Christmas 2009: Part 2 The Ward Family Christmas

The next stop on our Christmas adventure was Keller Texas. We woke up on December 20Th, packed up the car…loaded up the presents and headed down I-20 for another celebration. It’s also become tradition at the Ward family Christmas that we draw names! My brother-in-law Brandon drew my name...and he bought me a digital picture frame...which I have always wanted. Andy scored an Academy gift card from his Aunt Sissy, a gift card to the Sunglass Hut and "another" Madden football video game thanks to Jan. Jolea on the other hand scored “Way Too Much” from everyone. Let’s just say her play kitchen is set for life with all the latest appliances, thanks to her Aunt Erin. She also got a sweet pink tricycle that is just a little too big for her and the cutest helmet and knee pad set from her Grandparents! She got the sweetest Cach Cach dress that I cannot wait to share with you!

Here is Jolea trying out her new ride...

This girl makes a bicycle helmet look so darn cute!

I mentioned in an earlier post that I am especially fond of my Willow Tree Angel Nativity Set…well my mother-in-law delivered again…and she so graciously added the Three Wise Men to my collection. I took the scene down before I got a picture, but was able to snag this one from the Internet. I cannot wait too add these little beauties next year! Someday when I have a bigger house and a bigger place to put my collection, I just might leave it out year-round.

While we were in town, my Hubby and his Mother were kind enough to escort me to the new...

Sam Moon store for a little shopping. Andy and Stacy watched the baby and I got to experience a little piece of heaven while I shopped and shopped for bags, purses, jewelry, home interiors and so much more. I have NEVER been to a Sam Moon before and it was a GREAT first time experience. Luckily for me its conveniently located right on the way to my in-laws house…therefore I predict many more stops there. I came away with a great overnight bag, a snazzy winter hat, a couple of scarves and a nice pair of dangle earrings.

While we there we also made a trip to Boyd Texas to see a cousin of Andy’s who is courageously battling cancer. Please keep the Shawn Ward family in your prayers. He is a young husband and father that was diagnosed with cancer several years ago and has been fighting the battle ever since. While we were there, Jolea got the cutest little pink bracelet that says “Cancer Sucks”…its one of those that resembles the Lance Armstrong Live Strong bracelets that became so popular several years ago. Even though she is too young to understand what it means, it sits in her room and we think of Shawn, Amy and their sweet children very often.

After our visit in Boyd, it was off to Decatur Texas to visit our sweet little PawPaw, Karen, Mark, Melinda and Randy. Too bad I forgot my camera this time and I don’t have any pictures to share. Andy’s Grandma passed away earlier this year and this was our first Christmas without her. It was different…something was missing of course…but she is looking down on us and smiling, happy that we were all together even though she couldn't be there with us. PawPaw just adores all of his Great Grandchildren…and I know it did him a lot of good to get to see Jolea and spend some time with her during the holidays.

The trip was short...but very sweet...and here are some pictures I wanted to share :)

Jolea and Crissy were playing a dice game...and it looks like Jolea won

After she won all that money, she decided to put it in her brand new pink piggy bank to save for college!

Here is Andy and all of his siblings...from the left...Brandon, Jansen and Erin

Jan is Andy's baby brother...him and I are pretty good buds...I decided to call him Q-tip during this holiday trip because his hair was bleach blonde...silly kid

This is a great picture...and one that is hard to come by. Besides the holidays it seems as if we are never all in the same place at the same time to capture a moment like this one.

Speaking of sweet pictures...I managed to capture this one...and I love it. My girl looks so grown up and so darn precious. The outfit she is wearing has been one of my favorites ever since the day she was born. I have a picture of her wearing this same print when she was just a wee-tiny baby...its Icky Baby...and I adore it! Maybe I will buy it in every size until she just gets too big to wear it.

As with every post, I am sure there is something I am forgetting to mention! We have been so busy going from one place to the next that its easy to forget some of the most precious memories! Thank Goodness for this blog and for digital cameras that way I can document all of life's most precious moments. Stay tuned for Christmas Part 3: The Gaylord Texan, Christmas Part 4: A White Christmas in St. Joseph and Christmas Part 5: A Day in Chicago on Michigan Avenue. I told ya...we have been busy!

