A Piney Woods Christmas

One more Christmas post to go and then I can move on to the Cade-man's birthday... phew! I am knocking 'em out! (SLOWLY)

So... MY side of the family gathered in the great Piney Woods of Texas in the far off land of Nacogdoches for our Christmas celebrations this year which just so happened to take place over the New Year's weekend. KK and Albi are still in transition to Houston and well frankly they are homeless... so we crashed Uncle Josh and Aunt Emily's BEAUTIFUL new home! And by crashed... I mean it... we really left our mark... but more on that later! :)

Emily and Josh were the most gracious hosts and had everything ready to go for us when we arrived. They literally moved their furniture from room to room just so we would all have our very own comfy place to stay. And Cade-man even had his very own Thomas tent set up in his room... so needless to say, our trip to Nacogdoches started off with a BANG!

Aunt Emily truly went above and beyond in preparing for our arrival. She cooked a YUMMY Christmas meal, full of decadent savory sides that accompanied a gorgeous standing rib roast... it was a treat beyond all treats! She certainly spoiled us and we were grateful for all of the time and effort she put into our stay. Turns out a Christmas celebration in the Piney Woods is pretty spectacular! Thank you Emily!!

On Friday when we arrived, first thing was first... presents! This was my request, so that we could put as much time and space in between those presents and Caden's birthday presents as possible. It's hard having your birthday and Christmas mash right up together so I try to make it as separate while not letting either occasion lose its excitement... at least that is the goal! :)

Naturally, it was a true Evans Family Christmas, because I have VERY FEW pictures to show for it... BUT it was oh so fun... and you're just going to have to trust me on that one! :)

We did stockings first...

Kaki-Lou (YES, another nickname... I have a problem, I realize!) just bounced and bounced as we opened our presents... giving us a giggle or a snort when she approved of what she got! :)

And of course Griff-Dog had to get in on the action... he wanted some presents... are you checking out this house??!! Isn't it great?!

And the co-hosts for the weekend... KK and Albi... aren't they cute?!

KK and Albi certainly spoiled us yet again this year with lots of fun new things! I can assure you that we ALL had a very Merry Christmas!

AND part of the reason our Christmas was so Merry was my sweet Aunt Kay and Uncle Roger who had dropped off our gifts when passing through the Piney Woods the previous week... so not only did we have our normal gift stash but we had all of their generous gifts to look forward to too! THANK YOU Roger and Kay... we love everything... especially the nuts... Caden is a BIG fan, I have to hide them in our pantry!! :)

The next day the boys had a little golf outing while the girls did ABSOLUTELY. NOTHING. and it was fabulous! Emily has totally fit right into our family with her love for the lounge too! Unlike Justin's side of the family who must shower and get ready and look cute EVERY SINGLE DAY (I am totally the odd ball who doesn't shower and get ready every day!!), us Evans' roll a little casual from time to time and our Saturday in Nac was certainly that...

And speaking of casual...

Caden's just casually picking his nose while traveling in the golf cart with Daddy!

Okay, so later in the afternoon the girls did put on a bit of makeup and got out of our PJs just long enough so we could go antiquing... it was New Year's Eve after all... we had to hit up the town in some way! And Emily took us to this fabulous place that I could have gone hunting around in FOREVER... we all found some GREAT things and KK and Albi treated us to those as well! :) Unfortunately, since we looked like the Clampetts when we left Nac we didn't have room to bring home my goods... but that just means we'll get back to Nac even sooner now for a visit! :) Watch out back porch... here I come!!

On Saturday evening we ordered in from one of my favorite local places in Nac... it was oh so yummy... then it was time to get ready for Caden's party the next day. I am thinking that NYE may have forever lost its magic, because I am always too concerned about having a full dose of energy for the next day since it is Caden's birthday... so it was quick to decorate and then early to bed for me... and for most of us... :)

Sunday, New Year's Day was Caden's third birthday... WHAT?!! And of course I have entire post dedicated to that. It was a magical day that I think he enjoyed so very much! It made me happy to see him so happy... my heart was certainly full at the end of that day... so excited and blessed to be celebrating my baby... who officially is not baby anymore... tear!

