spies like us...

The kids spent the day outside - most of which was decked out with spy gear. Cecily was the "undercover spy" - so she dressed in "street clothes" (at least this is how it was explained to me). Outside Day also included a picnic lunch with all four kids - completely made and packed up by Cecily... wish I had gotten a picture of that also!

music city bowl...

Brock at the game - trying to get on TV by holding a sign that says,

"I watch ESPN with my daddy".

First time Colton has EVER worn Tennessee colors...

Look close - you may never see it again!

Colton, Brock, Cayce and Matt went to the Music City Bowl tonight... Tennessee vs. North Carolina. Club section, 1st row, 45-yard line. 46 degrees and windy.

North Carolina gets confused with 11 seconds left in game - clock runs out - Tennessee wins. Game over. Crowd goes wild, coaches shake hands, NC players start walking to locker room. But wait! Game NOT over?! Refs decide to review last play - put one second back on clock and NC gets one more chance. NC scores and game goes into overtime. Oh. My. Goodness.

Overtime: A whole other story and this blog is already way too long considering I am talking about a COLLEGE football game for two teams that I don't even care about. Long story short - North Carolina wins. Matt declares it the best football game he's ever been to! Colton talks about it for hours after he gets home.

movie time...

While Colton, Brock, Cayce and Matt were at the Music City Bowl, the rest of us hit the theater. Reece and Papa saw "Gulliver's Travels" (in 3D, of course); and Cecily, Kimbo, Nana and I saw "Tangled". It was a fun night for all.

curious cat...

stealth cam...

Cayce got a "wildlife camera" for Christmas... it's something he's been wanting for a couple years now. It's a weather-proof camera that stays outside and takes pictures when triggered by motion. This picture was actually taken by the stealth cam as Cayce was setting it up...

kinect!

Cayce catches some serious air during the hurdles race. No editing to this picture at all.

Colton and Harrison (who is basically my 5th child) race each other in the 100.

Reece and Maddox doing the hurdles race... look at that intensity!

Hurdles again and yes, I was so beat by a 7-year old!

Cayce and I gave all the kids the Kinect attachment for the XBox 360. It's a wireless, motion sensor so you actually compete in the video games by doing the actions yourself. Tonight, we did the track & field events (100 race, javelin throw, discus & hurdles) together as a family (plus a couple of friends). Wow! This is SOOOO cool!

girl time...

Cecily and I stole some time away today just for us!

a satco tradition...

SATCO, aka San Antonio Taco Company, has become somewhat a tradition for us. It's located in Nashville - nowhere remotely close to our usual stomping grounds. However, on the Sundays our family delivers Meals on Wheels, SATCO is just around the corner from us. And so a tradition was born several years ago! Once our deliveries are finished, we head straight to this eatery where we enjoy some of the best queso ever, as well as incredible fajitas, tacos and wings. Ohhhh.... I can taste it even now.

santa came AND a white Christmas!

This was the first white Christmas Nashville has seen in 17 years. It was the first white Christmas our family has EVER seen! How exciting and how beautiful it was to wake up this morning and see a light blanket of snow covering everything!

We were awakened at the crack of 6:30 am by our children who discreetly planted a walkie talkie in our bedroom last night in order to wake us early... they succeeded. It was a fun morning - lots of gift opening and lots of surprised faces - the kids all agreed it was the best Christmas ever! Papa and Nana joined us this year, also - which made it even more special.

The afternoon and evening were spent at Papa and Nana's with the cousins - we watched the snow continue to fall ALL day while we shared an amazing Christmas feast together, opened more presents, slept, played games, ate more food and watched movies and ball games. It's always a relaxing day just lounging around - doing pretty much nothing except enjoying the company of family.

Thank you, Lord, for the gift of family - for the gift of love. Thank you for the gift of Jesus' birth, the reason we celebrate this season -- because of His birth and life we have learned the true meaning of love. Thank you, Jesus.

Christmas Eve Gift!

