Santa Came Early!

Hodge's Christmas gift was delivered and installed by Santa's elves on Friday morning. Santa had so many Rainbow Play Systems to install in the area that he asked if he could send his elves to our house before Christmas. Matt and I told Santa to go ahead and install Hodge's play system so he could start to enjoy his new swing, slide and clubhouse!  Hodge was excited to come home and find his new Play System in the backyard. I think he was a little overwhelmed at first. Hodge just walk around it and then ran back to his little slide that he got last year for Christmas. I was thinking to myself that I could have just put a big red bow on last year's gift and called it new. It took him a few minutes and then he realized the new slide was a lot of fun! He was excited and had a great time trying out all the different things. It has a periscope and a ship's wheel in the clubhouse. It also has a rock wall which he has not tried out. I think as he gets older he will enjoy the rock wall. I also ordered the clubhouse ramp that will go beside the steps. It will be installed after Christmas so that will give him something new to try out. He has had fun the past few days playing on his new play system or as Hodge calls it "his playground!"

This is when he ran over to his little slide. 

Pushing mommy down the slide

O Christmas Tree! O Christmas Tree!

This will be our first Christmas in our new house so I decided to change things up with our Christmas tree. It took me almost 3 nights to get this done but we had fun during the process. Matt put our tree up downstairs in the dinning room on Thursday night. Hodge and I had fun getting all the decorations out. I still cannot find the tree skirt. I guess it is in a box or I put it up somewhere when we moved and I cannot find it. As I started to decorate the tree I realized I wanted to get some new things and buy a second tree for upstairs. So we stopped decorating and I waited until Friday to start the process over again. Friday evening Hodge and I made a shopping trip to Sam's Club to get some new ribbon and ornaments for the tree downstairs. Sam's had some great mesh ribbon, jumbo shatterproof ornaments and a 100 count assortment of shatterproof ornaments for $29. That is only 29 cents an ornament. I love getting good deals on stuff like this. I finished the tree in the dining room Friday night. When Hodge woke up Saturday morning he walked into the dinning room and I asked him what he thought about the tree. He said, "Oh it is cute!" I thought it was pretty funny that he called it cute. Saturday I started on the tree upstairs in the playroom. This tree is decorated with all the ornaments that have a special meaning to us.  I have received a lot of them as gifts from family and friends. There is also many ornaments I have purchased for us over the past 10 years that have a special meaning to me as well. Hodge and I had so much fun looking at all the ornaments and each one brought back so many memories. I loved telling Hodge about each ornament and who gave them to us. His favorite was the reindeer ornaments. He would carry them around and say my deer, my deer. I really like having two trees this year. I like having our old tree downstairs with new ornaments and new ribbon and having the new smaller tree upstair with all of our sentimental ornaments. Here are a few photos from our Christmas tree decorating experience! 

Thursday Night

                                                                        Friday Night

 

Up close photos of the Christmas tree downstairs.

Christmas tree downstairs in the dining room.

                                                                      Saturday night

Hodge loved the reindeer ornaments. My friend from college, Shelbi gave me the wooden reindeer back in 2003 and the other reindeer Hodge is holding is part of a set that Matt's grandmother, Nana, gave us years ago.

This is an ornament set from our first Christmas together after we got married. I  think Matt's Aunt, Sue, gave us this. 

I got this ornament when Matt and I were on vacation in Hawaii in 2005! It is such a cute ornament!

I bought these ornaments on our Honeymoon from a Christmas store in Key West.

I bought this one for Hodge's first Christmas.

I bought this Yorkie ornament a few years ago. It means even more  to me this Christmas because Jack, our  little yorkie, passed away this year. 

The Christmas tree upstairs in the playroom.

The whole time I was decorating the trees I would sing the Christmas carol, O Christmas Tree. Hodge started singing it with me at first then after to many times of singing the song he started to tell me to STOP singing O Christmas Tree.

O Christmas Tree! O Christmas Tree!
Thy leaves are so unchanging;
O Christmas Tree! O Christmas Tree!
Thy leaves are so unchanging;
Not only green when summer's here,
But also when 'tis cold and drear.
O Christmas Tree! O Christmas Tree!
Thy leaves are so unchanging!

O Christmas Tree! O Christmas Tree!
Much pleasure thou can'st give me;
O Christmas Tree! O Christmas Tree!
Much pleasure thou can'st give me;
How often has the Christmas tree
Afforded me the greatest glee!
O Christmas Tree! O Christmas Tree!
Much pleasure thou can'st give me.

