Dustin Christmas Day

Dustin with his Scooby-Do Sleep Pants Christmas Day 2013. Lindsay in the background. Dustin is so quiet and stays in the background so much this is the only picture I got of him Christmas Day.

Carlos Smiling

We joke in our family about how hard it is to get Carlos to smile. Well now we know how to do it.  All it takes is a wallet with money in it! Thank you Aunt Becky for Carlos' smile!

Another Special Ornament

Getting ready to take down the tree and coming across another ornament that is special.  1995 was quite a year. Started out with Lauren being born on Christy's birthday in February.  That was a very exciting day except she was born a month early and had lung problems.  Seeing her in the NICU made the occasion bittersweet.  A few months later Chad graduated from Southlake Carroll High School then left for the Army in July.  It was our first Christmas with both a grandson and a granddaughter. It was a year of highs and lows. Thankful Lauren grew to be a healthy baby and Chad finally returned home from the Army in 2001.

More of Samantha on Grapevine's Main Street

More pictures of Samantha and her new dog Brownie taken on Grapevine's beautifully decorated Main Street December 23, 2013.

Aunt Cindy and Uncle Rodney Share the Photo Booth With Samantha

Isabell in The Photo Booth

Samantha's Photo Booth

Samantha made a Frosty mask and a Santa mask this year at the Bass Pro Shop.  She took them to Cindy's today and used the Christmas tree as a photo booth.  Here are some of the fun pictures. She was quite the fashion plate today! She insisted on wearing her holiday pjs all day with her new Hello Kitty necklace and charm braclet!  I think she will be a fashion mogul one day!

Samantha as Santa

Samantha as Frosty

Samantha as Santa, Mary as Frosty

Isabell at Candlelight Service

We always have a Christmas Eve service at church with communion and the singing of Silent Night by candlelight.  Our church photographer caught this view of Isabell along with some of the other youth, their youth pastor and his wife. Isabell is front row - left corner.

Samantha and Santa at Bass Pro 2010-2013

Santa and Samantha pictures at Bass Pro Shop have become a tradition. This is our fourth year and Samantha was quick to gather all the pictures and look for changes over the years.  She has changed a lot yet she still looks a lot the same. She quickly pointed out that the 2010 Santa is a different Santa!

2010

Great Wolf Lodge 12 23 13

This girl is killin' me!  She has a memory like an elephant and wants to do everything we usually do in December.  Problem is, there was one less weekend between Thanksgiving and Christmas this year.  One of those weekends the roads were impassable because of the ice storm.  The next two weekends she spent Saturdays at church practicing for the children's program and then the choir concert. This is her first week of Christmas vacation. Yesterday afternoon we did the Bass Pro Shop. This afternoon we did Main Street and Great Wolf Lodge.  Tomorrow morning we will be at Bass Pro by 9 am to get an appointment for her traditional Santa picture.  Right now she is snoozing but told me before she went to sleep she needed her dress washed because she got it dirty Sunday.  So it is currently washing!  If we even make it to the Gaylord Texan it will have to be after Christmas.  Fortunately that is not her favorite! I can tell you one thing, grandkids will either keep you young or kill you.  At this point, I haven't decided which!  Oh yes, I taught her how to wrap packages a couple of years ago so I had to wait on the packages so she could help.  We did that all evening! Tomorrrow, after the Santa picture, we are baking then going to the Candlelight Service at church at 6.  She will be going to a Christmas party with Chad and Mary after that.  Grandma is going to bed early!  You know what? I wouldn't have it anyother way!

Samantha and Brownie Does Main

Samantha chose the title for this post.  We ventured to Main Street today to get some Christmas pictures. Here are a few of them. Downtown Grapevine is the best place to take Christmas pictures. Love our hometown!

Chad, Mary, Carlos, Isabell, and Samantha

Chad, Samantha, Mary, Isabell, and Carlos yesterday after church.  They opened presents from us yesterday.

An Unhappy Lauren in 1999!

Rodney with his lap full of his girls, Lindsay and big sister Lauren.

Looks like Lauren was having an unhappy moment during Christmas at Grandma's house in 1999!  Must not have been a big deal as I don't remember her being unhappy that evening.

Another Special Tree Ornament - My Three In The Early 1980s

My three special children in the 1980s ready for church on Christmas Sunday. Cindy, Chad, and Christy.

