Christmas and God's Faithfulness...

Christmas was a special time for us this year. Michael's parents flew down form Fairfax, VA and spent a week with us and Susan & co., Michael's sister.

We started it all by attending Christmas eve service with Susan and Paul at Christ the King, their church. After service, we went to Omalu and Dudley Cole's house (Paul's parents) for a yummy dinner of lasagne, salad, garlic bread, and rainbow sherbet. The Coles (Susan, Paul, Caleb and Colin) opened their gifts from the Cole Srs.

The next day began a very long but fun adventure.

It all began with the prayer over breakfast. Michael and I discreetly pulled out our ribbons (see pictures below) during the prayer. His parents were seated across from us at the table. When we opened our eyes, his mom immediately noticed. She was speechless, with her mouth hanging wide open and looking from us to Dad. He was very unaware as he went on salting his eggs. Michael reminded him to have powers of observation...in fact, three times before standing and his dad finally looking up from the food to notice our GOOD NEWS! Then Mom burst into tears. This was just the beginning (well, actually the beginning had begun the night before--my parents' Christmastime in Saudi--when we told my parents) of many more wet eyes...including my own.

PS the ribbons are from the dollar store! (and I hope all of you have heard the news by now so it does not shock any of you...!)

A couple of hours later...Susan, Paul and the boys walked in the door. Again, we were sporting the ribbons. Susan noticed immediately.

The boys? Well, they were too cool to notice! :)

And this is Caleb's first reaction to the tree. This is for you, Michael!

Twelve people for Christmas generate a lot of presents under the tree...

Next, it was time to tell Sarah, Michael's other sister. We called Sarah and Rich on the phone and passed the good news along. She claims she knew at Thanksgiving when we stayed with them :) (we ourselves found out then, but...we even only confirmed it after we got home!)

Next to arrive were Alicia and her mom, Janet...longtime family friends. They were thrilled too.

We snacked and sat down to eat another yummy meal--I can say this without pride since I did very little. Alicia and Janet had cooked the turkey, their famous noodles (yum!), cole slaw, stuffing, and rolls. Susan had done pecan pies, green bean casserole, and yams. That left me with only mashed potatoes, pumpkin pie, and a few appetizers. (to which Sarah as a Christmas gift had sent a box of all sorts of yummies) There was way too much food!!!

After dinner, we retired for a late afternoon opening of the presents. Our last guests showed up then...

My brother, Andrew, and his fiancee, Shayna arrived. (Love her expression upon figuring out the news!)

Now time for the gifts--most of which were dedicated to Caleb and Colin...

Michael doling out the gifts-- Or does he just like to climb under the Christmas tree? (see previous blogs)

One of our gifts to the boys was cowboy hats. How can you live in Texas and not have one? Guess they still need to grow into theirs. :)

Our friend Alicia is helping keep the hat on

Her mom, Janet, is in the background

After a while, the kids starting handing all the new toys off to Andrew and Shayna

Hope that head does not get stuck in there, Colin!

Then, it was the big kids turn...

Michael sporting one of the silly gifts he got in his stocking

...and for those who were waiting...where would Christmas be without our crazy Christmas outfits. (this year, the unmatching turned out to match but the men in the family still sported crazy musical ties, goofy hats, and brilliant smiles)

While waiting for the much anticipated, family tradition of baked brie (remember Michael's love for this at Thanksgiving?), Michael and his dad show they have much more in common that just a first name.

At last! (after some of the lunch food had worn off) the baked brie!

What a memorable Christmas day!!!

...but the story does not end there. It always continues with Michael's big birthday bash three days later.

This year, we went to pizza, as requested by the birthday boy. Then, Susan, Paul, Michael, and I went to see the second National Treasure movie. All in all, decent. The best part was the disney cartoon before it though, "How to Hook Up Your Home Theater." (for those who know Michael's great love as an audiophile--his word, not mine.) We almost fell out of our seats laughing. I will try to post when it becomes available in its entirety. For now check out the 30 second clip here: http://media.awn.com/popup/fff-v12/?v=1400 . We returned to Susan's place to open gifts and shoot some marshmallows (see pictures)

Michael has always wanted a bowtie...