O Christmas Tree! O Christmas Tree!
Thy candles shine so brightly!
O Christmas Tree! O Christmas Tree!
Thy candles shine so brightly!
From base to summit, gay and bright,
There's only splendor for the sight.
O Christmas Tree! O Christmas Tree!
Thy candles shine so brightly!

O Christmas Tree! O Christmas Tree!
How richly God has decked thee!
O Christmas Tree! O Christmas Tree!
How richly God has decked thee!
Thou bidst us true and faithful be,
And trust in God unchangingly.
O Christmas Tree! O Christmas Tree!
How richly God has decked thee! !"

Wranglers and a Carhartt jacket

What every little boy needs this winter. Wranglers and a Carhartt jacket.

Thanksgiving 2010

We celebrated Thanksgiving with my parents. We did something different this year then we have ever done before. Instead of having Thanksgiving at my mom and dad's house or going to one of my relatives house, we had a Thanksgiving lunch buffet. Matt and I came up with this idea and my mom and dad loved it! We first thought about going somewhere downtown San Antonio but Matt had the best suggestion to go to the Inn of the Hills in Kerrville. Before Hodge was born we would go there with my parents on Sundays for brunch after spending the weekend with them. We had not been there in a few years and they always have a great buffet. My dad got reservations for us at 12:30 p.m. on Thanksgiving Day. We left San Angelo around 10:15 a.m. and pulled into Kerrville right on time. We had a great Thanksgiving and the food was terrific. We even saw some friends of ours  from Devine having Thanksgiving there as well. I was surprised to see how many people go out for Thanksgiving. The Inn of the Hills was packed! This might become a new tradition for us.


We spent the weekend with my parent in Devine. Hodge absolutely loves going to my hometown! He enjoys everything from playing at my mom's daycare to watching the train go through town. Now this is where I have to complain just a little. When you live in a small South Texas town the train goes through many times a day because of all the manufacturing jobs in Mexico. You gotta love what NAFTA (North American Free Trade Agreement) has done to our country. Hodge loves to watch the train pass through but I cannot help but get angry seeing the railroad cars full of cars and trucks that are being manufactured in Mexico (aka, our crazy, out of control neighbors to the South). I am sure that on those railroad cars are many different items that I buy everyday. I sure wished we could manufacture those items here in the USA and create more jobs for our legal citizens who are out of work. Thanks to all the greedy politician (Democrats and Republicans alike) who set back and voted this in years ago. Ross Perot was fiercely against NAFTA and everyone in the media made fun of him, just like they are doing Sarah Palin today. Maybe the men and women in office during the 90s (Bill Clinton, Bush, Sr.) should have listened to Ross Perot when he said that NAFTA was more about investors and not about trade. He warned them that NAFTA would take jobs away from the USA. Oh and by the way I am not an Obama fan but I am also not a Barbara Bush fan. That old bitch is just set in her old ways and is the kind of old conservative blue hair who cannot handle someone like a Palin or a Perot. I mention this because during the Thanksgiving holidays the interview with Barbara Bush aired where she made a rude comment about Sarah Palin to Larry King. She said something to the effect that Sarah Palin needs to stay in Alaska. Well, Barbara you need to stay in Houston with your group of friends who go through life thinking you are better then everyone else because of who your husband is. She is just like her husband. George Bush Sr., they are both intimidated by people like Ross Perot and Sarah Palin. I think the reason for this is because people like Palin and Perot could really make a change in big government. They are not the typical politician just going around kissing everyones butts. They are doing it because they are tired of seeing big government fail the people. I know Ross Perot is never coming back on the political scene but we need more people like this. I support the Tea Party movement. I also hope this country starts to see some real change. Not the change we saw in the past election and not just snobby Republicans who are out for themselves. Real people with real values.  I love my country but I hate the people who have been running it for the past 20 years.  Ok I am moving on..........................back to our weekend and the fun we had.  I could go on and on about politicians.


So Hodge loves spending time in Devine and so do I! We love the good Tex Mex at Charlies II, breakfast tacos from Devine Cafe (yes in South Texas they are called tacos not breakfast burritos) There is a difference.  We love the homemade tamales from the Devine Tortilla factory and their yummy bean and cheese tacos. Hodge loves going to get ice cream from Dairy Queen. He loves going to the ranch and seeing my dad's cows. He loves visiting Granny, Aunt Sondra, Shannon and Sabrina. He gets the royal treatment from my family and from everyone in town. We had an extra special time with Granny because she now lives in Devine.  We got to spend more time with her. She was in a nursing home in Pleasanton but my mom moved her back because they have updated and made some major changes to the nursing home in Devine. We are so happy Granny is back living in Devine!  Hodge loves his Granny and so do I!


