After 12 wonderful Christmas parties and a very busy vacation, I am finally sitting down to blog about our wonderful holidays. This year Bree really enjoyed unwrapping her gifts and those of everyone around her that was willing to let her help them. The magic of Christmas was definitely present in our home. Bree's laughter was priceless and filled my heart with joy on Christmas morning as she discovered all the joys of being a child at Christmas. We are so blessed and it was great sharing this time with our families. I have started a tradition of making breakfast casserole on Christmas morning and having both our parents over. We all enjoyed watching Bree play with her toys. She loved every minute of it. A couple of her favorites were the outdoor trampoline, that of course came with the padding and enclosure and her talking spring horse and the musical sit-n-spin, easel desk and stuffed Dalmatian puppy that has a stroller and accessories. She had such a blessed Christmas and received so many cool gifts that she loves. Kerry and I both exchanged stocking stuffers and agreed to build a shop/workout bldg/ storage as our gifts to each other. My Mom gave us professional grade garment steamer to share as well as a LL Bean jacket for Kerry and shirts and 2 yearly subscriptions to outdoor and gardening magazines that he had wanted. Mom gave me a pink Ipod to use when I run and some really cool knee boots. From Kerry's parents we got a Vita Mix 5200. For years we have seen the demonstration at the State Fair of Texas and admired how "MEAN" they are. For like 2 days straight we lived on smoothies and have been amazed at how good they taste. Maybe they will help us both to get more veggies and fruits in our daily diets. The cool thing is u can fill it w greens and not even taste them when they are mixed in with the fruit. It also makes warm soups as well. We just dumped in the ingredients for tortilla soup (including fresh, raw vegetables)and in a matter of minutes had warm soup. Fascinating huh? My Mema got Mom and I an awesome gift that I am supper excited about as well. She got us season passes again this year to Splash Kingdom.(The local water park that we spent like every Friday of last summer enjoying.) Well now we are all set for this coming summer and I just cant wait. Bree has so much fun there and will be able to enjoy even more of it this year. Thanks,Mema! We received way too many wonderful gifts from our families to list everything but now u have an idea of some of the great things we were showered with. We thoroughly enjoyed all the time we got to spend with our families and friends during the season. As for vacation, I was off from work for 12 wonderful days. We spent a lot of the time relaxing at home. We hardly ever get to just spend down time at home just the three of us. So I enjoyed pajama days the most, more than I would have enjoyed any trip for sure. I spent most afternoons out on the trampoline with Bree. She loves to play 'break the egg' the most. We also do a lot of chasing each other in circles too. While Emily and Josh were in town we also enjoyed a fun night of bowling with Kerry's parents and family. This was Bree's 1st time to bowl and she absolutely loved it! The kiddos had a lane all to them selves with the bumpers on and had a blast. She keeps asking to go back and I keep promising cuz I must admit I had forgotten how much fun it is myself. Kerry was the ultimate champ and beat us all but I did have a great time too. Now if I can just get my house back in order and get all of Bree's new things organized. We may have to add on to our house just to accommodate all her gifts. Thanks to everyone for all u did to make our holidays so outstanding. We are all so blessed! XOXO