Alright... so let's skip to the end of our trip... as we are driving out of town... heading to Waco to celebrate Caden's birthday with the Cox side of the family... we see a State Trooper and I said you better watch your speed through here, there is a trooper back there... trooper pulls onto the road... lights come on... he passes car after car, pulls in just behind us... BUSTED!!!

And yes, we got a ticket... big meanie! He even knew Emily's family and told us this outrageous story about how he saved her Dad's life when he was choking on fish at the Rotary Club... still haven't confirmed if that story is true, but come on... give us visitors a break... I'm thinking it was because we were from the Austin-area... you know us liberals... we're not seen too well in the eyes of them Piney Woods East Texas troopers...

And the best part of the whole thing is that his name was Officer Riggins... as in Tim Riggins... as in Texas Forever!!

All we can do is laugh it off... and take defensive driving... and think LONG and hard about the law... and how we are never going to speed again... AND certainly not while in the city limits of Nac! Lesson learned! Thank you Officer Riggins!

And thank you Emily and Josh for a magical Christmas in the Piney Woods! Seriously, words cannot express how grateful we are to y'all opening up your home and even let us break it in a little... :) We love y'all!!

And KK and Albi... THANK YOU for being our generous co-hosts... we loved getting to spend time together as a family and are excited that you'll be the middle meeting ground for many more fun Evans family get-togethers! Hurray!!

Merry Christmas! For the last time in 2011 (even though technically it is 2012... shhhh!)

B-A-Y-L-O-R, Baylor Bears Fight!

(I'm slowly ticking my way through all of my back log... I have put up SEVERAL posts lately, so be sure to go back to make sure you caught everything!)

Well, if this isn't the year of the Bears... can I get an amen?!

Typically, when we start any new football season off I hear Justin the eternal optimist when it comes to the Bears, say, "this is going to be our year!" But this year it was different. He didn't really say much and I think he secretly resigned himself to the fact that we were still building a program and might continue to "build" a program for the next 10 years... we are Baylor after all.

So the season started and things looked okay but nothing out of the ordinary. We won a game here and a game there and then another and another and another... and suddenly there was all this buzz about Baylor and a Heisman and RGIII was becoming a household name... and not just in Bear households... people everywhere were talking about Baylor (in the sports world, at least). Then it became a campaign... Baylor for Heisman! And RGIII for President... and Baylor is going to a bowl... AGAIN... and not the Cheez-it Crackers Smithson Insurance Bowl either... the ALAMO Bowl... WHAT?!!!

Oh wait... but did you hear before we went bowling we went trophying... and we got ourselves a Heisman... ask anyone... the Heisman did not go to RGIII it went to Baylor Nation! Haven't you heard the speech?! And all of that stuff about diamonds and iron and steel... and WHOO! I just get all fired up!

So with the trophy and the bowl... we had one more thing left to do... WIN! And we did... and in a stunning fashion... like with "YOTS of points" as Caden would say... YOTS Mommy!! We were not able to be at the game this year but we were certainly cheering loud and proud from home base... and by that I mean my bed... I know it's pathetic but it was SO late! I could barely keep my eyes open regardless of the significance of that moment as the cherry on top of a super sundae of a year! Super!

The impact that this year has had on Baylor Nation is huge, immeasurable in fact. I have always been proud of being a Bear, but I do find myself walking a little taller and maybe poofin' my chest out just a bit when I am flingin' my green and gold (or pink) around town. That's right, I'm a Bear... a Baylor Bear! Friends, family and countrymen have congratulated us as if we won the games, the Heisman and the Alamo Bowl ourselves... everyone (for the most part) has been proud of those Baylor Bears and it warms my heart!

In fact, over Christmas when we were on campus, I saw one of the new billboards... and it said something simple like Baylor University, Building Winners, Building Leaders... and I started to cry... it just touched me in such a tender place and gave me, a 7 year removed graduate, the hope that I was one of those leaders that billboard was talking about. Suddenly, I was inspired...

