Oh how the time flies swiftly........

So, here it is December 20th.....5 days before Christmas.....and we just started (and finished) our Christmas shopping all in one day! I'm pooped! BUT.....it's done!

Both of the girls are gone now for the Christmas holiday. Ryann will be home on the Christmas afternoon and Kamri will be home on the 26th. We miss them terribly when they're gone, but know that they enjoy spending this time with their other families. But boy, let me tell you.......the week leading up to their departure was plain madness!!!

Monday night I stayed home from my meeting since the girls had been gone all weekend as well as Steve and we spent an evening just being together. Tuesday we had family movie night one last time before the girls left (we try to do this once a week). Wednesday we had cheer practice and then Christmas shopping for Steve and Gamaw. Thursday night was our annual tradition of going out to see Christmas lights with my parents. We always go out in our pjs and have popcorn and hot cocoa while we drive around looking at all of the lights. Friday was the final day.......we started out with school Christmas parties for both girls, then rushed home to bake cookies, trim the tree, wrap all of their Christmas gifts purchased for others and watched a final Christmas movie before heading out to their Christmas party for Stepz Gym. Needless to say, I was beyond exhausted by the time we got home.......but the fun doesn't end there!!

Saturday morning at approximately 3:00am Grant woke up with a wretched fever and a nasty cough.......so Mommy didn't get much sleep that night. However, staying home in bed wasn't an option for us.....my sister, Brittany, graduated from Texas A&M Commerce on Saturday morning and we had a special lunch for her at my mom's house that afternoon. Sadly, Grant and I were the only ones able to attend since both girls were gone and Steve was bowling in a doubles tournament in Euless (where he made $900, thank you very much!!! So proud of him!!). Once all of this was done, we headed home where we could FINALLY rest. However, it was more of the same (coughing and fever) in the wee hours on Sunday morning, so we were not able to attend church (sad face). But, we certainly didn't want to pass our germs on to anyone else and we really had no way of knowing how sick he really was. So, we chilled around the house for the day.

We were able to get Grant in to see the doctor today and it turns out he has strep......the boy has never been sick a day in his life and now he has strep!!! Blegh! Here's hoping the rest of us don't end up with it although I haven't been feeling all the great the past couple of days......Lord, please here my plea......no sick Mommy and no sick baby for Christmas!!!

We have quite a few pics from our week of adventures........so, check out our photo site to see them!! And check back soon for more mishaps and mayhem from our family!!

Hope everyone is well!

Melony, Steve, and the Sickly Grant

PS: Christmas cards go out tomorrow!!!! They're awesome! : )

It's Beginning to Look A Lot Like Christmas.......

I can't believe it's already been 2 months since my last post! The time flies by us so quickly these days that we are barely able to keep up! It's now December 14th and before we know it we'll be ringing in the new year! So, here's a little update on how things have been with our family.

Ryann and Kamri are both doing great! Getting excellent grades in school and almost no behavorial issues whatsoever.....which has been a HUGE relief to all of us! They are also participating in Cheer/Tumbling at Stepz Gym in Wills Point. Their coach, Coach Nate, has been very impressed with their progress.....especially little Miss Ryann. She's almost ready to be doing back handsprings by herself....and that's just what she's learned in the 2 months that she's been going. Coach Nate says that Kamri has one of the prettiest back handsprings that he's seen if she can just figure out how to power herself through her moves rather than have him do the "heavy lifting". Both of the girls love going to Cheer and I think it's safe to say that it's one of the highlights of their week!! I'm going to post pics on our photo site for anyone interested.

For Thanksgiving this year, both of the girls had the opportunity to spend time with their Dads and with us. It was a little chaotic because during the course of the week I only had the two of them at the same time for 2 days.....but they were able to enjoy the special holiday with ALL of their family so that's what's important. Steve, Grant and myself got to enjoy 3 days worth of Thanksgiving......and by the end of those three days I was ready to start walking and clucking like a turkey!! LOL But it was a wonderful time for us as well! And it was Grant's first Thanksgiving........he really enjoyed the mashed potatoes....heehee.

This year we as a family also participated in the community service project that my Mary Kay unit does every year called Adopt A Grandparent. Basically we partner up with local business, organizations, and individuals to provide a gift to residents of the local nursing/retirement homes. Last year we provided gifts to 200 residents but THIS YEAR we were able to provide gifts for 500 "grandparents". The girls were a little apprehensive about this last year, but this year they jumped right in and made a lot of elderly residents very very happy. I feel so blessed that I can have my family participate in such an awesome program. It really teaches the kids about giving back and helps them keep a firm grip on what Christmas is SUPPOSED to be about!! We look forward to doing this for many years to come!

With Christmas less than two weeks away, and the girls leaving to be with their Dads in 4 days, there is just so much left to do!!! Christmas shopping for family, baking cookies, Christmas parties, our annual trip to look at Christmas lights with my parents!!! By the end of this week I'm going to be worn out.....but I wouldn't trade one single moment of it! Check back soon for more pics and posts about our week!

We hope everyone is doing well and living in God's richest blessings!

Love,

Us : )