Christmas Highlights...

We celebrated our Christmas Eve on Friday, the 21st...and our Christmas Day on Saturday, the 22nd...and both were SO enjoyable! I kind of liked having Christmas early, because then the relaxing and days off and celebrating still continued on for a few days afterward... It was really nice to get to spend the holidays with family this year...and we even had some friends of ours from Germany over to feast with us on Christmas Day... This Christmas was especially one to remember, as being pregnant brought about a whole new perspective for me concerning the "Christmas Story"...thinking about Mary and Joseph and little Baby Jesus... I hope everyone had a wonderful Christmas this year!

Here are some highlights from our Christmas festivities:

1. Great Food and New Recipes:

On our Christmas Eve, Dad fixed some of his famous and "oh-so-delicious" steaks...which must've been almost an inch and a half thick! He always does such a good job...and we're always up for enjoying them... That evening, I also tried two of my friend, Pamela's, recipes to use as snacks (after eating such a big dinner earlier)... I think they both turned out well for my first attempt at making them...(but not near as pretty as Pamela would've made them!) One recipe was for some baked Brie...the other for a sausage and cheese bruschetta...and they were both yummy! Thanks, Pamela, for sharing your "chef-ly insights"...

2. Christmas Morning:

It sure was fun getting to watch my nephew, Caleb, open his gifts on Christmas morning! It's different when there's a kid around... He was SO excited...and couldn't get the wrapping off quick enough... It reminded me of so many Christmases when I was little...and my brother and I would wake up in the wee hours of the morning, but would have to wait in our rooms till Mom and Dad said we could come out... And, the anticipation of it all...it would just kill us! Then, we'd run out to the Christmas tree...and there it was - a gift from "Santa" for each of us...always unwrapped, so it was the first thing we'd see... That tradition was carried on for Caleb...and "Santa" brought him a really cool Hot Wheels car jump thingie with a dinosaur and everything! Caleb loved it!















As far as Scott and I go...we both got just what we wanted... I only asked for three things this Christmas: a new purse (to replace the one I had that was falling apart), a game, and an MP3 player (to have something to listen to when I start running again after the baby's born)...and I was blessed to receive all three! I also got some neat Christmas decorations to add to my collection for next year...a very unique necklace...a Christmas CD...and a Willow Tree angel from my brother... (and Baby Ross got a new outfit, too...) Scott got some movies...a salt and pepper shaker set he'd been asking for...a stand for his bongo drums...and a "GoBible" (it's kind of like an iPod that has the whole Bible in audio format stored on it)... Scott was really surprised by that one! I was so excited to find it...and so glad he liked it!














3. Church and "Chuy's:"

Sunday morning, the 23rd, RCCC had a Christmas service...and it was wonderful! I couldn't help but get all weepy...(thanks to these lovely pregnancy hormones!)...when the choir sang "O Holy Night"... Scott was so sweet and just quietly handed me a box of tissues before my makeup ran everywhere... The sermon was great, too... Sean's always so right on... After the service, we met up with my family at "Chuy's" for some Tex-Mex...YUM! And, then, we just relaxed the rest of the day...

4. "It's A Wonderful Life:"

One of my absolute favorite Christmas movies of all time... I simply adore Jimmy Stewart! I HAVE to watch it at least once every Christmas and hadn't seen it the whole month of December at all...so I was kind of disappointed... Scott and I own the movie, but it's on VHS, and we didn't bring any of our tapes with us when we came to Texas...(they're still all in storage in Baltimore) So, when I found out the movie would be on the 24th, I was ecstatic! Scott and I drove around that evening to some of the nearby neighborhoods to look at all the pretty Christmas lights...then, stopped by Domino's to pick up some pizza for dinner...and we were home by 7pm, so I could see my beloved movie... Scott and Mom didn't make it to the end...they were off to bed probably about halfway through... But, I was determined to finish it...all the way to the end...so, of course, Clarence could get his wings... Getting to see that movie really made my night!

5. "National Treasure 2:"

Christmas Day, we went to see "National Treasure 2: Book of Secrets"...and it was great! It's very similar to the first movie...same kind of plot...same kind of ideas...but as the first one was entertaining, so was this one... I love all the history stuff...and the "Indiana Jones-ish" feel of traveling all over to find some treasure... Plus, this time, the adventure took "Benjamin Gates" to parts of Europe...and I love seeing places we've visited on the big screen...recognizing monuments and streets...remembering the trips we took there...and who we were with... (Did I ever mention that I miss Europe?!) Anyway, the movie was really fun to watch... And, afterward, we went to IHOP (one of the only places open on Christmas Day!) to have some lunch... All in all, a very relaxing December 25th...