Lastly, I must end this post with a little "bit" I like to tell about my first encounter with RGIII... I was at my inlaw's house... the biggest Baylor fans you'll meet (besides Caden, of course) and we were watching a football game on the TV... this was a few years ago... during RGIII first season with the Bears. I was on facebook on my phone and I was scrolling through and saw a few people talking about RGIII... and I said, "Who is ARG-LE??" (like bagel, but ARG-LE...)

CRICKETS... death stares... the stoning would commence soon, I was sure of it.

After they called on the Holy Spirit for strength and patience they kindly explained to me that it was R-G-3 like roman numeral 3 not the letter "L" and I felt like a big Dumbo... BUT it stuck and I can't help but calm him ARG-LE... always and forever!

Sic 'em Bears!!

Kaki-Pants at the Half...

Dear Kaki-Pants,

You are 6 months old! I know, I can hardly believe it myself. I guess a Happy Halfy Birthday is in order... Happy Halfy Birthday Sweet Girl! When I think about you I want to rattle off about one hundred different words strung together with you as their commonality. Sweet, adorable, laughable, hug-able, smiley, goofy, beautiful, brilliant, bright-eyed, silly, tender, kissable, angelic, pretty, healthy...

Oh are you ever a love, Kaki-girl, sweetest girl in the world ever, ever, ever, ever! You mean so much more to me than I ever thought possible. Before I had your brother and I could have never known the lengths and depths of this love I found when I became a mom... NO IDEA! The funny thing is that I thought I was done learning the love stuff, I mean how much more could you understand love... it shouldn't change, grow and evolve from one kid to the next. Oh but it did... and it continues to DO...

You have taught me so much in your short 6 months! God in His infinite mercy has graciously used you to teach me so many things. He knew I would need you for so many different reasons, to teach, yes, but to heal more than anything! You are an angel sent straight from the Lord... He knew I would need you and he sent you to me, one of my greatest gifts! From the first time I held you, you have been able, as if it was magic, bring peace and joy, abundant JOY! I am so grateful to you and for you... thank you Jesus for this precious soul!

This month you have gone through such change... eating, talking, sitting up, blowing raspberries, laughing, playing, chewing, drooling...

You've moved up to a new paci size and of course your clothes are continue to get bigger... as are your diapers! You are one healthy and fit little girl and I am so thankful for it. You have been a great eater always and it shows no different as we have switched to solids. You are eating two meals of solids and four bottles a day. Your favorite foods thus far would be butternut squash and carrots... LOVE you some carrots! And peaches and pears are your favorite fruits so far... although we did try bananas today and they were a HIT! You were grunting your way through the entire meal... hungry girl!

I guess I am technically not supposed to be talking about all of the things that happened before December 27th, but it all does run together now doesn't it?

One of my favorite things about you at 6 months is your contagious smile. You can see everything in that little mouth of yours when you smile. Your crinkle your nose and open those big blue eyes so wide and bright, it is one of the loveliest smiles I have ever had the privilege to witness. I am certain that you have made many a person's day better because of that smile. I know your Daddy, Caden and I are proof positive that a smile truly can change the course of your day. You are one cheerful little girl! If your smile is indicative of your heart, than Kaki-pants you have a heart of gold!

We did go to the doctor for your 6 month well check and you passed with flying colors. We are so grateful for your health and try our best not to take it for granted. You did have your first cold with the rest of our family just after Thanksgiving, but you weathered it better than anyone. You also went through a nasty case of atopic dermatitis/eczema and have unfortunately picked up the SEVERELY dry skin of your momma... sorry about that! You have weathered all of your tiny bumps in the road without skipping a beat!

Your 6 month stats are impressive no doubt:

Weight: 19.1 (92%)

Height: 26" (86%)

Head: Don't remember the inches but 82%

So you, just like your brother are "healthier" than the majority of kids your age! :) And you've got the most adorable rolls and cheek-ers to prove it!

