Christmas in Hereford

Better late than never right? ha! Here are the pictures from our Hereford trip. With 7 boys and only two girls there had to be a game of football in there. I think this was a start of a new tradition with the boys. This is the very first "cousin football" game. It was so funny. Most of them are still too young to understand what to do. Landry had the ball at one time and he kept running in circles around a tree with all of them chasing him. Fun times. Kyndall, Lauren, Landry, Luke, Griffen, Cade, and Alex
Opening presents is always fun at Appy's house.

Lauren was excited to get some new American Girl clothes.

About 2 Christmas ago, my mom and dad pulled a good one on us! My dad had been telling me he bought my mom something REALLY nice that year. He wouldn't tell me but all of the clues made me believe she was getting a new car. (little did I know she was in on the secret) On Christmas day they loaded all of us up (brothers, sister in laws, and cousins) and drove us to a different part of town. They had bought a new house and didn't tell anyone that they were moving. Stinkers! What a shock it was to me because I grew up in this other house. I just never thought they would move but I was so HAPPY for them. It was a Christmas to remember. THEN this Christmas, my dad pulls me into his office and says watch your mother's eyes when she opens this up. Again, I thought he was pulling another joke on me. ha! He had bought her.....

a new wedding ring. It really was so sweet and special to see my parents "getting engaged again" as I call it. ha!

My mom cried (as the rest of us did too).

Ok, for the next bunch of pictures look out! Please tell me it isn't just my family who can't take a good group picture? There always seems to be a nut in the bunch (mainly Brett) or someones eyes closed. None the less, I look at these and smile. This is sooo my family. Funny, jokesters, and glad to be together.

See? I told you it is mainly Brett!

Aww...brothers! What do you do with them?

This poor group had no clue what they were marrying into. ha!

Chad, Brett, and me

Like I said, nut! 3L's your Uncle Moose is funny.

I look forward to seeing them again at Christmas next year. It is a shame we only get to see each other once a year. Maybe this year will be different.

Christmas with Gma

What a fast trip to Hereford! Not really (8 hours away) but the time sure did go fast getting to visit with my family for Christmas. So much to blog about and I don't know where to start. ha! I will start with one of my favorite people of all times....Gma or known as Great grandmother to the 3L's. Gma (pronounced G-maw) lives in a little retirement home in Hereford. She is 88 years old and does not act her age. ha! She is spunky, can out wit you in any game you play with her, a social butterfly, loved by all who know her, and can out beat me any day in a foot race. She is amazing! God has blessed her with great health. Here she is with a couple of her dear friends.

Katherine (Gma), Marie, and Joyce The 3L's, Casey and I ate Christmas lunch at her place. Landry loved all of the attention and his face was covered with red lipstick from all of the little grandmothers there.

Having Lauren made a 4th generation of women. Gma, my mom, me, and Lauren. When we all get together it is so much fun. My grandmother often comes with my mom to Waco. I love having her here. It makes me sad to think one day I won't have her around. Until then I let her know often how much she means to me.


I have learned a lot from her! Her funny sayings, compassion for others, stubbornness, laugh a lot if you can, and love for God. The list really could go on. It was so nice to spend Christmas with Gma!

Our Christmas 2008

Christmas came a little early to our house. We are leaving for Hereford, my home town, on Tuesday so Santa came early. We started off the night making Gingerbread houses. The 3L's got in their pjs and had some fun!
Landry was so serious at building his little house.

I have to laugh at their Gingerbread houses and how they resemble their little personalities. Lauren is all or nothing, Landry is lots of chimneys so Santa can come more than once to his house, Luke is everything in a row and pefect as can be. ha!

Off to see Christmas lights in the neighborhood.

Santa at our house

Frosty too!

Always daddy's little girl

Christmas lovin from the 3L's

Getting ready for Santa to come

Our tradition, The Night Before Christmas

My sweet Landry Love

Our Christmas morning

Lauren reading a letter from Santa

Merry Christmas from the 3L's

Luke playing with his boat

Lauren and American Girl Mia.

Have a VERY Merry Christmas my blogger friends! Over the hills and through the woods to Grandmother's house we go.

God Bless you!

Spring Valley Christmas Party

This year I am room parent to Lauren's 4th grade class AND Luke's Kindergarten class. (A bit stressful at times but these 2L's are worth it!) Friday was their Christmas party. I started off with the 4th grade party. They were so easy. We did donuts, treats, and a couple of games. Mrs. Humphrey has a great group of kids. One of them I know pretty well. ha! This is Lauren and her good friend Amy. You always have to have a silly picture to bribe any age to take a serious one I guess. Here it is!

Class of 2008-09 4th Grade

Then it was time for Lukey's kindergarten party. We started off with Bingo. Oh my! I never thought about them Bingoing at the same time. Crazy! but fun.

Luke's teacher, Mrs. Fortenberry, won the Golden Apple award for teachers so the kids surprised her with a rose from each of them. It was really sweet to see these little kids love on their teacher.

The star of the class.....Lukey...well, he was to me! I loved getting to play games and have snacks with him too. 2008 school year is over! 2 weeks off and the 3L's are excited!! I think Santa will be at the Reed house soon. (next post to come)

Merry Christmas

Landry's Christmas party at Mrs. Heather's house

What a lucky little guys he is to be surrounded by such pretty girls! (this was taken the day before his Christmas party)

Cami, Landry, Riley, Haddie, and Lucy


Landry is ready for Santa! Everyday he ask "Is it today cause I am really good today mom?"