We have been greatly enjoying the month of December. I especially love this time of year and have enjoyed the chilly, cool weather this month has brought us. I am finally finished decorating our house for Christmas. I set up our nativity seen and put the finishing touches on our tree yesterday and Kerry helped by putting white lights on our house and shrubs. Bree has been in awe of our tree and loves to rearrange the ornaments on her pink tree in her room. It's sweet though to see her just gazing at the trees in bewilderment. She is so active in all the festivities this year. She enjoys putting the tape on the presents when I am wrapping them and finding the perfect spot for them under the tree. She also loves the snow globes and all the musical decorations. We have enjoyed discussing what the true meaning of Christmas is with Bree and she is so excited to have a birthday party for Jesus. Everything about the season is so breath taking to her. She has also enjoyed the excitement of Santa Claus and the gifts she will receive. She got to see Santa for the first time this year after the town Christmas parade with her friends Finlee and Addison. They sat in his lap and she smiled and starred at him with such delight. She was happy to ask him for a "Jumpoline". That is what she calls a trampoline. Which is really the only thing she has her heart sat on this year. Her friends Hannah and Sarah have one and oh how she loves to go over to their house and play on it. Nona also took her to see him when he and Mrs.Claus were visiting downtown and again she sat in his lap and ask for a jumpoline. I am surprised she hasn't been scared of him this year, but she reminds me often, "Momma, Santa is nice." So I guess she was pretty impressed with him. He may have gotten some brownie points cuz both times she saw him he gave her candy. Hmmm...that was a pretty smart move Santa Claus. Bree has been a doll singing lots of Christmas songs around the house and in the car. She makes the season so much fun! We have already began with the party madness that we so look forward to every year. The first Sunday of Dec. is always the Miller Christmas lunch. This is a celebration with my Mema's mother, Granny's side of the family. It was so nice seeing everyone and the food as always was great. Then on the 11th I celebrated with my girlfriends from high school. We got together this year for the 15th annual party which was hosted by Holly Tomlin at her house in Allen. There are 7 of us girls who have been getting together every year and we have such a neat, life long friendship. We enjoyed a great dinner at Mi Cocina and then spent the night together catching up and laughing about all the memories and history we have together. It was great seeing all the girls and I am so glad we have kept that tradition going through the years. Sunday after church we enjoyed lunch with my Grandparents and Nona at one of our favorite restaurants and then went home for a much needed nap. That evening we enjoyed the Festival of Lights at MSBC with some dear friends and then went back to their house so the kids could play for a while after we had pizza for supper. What a great night of good entertainment and good company. Kerry finished his first semester of the heating and air condition curriculum and was the top in his class. I am very proud of him and his decision to go back to school. It wasn't the easiest thing for any of us and it took some adjusting, but we all made it and in the long run will b better for it. It will be so nice to have him home more while he is off for Christmas break. Bree has been growing so much. She loves to read books to our cat Blue and our dog Alex and really anyone who will sit still and listen. She makes up most of the stories based on how she interprets the picture on the page, but she usually tells a very interesting story to say the least. She loves to shop with her Mommy and we have been getting more than our fill of that this holiday season. She is so much fun and always ask me "if i like this" or "what about this, this cute, Momma?" or something like that. The girl definitely has character! Friday when I was dressing her for the day, she put her pants on and while I was getting her a shirt out of the closet she turned her back side to me and said, "This look good from the back, Momma?" I cracked up! That girl is hilarious and always amazes me with what comes outta her mouth. I will end for now with another cute story about Bree. A week or so ago she was asking me all about my work and what I do. And said when she gets big she wants to be Cinderella. I laughed and thought that was so cute. Then a few days later when ask again what she wanted to b she said,"Jesus". How precious! The girls got ambition.Ha!Ha!

Sweet Day

Today I found myself thinking a lot about my sister, Malena Louise Spencer. Today would have been her 32nd birthday and I cannot help but to think of all the wonderful birthdays we got to share with her. For as far back as I can remember Mom always made us feel so special on our birthdays. She would always let us pick where or what we had for supper on our birthday and she always had a cake with ice cream just the way we liked it. We also always got flowers at school or work or wherever we were and a sweet card and a present or money, which ever we preferred. Mom made our birthdays a big celebration and a very special time for us all. I have way too many fond memories to share them all on here, but they will forever be cherished in my heart. I also find myself day dreaming of what Malena would be like today and what we would have spent the day doing with her. For sure we would have gotten pedicures and mani's cuz that was one of Malena's favorite things for us girls to do together. I miss celebrating her birthday with her and really enjoyed spending the day looking at pictures of her past birthdays and recalling the laughter and joy we shared on those special days of celebrating her life on this earth. How sweet our time was together and I am so thankful we were such a close, loving family who shared so much together. Malena Louise Spencer Nov. 24,1977 - June 19, 2004(Sorry some of the pictures are out of order but it wouldn't let me rearrange them and save them.)

