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I had the fun opportunity to HOST this year's Gourmet Club Christmas Potluck (12.11.09)…still gourmet all the way, but with everyone contributing.  It's a sit-down dinner with the husbands, which meant three tables in my front rooms!  Donna helped me decorate the tables – we make such a good team!  I buy cute stuff and then she does cute stuff with it (I never know what to do with the stuff once I buy it!).

I enjoyed making little nativity plaques for all the girls and sugar and spice pecans as a take-away gift. 

We enjoyed trading cookbooks (white elephant style) and the men enjoyed getting in on the yummy food.  Thanks G.C. girls for a great night!

So much catching up to do and I don't really have it in me!  Not feeling the blogging/writing vibe for some reason.  But I was looking through pictures tonight from the past couple of days and they made me so happy.  I definitely don't want to forget how wonderfully magical this Christmas has been for our family – the whole month has been that way really!  Great, great blessing of family and friends and gifts and giving and joy and experience and laughter…it really does NOT get any better than this.  I feel so, so blessed from my head to my toes.  Full to the brim.  God has been so good to us.  I hope we're being good to Him too.

Here are just a couple of my favorites…details on the details to come.

 
Holiday baking with Samuel's assistance

 
The aftermath of gingerbread houses on Christmas Eve at the Daleout's.  I love what this picture represents! 

Beautiful, amazing holiday bokeh captured by Derek on my new camera lens – love this!!

My cute mom enjoying Christmas Day.

 
SNOW!!  The first white Christmas in 83 years here…MY first white Christmas EVER.  And we had snow again last night.  Love it!

 
Sweet Maggie girl (or "gul" as Samuel says) – already 15 lbs!

There are lots more where these came from…stay tuned!

It can't technically be referred to as a "snow day" because…well, it only lasted an HOUR.  But it was SO fun and carefree and all was right with the world in that one hour.  Amazing how weather can do that, isn't it?

The boys were beyond thrilled two weeks ago when we woke up to light snow.  They were convinced that school would be cancelled, but thankfully 🙂 it wasn't! 

This was one of the funnest mornings I can remember – usually it's all business around here, but this morning brought something magical with it, and I so appreciate magic!

Thank you, Heavenly Father, for sending the occasional snow to us Texans…especially in December.

Jacob was awarded the "HERO Skill" for the week in his class…each week a character trait is focused on and the student who is/has demonstrated it well is chosen.

The attribute this week is COMPASSION.  Jacob was excited to tell me of his recognition while we were in the car yesterday, and I was excited to learn that it wasn't something like "raising your hand" or "punctuality" but compassion!

I asked Jacob to tell me an example of when he had exhibited compassion in the classroom, and I was delighted with his sincere answer…

"Well, mom, I can't think of a time when I haven't used compassion".

Sweet boy!

p.s.  Here is a good example of how mother's and father's see things differently.  When I shared this with Derek he laughed and said, "he just said that because he couldn't think of an example!"  I choose to believe he really can't think of a time when he wasn't compassionate! 

Rose-colored glasses, a mother's best asset.

Our Maggie has become part of the family!  She's well-behaved (mostly) and very sweet.  She sleeps through the night without having to go out.  She sleeps in her crate in our bedroom and hardly makes a peep.  She loves to play fetch and chew on sticks…actually, chew on anything!  We've lost a shoe, a placemat, and an ornament…and several articles of clothing now have holes or tears in them.  We still keep her leashed most of the day around the house.  She loves when the boys come home because they take her out to play.  She enjoys walks around the neighborhood.  The boys have really accepted the responsibility and are pleased and happy to feed her and take care of her.  It's been a great thing for our family to have a dog!  We love Maggie!

November 15th

November 26th

 November 26th

December 7th
 

All of our December weekends are full of wonderful and exciting events.  We had a great time two weekends ago – I love this time of year!