They did a gift exchange at Mrs. Heather's house. His secret Santa (Riley) gave him such a fun gift.

They made Gingerbread houses. By the time I picked him up it wasn't much of a house left.

Isn't this cute? Mrs. Heather is the best.

Mrs. Heather's "school" has been such a wonderful place for Landry. It has given him a chance to be around kids close to his age. She takes really good care of him. I love seeing this little boy light up about going to school. (oh, if only the other 2L's felt the same. ha!)

How Cool!

Thank you sweet Angie for the cool award! You have such a great blog and I am one of your biggest fans (stalkers. ha!) What a blessing you are to me! Well, here it goes. I will give this a good try. Warning: comments are straight from the horses mouth....me! 1. I am a pickle fanatic. Not just any kind of pickle, it has to be dill only. ewww...sweet. I have always loved dill pickles. As a kid for birthdays I would request a jar of pickles for my birthday present. In college my brothers bought me a green dill pickle looking phone. You can only imagine the impression I made on my new roommate who had never met me before. ha! I can only imagine what she told her family about meeting me (she is one of my dearest friends now). My hubby and the 3L's know my love for dills. They show their love to me by saving their pickles off of their hamburgers. ha! I know, I know....I am weird! Hey, you wanted some honest stuff here didn't you? haha.

2. Being a nurse scares me. I am afraid of messing up and hurting someone. I am probably one of the most careful nurses you will ever meet because I double (triple) check everything! With my new job of putting people to sleep I have a ritual. I hold your hand as I push my meds, after you are asleep I don't leave your side because I am glued to all of my monitors watching your vitals, and each time I give more meds to my patients I am praying over them. I love being a nurse! I just want to make sure I am as careful as can be.

3. I once drove a snowcone trolley around my home town as a job. It sounds so goofy but I was the envy of my friends. It was so much fun. I would pick up my friends on this little trolley not much bigger than a golf cart (yes, I even had that goofy snowcone music that I so much hate to hear now as it comes into my neighborhood and the 3L's go wild). We would travel up and down the streets letting little kids chase us. I was so bad.....I even made them run at times cause it was funny. Hey, I was a teenager! That was one fun summer. Met a lot of cute boys that way too. ha!

4. I was in a bad, bad car wreck when I was a senior in highschool. My best friend, Robin (she had the same name), and I were going to go pick up our prom dresses in Amarillo when an 88 year old man ran a light. He hit us going 65mph. Our car flipped and he kept hitting us over and over. His arm got stuck in the steering wheel so his car kept doing circles. I was hurt pretty bad. A nurse who was at a farmer's market did cpr on me. To be honest....I really think I will continue this story some other time. It isn't easy for me to blog about this.

5. I am not good at pretend playing with my kids. Some moms can play for hours in make believe world. I just am not good at this. Something I wish I was better at. I can be goofy and roll around on the floor with them for hours but ask me to be a princess or a puppy I freeze up. ha! I don't think I will ever be an actress:)

6.) In the winter I hardly shave my legs. Yes, gross. Being real here my friends! I do shave them for special times..wink, wink....but I hate the way my skin gets so dry and scaly like a snake when they are shaved. I am not really that hairy so it doesn't bother me. Now you know my secret! Summer time is a differnt story.

7.) This is the first award I have done on my blog. Why? Well........cause I just now figured out how to copy the award picture to add to my blog! haha. I never knew how to copy a jpeg of someone else. Man, I am so new at this! Also, I don't know how to copy a link with your name in it so you will see me copy all of your blog title. haha! Help a sista out friends:)

8.) I love the way my husband smells. That is when he is clean. Not when he has been outside working in the yard. ha! When he gets ready for work and he is in his tie and suit...sprays on that Gucci cologne....hold me back! TMI? haha

9.) Dang these are getting harder......Oh, Joel Osteen. Why is it when I turn on the tv and see this preacher talking, his topics always seem to be the right message I needed to hear? God is good. I feel like I am hit with a bat listening to him sometimes. It always seems to be a message my heart needed to hear and put me right back where I need to be with God.

10.) As crazy as life feels sometimes to me, I wouldn't want it any other way. I think I am at my happiest I have ever been in my life. Not because of one thing but because of everything. The good and bad too. Before I close my eyes at night my last thoughts are thank you Lord for another day.

Ok, now that I have spilled my secrets, quirks, and honest scrap it is your turn! SOOOOO, I want to pass this on to some great blogger pals. (Remember I don't know how to do the linky thing with your name. ha!) Mindy, Stacey, Amanda, Kelley, Adrianne, Angela, Amanda N, Marianne, Lesley, Jennifer, Lisa, and Rhonda. I can't wait to see your post. Have a blessed day! Thanks again Angie that was fun.

"When you receive the prize, you must write a post showing it, together with the name of who has given it to you, and link them back. Choose a minimum of 7 blogs that you find brilliant in their content or design. Show their names and links and leave them a comment informing that they were prized with 'Honest Weblog'. List [if you can and/or dare] at least ten honest things about yourself. Then, pass it on!"