Fabulous Fall

It has been absolutely gorgeous for the last couple of weeks here in Grand Saline. The trees are turning colors and the weather has been perfect, warm in the 70's with a little fall breeze. Wow, it has been beautiful. We spent last Saturday enjoying the sunshine with some friends at the pumpkin patch in Canton. It was a neat place with a blow up slide, carnival rides, pony ride, hay ride, kiddie roller coaster and lots of photo set ups. Bree loved it! She rode all the rides and had a blast. We both had a wonderful fall day. That evening she dressed up as a Dalmatian puppy to go trick or treating and to the town carnival. She was so cute and had a great time getting candy and playing the games at the carnival. I enjoyed watching her have fun more than anything. It was so sweet seeing her be playful and have a night all about her. Sunday after worship we celebrated Mauree Comer's 5th birthday with her. She had a cute pirate party and all the kids enjoyed it. On Monday we welcomed Brady Wallace Cranfill into the world. He is the baby of proud parents Greg and Katy Cranfill. Katy is a lifelong friend of mine and it was such a blessing to share in this time with her. I have tried to get back into my running routine this week. With the daylight savings and all it gets dark here around 6:00 and I have been trying to run on a treadmill inside instead of outside. In some ways this is much easier because I can run and watch Bree while she plays next to me at the same time instead of leaving her for a 35 min run. So, I actually like running inside, but do enjoy going for an outside run on the weekends when the weather is permitting. I love to run and when I get "too busy" and don't make time for it I can sure feel a difference in my mood and the way I feel. Crazy sounding maybe, but for me it is true. We spent this past Saturday at the Stewart's enjoying the awesome weather again. The girls enjoyed playing outside most of the time. They have a trampoline and Bree laughed hysterically for probably 20 minutes straight while they were jumping. She loved it! I must admit it is great watching her light up and enjoy herself. She has such a deep, wholesome laugh. It is precious. We took over frito pie stuff and we all enjoyed them. Even Bree and Hannah loved them, which they can be hard to please sometimes when it comes to food. It was a great day and Bree must have played her lil heart out cuz she was bathed and asleep by 6:30. Therefore, allowing Kerry and I to relax and catch up on some great college football. What a perfect day! Sometimes, it is nice to relax and spend time with those we love. Bree is learning so much these days. She loves to sing her ABC's and can even count to 10 now. She is like a lil sponge and loves to be read to every night. At bedtime she brings me like 6 books to read. (And is disappointed if I don't read every page!) Her vocabulary grows everyday and I just never know what to expect to come out next. She also loves to work puzzles. Her mind is busy learning and she is so much fun to be around. What a lil blessing!

I am getting pretty regular about only posting once a month I know, but seriously I don't know where the time goes. Before I get the time to post again it's like the month is already gone. So this month we ran around as usual trying to keep up with all we had to get done. October 9th and 10th was my high school 10 yr class reunion. We met at the GS football game on Friday, which was a cold night and it really felt like football weather. Bree sported her adorable cheer leading suit and a really cute mum Mema made for her. She thought she was as big as the other girls there. It was great seeing everyone and then we had a fifth quarter party at the home of Ray and Debbie Carnes. They are always excellent hostess and the gathering was great. Lots of laughs and remembering when until 2:30 am, when we decided to call it a night. Saturday we had scheduled a family picnic in the city park but due to the rain and cold weather we met at Pappadales Restaurant instead. It was a small group for lunch but good company non the less. After lunch we went home for a short nap and then the class of 1999 met at the Chamber Building for a catered BBQ dinner and entertainment. Our very own, Edgar Gonzalez, did a great job at the dj table. We had a great time and it was so nice to see everyone who came out. However, I was reminded just how old I am. 10 yrs..... how have 10 yrs flown by since high school? Where the time went is beyond me.
We celebrated Olivia Paige Tolar's 1st birthday on the 17th. Her actual bday is Oct. 13th but her party was the following Sat. She had such a cute lady bug themed party and seemed to enjoy the whole thing. She was still smiling when we went to leave. What a precious milestone!
This day, Oct. 17th was a day of happiness and sadness and many mixed emotions. At around 5pm Kerry's Grandmother aka Gigi went home to be with our Lord after an extensive battle with cancer. This was our first Grandparent to loose and a tough experience to say the least. Although, we are very sad that she is no longer here in her earthly body, we are rejoicing in knowing she is in Heaven and no longer suffering. Mary Nell Burnett was a very sweet, loving, nurturing Grandmother who loved her family very much and we already miss her dearly. However, we were relieved with how peacefully she passed away with her family at her side and thank God she didn't have to suffer anymore. This experience was very confusing for Bree. Bree has a special place in her heart for all her great grandparents and Gigi was very special to her. Kerry had taken her to see Gigi in the hospital on Thursday and we were just getting out of the car at the Hospice facility when we got the call that she had passed from this life. So, poor Bree was confused when we told her Gigi went to be with Jesus. She didn't understand and thought we had left her at the hospital. It was very sad and difficult to explain to Bree. But she does seem to be doing better with it now. However, Gigi's memory will live on in our hearts forever.
When we loose someone we love we are reminded of how temporary our lives here on this earth are and it helps us to appreciate every moment we have with those we love. I spent the rest of the week trying to love and enjoy every minute of the blessed life I have been given. We often rush through our days and forget how precious every breath we have here on earth truly is. Bree loves to help in the kitchen these days. On a couple of occasions I let her help and we even had some friends over last week for supper and the girls made cookies for dessert. They loved putting chocolate kisses in the middle of the warm, fresh baked cookies. She enjoys helping so much and usually if I am in the kitchen she gets her step stool and comes running to help with whatever I am doing. It is very sweet. Saturday the 24th we spent the day at a fall festival and it was so nice to appreciate the changing season. The weather was beautiful and we enjoyed spending some time outside. That evening we went to dinner with some good friends and celebrated Jennifer Tolar's birthday. I won't mention how old she is....but most people can probably figure it out. We spent the day Sunday enjoying our family time at home and also enjoyed watching the Cowboys win. They sure are fun to watch when they get their act together. Go Cowboys! We had a great weekend!! Hope everyone has a great week and Happy Halloween!