I have had the most fun shopping for all of your new clothes lately. I am LOVING having a girl to pretty-up and coordinate! You know that I LOVE bows, Kaki-girl, and you do too... just not as something we wear... for you a bow is more of something you chew! :) So while I do keep trying to stick those bows up on that cute little round head of yours, you repeatedly pull them off, and give 'em a nice chew!

You and Caden have such a sweet relationship and I have loved watching y'all play together this month. Caden is SO ready for you to be ready to crawl and run and chase him around this house and of course, be a part of his Baylor Marching Band! :) Bless you for putting up with the noise in this house. You are ever the patient and gentle soul for bearing with us!

Kaki, I cannot say enough... if my heart had a mouth it could say it so much better than I ever could! I love you so very much, to the moon and back and back again and again and again! My cup is FULL to the point that it runneth over! :) I love you!

Happy 6 Months Kaki-pants!!

And for a little halfy birthday photo fun...

Presenting Kaki-girl...

I did not realize until we were oh, 20 clicks in that her ear was being strangled by her bow... oops!! Sorry sweet girl!!

Check it out... elf ear anyone?!!

Oh that's terrible... ha!

Still smashed!!
Yay, Mommy got a clue... and Kaki's gotta chew...

Like my bow??!!! I feel it up there... I'm gonna get it...

Lean over... come here you little turkey...

Gotcha where I wantcha... now I'm gonna eatcha...

WHAAAAA-HOOOOO!!

YUM, YUM, YUM, YUM...

So good, so good...

I took it away and she was sad... :(

But all you have to do is say her name and she gets happy again...

LOVE. THIS. GIRL!

Happy SIX Months!!

Christmas with the Coxes

So, here we are at Christmas morning... we are all packed up and ready to head to Waco for Christmas with the Coxes... doesn't that have a nice ring to it? Christmas with the Coxes... Christmas with the Coxes... love it!

Kaki and Caden wore their fancy Christmas PJs on the car ride over since we wouldn't be having any formal Christmas Day celebrations until later that afternoon. And it's a good thing because Caden and Uncle Tag were a hot, sweaty, dirty mess by the time the afternoon fun rolled around...

Caden and Uncle tag found a new game... "Pillow Fight" aka trash the living room with Nana's nice couch pillows while Caden tries to "dodge" the air assault ultimately succumbing to the weight of the fluff and diving head first into the pile...

Then it was time for a little fishing with our new rod from Santa! Bop and Caden had to re-learn how to treat fish once they were caught by GENTLY tossing them back into the "lake" rather than keeping the fish on the line and flinging them half way across the house as he cast his rod into the pond! :)

Not too much after we had finally mastered the fish throwing technique, Gran and Poppa arrived which meant the official Christmas Day festivities could begin... hurray! And we all know where they started...

With PRESENTS!!

It was a big group with LOTS of presents... but here are a few highlights...

Kaki girl getting her new doll!!

Chade and his new easel!! SO fun!!

Kaki girl with her Bop...
And Kaki-girl with her Bop again... are you sensing a trend?!

Daddy helping Caden open his presents...

We saved the BEST present for last... Caden's 'band in a box' from his Aunt Ree Ree and Uncle Tag... he was THRILLED to pieces and insisted from that point forward that we would become the Cox Family Band... similar to the Partridge Family minus the whole bus thing...

Poor Caden has been having some clothes issues due to his lack of diaper... and while we were opening presents it was just terrible... and you can guess that there were a plethora plumber jokes! Poor Caden... he surely did not get the lack of booty from my side of the family... goodness!

After the band and booty fun the Cade-man needed a time-out and so did Bop... so they retreated to the front room for a little Elmo action...

While Nana and Ree Ree worked hard on getting dinner on the table... YUM!

A few pics from around the table... I might need to add that naturally ALL of these pics are courtesy of Aunt Ree Ree who is ever the handy photographer! Thanks EE-EE :)

The handsome boys...

The cutest, sweetest girl EVER!!

Gran and Poppa... aren't they cute?!

And our gracious hosts... Nana and Bop...

Oh and an attempt at a family pic...