...but never thought he would get another bow too.

the marshmallows never made it in the open mouths

It was a nice 34th birthday!

...and now for the details many of you are wondering: I am currently almost 12 weeks pregnant and feeling great! (really not much change from normal--no nausea, and even rarely more tired than normal). Our due date is July 31st. We have had two ultrasounds (very neat to actually see what I so often show other girls at the Crisis Pregnancy Center) We have heard the heartbeat twice. Both times, I have sat there and marveled at the miracle (truly) of life that is inside of me. It was very difficult to keep the secret so long! I wanted to shout to the world what God, in HIS FAITHFULNESS, has done! He, in His perfect timing, answered a promise that He gave more than three years ago. As Michael shared on Sunday, it has not always been easy. There were many moments of doubt and fear regarding His power or His goodness. There have been frustration because there were no human answers. But above all, I learned to hold tight to His faithfulness and plan despite the circumstances. I declare that it is God who was able to raise my womb from death to LIFE!

Merry Christmas one and all!

April 15th, Here I come!

...I hope.

I just finished a very exhausting week of tax training all day every day. (how do girls do it with full time jobs--especially teachers with take home work? I managed without a family, but...) The classes went long every day, and I would come home and do 2-3 hours of homework for my test next week. Then bed-time! After this (if I pass the test) I will be preparing taxes through an AARP program, Tax-Aide. This is a free program for whoever comes in. I initially thought this would be all senior citizens, but quickly discovered the AARP side of it meant that the preparers are me and a room full of forty 65+ year olds! ;)

I will be working at Barbara Bush library (only one day a week) but there is another site at the church, Northwest Library, Tomball library, Aldine library, etc.... and the list goes on. And we will prepare (and e-file if wanted) for free! What a neat program! https://locator.aarp.org/vmis/sites/tax_aide_locator.jsp gives you the site nearest you... (they all open Feb. 1st)

and I promise to blog on Christmas soon...soon as things calm down a bit.

Christmas Getting To Know Me...

Laura posted this questionnaire on her blog and I decided to "copycat" yet again!

1. Wrapping paper or gift bags? I don't have a preference, although this is the one time of year I actually use wrapping paper. It is worth the extra effort at Christmas...even if only to keep your honey from peeking :)

2. Real tree or Artificial? We did a real tree our first 3 years of marriage (and in both our families, it is considered sacrilegious to consider anything other than a live tree--sorry moms and dads :) ) Then, we determined since we are often not at home for Christmas, we found more needles on the floor than on the tree when we got home (that and we would only enjoy the tree for a day or two). So we broke down and bought our first artificial tree 5 years ago and have never turned back--sure we miss the smell, but...We have since added to our collection with two more free trees from freecycle. (check out the link on the left of my blog)

3. When do you put up the tree? Different times every year. With an artificial tree, it can be earlier and longer...We have had excuses the past two years to have it up early (right before Thanksgiving)

4. When do you take the tree down the tree? Also varies. With the 12 foot tree this year, it may be sooner than last year...I want my floor space back!

5. Do you like egg nog? Yes! --although we discovered a brand last year that we did not like very much--unfortunately, don't remember which brand it is :( Tested the Schepp's this year and find it much to our liking...

6. Favorite gift received as a child? Have no idea! We did laugh about all the stocking stuffers of tape, glue, toothbrushes, and chocolate coins that we got as a child--especially since we always have clues on our presents. After the 3rd child has opened the same stocking gift, it is not much of a surprise for the last child to guess!

7. Do you have a nativity scene? Yes, a cheap glass one gotten at the dollar store, but it is sweet, and someday I will have a nicer one.

