Happy Birthday, Jesus

We celebrated the birthday of OUR King this afternoon at a worship service on our Jones Road Campus. It was a family service where the children from our campus performed and Ray C. preached. It was a very special service that I was thrilled to be a part of. I thought you might enjoy a few pictures! Mary Frances is all the way to the left on the middle row and Thomas is the third one from the right on the back row.

...the preacher...
...the preacher's kid...
...the preacher's family....
..the cutest kids I know...


No matter what happens Christmas Day, don't forget...It's all because of Jesus, and He is worthy of our gratitude!

Brown Sugar

Here she is.... Brown "Sugar". Thomas was stunned, to say the least. I don't even think he touched the dog for 5 minutes. He kept backing up with his eyes wide open in disbelief! It was such a joy to be able to do that for him.

Santa was awesome! He told him to be careful with her since she had surgery last night, that he had to bring her early because she was scared of the reindeer, and that he would have to exercise her every day!

We have had a wonderful day. She has been so sweet. She has not peed or pooped in the house all day. She really appears to be house-trained!!! She has barely barked and has tolerated everything the kids have done! Tomorrow may be a different story since she just got fixed last night! I'm sure she will not feel quite normal for a few days, but I am enjoying her sweet demeanor today!

Santa Clause is Coming Early

My children have no idea... I told Thomas this morning that this is going to be a fun weekend, and even that tomorrow might be the best day of his life! He said, "Is tomorrow Christmas Eve?" I love that kid!!

Thomas has held steadfast to 2 gifts on his Christmas list: a skateboard and a dog! He is afraid Santa will leave him a stuffed dog.

After telling him for a month that we were not getting a dog, we finally caved in! I wanted a cute, fluffy, house-trained, small (10-12 lbs), lap dog. Wait until you see what we got! She does not fit one of my descriptive words - cute doesn't even fit! She is beautiful!

She's also:
a stray from the rescue center (SPCA for those of you in Houston)
short haired
house training unknown
AND
40 POUNDS!!!

Yep...that suckered me into it, but the more we learn about her breed the more excited we get! She is a Vizsla/Labrador Mix. She is a golden color with captivating eyes.

So, she was spayed yesterday and we pick her up tomorrow. So, we can't wait until Christmas morning!

I am working on getting Santa to bring her over tomorrow morning! You'll have to check back tomorrow for pictures!

We will have to name her...Any suggestions? I'm hoping for Nala!! She has the color of the famous Lioness...I'm even considering just telling the kids that is her name and not giving them a chance to name her...what do you think?

Dresses

Mary Frances LOVES dresses! Apparently, it is very important to her to look nice when she goes places. I'm sure I have encouraged that by making sure her bow is in place and that she does look nice, but she is branching out a little!! Now, she is on me and what I'm wearing.

After our tea party last week, she told my mom that I looked kind of pretty but not REALLY pretty because I was wearing pants and not a dress. I do wear pants a lot, but I always look nice and appropriate, but apparently Mary Frances thinks I should also be wearing dresses.

So, last night she came in my closet as I was getting ready and said, "Where are you going mommy?"

I told her I was going to the church for a rehearsal. I was wearing jeans, a sweatshirt, and a hat - something she would NEVER wear!

So she said,"I suppose you should wear a dress." Where did she get "suppose" from? Anyway, I informed her that it was only a rehearsal and that I was wearing my jeans and hat. Then she said, "Well you could at least wear a skirt to church!"

So, I disappointed her last night, but I let her help me pick out my clothes this morning. She wanted a dress for me, but it wasn't right for the occasion. She said, "Well can I have that dress when I get older?"

I then changed into a skirt with tights and boots. She loved the outfit - especially the boots. She checked with me to be sure I wasn't changing again and wanted to be sure I was keeping the boots and earrings on!!

What a character! What have I created?? Jessica says she is definitely related to her - the fashion queen!

Merry Christmas

from Mary Frances :)

Tea Party

Before I ever had children, I planned to have Christmas Tea Parties with my little girl! So, this week of preparation has been so much fun for me. Mary Frances and I have worked together on picking up the house, cooking, and hostessing! We had so much fun at our first Houston Mother/Daughter Tea Party.
Mary Frances was a great hostess, but she mostly loved eating the cookies!! She also enjoyed several cups of tea in her very own China Tea Cup!
She loved hanging out with the girls from church, school, and the neighborhood!
The gingerbread men were a hit! They were gone before I knew it! Of course, the boys were not very happy when they returned, but I'll make them more this week!
It was a great success. We got pictures of all the girls with their mothers. I couldn't believe how many people had never been to a tea party! There will be more to come here for sure!!

Snow in Houston!

It snowed in Bridgeland Friday night! Actually, they brought in a snow machine for the neighborhood Christmas party!! The kids had a blast throwing snow balls at each other!


You can barely see the reindeer in the background, but Dancer is really back there!! Really, a real reindeer! Even I think that is cool!! They wouldn't let us get too close to him, though!

Thanksgiving Vacation

Candace and Brock met us in St. Pete. We were friends on the island. It was so much fun to see them and to catch up with Candace. She is very special to me!!
The Hughes Crew!
Smile if you love Papa!
Yes, that is 7 children six years old and under!
We fed Flamingos at the Sarasota Jungle Gardens!
Some of us held an Alligator! We even saw a woman put a Giant Hissing
Cockroach in her mouth!! Then, she spit it back out alive - just to prove to us that they don't carry diseases and you can eat them! The real test would be to call back this week to see if she came in to work!!
Grandma is very talented musically! So, it was very special to see the children playing the piano with their great-grandmother!
I love listening to grandma play. She rocks on the Miramba!! I love it when she gives us a concert on the miramba at dad's house!!
The kids couldn't wait to see their great-aunt Ruth! We also spent time with Uncle Jim and Barb. It was so good to be with family we haven't seen in a little while, and while we were there we discussed a family reunion next year! We can't wait!
So special to be with out great-grandparents!!

Florida Orange Juice

Thanksgiving in South Florida was great! We stayed in the little house that once belonged to Ray C.'s great grandmother when she was a snow bird. Then, Ray C.'s grandparents became snow birds and wintered in this house. Now, it belongs to Aunt Ruth who comes down to visit frequently! It was so much fun to be there. The best part was opening up the back door the first morning and letting the kids each pick a fresh orange off of the tree. Then, we cut the oranges and put them through the electric juicer.

Mmmm..... There's nothing like fresh-squeezed Florida orange juice!

Jesus

Thomas brought this home yesterday! He used a friend's gray crayon for the nails and even gave Jesus a frown on his face. I was on the verge of tears when I saw it. I love that he was thinking about Jesus while he was coloring at school! And, in the midst of the Christmas season, it was such a nice reminder of what Christ did for us.