2011!!

Happy New Year!!

And so a year of documenting our life through photos and words has come to an end. What did I learn from it? For starters, I learned that even though I LOVE taking pictures - and even though it seems I am doing it constantly - there is nothing easy about attempting to capture "a photo a day" for an entire year. It just didn't come as natural as I thought it would. Sure there were many days where it just hit me, like a bolt of lightning, that I HAD to get a picture of something... that it was just a perfect description of that particular day. But then there were other days that were boring and mundane - days when that obvious snapshot alluded me. And there were even more days when life was just so busy that the thought of taking a picture never even crossed my mind.

All that being said, however, I also learned how important journaling is. I learned how valuable WORDS and WRITING are. What a blessing it has been to scroll back through this blog and read through the many events - both big and small - that happened over the course of a year. Many of which I would have quickly forgotten... we ALL would have forgotten. I hope that my family will enjoy reading about 2010 for years and years to come.

Lastly, I learned that pictures help us to remember emotions. It's easy to remember an activity or an event (at least sometimes it is), but when you look back through old pictures your mind and heart are flooded with the feelings tied to that particular event. Joy - Laughter - Heartache - Grief - Excitement - Anxiousness - Happiness - Contentment - Passion - Love... Emotions make the memories seem more alive - like they just happened - and I love that the photos I posted have helped me to feel those emotions all over again.

So, will I do this again? Will I charge myself with the task of journaling another year through "a photo a day"? Probably not. I WILL, however, continue to journal and blog and post pictures - just without the pressure of trying to do it every single day. Thank you for joining me on this adventure. Until next time...

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!