Another Mega Post

The month of September was filled with a lot of excitement and good times. My high school girlfriends hosted a baby shower for one of our dearest, Katy Jarmon Cranfill. We had a wonderful time showering her with the cutest baby boy gifts around. Mom made a delectable white, baby carriage cake. That turned out perfectly! (If I do say so myself.) It was a great time with dear friends and Katy was absolutely glowing. I can't wait to meet Mr. Brady Cranfill in another month or so. The 10th was another milestone for me, I turned 29. The day started off great as I was greeted at work with a beautiful bouquet of flowers from my family. They were from Kerry, Bree, Mom, Mema & Pa. Last year I received 2 bouquets, one from Kerry and Bree and the other from Mom, Mema & Pa. As u can imagine I had a difficult time transporting them home, so I dropped a "hint" of how much easier it would b for them to go in together next time. I guess they must have been listening. The girls at work surprised me with a gorgeous chunky, hot pink and zebra print necklace that I had been wishing for and an Italian cream cake. (my absolute fav!!) Then, my Mema made my favorite chicken and dumplings for me for supper and gave me this gorgeous, new chocolate brown bedding. I also received a card and money from my in laws. I had a great day and the celebrations had just begun. Mom, Bree and I spent the day Friday in Dallas shopping. We even made a stop by the Medical Center of Lewisville, which is where I worked for 6 yrs before we moved to GS. It was great to see most of my old co-workers and let them see how big Bree has gotten. After visiting for a while we got back to our shopping and closed the shops down. Saturday Bree stayed with Nona while Kerry and I went out w 4 other couples to an excellent dinner at Four Winds Steak House. Yum-O!! Then we headed out to Silver Saloon for some good ole live music and dancing. Another fav of mine! We had a terrific time and I loved every minute I got to spend with our close friends who all came out for my birthday. Sunday afternoon Mom made dinner for me and again I got to pick what we ate. She made me the best cheese manicotti ever that was followed with delicious Oreo cookie cake. Good thing I wasn't dieting cuz my bday weekend was full of good food. Which I dearly love!! I had an awesome birthday and was blessed to share it with my family and friends. Kerry's grandmother "Gigi" celebrated her 76th birthday Sept. 14th and then my Mema also celebrated her bday on Sept. 19th. She turned the big 76 too and is still going strong. We are blessed to have all of our grandparents still with us and what a joy it is to celebrate their birthdays with them. On the 20th Kerry and I went with 2 other couples to see the 1st Dallas Cowboys season game in their new home. OMG!! It is fabulous! Jerry did an amazing job. Talk about impressive. The game was close but we lost to the Giants, but it was still an awesome time. I am so excited for the upcoming football season. Kerry and I are both passionate about college and pro football. We love this time of year cuz the weekends are full of good times cheering for our fav teams from the edge of our couch. I LOVE IT!! Bree and Kerry are both enjoying school. Kerry is doing so good. Probably not having as much fun as Bree is at her school, but he has made 100 on 3 of the 4 test they have taken and 110 on the 4th one. That's impressive too, huh? At least, I am impressed. We have been loving this beautiful fall weather. Bree and I enjoy walking Alex in the evenings in the cool fall air. And we have been spending a lot of time out on our deck. We are especially enjoying eating and playing outside. Bree ask to play in her sand box almost every day here lately. The girl plays so good by herself and has a huge imagination. I love to watch her be creative with the things she makes out of the sand. She is such a joy to be around. Thank goodness I have her to take my mind off of Kerry being away at school. We both wait anxiously every evening for him to come home. Secretly hoping his classes ended early and he will be home before we are expecting him. Although, I miss him like crazy I am glad he has this oppertunity. We are so blessed!! Thanx for checking on us. HAPPY FALL! GO COWBOYS & LONGHORNS!! XOXOX

Life in the fast lane!