Christmas 2009: Part 1 The Whitehead Family Christmas

Wow-O-Wow...where has the time gone? It seems like just yesterday I was putting up the Christmas tree and decking the halls...and today I took it all down, packed it all up and stored it away in the attic until next year. I guess the saying is true that "Time flies when you’re having fun!" We have been having so much fun...and that is why the last 2 weeks seem like a blur. I am going to do a series of Christmas posts so I can share all of my favorite memories from this holiday season and not have a single post that would take days to read! I don’t have the time for that and neither does anyone else. *

Our first Christmas celebration took place on December 19Th at my Aunt Christy's house, and it was the Whitehead Family Christmas (my Dad's side). This year Santa Claus came to visit the 2 girls...Baby Jolea and Baby Ava, our cousin from San Antonio. I wasn’t really sure how Jolea was going to feel about Santa coming to visit her...but it went PERFECT. This was her first encounter with the Man in Red and she wasn’t scared...not even a little bit. She did look at him and make some strange faces at first, but once he opened that red velvet bag and started handing out presents...she was SOLD! *

On the Whitehead side of the family we draw names and we each receive a 50 dollar gift, usually in the form of money or gift cards! I got a 50 dollar Visa card and Andy got a crispy 50 dollar bill...so I would say that Santa was really good to us this year. We also do a HUGE stocking exchange! My Mema has personally handmade each one of us our own stocking. Some of them are really old by now and are kind-of falling apart, but they are still a special part of our Christmas tradition. *

This year the holiday menu was non-traditional...we had ribs, beans, potato salad, green chili corn, sinful potatoes, rolls, mud pie and peach cobbler :) We all left with a bag full of goodies and a belly full of food :) *

Here are a few shots I was able to get while we were there!

Santa a.k.a Pepa and Mrs. Claus a.k.a Mema

Santa and Me

Jolea and Santa

Cousin Ava and Santa

Grammy and Jolea Dru

Mom and Daughter

Family: Grammy and Cousin Bren and her BF James :)

This is a shot of all of Jolea's Christmas Goodies

What a special time spent with family! I just LOVE the holidays...and I am always sad to see them pass!

Christmas Card Holder...

I don't have a mantle...or one of those cute little wire Christmas card holders...so I decided to make my own yesterday afternoon. This is what I came up with. All you need is:

• a foam wreath
• funky ribbon
• 1 straight pin
• 1 Christmas ball
• CHRISTMAS CARDS

I had all of these things on hand already...which made this project easy...which is just what I like. First I wrapped the wreath with ribbon. Then I secured the ribbon with my stapler...just a few staples here and there. Then I made a bow and secured it by taking a large straight pin (the kind that you use to secure a corsage to a blouse) pushing in through the top of the Christmas ball and into the wreath. Then I took another long piece of ribbon and secured it will staples to the back of the wreath. I stapled my cards to the ribbon...and then to each other to display them. If I went straight up and down I would probably run out of room, so I wanted to layer them to get the most out of the display. There you have it...EASY PEASY...and cost free!

This little diddy wound up on the backside of the front door. With the weather being as cool as it has been lately...the front door is usually shut...therefore we see the back of it quite often. Now at least we are looking at a festive door instead...and I have a place for my cards!

WOW Weekend...

**Disclaimer…the following post is accompanied by a LOT of photos…bear with me…I wanted to show them all, but these are the ones I chose**

There comes a time in everyone’s life when they get to experience something truly “spectacular!” If I could use one word to sum up this weekend …SPECTACULAR…would be the perfect word. It all started with the fun girl’s trip to Grapevine Mills for a little shopping! We love that mall because it’s our “One-Stop” shopping place. It has all our favorite stores…and a fabulous food court…plus it’s located close to some of our other favorites too. We found lots of great bargains…and it’s always fun to wear something new!

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Just as I had hoped, we built up an appetite and ended up going to the Cheesecake Factory for supper. This makes me so HAPPY, because it really has become one of my favorite places to eat. The restaurant is located inside the Southlake Town Center…and if you have ever been there during this time of the year, you know how beautiful it looks all lit up at night. I like to compare it to a real-life Christmas village. We ordered all these yummy things and a cheesecake to-go of course!

Mom booked our hotels for the weekend…and she did a GREAT job. On Friday night we stayed at the Hyatt which was actually in the parking lot of the mall…and it was the NICEST hotel I have ever stayed in. It was so clean and so modern. The only little problem was, the beds weren’t that comfy…or at least mine wasn’t.

The boys came to the Hilton in Dallas where we met up and bundled up for the Wylie State Championship game. As you know…it didn’t work out for the Bulldogs and they came home empty handed. When you get to the state championship game you can’t afford to make errors…Gilmer was the better team…and they deserved all the glory that night. I managed to get one picture before the game…and one of Andy and I in the stands.

