Cousins!

We were able to get some pictures of all four girls together! It's not an easy task...with nap schedules, four busy girls, and an almost three year old that doesn't like to take pictures sometimes, it's hard to get them all smiling! But we did it! I think these are some pretty cute cousins.

Not real sure what Kendall is doing here, but I think she was holding on to Evy's ear to try and keep her sitting up. Sorry about that, Ev!

Christmas night at Gigi and Peeps'

Our final Christmas celebration was at Gigi and Peeps' house on Christmas night. Val, Jeff, Evy and Gracie were also there, as well as Mamaw, Papaw, and Grandma Dane. Kendall and Evy posed for a picture together.

Cooper got to meet Mamaw and Papaw at Thanksgiving, but I didn't get a picture of them together. Here they are!

This is where Cooper hung out while we opened presents. She got a bear blanket from Gigi and Peeps with her name on it! She also got some new clothes, a gift card, some cute socks, a toy, teething rings, and stocking stuff!

I got my first pair of Toms! So excited.

Randy got a new A&M shirt. He was very excited, even though you can't really tell here.

Kendall and Gracie got matching pink boots!! They love each other.

They also both got suitcases, or "soup cases" as Kendall calls them. She has loved pulling her's around!

Somehow I ended up with no pictures of the girls with Gigi and Peeps! We had a great time though! We love yall!! Thanks for all your thoughtful gifts!

Christmas morning at Pops and Kiki's

Christmas morning we woke up and headed over to Pops and Kiki's house to celebrate with them!! Cooper talked and smiled at Kiki,

and Kendall checked out Conrad Birdie with Pops.

Then we opened presents!! I love this picture - look at how excited she was to get Hello Kitty boots!! Cooper took a nap in the pack n play while we opened her presents.

Cooper woke up from her nap just in time to open stockings! She got a lot of fun presents, like clothes, a hat, bows, cute socks, a frame with her name on it, and books. Pops and Kiki also started a savings account for each girl! Kendall with her boots, new umbrella, and Hello Kitty jacket!

After we opened presents, Kendall watched her new movie with Maegan,

and Cooper sat and talked with her Great Granny.

Another family picture!!

We had a great time and a wonderful lunch. We left sometime mid-afternoon to head to Gigi and Peeps' house, and this was Kendall about five minutes after we got in the car!

It was so much fun to spend the morning with you Pops and Kiki! Thanks for all the wonderful presents, the great lunch, and for making Christmas morning so special! We love you!

Christmas Eve!

After we opened all our gifts from each other and from Santa, we packed up and hit the road to head to Ft. Worth. The van was pretty full!! We got in town just in time to head to my Grandma and Granpa's house for Christmas Eve with them and Granny and Papas. They had a great dinner ready and we had a great time visiting them, Shaun, Stacie, Christie, and Jo. Kendall was super excited to get to open presents. Her first present from Great Grandma and Great Grandpa was a Hippo Tent!! It is the cutest thing..all pink and you go in his mouth.

They also got her a Christmas book and a flashlight so that she could get in her tent and read. Cutest thing!! Thank yall so much!

Cooper had an explosion, and I forgot a change of clothes, so Randy ran around the corner to his parents' house where our luggage was to get some. Cooper enjoyed some naked time. I didn't get a picture of it, but they got Cooper a vacuum cleaner toy that she can walk behind and push when she gets a little bigger. Kendall told us lots of times that she would teach her how to do it. :)

After we opened presents there, we went to Granny and Papas' house so that we could exchange gifts with them and open stockings. Cooper got new socks in her stocking. Doesn't Granny look good! Both knees are fixed now and she is doing great! We are so thankful.

Kendall got a new princess towel - the hood even has a crown on it. :)

She also got a lot of Hello Kitty things, like pens, notepads, stickers, and socks. She loves writing in a notepad.

One of Randy's gifts was a marshmallow gun! So fun!