In the past month we have experienced many changes in our family. The biggest event that has happened is that my sweetie aka Daddy has gone back to school. He is a college boy again...scary thought huh? Actually we are all very excited about his decision to back to TJC to get a degree in air conditioning and refrigeration. Kerry has a Bachelors Degree in Applied Science but has never really enjoyed his career choices. So, he has decided to take the opportunity and go back to school to do something he enjoys. For those of u who don't know him, he is a very hands on type of guy. He loves to put things together, build things, take them apart and all that sort of stuff. He is a genius when it comes to building things and how things work. It just comes natural to him. I am so glad he is going to have a degree in something that interest him and at the same time it is something that he can grow in and has many avenues to offer him. It is something that in the future if he wanted to he could own his own business. That is ultimately his dream and in Texas it is something that there will always be a demand for. I am so fortunate to have a career that I am completely passionate about and absolutely love what I do everyday and I am thrilled that Kerry can see that same result in his near future. He has to go four semesters to complete the program and graduate. It is difficult for us sometimes. We are trying to adjust to him being busier and having more obligations and being away from us while he is in class. Bree misses her Daddy sometimes when he is occupied with school, but it is only temporary and he reminds us that ultimately he is doing this for the best interest of our family. We have to value our family time even more now than before. Daddy is not the only one who started to school recently. Tuesday Sept. 1st was Bree's 1st day to go to Parents Day Out. This is a program that is offered at our church for 6 hrs a day 2 days a week to children between 2 and 4 yrs of age. In the program the kids learn bible lessons, shapes, colors, numbers and much more. They also do crafts and get to play and socialize with children close to their own age. It was difficult for us to decide whether to put her in the class or not. We struggled with if she was big enough and mature enough to have to be on a schedule and follow the classroom rules. We prayed a lot about it. In the end we knew how much she loves going to Sunday school and church and this would be with most of her same friends and in her same classroom. Also, several of my girlfriends kids were going as well as Bree's 1st cousin Crew and we knew she would enjoy seeing them more. So, after much consideration, we decided it would be to her benefit to go. Needless to say, I was one nervous Momma Tuesday morning! I mean my baby girl was going to be in a classroom setting and I was afraid she wouldn't be ready or like it. I just kept picturing her missing her normal daily routine. Until now Bree has stayed with family and been catered to by her loving grandparents and great grandparents. She was very happy and content in her routine and being the center of attention. I worried she would not like the change and would miss the old care free days of hanging at the house all day doing whatever she wanted on her terms. But as soon as I woke Bree up Tuesday for class she was smiling and said,"I go to school today?" Seriously, that was the first thing she said. So, we got ready and packed her lunch and Kerry and I took her for her first day of PDO. I think I was more worried and sad than she was. She went right into the classroom and started playing with her friends. Seriously, she was such a big girl and never even looked back. I think she loved the idea of playing with other kiddos and getting to be with her friends. My baby spent the whole day at school. As for Kerry and I we went to breakfast and enjoyed spending time together alone. We hung out on the couch just chilling and cuddling. (which we usually do with a 2 yr old climbing all over us.)We missed her greatly, but it isn't so often that we get a day relaxing together at home alone. It was nice. When I picked her up she was smiling and the director of the program said she smiled all day. I think she loved it. She wouldn't say much but I am pretty sure she is happy to be going to school. She was excited to go again today. She couldn't wait to get there and kept talking about all her friends in her class. And after picking her up today she seemed to have had a wonderful time. Other than that we have been spending a lot of time swimming and enjoying the beautiful weather outside. Last weekend we took a road trip to Magnolia, Tx. Which is close to Houston. I love road trips....that could be b/c I rarely have to drive. Kerry always wants to drive, so I get to enjoy the scenery and the conversation. It is always so nice to just drive and talk and just have several hours together on the road. Bree was a pretty good traveler, too. Other than the fact that she is potty trained now so we had to stop several times to let her go to the restroom. But actually that was pretty nice, too. We discovered some really cool convenience stores and rest stops along the way. We stayed with Kerry's Uncle Robert and Aunt Julie. They have an amazing home in an awesome community. We spent most of the time enjoying their backyard living area and kitchen and their pool and jacuzzi. In their neighborhood there are tons of wild deer everywhere. We took the golf cart thru the streets and saw so many deer just chilling in the neighbors yards. It was great. Our trip was so much fun! Bree is such a blast to be around. She is a social girl. Everywhere we go she makes friends and is the life of the party. She has so much love for people and animals and is such a delightful person. I can just see the love and joy she has for life in her eyes. She is talking so well and we have to really be careful what we say in front of her lil ears cuz she picks up everything. And I do mean everything! Our lives have been so blessed by her dear, sweet soul. We don't have too much going for Labor Day weekend. I think since we have been spending so much time on the go and Kerry has been away at school so much we are probably most excited about spending some time at home as a family. My wish is for everyone to have a safe and wonderful holiday doing whatever it is u love. XOXOX