And wouldn't you know that I forgot to include a pic of Ree Ree and Tag... but they were there... I promise!! :)

Dinner was super yum, but SUPER filling as always so naturally we couldn't even think about dessert much less Jesus' birthday cake... SO we forgot... until Nana remembered during bath time and decided that we HAD to do it before Caden called it a night... so with his wet hair, clean body and cute jammies we had an impromptu Happy Birthday to Jesus party... Caden was so excited to be the honorary candle blower outer! :)

Kaki-girl was exhausted after all of the present and dinner fun... Christmas can wear a girl out... so she decided to get nice and comfy on her sweet Uncle Tag... they were buds this trip!! I think Kaki may have a little crush on Uncle Tag! :)

The next day was a cold and rainy day that was perfect for the Baylor Bookstore and a pit stop at George's for lunch! Caden thought the Baylor Bookstore was the Heaven on earth and could not contain his excitement. He has been there several times before but since Homecoming this year his love for Baylor has grown ten-fold... and it is hard to explain that BAYLOR is EVERYWHERE in Waco and on campus because well, Baylor is Baylor! He had never seen so much Baylor stuff in one spot... "Yook Bop... BAYER... YOOK!! BAYER over der!" Oh sweet boy... loves him some Bears!

Later that night Caden insisted that despite the cold, rainy weather he needed to go fishing! I told him I was totally okay with it if he could convince Bop... in other words... I totally threw Bop under the bus... sorry Bop! :) BUT Caden LOVED every minute of their fishing trip... one of his favorite Christmas memories, no doubt!

He was ready!! And they caught several fish... a bass... and another big one... at least that is what I took from their descriptions...

The rest of our trip was pretty laid back which was awesome...

The last morning we were there, Uncle Tag was manning the kiddos while I was packing up the house...

Uncle Tag looks like he has his hands full in this picture with Kaki and all of her toys and the pile of blocks in front of him... I think it is safe to say that Uncle Tag is ready for the juggling act of parenthood... :) And please notice Cori that that was a smiley face not a wink... Besides if y'all have kids now who will be my photographer??!! :)

Uncle Tag was also sweet enough to read B is for Baylor to the Chade... a favorite when we visit Nana/Bop's house!

It was a GREAT Christmas with the Coxes! As always we were spoiled to pieces... especially our two little ones! What fun to have so many new toys and things to play with! We are so grateful for how well our kids our loved!!

Thanks Nana, Bop, Ree Ree, Tag... we love y'all!!

(PS: For the record there is not ONE picture of Aunt Ree Ree in this post because Walgreens is trying to make me crazy... So because I am having downloading issues and can't stand not to include a picture of my gracious photographer I put a pic up of Aunt Ree Ree and Caden... a classic pic in my book! Sorry Aunt Ree Ree... it's not because we don't love you!! )

Santa Came BUT the Photog Did Not...

Well, this is just embarrassing... truly!!

I have ONE... count it again... ONE picture from Christmas morning. I do have a video portraying a VERY confused little boy who was a bit overwhelmed by the power wheel sitting in his living room, but I could barely watch it all of the way through and he's my kid, so there is NO way that any one else could handle it. In summary... Caden standing on the stairs looking into the living room with a BLANK expression on his face... The End!

BUT... I did find a couple MORE pics from our family date night... so in three posts I have managed to capture them all... I think we have officially drained EVERY electronic device we own of its pictures... does it exhaust anyone else to gather pictures? It's a tough job! :)

Here are sweet Kaki girl and I...

And the boys...
It really was a great night...

Oh and I found yet another picture of my sweet holiday gown compliments of Albi and LL Bean circa 2001... aren't I cute?!

I know it might be UGLY, but boy is it warm and comfy... and it hid the 5 servings of chicken spaghetti I ate that night... :)

Okay... well, I guess I better do it... here is the ONE picture from Christmas morning... you're welcome...

It is the Bubble Gun that Santa put in Caden's stocking...

