cooper was hanging out with me in the back of the church while I helped corral the flower girls and make sure Abigail went down the aisle at the right time. The ring bearer, who was just 1 year old, wasn't fairing too well and it was decided that he wasn't going to make it down the aisle. The bride, Holly, asked me if Cooper would be able to go down the aisle with the ring pillow. While thinking that there was no way my shy little guy would go down the aisle, I confidently said, "Sure, he'll be great!" Fortunately, Cooper manned up and trotted off down the aisle ahead of the flower girls and was fantastic!


Daniel was seated at the front of the church and said his heart stopped a bit when he saw Cooper coming down the aisle. He just knew that Cooper had slipped through the door as I was ushering Abigail out ,and that I didn't get the chance to grab him. Fortunately, that wasn't the case, and the kids were perfectly behaved as they stood at the front of the church throughout the ceremony and then followed the bride and groom out the back of the church. As we waited in the hallway for the guests to leave the church before we returned for photos, the groom, Jerry, came up to Cooper to give him a fistbump and tell him how great he did. To my shock and humor, Cooper replied, "I got your back." Ha! (Remember, this kid is just three!) Kids are too funny...

At the reception, Cooper was a big hit on the dance floor. Who knew my little man had moves?!


At one point, there was a circle of people that formed around Cooper as he danced up a storm in the middle and everyone cheered him on. He even jumped on to the floor a few times and spun around from one buttcheek to the other in his own version of breakdancing. Too funny...

One of the best moments of the reception was the couples' dance when they had each couple continue dancing until it was narrowed down to the longest-married couple. Daniel's grandparents were the last ones dancing, and I don't think there was a dry eye in the place as everyone stood in their honor. Gamps and Gammy are the cutest couple ever!

But, Gamps cracked us up after having to give a bit of a speech before leaving the dance floor. He said, "If Kendall and Trevor (the next family members to get married) do that at their wedding, they're dead!" Ha, ha!

Abigail and her daddy had fun on the dance floor as well.


On Sunday morning, Abigail told my mom all about her beautiful dancing, but added that her daddy "got all kinds of crazy out there". Needless to say, the wedding was beautiful, and we wish Holly and Jerry a wonderful marriage together. For us, this is just the beginning . We have my cousin Leah's wedding in Atlanta in May, Daniel's cousin Trevor's wedding in San Antonio in July and are still debating on whether we will attend Daniel's cousin Stephanie's wedding in South Africa in November. Hopefully, Daniel's cousin Travis, who recently became engaged, will hold off until 2011 for his wedding because I have a feeling we will be weddinged out pretty soon.

Baby It's COLD Outside

I remember complaining about spending Christmas at the beach and in a swimsuit, but I'm ready to move back to Hawaii! I do NOT enjoy anything about cold weather, and I don't think I've felt my toes in days because it's so cold here. I told a co-worker earlier this week that I don't like to leave my home if the weather is below 50, and I think she thought I was kidding. (She lives in New Jersey, so my pansy ways are comical to her.) I wasn't kidding. My children are a bit more tolerant than me, but today's freezing (literally) temps got to them as well.

Abigail asked for hot chocolate to help warm up, but I used the last packet a few days ago. It's much too cold to get out of the car and go into the grocery store for more hot chocolate, so I did the next best thing. I was able to get in my car while safely sheltered still inside the garage, warm up with a blasting heater and seat warmers, and drive through Starbucks. Now, we're back in the comfort of our heated home with our hot chocolates and peppermint white chocolate mocha beside the fire. Ahhh....

Nothing But Photos

The only thing left on my Christmas "to-do" list is design, print and send out our Christmas cards. I had all but given up until yesterday because of the weather. I was determined to include a recent photo of Abigail and Cooper, but until yesterday we have had nothing but rain, fog and dreariness that does not make for share-worthy photos of unwilling children. Everything was still wet, but I stopped at a park on our way home from school and snapped a few shots. Does anyone want to offer up opinions on which one should go in the cards?

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Countdown to Christmas

We've been counting down the days to Jesus' birthday with a new advent calendar that is making a chain leading to December 25.



It's a series of Bible verses, devotionals and activities. Each strip features a scripture passage along with a game or activity for us to do as a family. Then, we go through a practical application of the scripture and activity.


It's been fun to talk about our blessings and answered prayers. Last night, one of the discussion topics was to think of prayers God has answered for us. I asked Abigail if she could think of one of her prayers God has answered. "Oh, yeah. He's answered at least 12 of them." Too funny... It's been nice to replace the toy catalogs the kids had become obsessed. Instead, we are spending time in God's word and counting our blessings.

Tuesday Treats: Pumpkin Crunch

I tried a new pumpkin recipe for Thanksgiving this year, and you have to try it for yourself. It was so delicious! It didn't trump my pumpkin swirl cheesecake, but it came pretty close. This is a Paula Deen recipe that is super easy and oh so delicious.





Ingredients:
1 (15 oz.) can fresh pumpkin


1 (12 oz.) can evaporated milk


1 teaspoon cinnamon


1 c. sugar


3 eggs, beaten


1 box yellow cake mix


1 cup chopped pecans


2 sticks butter, cut into pieces



FROSTING:


1 (8 oz.) pkg. softened cream cheese


1 cup Heavy Whipping Cream


1/2 cup powdered sugar


1/2 teaspoon cinnamon



Directions
In a large mixing bowl, whisk together pumpkin, evaporated milk, cinnamon and sugar until well combined. Add eggs and mix well.



Pour mixture into a 9X13 baking dish prepared with a non stick spray. Sprinkle cake mix evenly over entire top. Sprinkle nuts evenly over cake mix and top with butter pieces. Bake at 350º F for 50-60 minutes. Set aside to cool.





Prepare frosting while cake is cooling. In a large mixing bowl using a hand mixer, whip cream cheese until light. Add in whipping cream and continue to whip until fully combined and thickening. Add powdered sugar and cinnamon and whip until smooth.



To Serve: Scoop out a slice of the pumpkin crunch and top with a dollop of the cream cheese frosting, or frost the entire pumpkin crunch with the frosting.

Giving Thanks

Thanksgiving was so wonderful this year. Once again, Daniel was working a nightshift but was such a trooper and gave up so much sleep to join me as a wonderful host. My parents were here to celebrate with us, and some of our neighbors also joined us for the feast.


As always, my husband's delicious cajun fried turkey was the star of the show!


But, my yummylicious pies also kept us stuffed for a few days.


The difference this year was a turn of events in a friend's life that brought a whole new meaning to this time of year for us. We have certainly become more aware of how blessed we are by each other. We are not taking each other for granted and are praising God for the lives he is allowing us to live! We are truly thankful this year, and not for the turkey and pies, but simply for each other and being able to hug each other every morning. I've definitely hugged my babies and husband quite a few extra times in the past few weeks. You should too! Go hug your loved ones and thank God they are there next to you! Give thanks!

Christmas is Coming!

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As it is at your house, there is not a time of year my family enjoys more than Christmas. Daniel eagerly brought down the tubs of decorations from the attic earlier this week and we enjoyed decorating the tree Tuesday night.


The kids hung decorations on the tree while they wore reindeer antlers and Santa hats on their heads. As they grow older, I love watching their excitement grow. Nothing brings a more joy to me than their joy.