Christmas Eve for our family means...

being the first person to say "Christmas Eve Gift!" (even if it means setting your alarm for midnight so you can sneak over to your siblings beds and whisper it in their ear -- COLTON!)... cooking all day to get ready for our traditional Italian dinner... last minute shopping by Cayce... spending the evening here at our house with all of our Nashville family... a 4-course, seated dinner prepared by me and served by Cayce and the kids... a Christmas play performed by the children... tracking Santa's progress on norad.com... a family sing along... a gift exchange... LOTS of visiting, catching up and LAUGHTER.

Christmas Eve for us means family - and oh how I love Christmas Eve.

friends for life...

Some dear friends visited us today! Pam and I have been friends since we were 14 years old. She moved to San Antonio our Freshman year of high school and we became fast friends. And despite the distance put between us over the last 22 years, our friendship only continues to grow stronger as the years move on.

Pam is the reason I attended ACU for college. She asked me to visit the school with her when we were juniors in high school. I had never heard of it before we went but I quickly I fell in love with the school and the people there. And then, after my dad and I went together for a 2nd visit, the deal was sealed. He loved it - I loved it. I went on to Abilene Christian while Pam went to Oklahoma Christian. ACU changed my life -- during my years there, I developed relationships with spiritual giants who quickly became spiritual mentors to me. I developed friendships with peers who encouraged me but also challenged me to live a life following the path God had set for me. At ACU, I also met and fell in love with my husband. I suppose, in a way, I have Pam to thank for all of that.

I truly believe that God brought this precious friendship into my life those many years ago for a reason. During our teenage years, we borrowed each other's clothes, complained about our parents' seemingly horrible rules, shared our secret crushes as well as our heartbreaks, cheered and danced our way through Pep Squad, sang our hearts out in chorus together... oh my goodness, the list could go on and on! Pam was the one who modeled kindness and acceptance toward everyone - not a trait found in most teenage girls - and what an impact it made on me.

As adults, she is still in San Antonio, along with her loving husband and four beautiful children, and I am, of course, in Tennessee. We only see each other about once a year, but yet she continues to influence my life in such amazing ways. Her humility always leaves me in awe. She is constantly positive - always looking for the good in situations and in people. I still have never heard her say a bad thing about anyone. She is an encourager. She loves her husband and her children so much - and the way she cares for and leads her family is an inspiration and example to me. Most importantly, she continues to model Christ in her words and actions - always striving to follow His will for her life.

I am so very grateful for the gift of our friendship... and someday, I hope to be like her.

too much fun...

School's been out for several days now, the temps are cold and the weather is beautiful. The kids are having a blast playing with each other and with friends, as well as making the occasional trip to the stores for those last minute gifts. Late nights and lots of activity caused these two to pass out early evening today. What a great life!

chocolate santa...

It's a quirky little tradition and how it started I don't really know. We inherited a "chocolate Santa" ornament (made out of plastic, NOT real chocolate) from Aunt Patsy years ago, well before Colton was even born. Once the children were old enough to know what was going on at Christmas each year, they started fighting over who should get to place him on the tree each year. So, we began taking turns. Only problem was that we would forget from year to year whose turn it was. So a couple years ago, I began documenting the moment with a picture. This year was Colton's turn and he was quick to point out that the next time he is eligible will be when he is a senior in high school. Wow.

overload...

Colton had 6 friends sleep over last night. One left early this morning. The rest, along with my own kids, had to squeeze into our Suburban so I could take Colton and Reece to their workout this morning... fun times. Stinky car. Love these days!

cookie dough...

Oh how I love cookie dough... it just doesn't get much better than this.

my own little rudolph...

I dropped Cecily off at school this morning but a little reindeer came home in her place!

krispy kreme smile...

Brock has missed this entire week of school due to a fever virus. He's feeling better today but since he still had fever last night, he's home again - which means no class Christmas party today - total bummer for a 7-year old. However, I found out that Krispy Kreme makes it all better! Love that sweet smile!

planetarium...

Reece visited the Adventure Science Center and Planetarium today with school - this is always a favorite field trip for my science-minded boy!

elfie makes a mess...

Elfie has forgotten to move the last couple of nights... shame on him. Really, I can't believe he is so irresponsible. Doesn't he know how much Cecily and Brock look forward to looking for him each morning? And doesn't he know how upset they are when he doesn't move? And how confused they are as to WHY he hasn't moved?

