New Year's East Texas Style...

New Year's in Silsbee...

Nanny Lisa, Uncle Jeff, Uncle 'Carot' and Aunt Beca joined us for the day!


Sampling the fruit pizzas...

The Chicken Fire Work that shoots fire out of it's backside... I mean... it lays FireWork eggs!

Okay gang... this is New Year's SE Texas style. PK had a friend in town and we all went to a Honky Tonk to bring in the new year... I danced with her 84 year old uncle, drank Shiner Bach beer, witnessed a few irresponsible people, and only cried once! Happy 2010!

Notice the perfect clarity of the crystall...

HAPPY 2010!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Second Half of the Christmas Adventure...

After Austin, we headed North to Cleburne to spend a few days with Ron and Brenda. We were blessed to have a few days with more family.

in the comfy chairs!
Nanny Danna!

LOVE COUSINS!!!!! Had tons of fun with Antares and Skye...

The kiddos with PaPa

Girl time with make-up and braids!

Grammy and Grumpy!
This is one of my favorite pictures... look at that smile too!

On to New Year's and then back to Germany...

Christmas Texas Trip 2009

Before we left for the states, Leo sold Christmas trees with the boy scouts!

with a little help from Emma!
First stop in Texas was in Silsbee for some recuperation... we did a whole lot of NOTHING! I finished a novel, the kids did kid stuff, I shopped and basically just vegged out...


hard at work decorating cookies! and playing in the woods!!!

Then on to Austin! I stopped and had lunch with a college friend Tiffany and then visited with another friend Jackie before heading to hang with more family!

Christmas Light viewing!


We tortured little Leo with this hat... not when his parents were around though... they wouldn't have stood for it I don't think! Gig Em!

Baby Savanah!!!!
Decorating the Gingerbread house with Auntie Aara and Uncle Lumpy

The crew! Just missing Rusty!!!! ;-(
Fun with Nana!

Ready for Church!
And Christmas morning!!!!! Seeing what the big guy brought!


We got to skype with Russ while the kids opened presents! Our adventure continues tomorrow as we head to Cleburne... I will post more pictures then!!!

Thanksgiving

Emma's class did a Thanksgiving play and Emma was the lead character... it was a play about Sarah Josefina Hale who wrote the poem "Mary Had a Little Lamb"... she also went to President Abe Lincoln to petition him to make Thanksgiving a National Holiday! Emma was just brilliant!

Normally I would do a gumbo on Thanksgiving (or we have fried a turkey) but since Deanna was visiting and hasn't had an American Thanksgiving in many years, I did the traditional roasted Turkey... of course, I am not used to it... but it came out just fine... I also made my Mawmaw's cornbread dressing, Some yummy sweet potato soup, fresh cranberry sauce... and Deanna made her family's traditional "Pink Stuff" ... but we have since renamed it "Fat Salad"!

We got to skype with Russ for 45 minutes... so even though we miss him terribly, at least he was there in spirit!

Pulling the Wish Bone...

Had to include this... Leo was hiding in hide-n-seek... look at his face~! Hilarious! I think he is trying to blend in with the frig...
His job was to carry the gravy to the table... yeah...
and he can clean off a drum stick like nobodies business!


We had a fabulous wonderful day...

We love you all and miss you so much! Happy Thanksgiving everyone!!!!!