First Two On The Tree

I often refer to Lauren and Dustin as the first two.  Dustin was the first grandchild and Lauren, the second. Since she was a girl that made her a first, too, in one way. So here are the first two hanging side-by-side on our tree.  My mom gave me these little plastic frames and suggested I put these pictures in them.  These ornaments are very special!  Lauren is now 18 and Dustin is 21! Hard to believe time has passed so quickly! (Yes, I see the tag.  I have since removed it!)

Sunday School Christmas Memories

Another of my favorite ornaments on my Christmas tree.  I taught Sunday School classes for years and had some excellent students.  Earlier I posted the bell ornament on my tree from Ryan Warren, who is now a children's pastor in Houston. This cute little bear was from April Bardin in 1991.  Hanging these ornaments on my tree each year reminds me of the Happy Birthday Jesus parties we had every year in class.  Each child brought an empty box wrapped in birthday paper.  We decorated a chair and pretended Jesus was sitting in that chair. Each child would bring their gift to Him and tell Him what they were giving Him.  It was such a special time.  When I would order the birthday cake and ask them not to decorate it "Christmasy", they would always question me like I was crazy.  That would give me a chance to explain what we were doing.  I got to have some very good conversations with bakery workers and clerks at the check-out stands. It was interesting to see the kids, especially the bus kids who did not come from Christian families, understand what Christmas really is.

Yeah Lauren! So Proud of You!

So proud of Lauren who just completed her first semester of college at Baylor University with a 4.0!  Not bad for a neuroscience major. She sure didn't get her brains from this grandma!

Lindsay 2013 GHS Volleyball Banquet

Here is Lindsay a little more grown up than in the post of earlier today! Here she is with her friend Kirk at the GHS Volleyball Christmas Banquet.  She has grown into a beautiful young lady both inside and out!  So proud of you Lindsay.

Lindsay's First Christmas

Another one of the very special ornaments on my Christmas tree.  This is Lindsay's first Christmas.  I just love my tree and all it's special ornaments.  Makes Christmas a trip down memory lane!

Before She Was Mary, She Was A Princess....

Samantha thoroughly enjoyed her multi-role part in the church Christmas play. She played the roles of a princess and Mary. She also sang in the choir. She loves church and participating in activities there.

Kid's City Christmas Program Sunday Morning 12/15/13

The kids did a great job this morning. Samantha was Mary.

Chad - Christmas Morning 1984

Chad Christmas morning 1984.  He's looking pretty happy and he hasn't even gotten into that stack of presents yet.  He must have gotten what he wanted from Santa!

Chad at Guard's Toy Drive

Today is the guard's annual toy drive day when they present gifts to the children at Cook's Children's Hospital in Ft Worth.  This is an annual ritual Chad thoroughly loves doing.  However, he will miss this year because of his work.  Here is a picture from a previous such day. May God touch and bless each of the sick children during this Christmas season. (Yes, of course that is Chad with his hat standing straight up.  He tells me he never intends to grow up and I believe him!)

My Last Christmas Ornament From My Dad

My mom and dad always bought us a Christmas ornament every year.  This is the one they gave us in 1988 before he died 3 months later.  This ornament always has a special spot on my tree.

And Then There Were Two!

In 1995 our Christmas fun grew with another grandchild.  Lauren joined Dustin making two grandchildren in our family!  1995 was also our first Christmas as military parents with Chad stationed at Ft. Riley, Kansas.

Steffinee and Samantha Ornaments

More of my special Christmas Tree Ornaments. Steffinee wearing reindeer ears and Steffinee and Samantha at Samantha's second Christmas.

My Grandpa and Grandma Sowders

Found this picture today of my paternal grandparents.  My grandpa died when I was a Senior in high school. All my kids got to enjoy spending time with my grandma and they loved her dearly.  They called her Granny.

Pearl Ruth Arthur Sowders and Orville Sowders

Grandma's and Grandpa's Rocking Chairs

A couple more of my favorite "Grandparent" Ornaments on my tree.  Love my grandkids!

My First Christmas as a Grandma - 1992

Working on putting up the Christmas tree. I always decorate it with my "heirloom" ornaments so it takes forever as I go over my remembrances of each ornament. Will finish it tomorrow since school is cancelled again tomorrow. Here are my two ornaments from my first Christmas as a grandma in 1992.