8. Hardest person to buy for? people I don't know so well... (the saying that boys are harder than girls is true, but even the boys in the family are OK because although they may have only expensive items on their list, they can always be satisfied with gummy bears, Goodwill ties, etc...)

9. Easiest person to buy for? My sister's kids, Michael

10.Mail or email Christmas cards? mail (is there such a thing as email cards?)

11.Worst Christmas gift you ever received? Not sure that I can think of one, but I will say that when I was 16 and received some revereware pots and a few other kitchen tools--which I did not use for 7 years--I was rather disappointed. However, not such a bad present because now I am very grateful for them!

12. Favorite Christmas Movie? Probably Sound of Music (didn't that play all the time at Christmas?) It may not be a Christmas movie, but we did not watch too many...Oh, I do like Eloise at Christmas.

13. Have you ever recycled a Christmas present? yes...but wouldn't you like to know which ones?

14. Favorite thing to eat at Christmas? stollen was probably the only traditionally Christmas food we ate (can you tell by now that I did not grow up with a hugely traditional family?) By the way, stollen is a German cake that is not very sweet and normally has nuts, dates, and candied fruit in it and then is coated with powdered sugar.

15. Clear lights or colored on the tree? Clear

16. Favorite Christmas song? Don't know that I have a favorite. But, I will answer for Michael on this one! We stole a CD from my brother--which he generously gave us a couple of days ago after having it for more than a year. It has "Baby, it's cold outside" on it...for days, Michael would play that particular song over and over! It is still a favorite.

17. Travel at Christmas or stay home? Mainly travel. Last year was actually the first year since we have been married that Christmas was at our house. (but in fact, we did leave Christmas day for Saudi...so after Christmas at our house, we did travel!) This year, will be our first year not traveling at all!

18. Can you name all of Santa’s reindeers? ON Dasher, on Dancer, on Prancer, on Vixen, on Comet, on Cupid, on Donner, on Blitzen...( oh, and then, of course, Rudolph)

19. Open the presents Christmas Eve or morning? Christmas morning--actually usually afternoon

20. Most annoying thing about this time of year? the Traffic!

21. Favorite ornament theme or color? never had theme until this year...love the bird thing though (will have to add some more next year) and of course, I really prefer the individual ornaments on our big tree that each have a story.

22. Favorite food for Christmas dinner? It is never the same from year to year...but we have decided that we really like Brisket for dinner either Thanksgiving or Christmas! Are we really southerners? This year we are talking about enchiladas and a Mexican theme!

23. What do you want for Christmas this year? Christmas ornaments (check--although always could get more!), GPS (check), calendar (check), Goodwill shopping spree, silicone bowl covers, and perhaps a few other things

As I know there were probably 25 questions for the 25 days in December, I will not delete the last two, but...will change them.

24. Any Christmas traditions? As I suggested, I did not grow up in a very "tradition"al house. BUT...we did always put clues on our gifts and each person had to guess the gift before opening (the guesses alwasy got more half-hearted as the day went by, but started out pretty well!) The other tradition, my family--and now Michael--dress in the most unmatched, Christmasy outfit possible (for example, plaid pants and striped shirt with loud tie and Santa hat).

Here is last year's example...a rather poor example since it was rather too well matched.

25. Open your presents all at one time or one by one, taking turns? Definitely one by one...how else could we relish the responses to the clues! Now it's your turn!

Christmas in less than 2 weeks...Yikes!

I realized today that we are already in the mid-part of December. That means Christmas really is less than two weeks away!

I suppose it is time to post a few pictures of our house decorated for Christmas too...especially since it has been decorated for about a month already (we did have a Christmas party Dec. 1st here...and were gone for Thanksgiving, so we had to start early!) (we do have candles in the upstairs windows too...can't see them here?)

One of our 3 trees (this one acquired free) resides in the study. It is sparsely decorated with really cool feathered birds.