Sunday morning we got up early and headed to Plano to meet up with The Hill’s (the people who invited us to the Cowboys game!) My Mom and Dad wanted to show off their little grand baby…so we took Jolea over for a short visit before dropping her off with Andy’s mom. We headed to the game around 12:00…I thought this was really early, but Mr. Hill wanted us to get there with enough time to eat, visit and explore the stadium. The only word I can think of that accurately describes this state of the art stadium is…MASSIVE. It was huge and it was beautiful. The traffic was horrendous, but not for us, Mr. Hill had himself and most of the gang chauffeured in a big black Dallas Cowboys van. Andy and I drove our own car because we had to drive to Keller to get Jolea, but luckily we were able to follow him basically right up to the front entrance and walk right in. It was so AWESOME! The suite was fully catered with all the food and beverages we could ever imagine and they had their own personal waitress that would get us anything we needed. It was royal treatment to say the least. Here are a few of my favorite pictures… (click on the collages to enlarge)

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A little background info...these people have been in my parent's life since high school. Most of the men in the picture played football together in Artesia New Mexico. Artesia has a legacy of state championship football teams and my dad and these guys were a part of that legacy for 3 years. They have been good friends all these years and regularly keep in touch! Its really awesome to hear them talk about each other and share stories...friends like these are hard to find. The man in the wheelchair is Corey. Corey is one of my Dad's dearest friends. He was injured in an oil field accident in his early 20's and has been paralyzed ever since. He was the school hunk, and a football star and his accident was tragic. Corey is so happy to be alive...and he is a shining example that all things are possible. These guys share a special bond with him.

This is just "some" of the food. I didn't get a picture, but there was some gourmet macaroni and cheese that was to DIE for. I have loved mac and cheese ever since I was a tiny tot and this was the BEST I have ever eaten :)

Neal McCoy was the half time performer...and although I used to be a fan...he isn't quite as good as he used to be. The kids you see on the big screen were there to represent Big Brothers Big Sisters...they were pretty cute. They also did a special tribute to the military troops with an American flag that was huge. The Dallas Cowboy cheerleaders came out in cute little Santa outfits too...all the guys were drooling by this point :)

When we walked into the stadium they handed us each a pair of 3D glasses...about half of the 3rd quarter was in 3D on the big screen. You will also see some silly pictures that I just couldn't resist taking...Ha

Of course I couldn't go to a Dallas game and not mention the cheerleaders! OMG...the girls are HOT MAMA'S...I am a fan of the CMT TV show, and it was cool to see some of them are still on the squad. My favorite one is Jordan Chanley...she is Presh! They were right on beat and never missed a step...always smiled...and really kept the crowd entertained with their high impact dances and risque dance moves. Geez...if I tried some of those moves, Id be on bed rest for a week!

At one point in the game, a Dallas player was hit really hard and went down...

I couldn't resist getting this shot of Tony Romo...

Getting out of the parking lot was a nightmare…but considering everything else that we got to experience that day…it wouldn’t have been the same without feeling the pain of a little traffic jam. It took us about 45 minutes to an hour to get to the highway. This was by far one of the coolest things we have ever done…and we are so THANKFUL and so GRATEFUL that we got to be included in this once in a lifetime opportunity.

Mommy's Little Elf...

I started a series of posts earlier this month about some of my favorite holiday outfits. I have several pictures that I need to post...because its already December the 15Th...and before I know it the holidays will have come and gone :) * This is another "Ditto's" bargain...and I couldn't have been happier when I found it because its one of my all time favorite children's brands! Miss-Tee-V-Us! We have 2 tops that we can mix and match with these bottoms for "double the money...and double the holiday spirit!" Typically I wouldn't be able to buy this brand because it is slightly pricey, but that is why I love the semi-annual consignment sale...when I stumble across these brands at prices I can afford...I cant pass up the bargain.

This little beauty is from Christmas Carousel this year. Grammy always buys Jolea something "holiday-ish" and this is what she picked out this year. Its PRESH...a little long...but PRESH! The brand is I'm Yours...and they have really sweet boutique inspired clothing. Depending on where you find it...the prices will vary on this brand. We have a Christmas top by this same brand that will go perfectly with the pants underneath this dress...(that you can barely see!) One good thing about this line of holiday inspired clothing is, you can mix and match several different pieces and really get your money's worth.

I have had these britches for years...before Jolea was even here in this world. A close friend of the family made them for her little girl (who is now 5) and passed them on to me. She can sew ANYTHING...and just whipped these up like it was a piece-of-cake. You could do a sweet little pair of pants like this for any holiday...hmm...maybe I will try my luck at making my own pair someday :) The top doesn't go with the pants, but it was a perfect match! It is another Dittos bargain and it is by Peaches and Creme.

