Holiday Fun!

As I mentioned last blog, Carter and I have had a very busy couple of weeks enjoying all the holiday festivities.  We started off by building gingerbread houses, which has been a tradition for us for the last 3 years.  Our good friends Stephen and Anna Heimbecker came over to our house after a full day of hanging out and shopping to decorate our gingerbread houses.  We had a lot of fun and made some very sweet memories!

The first year we made gingerbread houses, we used graham crackers and frosting, which we quickly realized was NOT the way to build gingerbread houses!  Carter somehow managed to get his graham cracker house together and it was by far the best!  We now buy the gingerbread house kits, which has proved to be much easier!  This year, however, Carter got a bit frustrated making his due to some difficulty with the frosting.  Here are some pictures!  You can be the judge of who's house is the best this year!

Getting started

Carter's house... 

All the houses completed 

Anna's  

Stephen's 

Mine- front 

Mine-back side 

Carter's after he was unable to get it to stay together with frosting

Another look at Carter's

After we finished our gingerbread houses we put an air mattress in the floor in the living room and Anna and I laid in front of the fire and watched a movie.  We are so blessed to have such amazing friends!

The four of us 

Our sweet Micah girl 

On December 11, we had our church small group Christmas party.  We had such a good time!  We have been so blessed by this group of people and look forward to growing even better and closer relationships with each one.  Colby and Jessica were kind enough to host the party at their home.  Their home was absolutely gorgeous!  We had finger foods and did an ornament exchange.  Then we headed downtown to do the Christmas Light Tour.  For those who are not familiar, San Angelo has quite an elaborate Christmas light display on the river of the 12 Days of Christmas and a few added extras.  We go at least once every Christmas.  For the party, we rode a city trolly so that we could all ride together.  As we went through the tour, we all sang, in perfect harmony of course, the "12 Days of Christmas."

The guys...and Landra

Jessica & Megan

Miranda & Staci

Carter & I

Stephen & Anna

Matt & Landra 

Rob & Staci 

Rob & Staci on the trolly

Clayton & Megan on the trolly

Stephen & Anna on the trolly

Carter, Rob, & Matt 

Matt & Landra on the trolly 

Rob & Miranda on the trolly

Carter & I on the trolly

Colby & Jessica on the trolly

The whole group

On Tuesdsay, December 14, Poppy and Momma-D were passing through San Angelo after running a few taxidermy errands for our friends, Al and Kasha Crisp.  They came through on their way home around 5-6pm and waited for me to get off work at 7 and took Aubree and Dane and Carter and I out to eat at a nice steak restaurant, Western Skies.  We love when they make random trips or stops through and we get to spend a little extra time with them!

This last weekend Carter and I made a trip to the Dallas area for one of my best friend's (and former roommate) wedding shower.   Josh and Lindsay just bought a house in McKinney, Tx, so we went to see their new house and then drove on to their hometown of Winnsboro, Tx.  Lindsay's parents, Brent and Melinda, welcomed Carter and I and allowed us to stay in their home.  I have seen Lindsay a couple of times for our girl's weekend and then again for her bachelorette party, but we had not seen Josh since our wedding.  Josh plays football for the Montreal Alouettes in the Canadian Professional Football League, and just made the transition back to Texas after the season ended in November.  We enjoyed our stay so much!  Brent and Melinda were so nice to let us stay and feed us for the weekend!  Josh and Lindsay had a wonderful shower!  Here are a few pics!

Josh, Lindsay, Melinda, Beverly (Lindsay's sister), & Brent

And, as promised, here is a pic of Anna and I's completed Christmas puzzle.  Anna did most of the work!  I only helped a couple of nights.  With the busy season/month it made it difficult to get together to work on it.

And I will end with a few extra pics of our fur babies!

I had a few bags in the floor and Malachi just squeezed himself right in!

Micah snuggled up ready for bed

Wednesday we head to Welch for a few days with my family and Poppy & Momma-D's Christmas and then we will come back to San Angelo on Christmas Eve evening so that I can work on Christmas Day.  I will work a few days and we leave on Wednesday, December 28, for Minnesota to see Carter's family!  We are so excited!  MERRY CHRISTMAS!