Well, TONIGHT, Elfie finally mustered up the energy to hide again and this time, I discovered, he made quite a mess of the hall bath. Not sure what got into him - perhaps it was the extra days of rest he had... or maybe it was the guilt of not having moved for so long... who knows?! All I know is that Cecily and Brock have quite a mess to clean up tomorrow - they won't care, though... they'll love it!

early white Christmas...

Usually, we don't get snow until January. This year, however, we've already had it twice now - and today it snowed enough to give us our first "snow day" off school. One of the benefits of living in the South is that school closes as soon as there is a dusting on the roads and I have to admit, even I love our snow days! So bring on the sledding and hot cocoa!

playtime...

Snowy day outside and after the sledding is done, I find these two completely caught up in dress up and playtime as cowboys. Thank you, Colton, for being such a good big brother - you are awesome!

Christmas jingles...

Uncle Everett...

Cecily's birth, January 31, 2001

Brock's birth, April 9, 2003

Today, a great man passed away after a long battle with cancer. Uncle Everett, Cayce's uncle, was just one of those people everyone loved being around. He made you feel loved. And important. And special. And like you were the most important person in the world to him. He wanted to make sure everyone knew they were loved - and so he spent his days sharing that news with every person he came in contact with. A neighbor, a loved one, a friend of a friend, the waitress at Cracker Barrel... it didn't really matter who it was, Uncle Everett was going to make sure you knew you were loved. And he had a way of making you believe it - even if you just met him.

Everett loved God and everyone around him knew this -- because he loved God so much, he couldn't hide it -- and he certainly didn't try to. He wasn't shy about asking how your church service was that Sunday morning or where you were in your walk with Jesus... because he wanted to make sure you WERE walking in the footsteps of the Lord. And he would be the first one to encourage you and pray for you (and with you) if you weren't. He loved to pray a blessing over babies, teenagers, new lives in Christ, marriages... basically he loved to pray and he was going to make sure those around him were prayed for.

I was blessed to live close to Uncle Everett and Aunt Peggy for many years. They were at the births of three of my children (and would have been at Reece's had they not been in Tennessee while he was being born in Amarillo). The above pictures show Everett praying his blessing over Cecily and Brock just shortly after their births. He was the first person to enter the delivery room after Brock was born, and the first person to hold Brock after Cayce and I did. I still remember how quick he was to tell me how good I looked and how perfect Brock was.

I have always loved watching Peggy and Everett... the way they loved each other so completely and so fully - the way they consistently honored each other through their words and actions - and the ways in which they brought glory and honor to God THROUGH their marriage... these are images I will never forget. I have learned from them how to be a more loving and supportive wife, mother, daughter and child of God. I still make so many mistakes but know that "near perfection" IS possible because I've seen it through them.

I already miss Everett so much but as I sit and reminisce the wonderful memories I have with him, I am reminded... "This is the day the Lord has made. Let us be glad and rejoice in it."

matching...

Look what St. Nick brought us!

flexbility...

elf on the shelf...

As if we don't already have enough "tradition" in our family. For 2 years now, Cecily has begged for an "Elf on the Shelf". I don't mean just at Christmastime. I mean, ALL year long she has asked for this little guy. For 2 years, I have told her the same thing. We already have enough tradition in this house. We need no more - at least not at this time of the year. St. Nick apparently disagreed. Cecily finally got her Elf.

Don't know what this is? Just an elf who hides in different locations all over our house each night in December. Every morning, Cecily and Brock wake up and immediately go search for Elfie (the name given our little guy). Cecily has informed us that some of her friends at school have elves who leave notes, and baked treats and sometime they even mess up the room they are hiding in. Wow. That's a lot for Elfie to do, wouldn't you agree?! I'm thinking Elfie will do good to remember to hide in a new place each night. Yep, that's definitely what I'm thinking...

first snow...

It's not much but still, it IS our first snow of the year. And it DID manage to flurry ALL day. Yay - it's winter!

St. Nick!

