It's Beginning to Look a Lot Like....

CHRISTMAS!!
So, presents are (mostly) wrapped and packages are ready to be mailed. December has been a lot of fun this year....from the Angel Tree to decorating gingerbread cookies with the Schulze kiddos!
Before the festivities began....

Decorating...

And their finished gingerbread cookies! They are such creative kids!
If you need a good gift idea for some parents you love, just give their kids a plate full of sugar right before bed. Paul and Debbie loved it.




Even Elizabeth hung out with the gingerbread men!

(Mom, my nose looks like yours in this picture. Thanks for the DNA.)

Watching A Christmas Carol....

And now for some Christmas decorations!

Debbie's Christmas tree...

My itty bitty table tree....hahahaha! Someday....


I loved Debbie's house. Her decorations for Christmas were so fun and festive. This was my favorite of her decorations though....a box filled with Christmas books. Yes, I'm a nerdy librarian.

And for my next craft project...

Decoupage coasters with leftover wrapping paper for next Christmas!

I'm looking forward to more Christmas fun to come!

Happy Birthday, Cissy!

Today is my big sister's birthday!! Her name is Chrystie but when I was little, "Cissy" came out and it stuck. Yes, I'm 30 years old and still call my sister Cissy. But today is Cissy's birthday. I can't begin to write about all the things I love about my sister. She is the best big sister a girl could ask for. She is just the right balance between annoying and loving....which makes the perfect big sister I must say. You know, the kind of sister that can make you laugh until you wet your pants and then come back 5 minutes later only to say something so annoying you want you scream. Perfect balance. I love her so much. Always there for me. Always listens without judgement. Always full of support and encouragement. And did I mention she makes me laugh! She is such a great mother and wife and I hope that someday I can follow her example.

Cissy, I love you and hope that you have the most wonderful birthday ever! Can't wait to see you Christmas!

Sidenote: This picture was our first Christmas together as sisters. I was 4 months old and Cissy was 3.

Feliz Thanksgiving-O

Mom, the new internet queen, this post is for you. I love you!

Burke and I went to Mexico City for Thanksgiving to spend time with Benjy and Carolyn (his brother and sister-in-law, my great friends from Atlanta mission trips). We, of course, had a blast with them and his mom, Mary Beth and Carolyn's mom, Erna.


Piercen greeted us when we arrived. Look at that smile!

Crazy brothers.

Piercen would lay on the floor and play all day while his brothers were at school. Here he is with his army men.

Our happy hosts! She just had a baby...can you believe that?!?

Mary Beth and new baby Hudson.

Adorable. And Hudson is cute too.

The Brednich boys start reading at an early age!

A little turkey craft project! I'm such a nerd but I had so much fun doing these things with the boys!

A little Batman puzzle time....

A little Hi Ho Cherry-O with Uncle Burke......

A little Connect Four....

I LOVED holding baby Hudson! I tried to share with others but I didn't like it.

Some scrabble! Carolyn, no one else likes you for always winning. (But I like everybody.)

Some cute little Thanksgiving turkeys! (They made the turkeys pinned on their shirts during "craft time"....so cute!)

And then they brought out the turducken and it stole their attention.

At Thanksgiving dinner....we are thinking about just stealing Hudson and claiming him as our own.

A little Facebook tutorial...

This picture makes me laugh. Hudson is getting upset but Chase is still talking to him in his dinosaur voice.

The whole Brednich brother clan! Maybe Burke and I will just steal them all....

Uncle Burke got the ball stuck in a tree. So the man afraid of heights climbed the tree to get it. Such a great uncle!

Reece finally pulled the picnic table over so they could sit and wait for the ball out of the tree. It was pretty funny.

A little date night with Benjy and Carolyn and James and Erin. It was so good to spend time with you all!


Carolyn, the super mom (and Scrabble player)....


Benjy and Carolyn, thank you so much for letting us come and visit you. And even though your kids were my favorite part, it was really so much fun to see you! Looking forward to February!

More of those Brednichs

There are many things that I love about Burke. He is truly the most amazing man I've ever met. Patient, kind, hilarious, generous, smart, has the best heart of any person I know...the list could go on and on. Trust me, he's amazing. You're lucky if you get to know him. But one of my favorite things about Burke is the way he loves his family. He. Loves. His. Family. It's really so very sweet. And I feel fortunate to get to know his brother and sister and their families.

I met Betsy and her family this weekend in Fort Worth. Instant friends. She is so great!

Kelly and Betsy. Brig and Kelly live in Austin and I love getting together with them.

This is the way I feel about Brig and Jared. They seem to find great humor and entertainment in making things difficult for me. No one likes them.

Sweet Kate watching the game with the dorks. She is so cute, she makes her uncle and dad look sweet. Amazing talent, that girl!

Kate had just woken up from her nap and she didn't mind me holding her at all. I was very impressed with her friendliness.

Brig is making fun of the way Burke holds a baby. Looks very natural.

Uncle Brig was a bit of a Kate hog. I'm not bitter or anything though.

Kate hog.

Carson the cutie. Those teeth....

AdOrAbLe!

Texting at an early age....

I love these pictures of Carson. Here is reaching for the ice cream....

and here he is in position, waiting his turn. So cute!

And now for the cousins! I realize Caden and Tabor are probably too old to be called cute and adorable. But look at these pictures. CUTE and ADORABLE!

They loved playing with their baby cousins!

Tabor the super cousin!

Caden the incredible cousin!

Thanks to Brig and Kelly for letting me tag along for the weekend. Jared and Betsy, great fun to meet you. Looking forward to December!

Burke, you were so missed.

Glorious

I visited Burke last weekend and he took me to Shenandoah National Park. Although we missed the fall leaves, it was really beautiful.

































Furry forest friends....
























We just imagined those leaves....



















on these trees.
































There were 800 overlooks and Burke was patient and stopped at them all. I have to take pictures, you know.















Burke and Beau warming up for church with This Little Light of Mine....no, no, not annoying at all.














Sweet Story: Mr. Norton is the preacher at Arlington Church of Christ where Burke's mom goes to church. They were so sweet and so thoughtful and ordered me a CD. (What they didn't know was that my CDs were stolen from my car a few months ago, so this was a very fun surprise.) So a big blog thank you to Mr. and Mrs. Norton!



















And a perfect ending to the the trip...Burke called on my way home and his new nephew Hudson John was born. We are going to Mexico for Thanksgiving and I was very nervous Hudson would be stubborn and not make an appearance for our visit. So I was VERY EXCITED to hear this news! Congratulations, Benjy, Carolyn, and brothers! Looking forward to meeting Hudson next week!