This second tree (my personal favorite) is upstairs in the loft. It was a prelit tree that we purchased several years ago--and this year, was also one of the many contributing factors to our "unlit" drama (we have had about 10 different strands in different locations that all seemed to go out this year)

And last, but certainly not least, Michael's favorite...our 12 foot monstrosity! It is again another free tree that actually looks quite alive. This was a new acquisition this year so I treated myself to an early Christmas present and invested in some ornaments (try covering a 12 foot tree!) This was a massive feat to decorate and light (not a pre-lit), and it takes up half of the family room, but it is beautiful and very peaceful when all the lights are turned out, and we sit in the room by tree-light!

Extra Progressive Dinner Pictures!

Here are a few more Progressive Dinner Pictures from last weekend's Sunday school adventures.

I will also include the link to our class blog (since I forget that not everyone who reads this, reads the other) The video portion of our entertainment is posted there...since it took so long to upload, I will leave it there and just link it here.

http://cfbcstartingpoint.blogspot.com/

Copycat

If copying is the sincerest form of flattery, then here's to you, Ashley!

(and by the way, folks, this website is really cool as you can create a quiz for anything...so showing my real copying spirit, I decided to follow Ashley's idea one step further and also do a "How well do you know me?" quiz.)

Please take the quiz below and I will be interested in who knows me best! (Michael already scored a 90--can any intuitive girl beat him?)

How well do you really know me?

Have fun!

Thankful at Thanksgiving!

There was so much to be thankful for at Thanksgiving (and still thankful for!), but one of them was the opportunity to fly and visit Michael's sister and bro-in-law and his parents. We flew in Wed. night (supposed to arrive at 11:30 p.m.) but sat on the ground (at the gate) for 2 hours in Houston due to delays from the airport being shut down by storms earlier in the afternoon. We got in actually around 1:30 and then by the time we got to bed it was closer to 2:15 AM (for those who know me, this was a killer!) We stayed with Sarah (Michael's sister) and her husband, Rich.

Our sweet host and hostess

The next day, we celebrated Thanksgiving dinner and the parents came over as well as two of Rich's coworkers without family in the area.

The beautiful Thanksgiving table

Michael's mom and I

two of the three siblings

obligatory self-portrait

Jess, a coworker

One of Michael's favorite foods he talks about every time his family gets together is a baked brie appetizer with apricot glaze. Here, Sarah made one just for him but did the quick version with apricot jam and it tasted just as great!

Mandi (another coworker), Jess and Dad sample the baked brie

Michael's look of expectancy as he tastes the brie!

After dinner, we played Mexican Train dominoes. Michael even put together a spreadsheet to keep up the scores. It went well into the night...Rich finally won. And then, Sarah and I, out of the pure adventure of it, headed to the outdoor outlet malls that opened at midnight (the parking and lines to get into stores was crazy when we showed up and even worse when we left...and boy, it was freezing!) That made two nights in a row that we went to bed after 2:00 AM!

The next day, we went to the Smithsonian American Art Museum to see the Asher Durand paintings (he is an artist in the Hudson River School style which Mom Weyler loves so much). On the way, I again marveled at the culture and history in our nation's capital (and how much can be seen and done free--example, all the Smithsonian museums) Next time we go to visit Michael's family, we decided that we would go an extra couple of days for pure tourism reasons...even though we lived there for a year and a half, like many residents, you forget to take advantage of the tourist things until you are gone! Afterward, we walked around Chinatown a bit...and ended up eating at Legal Seafood.

This guy was making his own noodles

Washed out faces, but notice the signs to the restaurant. (remember, we are in Chinatown) That evening, we spent several hours decorating Sarah and Rich's house for Christmas!

Rich seemed to have a thing about crawling under Christmas trees! :)

another one...

Michael looking on

This is my favorite! Ever seen a pop-up tree? Well, we had not until last year. This year we took a video to time the "setting up" of this famous pop-up tree. (the blooper is authentic!)

TADA! (again) The tree is done...as is the rest of the house!