Merry Christmas

For us a child is born, to us a son is given and the government will be on His shoulders. And He would be called WONDERFUL COUNSELOR, MIGHTY GOD, EVERLASTING FATHER, PRINCE OF PEACE.

Isaiah 9:6

The Weather Outside Is Frightful.....

But The Fire Is So Delightful!

And perfect for roasting marshmallows!

Making a fire that lasts hours and hours is something we have learned this winter. Our first couple of fires were not so great. But now we can make a fire last all night. I love the way it smells, looks and warms up the room. And the girls love that they can roast marshmallows!

  Even the dogs enjoy the fire.

The weather has truly been frightful! We have had highs in the upper 20's the last couple of days! Burrrrrrr! I'd stay in all day if I could.

    But the girls still want to go out and play!

A Snow Day

Looks like it will be a White Christmas!

Tori missed out on all the fun. She was at her four year old check-up with Dad. I do not like to miss out on their check-ups, but there was no way I was going to attempt to drive in this, even with my 4-wheel drive!

Happy Birthday Tori

My SWEET little girl is 4 years old today!! Tori is truly a sweet little girl. She is very considerate and easy going. She is quiet and a little shy. She is VERY independent and enjoys making "set ups" with her toys. She'll set up the doll house, Pet Shops, My Little Pony, or Barbies and play and sing for hours. She skips more than she walks and LOVES her dance class. Her favorite presents were "My Little Pony sheets for Lite Brite" from Grandpa Pete and Linda and her "new Hello Kitty pajamas" from Mommy and Daddy. 

Tori had a fun birthday at Chuck E. Cheese yesterday.....again.  She had her party there last year. And, again for the second year in a row, she asked for a polka dot cake. The girl knows what she likes!

Happy Birthday Victoria Grace!

Introducing.....

Dixie Mae- the newest member of our family!

Isn't she adorable?!?

Everyone around here thinks so!

Pete and I thought a new puppy is just what we needed! She was rescued from a kill shelter in Kentucky and brought up here for us to adopt her. We are all in love already.....except Maddie.

Maddie doesn't think much of her! But we hope they will eventually become great playmates. We hear that bringing in a puppy will add some years to a senior dog. And we all want more years with Maddie!

Dixie has been really good. She is a sweet pup and tolerates the girls loving up on her ALL day long.

By the way....

 

we did make it home safe and sound. And our trip home was just as good as the one down. The girls were fantastic in the car! We shortened our trip back and drove all the way in from Memphis! It was all Pete. The girls and I slept! I haven't had any time to update my blog. I have been trying to get back into the daily routine of things, Christmas shop, prepare for a special someone's fourth birthday, put out Christmas' decorations and deal with all the other stuff that seems to be going on right now.

The drive home really made me feel happy about living in New Jersey. Even though we are so (so very) far from home, we live in a great part of the country. It is so pretty here. And so different from what we are use to- the climate, the change of season, the people, the food, and such a neat experience for us all. And of course there is the fact that we are only an hour away from New York City, two hours from Pete's Alma Mater, and we can visit several states by driving just a few hours.

I still love Texas and still have the desire to move back there one day. Please forgive me for saying so, but until this trip, I never realized how un-pretty Texas is! I know there are a lot of pretty areas in Texas, but most of the Texas driving was not as nice as what we were seeing in the other states. But one thing is certain, it is definitely the most proud! I can not tell you how many times I saw the Texas flag on our drive through the state. It was on vehicles, billboards, homes, restaurants, shopping centers, car lots. It was every where. I love that! I love that Alli came home with a Texas flag that she made in preschool. I have been in Jersey for over a year and I am not sure that I have ever seen the NJ flag. I don't even know what it looks like. None of the girls have brought it home from school...yet. I like being from a state that is so proud. I always tell anyone who will listen that I am from Texas. I even have the Texas charm on my James Avery charm bracelet!

And here is the New Jersey flag in case you were curious. And yep, I am still pretty sure I have never seen it.