On Friday night I was dead-set on going to see something called "Bethlehem Revisited".  It was all the way in Waxahachie, which took us an hour and a half.  But it was so fun.  They do a wonderful job of re-enacting what Bethlehem might have been like.  They walk you through the streets as the 3 wise men search for the Christ child.  Then you walk through the village learning about all kinds of cultural aspects of the time – pottery, food, weaving, music, money, etc, etc.  It was fascinating and fun (and cold!)…a good reminder of the important reason for the season.  Afterwards we closed down a main street diner after ordering every dessert on the menu.

One of the things that we loved about this experience is that everyone was in character – and very convincing!  Everywhere we went people were saying "Shalom" and asking the kids if they had heard of or seen the newborn Christ.  This Roman guard pictured above was trying to convince Derek to allow Jacob to join Caesar's army because he was old enough.   The acting really made the experience special!
 
On Saturday we worked to finish decorating for Christmas, tidy the house, and do laundry.  Derek and the boys spent much of the day outside hanging Christmas lights on the house.  The boys LOVED getting up on the roof.  This picture cracks me and up and scares me to death, all at the same time!

 
 
On Saturday night we headed over to Mike and Liv's to celebrate her 30th b'day with family and many of their friends.  It was so fun to celebrate this special gal that we love so much and to meet so many of her friends.  So glad she's in our family!

Then on Sunday we headed to church, took afternoon naps, made pumpkin pie and ate homemade popcorn while watching the First Presidency Christmas Devotional (which includes the Mormon Tabernacle Choir).  It was a Norman Rockwell day!!

And you think that weekend sounds fun – wait until you hear about the next one?!?

The chaos of the season gets a bad rap I think.  Sure it's crazy, and hectic and sometimes flat-out insane, but isn't most of it fun too?  In my world it is.  Tonight I'm hosting the Gourmet Club Christmas party.  I (thankfully) don't have to do all the cooking – it's a potluck.  But I am trying to make it "special" which is a lot of work.  But it's good work. 

A guy checking me out at Target asked if I was done with Christmas shopping – "how many more people on your list?" he said when I balked at the "done" question.  uhhhhh…"I don't know" I said.  No time to think about those sort of details.  I'm goin' and blowin' by the seat of my pants…taking it one day at a time.  It's all in my head – not on paper! 

But it's fun! 

Now I definitely think there can be TOO much chaos (a-hem)…I, like you, want and NEED a few silent nights…a few quiet moments…a few "breathe it in" experiences.  Which I really hope I get…next week.

But for now – it's back to the chaos and craziness and FUN. 

More details on our fun adventures last weekend + our new adventures to come this weekend…and an update on Maggie when I have time.

We listen to the newest Hilary Weeks Christmas CD constantly in the car.  I know the words by heart now.  And so does Samuel!  He especially loves the first cut on the CD that includes many “hallelujahs”.  I LOVE to hear his little voice sing ha-le-lu-lu-jah…just about the sweetest thing ever! 

Hallelujah! from Meredith Smith on Vimeo.

For several years now we've been heading down to Austin to spend Turkey Day with my Dad and Christy.  Christy always feeds us so well (and deliciously!).  And it's always a fun and relaxing time for us.  We play football in the yard, we watch football (Cowboys and Longhorns), we eat, we go to the movies (twice for me!), and we head down to the family farm for a day.  The farm is heaven on earth for my boys.  This year the bass were biting!  And BIG!  So fun!  Thank you Papa C and Mimi for hosting us (and our dog!).

Long walks to the park…

Fun time on Thanksgiving Day…
 

The Robinson Farm…
 

p.s. If ever you want to make my collages bigger to see them better, just click on them and it will open it in another screen!  
  

Where did this year go? 

I think 2009 was the fastest year in my history.  SO fast.

And here it is December 1st, and I am feeling "behind" because all of my Christmas decorations are not up.  Everyone around here is so "on the ball". 

We had a Happy Thanksgiving.  Pics to share as soon as I can.

And now Samuel says "Merry Christmas" 20 times a day which can't help but warm your heart.  He was so elated with the "socks" that I hung on the mantle.  Children make the season wonderful, don't they?