Honestly, Christmas morning was a bit of a bust at first... I was really glad that Santa didn't stick around to check out the smiling faces of Caden because it took him a while to warm up. He kept saying, "what is this?" I tried to warn Santa of this EXACT thing, but Santa insisted he was ready for the ATV... and to be fair... he is a much bigger fan of it now than he was that morning. Not to mention his reaction to the cymbals... "These aren't the cymbals like the Baylor Band have!" WHAT?!!! Christmas fail!!

It seemed as if the child was more excited about his new book and pair of jeans the night before than the cymbals and the ATV... :)

BUT like I said it just took some time to warm up... of course he was THRILLED to help Kaki explore her goods! :) Sweet Kaki LOVED all of her goodies! Duh! :)

It really was a very Merry Christmas despite a bit of a rocky start... and I guess you can say that it was SO good that we didn't have time to take any pictures... not to mention that we were packing up the house (literally) to head to Waco for our Christmas celebration with the Coxes!

More on that to come...

Next Up: Christmas Eve...

And I'm back with more...

Next up... Christmas Eve!

Oh but first, the pictures I left out of my last post... our Friday family date night! It was a wonderful evening out with our two beautiful kiddos! We went to one of our favorite places and checked out some Christmas lights on the way home! Of course, we got our two all dressed up since we def. had a place to GO! :) KK spoiled us with super cute matching outfits from one of my very favorite places... Hanna Andersson... and of course I would NEVER think any differently... BUT I think they are pretty darn dapper in their black and white! :)

Could you just die over those stockings?! LOVE them! I want a pair too! :) So the VERY FIRST picture I took that night was the WINNER! After that it was a pouty toddler and an ever compliant Kaki! :)

PLEASE can we go???!!!

UGH!!! I am so over it!

Now I am really OVER it... and trying to be as DRAMATIC as I can about it... Lord, that child!!

Okay, now we are back to Christmas Eve...

We went to church that afternoon so we could come home and be ready for a yummy dinner and presents!! We do all of our family presents on Christmas Eve and then just do Santa on Christmas Day!

I have to make note of Kaki's first "date"... at church that afternoon some of our friends sat next to us and their little boy who is one of the CUTEST little boys you'll ever meet was totally in love with Kaki. He was sitting on his Mommy's lap and Kaki on mine and he was smiling at her and grabbing her hand and patting her head... and Kaki of course was ALL about the attention... especially since he was a handsome boy... have I told y'all what a flirt she is?! Oh my goodness... it is hilarious!! She loves boys, men and the like! :) Anyway... I wish I had had a camera to capture the sweetness between those two... it was like love at first sight and of course the Mommies were melting under the sweetness! Mr. G and Kaki might just have a story to share some day... who cares if he is nearly 4 years older! :) Go Kaki-girl go!

We didn't get too many pictures... with the man-on-man defense we're playing these days that doesn't leave much room for a photographer but we try! :)

Sweet Kaki... just hangin' so patiently!

We were cold and wet after church so we all changed into our festive jammies... like my flannel gown??!! LL Bean circa 2001... thanks, Albi! :)

Look... I got JEANS!! Sweet Caden was so excited about everything!

After dinner we made some super fancy break n bake cookies for Santa and of course left him a Sprite... traditionally, we leave a coke... at least that is what I always did when I was growing up... BUT, Caden yet again proves he beats to his OWN drum and insisted on Sprite... it was our last one too... so you know that the kid loves Santa if he was willing to give up his last Sprite!! And turns out Santa likes Sprite too especially when it is used as a mixer! Wait? What?!!! :)

Just before bed we stepped out in the rain to place the reindeer food in the front yard... those poor reindeer have got to be famished by the time they get to the Rock!!

Although, as it turns out I think they must have had a big meal at the neighbors because that reindeer food is STILL in our yard! :)

One of my favorite things we have done each year as a family is read the Christmas story before bedtime. This year we got an extra special treat from my Gram who recorded The Night Before Christmas in one of those Hallmark books. And let me tell y'all... she missed her calling as a story teller because it was fantastic and brought tears to my eyes listening to MY Grandmother read MY children such a treasured poem! Thank you Gram... it is a treasure of a gift!

Okay... another down... more to come!! :)

Whoo hoo!!