This last outfit is my FAVORITE...and is her official 2009 Christmas outfit. It was purchased off of Ebay. The pants and top are both handmade...I LOVE...the wild ruffles...the wild colors...and the wild and whimsical print on the fabric! Actually today when I put it on her for her MDO Christmas party I noticed that the pants are a tad-bit snug and almost a little too short too...thank goodness the holidays are upon us.

I have loved every minute of playing dress up with my little elf this holiday season. She is becoming quite the little girl...always wanting to match...always wanting to wear a bow and always wanting to look pretty! Merry Christmas Y'all!

Getting To Know Me...Christmas Version

Getting to Know Me....Christmas Edition!I saw this on a blog that I follow….thought it was cute….and wanted to play along.

1. Wrapping paper or gift bags? – Funky and whimsical wrapping paper with snazzy blingy bows for sure.

* 2. Real tree or artificial? - Artificial....because I can put it up as early as I want and because I don’t have to go out and hunt down the perfect tree EVERY year because I am so PICKY about stuff like that. I do miss the smell of a fresh cut Christmas tree…but they make candles for that

* 3. When do you put up the tree? - The earlier the better! This year I put it up a couple of weeks before Thanksgiving. This usually drives my hubby crazy…but hey…I heart Christmas!

* 4. Do you like eggnog? – Eww Gross…

* 5. Favorite gift received as a child? – OMG…that’s a hard one…my parents (I mean Santa) were always getting me the best Christmas gifts!

* 6. Do you have a nativity scene? – Yes…a Willow Tree nativity…I love it…and hope it continues to grow each year!

* 7. Hardest person to buy for? – My parents: They always say they don’t “need” anything or “want” anything…it drives me NUTS!

* 8. Easiest person to buy for? – Jolea: She’s 2 and thinks anything that is wrapped is the coolest thing EVER then it would be Andy: He usually drops a subtle hint or two about what he wants…and I make mental notes all through the year too!

* 9. Mail or email Christmas cards? – MAIL…hands down

* 10. Favorite Christmas movie? – Christmas Vacation….LOVE LOVE LOVE this movie…and need to watch it SOON!

* 11. When do you start shopping for Christmas? – I try to get a little bit of my shopping done in late December…SALES…but then again if I see something throughout the year that makes a good gift…I snag it up

* 12. Favorite thing to eat at Christmas? – EVERYTHING SNACKY (I think I just made that word up) I graze like a cow at Christmas…picking at this…nibbling on that…YUM

* 13. Clear lights or colored lights on the tree? – Without hesitation…CLEAR…but I have the suspicion that eventually we will have to experiment with colored lights because Jolea likes them a lot…and we wouldn’t want to disappoint our little princess!

* 14. Favorite Christmas song? - Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas… Ahh…So sweet…and a close second is I’ll Be Home for Christmas!

* 15. Travel or stay home at Christmas? – Before the baby came we traveled…and we are actually traveling this year…but starting next year I want to stay home and play Santa…starting new traditions of our own…as a family

* 16. Can you name all of Santa's reindeer? – From the popular song…”You know…Dasher and Dancer and Prancer and Vixen, Comet and Cupid and Donner and Blitzen…then of course there is Rudolph

* 17. Angel on tree top or star? – Neither… I like funky squiggly picks stuck in the top of my tree that gives me a little “Christmas Whimsy”

* 18. Open the presents Christmas Eve or morning? – One on Christmas Eve…usually new jammies…then the rest on Christmas morning!

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19. the most annoying thing about this time of year? – Thinking you have EVERYTHING…just to realize you have to run out for that last minute gift…but I love this time of the year…and I try not to complain!

* 20. What I love most about Christmas – The music, the food, the smells, the happiness, the family time, the cards…there is SO much to love.

* 21. Snow. Love it or hate it? Snow? What is that? Never seen it before…I live in West Texas…all we get is a little snow dust ever now and then!

* 22. Can you ice skate? Ha…that’s a funny one…Ummm NO!

* 23. Favorite holiday dessert? Anything Sweet! That goes well with Coffee!

* 24. What is your favorite holiday tradition? The Christmas Bingo party that our entire family comes too…great fun, great gifts to exchange…it’s a BLAST! *

25. Which do you prefer, giving or receiving? Giving…I love watching someone open “the perfect” gift…

~Merry Christmas Ya'll~

Big Weekend Plans...

