First Ponytail

Our friends, BT and Ashley, came over to eat wings and watch the Big 12 Championship last night. We love them. Mostly because they're just super neat people, but also because they're so wonderful with Grace. She has a ball playing with her Auntie Ashley and last night even ended up with her first little ponytail. It was too cute...I only wish I'd gotten a picture of the both of them with their matching 'dos. :) David's not a fan of the look just yet, but he'll come around!

O Christmas Tree

David and I put up our tree and decorations after Grace went to sleep last night. We were so excited to see her reaction when she discovered it this morning and, God love her, she didn't disappoint. She noticed the tree before even entering the room and leaned over to peek at it without actually walking in. She was totally in awe...just looked it up and down, staring at all the sparkly lights and ornaments. She also started whispering "whoa", which I'm thinking Dave and I must've been doing unknowingly. These are the little moments that bring so much joy.

Thankful

It's no news that holidays can be tricky. Particularly when you have multiple families to consider and not in the same area. It's easy to get so caught up in trying to "fit it all in" that you aren't truly able to sit back and enjoy the time (or any one family) for what it is. Take last year, for example...we saw all three families on Christmas Day! We spent the morning in Dallas with Dave's family, then left for Huntsville to spend the afternoon with my dad, then spent that night with my mom. It was a whirlwind, as always.

So, David and I have since decided to try and travel for just Thanksgiving or Christmas, but not both. We spent several days in Huntsville over Thanksgiving break and, while we missed seeing David's side of the family, it was nice to get there and settle in and stay for a while. (Now for Christmas we'll stay in Dallas and spend it with the Dercks, although we're sure to sneak in a celebration with my side before or after.) Plus, we had even more than the obvious to be thankful for this year...as most everyone knows by now.

I was feeling much better during this trip home than last. You see, my visit in early October was actually an "I just found out I'm pregnant again and I'm sick and kinda overwhelmed and my husband is out of town and I just need my mom" sort of visit. Yes, that's right, we're expecting a little sibling for Grace beginning of June! And lucky for me, Thanksgiving ended up being a nice turning point in the pregnancy...it marked the end of the first trimester, fading of the nausea, and the return of my appetite. Hallelujah!

I'll be blogging more about Baby #2 later. (And I still have yet to blog about our Mexican vacation, which I can now do without feeling like I'm withholding the fact that we came home with more than just memories.) We're really excited, though, and so thankful to the Lord for blessing/trusting us with something we didn't even realize we were ready for. We're also beyond thankful for the sweet little girl we already have, each other, and our wonderful (and flexible) families! Here's a little summary of our Thanksgiving:

Grace took many a walk with Papa John

The dogs lounged between runs on the golf course

Our daredevil learned she could go really fast down hills

Someone experienced her first Thanksgiving meal

Cousin Natalie found herself with a new friend

Uncle Charles enjoyed a belated birthday celebration

Grace was stylin' in her outfit from Aunt Kimmie

GramB got a suitable picture for her Christmas Card

Grace showed off her pretty, new holiday dress

Somehow we managed to get a shot of the whole crew

Our little fam got some much needed R&R together

Daddy attempted fishing in Grandpa's pond

The dogs acted like lunatics on the farm

Uncle Kyle and Uncle Kody bonded with their niece

Gracelyn took a liking to Grandpa's antique potty chair

My little Kyle turned 21 years old...still can't believe it

Hamming It Up

No big story here, just wanted to share some cute pics. Here's Grace modeling an outfit from her Great-Aunt Candy:



And showing off an outfit from Aunt Christine (complete with a dog toy prop):



She's something else.

Go Cowboys!

Today hasn't exactly been one of our usual quiet Sundays...and I'm most certainly not complaining. David and I got to enjoy a Cowboys game in the flesh and spend time with my sweet friend, Sarah. Sarah was my little sis in ZTA and a bridesmaid in our wedding, who for the last few years has lived across the country. Now she's back in Texas (yay!) and frequenting Dallas (yay!) thanks in part to her family's love of Cowboys football. Today's game they had a suite for, which they very kindly and generously invited us to sit in. This was my first time to JerryWorld and I think I've pretty much been ruined for any future experiences there. It was fantastic. A perfect view of the action, yummy food and drinks galore, and a fancy private restroom. We even saw Jerry himself stop by the suite next door. Oh, and we won...which is always good. Thank you much, Williams family, for letting us be part of your clan today! And thanks to DeeDee for coming to spend time with Grace in our absence!

Just Kidding

Well, looks like I lied when I said Grace had her last bottle. She's not been feeling good and last night even fell asleep in my arms as I rocked her, which hasn't happened in forever. She woke up just as pitiful this morning and the sippy cup got her extra agitated. I felt bad, so I pulled out a good old faithful bottle...then I wrapped her up in a snuggie. Oh well. :)

Baby Bookworm

Grace has always been somewhat interested in books, but lately she's been obsessed. She LOVES to read. She'll bring us a book, sit down with a huge smile on her face, and act like it's the most exciting one she's ever heard...then repeat with a different one. I've also noticed her looking through them on her own and talking (I use that term very loosely) to herself. She even has a certain little "hard at work" face she reserves just for books...pretty cute.

So Long, Bottle

She doesn't know it yet, but tonight Grace enjoyed her last bottle. They've officially been all bagged up and replaced with a plethora of large sippy cups. Although Grace has had sippy cups of water for months now, she hasn't received them well with milk the times I've tried. For her, that's exclusively a bottle thing. I'm anticipating a bit of resistance in the morning, but I'm guessing we'll survive.

Halloween Happenings

This little piggy went to playgroup,




this little piggy went to a festival,








this little piggy went trick-or-treating,









and this little piggy went to bed easy! :)