Thankful

I hope all of you had a wonderful Thanksgiving this year. We were truly blessed to be surrounded throughout the week by all sorts of family, friends, and each other, while even throwing in a great game against tu in College Station--what a great week! There are pictures to come, but I was wanting to write down some things I am especially thankful for, while I am still thinking of them! I'm thankful for:
--Bryan passing the Bar!!
--A break from work, but thankful that I love what I do
--getting to see cousins I loved growing up with
--pumpkin spice "bites"--a new recipe!
--a new brother-in-law
--an oh-so-happy sister-in-law!
--In-laws that love me
--parents that love me
--my brother is back safe from Afghanistan
--Callie beginning to actually like to read, and getting excited when she reads all the signs on the road!
--Jack still wanting to snuggle with me and rub my neck (he started doing that as a baby)
--Macie almost jumping out of someone else's arms to get to me when I walk by
--Bryan not working right now
--Jack saying "mazageen" for "magazine"
--Aggies at least showing up against tu--gig 'em!
--college friends that are still so close despite our physical distance
--some actual cold weather
--church friends
--beginning of the Holiday Season--my favorite time of the year
--memories of a beloved cousin/friend that are becoming less painful and more precious with time
--Macie scrunching her nose when she smiles and looking like a carbon-copy mixture of her sister and brother
--Callie wanting to ride all the roller coasters at Disney World and having no fear
--best friends that always have an ear open for venting when I need it
...and so much more! Happy Thanksgiving!

He's Official!

We were able to attend a really neat ceremony held in Austin for those in Texas that passed the Bar--a "swearing in" of sorts, with the Texas Supreme Court Justices in attendance, as well as the Justices of the Texas Criminal Court of Appeals. Aside from some long, drawn-out speeches, it was a very nice occasion, and we are very proud of our new lawyer!

Miracles for Fun 2009

The second Miracles For Fun Golf Tournament was recently held in honor of Brad, and to raise additional money for the Brad Wims Memorial Fund. I think this day held many emotions for all of us. Sadness in missing Brad's big voice at this very occasion 1 year ago, but joy in watching so many people who loved him and love his family give of themselves so selflessly--how wonderful to be surrounded by people who care so much! Many people worked to make this day successful; our hats off especially to Chris and Rebecca Jones, Chris Gammon, and all the volunteers--Thank you! I got mostly pictures of the kiddos--they probably had the most fun of all!

Sweet Sisters

I recently found these outfits for the girls, and thought they looked so cute! It's really fun to match them, so I do it as often as I can because I know pretty soon Callie will think that is "dorky" or "wierd"!

"Please Keep the Training Wheels!"

We recently decided that it was time (high time for Callie) to lose the training wheels on the bikes. I remembered how excited I was to learn how to ride a "real bike" at the age of 5, so I thought this would be fun for them, especially Callie. Well, I was wrong. Callie was very fearful of falling, which is quite unusual for her--she's not easily scared. She actually ended up in tears from frustration! Jack tried for a while, then got tired of it and "wanted the little wheels back". I truly thought Jack might learn even faster then Cal--he has great coordination and is fairly reckless! So--guess we'll try this another day...

Trick-or-Treat

Ok, I'm really behind, I know it...here are some pictures from Trick-or-Treating with Zeke and KaeKae...Macie didn't last too long with the door to door! The others however, were very much into it, especially Kaelyn...she actually thought she was supposed to go IN people's houses to get the candy! I remember Callie doing that, too. The mosquitos were HORRIBLE--courtesy of Baytown, Tx.

Pumpkin Patch

We took the kids to a Pumpkin Patch last week--the Pumpkin Patch itself was pretty dismal, but it was at a place called "Old McDonald's Farm", and there were lots of fun kid things to do...riding ponies, a miniature train, playgrounds, petting animals. It was a beautiful day for outside play. On the way home, we found a better patch for some more photo ops!