January 10, 2013

• rex told me the other day it was probably ok & that we didn’t need to read about this part of our lives ten years from now …. ‘i’m sure we’ll just remember’ he said.

  that was his not so subtle way of bringing up the lack of updated posts here : )

  seems to me it’s either have something to read about in 10 years but not be able to read it or not have it to read & be able to read something else!

  ie – school started : )

  but here we are with a bit of time, so we’re going to give ourselves something to read about.

  - – -

  it was back last summer when chad called & pitched this invitation to come to texas for christmas.
  he had selling points like …..
  “think how great it’d be’
  ‘i’ll cover the yard with inflatable blow ups’
  ‘we’ll get a big tree’
  ‘you can just buy reindeer antlers for the dogs & nothing for us’
  ‘lisa will bake enough sugar cookies for your kids to get sick on’
  ‘chad & amity can celebrate their 1st christmas together!’

  we smiled & nodded over the phone to be polite, said it sounded like lots of fun – but really didn’t plan on even giving it a second thought.

  but my mom was all over checking for great flights & mapping out routes from here to there. my dad was even willing to make a road trip of it …. like drive in a big van with all of us all the way there.

  ‘it’d be an adventure!’ he said

  and we thought …. sure til about bakersfield : )

  amie could just fly straight there & we’d all be together.

  just like that.

  just like that, we decided to go!

   

  everything’s bigger in texas, they say, so this post is texas sized : )
  some of my favorites …..

  
  she wore boots & he carried the sign & we completely overwhelmed their baby & i almost cried ’cause already it was so totally worth it. 

  
  we rented the biggest vehicle we were legally allowed to drive so we could all be together, brother boy made it extra festive with his santa hat.

  
  we went to matt chandlers church – it was one of my favorite parts

  
  so was the christmas eve service a couple nights later.

  
  everyone got new christmas pants : )

  
  i’m not sure how they could have been more armed – quite the christmas for 6 & 7 year old boys!

  
  it SNOWED! it seriously snowed on christmas day.

  
  she played santa clause on chrismas morning –

  
  my favorite family picutre : ) ’cause it’s loudly colorful & there was still snow & ben doesn’t have a shirt on & chady looks like a christmas elf & it was freezing & we were together.

  
  little cousins on the gym floor – it still slays me that there are two little babies in our family.

  
  she’s fiercely competitive, my sister in law – we played one handed with babies in the other arm …. i won

  
  we stood on a piece of history, on the x right out in the center of elm street where jfk was shot.

  
  at the memorial

  
  well i just like this one ….

  
  my littlest boy ~

  
  they really are great –

  
  ahh, it really was that cold! i know, the rest of you are rolling your eyes at that – amie did too. snow & cold temps are common place when your from places like ohio, but! when you’re not … and you only have to be in them for a day : ) they make already great trips even better.

  
  a family picture –
  mom likes it when we do the ‘same pose’ & since a few years ago amie suggested we all stand like dorks lined up tallest to smallest, we’re now obligated to repeat it every time : ) little chady was especially excited.

  - – -

  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  

  - – -

  

  - – -

  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  

  - – -

  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  

  - – -

  

   

  us all getting together means there will be a family picture. and a family picture is always an event : )

  we missed the great overcast lighting in the morning, certain ones had no idea what to wear, it was cold, we didn’t have a tripod, etc, etc ….

  but we still all group up, look when we’re suppose to look & smile …. or at least some of us do.

  good times : )
  

  

  

  

  

  

  - – -

  

  

  

  - – -

  

  
  when you just can’t beat the timer -

  

  - – -

  
  by the time we got to ‘let’s take a rodgers picture’ it was pretty much over ….

  
  it looks like i’m ready to death grip one of them, doesn’t it …. really it was a you stand here motion, honest : )

  

  - – -

   
  we forgive you for not having your yard covered with inflatable blow ups. thank you for an incredibly wonderful time.

  • 6:54 pm
  • 7 Comments