We have a lot in store for this weekend...and I just cant wait! First of all my Mom and I are leaving for the Metroplex on Friday and we plan on going here...

To do a little bit of this...

Shop Shop Shop...till we Drop Drop Drop!!! After we get done finding all the bargains we can handle we are going to be really hungry so hopefully we will end up here...

Which is one of our MOST favorite places to go! We will share a yummy dinner entree and then of course we will indulge in a beautiful piece of Cheesecake too :) If we don't end up going to the Cheesecake Factory, we could always go here...

Oh...Yea...another family FAVORITE for sure! Both of them are EQUALLY delish'...it just depends on what mood your taste-buds are in :)

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Then on Saturday, the boys and the baby will join us and we are going to head here...

To watch a little bit of this...

that's right...it's FOOTBALL IN DECEMBER BABY...as we watch these boys...

try to bring home the Class 3A Division 1 State Championship. The Wylie Bulldogs will take on the Gilmer Buckeyes, Saturday December the 12Th at SMU's Gerald J. Ford Stadium...kickoff at 6:00 PM! We were there for the last championship game in 2004, and we hope to cheer them on to another one this Saturday...GO DAWGS!

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After the big game on Saturday, there is another Big Game we get to go and watch...its a team that looks a little something like this...

Have you ever heard of them? Well the truth is, my Daddy raised me not to be a Dallas Cowboy fan...however...we have a once in a lifetime opportunity to watch the game here...

at the new BILLION dollar stadium that I am dying to see...AND...we get to watch the game from here...

here...

and here...

My Dad has a friend who has a suite at the stadium...and he has been generous enough to invite some of his friends down for the game. Since we all happen to be there already for the Wylie game, he was so KIND to include Andy and I in the action. WOW...I can't wait. I'm so excited to share this special moment in time with my sweet hubby and my sweet parents! What a blessing!

Just Stuff...

Can you believe its Thursday again? I know I cant...where has this week gone? Its been a busy one around here that's for sure. The boys are gearing up to head out of town for playoff football and Jolea and I are looking forward to spending some time together, getting the house cleaned and spending some time with Grammy too.

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Jolea has big news...and NO... she isn't going to be a big sister!!! Take a close look at the pictures below...can you tell a difference? Can you tell what the big news is?

Hmm....

Half of the crib is missing...

So it must be time to start thinking about a BIG GIRL BED!!!

Oh sad Day...cant you stay a baby just a little bit longer? I had to put Jolea in her bed today for timeout. She cried when I put her in there...which is typical...then she got really quiet...climbing I presume...then she hit the floor with a thud and cried again...not so typical...and then she was knocking on her own bedroom door telling me to let her out...totally not typical! So I would say we have a problem on our hands. Well as you can see my crib isn't one of those fancy-nancy cribs that turns into a big girl bed, so I had to improvise! I removed the front rails...and its seems sturdy enough...so...Voila...a make-shift big girl bed, till my pocket book can afford to get a new one! Ooh...a big girl bed means a big girl room...and that screams out PROJECT! For now this will have to do...its 11:12 PM and so far I haven't heard a peep out of her! My Sweet Girl!

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I'm also going to be sharing with you some of my very FAVORITE Christmas outfits of Jolea's. I might be a little crazy about seasonal clothing...but you would never know it :) I just adore sweet little girls Christmas clothing...so as of December 1st she started wearing her "Merries!" Here are the 2 outfits she wore to school this week :)

*This one is a Dittos bargain...its Mis-Tee-V-Us...and you all know how I feel about that

I LOVE this brand to pieces...its so comfy...and so cute all at the same time!

Silly Girl!

This little top was too cute to pass up at Kohls! I am a huge fan of the mix and match brand Jumping Beans...they have the sweetest things for little girls...and very reasonably priced!

Mama's Little Reindeer

I took a trip to Hobby Lobby...and I hit the jackpot on Christmas gifts! Of course its killing me that I cant really talk about them because...some of the people who read this blog will be getting the gifts! BooHoo! While I was there I bought some cute ribbon to dress up my packages! I did manage to get a few of them wrapped, but they are looking oh-so-naked without a little bling! I will work on that part this weekend sometime :)

The semester officially closes on Tuesday evening of next week! Yiipie...Hooray...WooHoo! I cannot fathom being finished with school and having a "normal" life again? Well...I don't know about "normal" but much less stressful for sure! I'm thrilled that I will have my own classroom soon and I will be shaping the Little Minds that are in my class...Oh Happy Day! They say we should have our first Snow Day tomorrow...I cant wait!