O Christmas Tree, O Christmas Tree

Here is our 2008 Christmas tree - it's small, but it's sweet. The lights are kind of ghetto, but I just used what I could find in the attic & we ran out of lights for the top. I love our Charlie Brown Christmas Tree!

I love collecting Christmas ornaments every year, & love when they have special meaning. It's so fun to unpack the ornaments every year & remember the stories & memories that come with them.

This wedding cake ornament was on one of the presents Cody gave me the night we got engaged - September 16, 2006

I got this ornament of a small wedding chapel Christmas 2006 - in honor our upcoming wedding

For as long as I can remember my mom has given us a precious moment ornament & I love it b/c now my tree is filled with all different kinds of precious moment ornaments. Here is the one she gave Cody & I last Christmas, 2007, our first Christmas as a married couple.

We got married on St. Patricks Day so when I saw this little St. Patricks Day hat, I wanted to get it for our tree this year.

I love the smell of fresh Christmas trees & right now thanks to my mom & grandma our house officially smells of Christmas. Here is the mini Christmas tree, my mom sends us one every year & I love it. I have it in my kitchen.

This year my grandma sent us this fresh door hanging - i love it!

Christmas Club

We had our annual Christmas Club at Young Life & it was a great time. I always look forward to anything Christmas - Christmas parties, Christmas dinners, & of course Christmas Club. We usually play the same games every year but kids don't seem to mind much.

This year my favorite thing about our Christmas club was the skit that all of the leaders did. We acted out the "12 Days of Christmas" while the song was playing. Keith was the pear tree & at the end of every verse the rest of the leaders would jump on him. For example, the second verse of song is, "on the second day of Christmas my true love gave to me 2 turtle doves & a partridge in a pear tree" we would all act like 2 turtle doves & then jump on Keith, as he was the pear tree. Super random, I know, but we had kids laughing.

Cody judging our Mr. Christmas contest

I ended the night by telling the kids the Christmas story out of Luke 2. I mostly talked about the journey of Mary of Joseph & how the same Jesus that was born in a manger in Bethlehem is the same Jesus that we have been talking about all semester. The Jesus that healed the blind, gave people life, & died on the cross is the same Jesus that was born in a barn.

I left them with Luke 2:10-11, "I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all people. Today in the city of David a Savior has been born to you; he is Christ the Lord." The same message that was told to the shepherds is still great news for us today -a Savior has been born for us.

This is our amazing YL team - they are definitely lights in a dark world.

Top row - Keith (he would not take off the batman mask), Cody, Emily, & Scott
Bottom row - Jake, Katie, & Jenna

Thanksgiving Break

We had a great Thanksgiving this year. We were very ready for a few days off from work & ready to eat & sleep in & that is exactly what we did. We were able to see lots of family & it was good to catch-up with everyone. I realized today that I hardly got any pictures of the cousins :(.

Here are a few pictures from the break:

Mamaw w/ Madison, Sophie, & Zeek

The fam out touring the ranch Kyle works on an hour west of town.

The boys grilling out at the ranch

Beautiful West Texas

Just doing a little target practice

While we were in town ACU had a play-off game & we got to go. ACU was actually really good at football this year & tons of alumni came in town for the game, I was shocked at how many old friends I ran into. Sadly, ACU lost - they will be back next season.