On Friday morning we went over to my Aunt and Uncles house so we could visit with my cousin Brandon, his wife, Lindsay, and their daughter, Lily. They live in Tennessee so we only see them about once a year, usually during the Thanksgiving weekend. Hodge had fun playing with Lily. They are a year and 3 days apart in age. She still talks about him pinching her over a year ago. This is how she will always remember him. When we were leaving that morning and telling everyone goodbye Hodge gave her a hugs and a kiss, but she did not like that either. I think she still thinks he might decide to pinch her again. Can you blame her. That afternoon we headed to the ranch so Hodge could have fun with Pawpaw. We saw Pawpaw's new black hereford bull. My dad got this bull a few weeks ago. He got it from the Escondido Ranch.  Hodge always has the best time at the ranch looking at the cows and playing on the tractor. He absolutely loves it!


Saturday morning Hodge and my mom walked to the Devine Cafe to get breakfast. There is a cafe right down the road from my parents house. I wished this place would have been in business when I was in high school. It would have been really convenient for me. We always order breakfast or lunch from there when we are visiting. When we place our order my mom always says to tell them it is their neighbor up the road so they know who the food is for. We don't even give them a name, we just say this is your neighbor. You gotta love a small town! Well, my mom or dad always walk over and get the food for us, I am never dressed and I will know everyone in there and I don't want them to think I am going down hill. I look pretty scary with greasy morning hair. Well, this morning Hodge decided he wanted to walk over with my mom. He started out walking with her but then changed his mind. I was sitting on the front porch so I stayed outside with him. As my mom walked further away he started to cry and he was sad that he did not go with her. So with my pajamas on and my scary, greasy morning hair I walked Hodge over to the cafe. I just opened the door and pushed him in so I would avoid seeing anyone. He was so happy he ended up going to help Memaw get breakfast. This is a fun small town experience he will always remember, I love it! 


After breakfast we headed downtown so Hodge could watch the train (Don't worry I am not going to go off on a tangent again about NAFTA). Hodge and I still had our pajamas on and I still had scary, greasy morning hair. As we were driving past the Devine Cafe I saw a friend of mine from high school. I talked to him and his family and I did not mind that Hodge and I both still had our pajamas on and I had the scary hair. Oh well, you gotta visit with people even if you look bad and they might tell everyone in your small town that you are starting to look really bad. I guess I should just get up and get dressed versus staying in my PJs all day. That would fix that problem of looking bad.


Saturday evening Hodge and my dad took a drive in my dad's Chevy hotrod that he rebuilt himself. Hodge and my dad always have fun together! They drove out to the airport and saw a airplane take off. They also saw a few deer and big buck near the runway (small town airports, love it). Hodge liked going on the truck ride but Pawpaw's tractor is still his favorite.


Sunday we went out to visit with Granny. Granny loves to aggravate Hodge and play with him. Hodge loves to entertain her. Before we left I told him to give Granny a kiss and he grabbed her hand and kissed it. I made him do it again so I could get a photo of him kissing her hand. So cute! She loved it! We had a perfect small town weekend. I love taking Hodge to Devine. I think as he gets older he is going to enjoy it more and more. He already loves it but he will really like it once he is older. 


Here are some photos from our Thanksgiving weekend!

Thanksgiving Day at the Inn of the Hills in Kerrville

Memaw and Hodge happy to see each other!

Two peas in a pod having fun together!

The guys relaxing after the great Thanksgiving buffet.

 Lily and Hodge

At the ranch.

Getting breakfast from the Devine Cafe.

The train!

Hodge watching the train pass through town.

We park in the Community Center parking lot to watch the train. 

Nice rims Pawpaw.

Hodge kissing Granny on the hand.

A Fun-Filled Weekend!

Last weekend we had a house full of family and we had a lot fun! Matt's brother and sister and both of their families came to spend the weekend with us. Matt's grandmother, Nana, who lives in San Angelo also spent the day with us on Saturday. Between 7 adults and 6 kids we had a great time! The weather was beautiful on Saturday so we took the kids to two amazing parks, Kids Kingdom and City Park. I told the girls about all the great parks in San Angelo and they wanted to keep going but after two parks we headed home. The next time they come to visit I will have to take them to the other great parks around town. Hodge loved having all his cousin come and visit. They all play so well together. We look forward to them coming again and spending a weekend with us!

The cousins from oldest to youngest,  Alissa 12,  Maggie 6,  Kaylee 4, Hodge 2, Clayton 19 months, Summer 14 months.