I think this was Kendall's most favorite present from Granny and Papas - new princess dress-up clothes!

She had to be Aurora right away.

Cooper got lots of great things too, like some new towels, some books, and this rug that is the softest thing ever! She just smiles and coos when she is laying on it!

We had a great time celebrating Christmas with Granny and Papas and all our family on that side. Thank yall for all the wonderful gifts! We love you!

Santa came!

Santa came and left a few presents for you, Cooper! You got an elephant toy, some rattles, wipes, bath soap, and toys in your stocking.

Kendall was excited to get a "kitty that walks" and a few other things, too!

We had such a fun time as a family opening presents on Christmas Eve morning. Kendall took time to play with each present she opened.

Kendall also loved showing you the present she got you...your first baby doll!

And you enjoyed watching from your swing! We have loved this first Christmas with you, sweet girl. Early on in the season, I was a little sad about how for your first Christmas you are a little too young to know what's really going on. But, as we have celebrated Jesus' birth all month, it has been so special having you in our family to celebrate with. You have caused me to think a lot about how miraculous Jesus' birth was and how amazing it must have been for Mary to hold him in her arms. We have enjoyed every minute of this Christmas with you, sweet Cooper, and look forward to many more special years with you!!

Merry first Christmas, precious girl!!!

Cooper's First Christmas Eve Eve

Cooper got to experience one of my favorite Christmas traditions this year: Christmas Eve Eve! So that families can be together on Christmas Eve, our church has services on Christmas Eve Eve every year - the 23rd. This frees our family up to have our Christmas together the morning of the 24th and then hit the road to be in Ft. Worth by Christmas Eve night to be with our family there.
Since Santa comes the night of the 23rd, we started a tradition with Kendall that we continued with both girls this year of baking cookies for him that day. Cooper sat in the Bumbo while Kendall helped me stir the mix.

After nap, the girls and I got ready to meet Randy up at the church for our Christmas Eve Eve services. Cooper wore her Santa tu-tu outfit that she got from Gigi and Peeps! Check out those thighs - and get ready for a 4 month post coming soon!

I love these girls!!

Lake Jackson Family Christmas

We have been in Ft. Worth for the past week and a half, so I have a lot of blogging to catch up on! We had our "Lake Jackson Family Christmas" on Dec. 22nd this year. In the past we have done this after the Eve Eve service, but we had four services this year and it would have been way too late. So, we moved it to the 22nd. It was great to spend time with the Johnsons, Sanders, and Amy!
Alden, Scott, and Nicholas were here, which meant plenty of fun in the cage for Ethan, Ella, and Kendall. I promise they put themselves in there. And stay there. And ask us to close them in. Ok! They crack us up. Jan and Kevin cooked breakfast for dinner this year, so everyone came in their pajamas.

Kendall and Cooper love hanging out with their Aunt Auggie and Uncle Scott!

The Sanders fam. Yes, Aaron is wearing a 6 ft. 4 in. red onesie. And Ethan is wearing Jeff's Superman Snuggie.

The Johnson family!

This year we did something different! Scott told Kevin and Jan about how his church staff does an auction each year for their gifts. Kevin and Jan loved the idea, so they went and got 16 gifts for the 8 of us. Each of us got $100 play money and got to bid on the gifts...but we couldn't see what they were! Each gift had a clever name that was a hint as to what it was, but some were pretty hard to figure out! It was so much fun. Here is the auctioneer and his assistant Janna!!

Kevin is reading the name of the gift and everyone is getting ready to bid. So much fun!! Randy and I ended up with a coin bank and some rolls of coins and then gift cards to Chili's, the movies, Giovanni's, and.....Taste of Texas!!! That is our most favorite steak restaurant in Houston - we go there each year on our anniversary. We were super excited about that!

Family picture! Cooper is getting so big! She is almost four months old here!

We had such a fun time and are so thankful for our Lake Jackson family! It was a great way to start our Christmas week!