Christmas, New Years, Anniversary, etc.

The last couple of weeks have been packed full of so many travels and adventures, that quite frankly, I don't even know where to begin...and indeed, I don't think I shall even try to go into much detail, as the very thought is overwhelming.

So, I shall give a brief sketch of our adventures...

Saturday, December 18th, we had our first Christmas with Donald's parents and sister. It was a lot of fun, and I enjoyed the day immensely (as I usually do when getting to spend time with my wonderful in-laws!). Danielle enjoyed the day too, especially since her kind grandparents gave her an exersaucer. :-)


I spent the next few days finishing up Christmas projects, such as Danielle's dress which I mentioned in my last blog... Isn't it cute?

I baked 82 cookies to take to family gatherings...


And did a whole assortment of other things. At last, it was all done, and we were off on Wednesday, the 22nd, to Tyler, TX to spend time with my Dad's side of the family. We stayed the night at Mama-Doll's (my grandmother) house, where she and Danielle had lots of fun playing together.

The next day, we went to my Uncle Fred (Dad's older brother) and Aunt Claudia's house, where we had our Christmas with them. Danielle had fun getting acquainted with her relatives.

We left there that evening, and came back home, where we slept and arose early the next morning to head to Sunset, TX to have a Christmas celebration with Donald's maternal family.
We then left there that evening, and came back home. The next morning (Christmas Day), our little family opened our gifts to each other, took some pictures...

...and then headed to my parents house for the remainder of the day. We had a lot of fun, and really enjoyed the day there. I loved giving the aprons I made to my sisters, and I think they loved them too. :-)

Oh, and my parents gave me a bread machine!!! I'm soooo thrilled!

The next day, we headed out to a town near Terrell, TX to have another Christmas celebration with Donald's paternal family. That finished, we were done with family gatherings for a few days... Whew! I took a few days off and rested, and then I had mine and Donald's family (parents & siblings) over for lunch on New Year's Day. Then, the next day, we went to my Granny and Grandpa's house (my mother's parents) for our last Christmas celebration with that side of the family. So, as you can see, our Christmas was a whirlwind of family gatherings. And, I must confess, I'm not ready for another long car ride any time soon. Danielle was a trooper, though, and I'm proud of her. :-)

Then, on Monday (Jan. 3rd), it was mine and Donald's 2nd wedding anniversary!! We celebrated the day by going to a sushi restaurant for lunch (yum!!), taking a nap with the baby, playing board games, watching a movie, and just being together. We decided this year not to take a trip anywhere, as both on our 1st anniversary trip and our honeymoon (both to the same place), one or both of us was sick with the stomach virus, and we decided we needed to break the trend and stay home (and hopefully not get sick!). Thankfully, we were both in excellent health for our anniversary, and enjoyed our day to the fullest. :-)

(For more pictures from our anniversary, go to this link: http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=606803&id=596110155&l=9079c9d74f.)

Danielle turning 6 months old on December 30th was our other big event of the last few weeks. Using some coupons I had, I took her out to a studio to have a 6 month portrait taken. I can't wait to see them! However, I did decide that she needed some snapshots taken at home too... So here are a few of them. Isn't she a darling?

(For more recent pictures of Danielle, go to this link:

http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=606758&id=596110155&l=533ddecafe.)

I have spent the last few days trying to rest and recover from those very hectic two weeks, and today am finally feeling energetic again. I have several new projects in mind for the coming weeks and months (some of which include finishing a quilt and organizing my home from top to bottom), but will write more on those in the days to come, as this is already a lengthy post, and I have a baby who needs my attention right now. :-P

So, I hope all of you had a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year, and will write more later!

Blessings,
Melody

Of Christmas Trees, Concerts, and Chocolate...

There is a song that goes as follows:
"Haul out the holly;
Put up the tree before my spirit falls again.
Fill up the stocking,
I may be rushing things,
but deck the halls again now.
For we need a little Christmas
Right this very minute,
Candles in the window,
Carols at the spinet.
Yes, we need a little Christmas now."

Well, folks, I must confess that as soon as Thanksgiving is over every year, this is the way I feel--especially now that I have my own home and tree to decorate. So, Thanksgiving weekend, my darling hubby graciously brought all the Christmas things out of the attic for me, and I spent the following day (Monday) decorating our humble abode. Danielle watched in wide-eyed wonder as I plugged in the lights on the tree. She wasn't quite sure what this all was about, but I'm sure she loved how shiny and sparkly everything was.

Danielle is very mobile now, and rolls ALL over the place. The day after I put up our tree, I left the room (with her on the floor) for just a moment. I no sooner left the room, then I heard her cooing and laughing to herself. Now, normally I love her cooing and laughing....but something about this time told me that she had gotten into something (other mothers probably understand this), so I rushed back into the living room to find that she had rolled underneath the Christmas tree, and was engaged in wadding up my tree skirt and kicking at the branches above her. However, it was all so cute, that I made a photoshoot of it. Here are some of the pictures.


Last Friday evening, the Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary Choir and the Fort Worth Symphony Orchestra performed Handel's Messiah. My wonderful husband kindly took me and our adorable baby to hear them. It was simply WONDERFUL. Every time I hear that majestic music, my heart soars as I think of the King of kings, Lord of lords, the Lord of hosts, the Messiah, the Mighty God, the Everlasting Father, the Prince of Peace Who came down at Christmas, took upon Himself "a form of a servant, and was made in the likeness of men: And being found in fashion as a man, he humbled himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross. Wherefore God also hath highly exalted him, and given him a name which is above every name: That at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of things in heaven, and things in earth, and things under the earth; And that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father."

I believe every Christmas season should start out with hearing The Messiah. It helps put Christmas into the right perspective. After all, as the Grinch learned, "Christmas...doesn't come from a store. Maybe Christmas...perhaps...means a little bit more!"

Now I have told you about the Christmas Tree and the Concert, so perhaps you are wondering about the chocolate...

Well, I just wanted to mention that I have such a wonderful, understanding, loving husband who makes sure I am well supplied with chocolate when I need it. Why, he even (at my request) will actually go into the kitchen and cook Chocolate Oatmeal Drops for me when I'm craving them (even if it means getting ridiculed by his co-worker, who says cooking is women's work). This he did for this past weekend, and then also brought home some chocolate from the store for me. It's just a little thing, I know, but it means a lot to know he was thinking of me (especially when he was going to buy Drano for a nasty plumbing problem [our kitchen sink kept backing up, and filling up the bathtub...]), and it helps to make the Season bright.

Anyway...there is a little blog entry to let y'all know what I've been up to lately. With my pro-longed silence on my blog, I didn't want y'all to think I'd fallen off the face of the earth, so to speak. But with trying to get all my Christmas sewing (I'm sewing presents for all my siblings) and shopping done, I haven't had an abundance of time to sit and write, if you know what I mean.

Now to get back to that sewing...

Blessings,
Melody