A few of my favorite things

Our guard at the front Door

Hot Cocoa Bar with the kids- even in Texas!

The warmth of the kitchen for preparing with the family

Red and white around the kitchen table - Candles!

The twinkle of the Christmas lights through the glass of the front door

The warmth of the fireplace and the scent of the candles. The stockings awaiting their fill

Full cookie jars, seasonal pears, snowmen decorations, wreaths of berries

Family and Friends - bright sunny weather (83 degrees again yesterday). The Holidays were smooth sailin or driving in our case! Fortunately for us, Doug had quite a bit of time off this Christmas Break. No longer being a resident and having a staff position pans out quite well in the time off department! We enjoyed every second together as a family. Were able to see and stay with my parents in Dallas, and Doug's in Colorado. Were able to see Doug's big brother Dave's family (Dave, Robin, Taylor, Alex, Brandon, Melissa, new baby Kale, and Nicole) Doug's baby bro Ben (aka Beaner in our household... that's what Doug refers to him as in our home and it sticks quite well in my head- sorry Ben), and my sister Courtney's family (Court, Bryon, Taite, and Addison)- We visited Dallas, Colorado Springs, Ft Collins Colorado, Monument Colorado and Berthoud Colorado. We relaxed and gained weight. We shopped and 'saved' money. We anxiously retrieved mail- waiting for the great cards and pictures from family and friends. I stressed and got pimples. We rapped, I mean wrapped and wrapped and wrapped. We drove and consumed large amounts of sodium. We gave and received. We Enjoyed. We sang. We car danced. We went to movies and listened to movies in the car. We laughed - I giggled (watching Enchanted on New Years Eve...what can I say I am simple and easily entertained). We soaked up the beautiful scenery along the drive. If the hills and fields could talk. The history- the people- what what and who has come and gone- so many things to peak curiosity. We stopped on the side of the road to pick cotton that had been left behind from the harvest. We went to the dirtiest Burger King EVER... NEVER go to the Burger King in Amarillo, Texas. GROSS. We had to leave. We shared favorite memories of Christmas in the past. Wii played games. We read books. We cooked, we baked, we decorated. We made many new and wonderful memories. We hope you too had a wonderful holiday season with family. Now that we are back home I have to take down the decorations... It seems as if they were not up long enough. Here are some photos so we can have the decorations up o the blog a smidge longer.
Happy New Year!