St. Nick's Eve

... and the stockings were hung by the chimney with care, in the hopes that St. Nicholas soon would be there... It's an old German tradition that on the night before St. Nick, you hang out your stocking, put your Christmas list inside, and then as you sleep that night, St. Nicholas comes. He takes the letters and then fills the stockings with goodies.

This was a favorite tradition of mine, growing up in San Antonio, Texas. My German grandfather delighted in joining our family every "St. Nick's Eve" so he could hang his pillowcase with our stockings. He always threatened to stay up all night with his 20/20 shotgun in hand to make sure St. Nick left all the goodies for him. Sure enough, every year we would wake up on St. Nick morning to find our stockings overflowing with candy, toys and trinkets... and Paw's pillowcase was filled with sticks, rocks and coal. Year after year, the exact same thing happened. And year after year, we kids never grew tired of it. My grandfather always knew how to make everything so fun and magical. I cherish the memories I have growing up with St. Nick and I love that my children are creating their own tonight and every year on this special night...

Aunt Patsy...

Cayce's Aunt Patsy passed away this morning. I received the call while I was driving and immediately the tears started streaming down my face. Aunt Patsy has been weak and in declining health for years but still, the news caught me completely off guard. It's never easy to say goodbye to someone you love...

I know Patsy before I knew Cayce. She was a Vice President at ACU and I got to know her as a student through my work in the Alumni office. She made such an impression on me from the very beginning... She was so professional, knowledgeable and wise. She was polished, poised and articulate. And she was personable. It seemed she knew everyone and they knew her... and yet she continued to reach out and get to know new acquaintances at every opportunity. That's where I came in. When we first met, I was just a student worker in her office - yet she made me feel like I was just as important as the most affluent alumnus and donor the university had ever had. I say this because she took the time to get to know me - and remember me. She asked me questions and because of her wealth of knowledge in so many areas, she also taught me so much. After I graduated from ACU, I was offered a job in the Alumni Office. Patsy's office moved to a different location in the same building but because Alumni and Development were so closely tied, our paths continued to cross frequently.

And then, there was mine and Cayce's first date... Well, technically it wasn't supposed to be a first date - he was just accompanying me to an ACU event in Dallas - but it sure ended that way (we fell madly in love that first night). Okay I digress. So on this first date, Patsy (who was in Dallas for the same event) insisted that Cayce and I join her, along with some other Powells for dinner in downtown Dallas before we went to the Myerson Symphony Center for ACU's function. Until that night, I had never been to such a nice restaurant and I certainly had never met any other Powells. Patsy made sure I felt comfortable and at ease through that entire meal - and I did. She also educated me on the Powell lineage in relationship to ACU - those of you who knew Aunt Patsy are laughing right now because you know exactly what I am talking about. Oh, how she loved her family and oh how she loved ACU.

Fast forward, 3 months and Cayce and I were engaged, planning a wedding for 3 months later - which required money - much more than we had. So Patsy insisted I move in with her - to save money. And again, she made me feel comfortable and at ease - and at home. She didn't want me to feel like a guest in her home - she wanted me to feel like family and I did. I always liked to joke that Aunt Patsy was the "hostess with the mostest" - meant only as the highest of compliments - because she loved to host family and friends and she was always so gracious, generous and kind. In a way, she was a hostess to me from our very first meeting, but it went further than that...

Both of my grandmothers passed away when I was young... and in thinking back through the flood of memories I have with Aunt Patsy, I think she filled that void I'd had in my life. She took me in and loved me as only a grandmother could... and for that I will be forever grateful.

secret treat giver...

Tonight, Brock discovered some notes on his pillow... the first explaining that he had a "Secret Treat Giver" - aka "Secret Santa". The second was a short, rhyming clue to where he would find his first treat.

He has NO idea who his S.S. is (well, he kinda thinks it's Santa himself) but he is SOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO excited. He just kept telling me over and over that he has NEVER had an S.S. before. He's quite certain it's not me - and he's right. I wonder who else in this household would have thought to do something like this, completely on their own? Who else in this household would have written and stock-piled a ton of rhyming clues so they might be prepared, well in advance, to leave one clue/treat a day until Christmas Day. Who, I wonder?!