JJ's First Christmas

Wow, it has been a while since I've been able to write anything. The last couple of weeks have been pretty hectic so stopping to write hasn't been much of a priority. I hope to get back into the swing of things and post on a regular basis.

First things first - we had a wonderful 1st Christmas with JJ! It was so much fun shopping and planning this Christmas. I know he didn't know what was going on but our family did and we had a blast! He, of course, got many toys and even some cute clothes.

He would rather eat the ribbon than open presents!

Mommy and Daddy help him open his presents.

JJ tries to sneak under the tree while we look over the calendar.

I got a new mixer! Now I can bake even more!

A sleepy little boy cuddles with Grandpa.

Grandma holds JJ while he sleeps.

JJ got his first basketball hoop. His Daddy was very happy about that one!

Playing with the cookie decorations at Grandma and Grandpa Vara's house.

We also made sure that JJ has his picture taken with Santa. Thankfully, he did very well and we even got a smile!


I hope you had a wonderful Christmas as well!

"Not Me" Monday

My 8 month old son did NOT start crawling this week. He is still an infant. There is no way he is growing so quickly. And I absolutely did NOT start crying later that evening when I put him to bed and realized that I would not get to cuddle and carry him for too much longer.

It is definitely NOT less than 2 weeks until Christmas and I still have all of my Christmas shopping to do. I would never wait until the last minute to get my shopping done because I want to avoid the crowds and chaos. I'm too organized and prepared to do something like that!

I do NOT have several different types of goodies in the house. And I most definitely did NOT crave chocolate chip cookies tonight (the one thing I don't have in the house). Can you tell that I do NOT have a sweet tooth?

What did you NOT do this week?

Christmas Baking

This is the time of year for lots of baking and along with that comes lots of eating. We, like many other families, bake lots of Christmas goodies. For us, it wouldn't be Christmas without Chocolate Peanut Butter Balls and decorated Christmas Cookies. Mom and I made the Chocolate PB Balls this past Tuesday. This recipe was passed down from my Grandma Smith. I remember every year at Christmastime she always had Chocolate PB Balls. They were our favorites! We brought the tradition with us here to Oklahoma and continue to make them every year.




My parents, brother, and I decorated the Christmas Cookies today. It's been a family tradition to sit around the table with different colored frostings and sprinkles and decorate our dozens of cookies. Here are a few pics. Enjoy - and try not to get too hungry! ;)

Whole Again

I've got some catching up to do so I decided to post another blog tonight before I go to bed. This one is about my newest baking adventure and my brother.

Andrew, my younger, not-so-little brother, has been stationed in Saudi Arabia for the last 6 months. Yesterday, he came home! We are all so glad to have him back. Nine of us met him at the base to welcome him home. There were other families there as well waiting for their loved ones to come home. There was such excitement in the air - you could feel it. We were all anticipating the moment we saw them exit the plane. We were told before hand to wait for our loved one to come to us but, of course, that didn't happen. Everyone took off. Running for hugs! I am so glad to have my "little" brother safe at home. As my Dad would say, "We are whole again".








My Mom's birthday was about a week ago so we decided to wait to celebrate her birthday until Andrew came home. I decided to bake a cake. At first, I was going to do a white cake with chocolate frosting (boring, I know) but I decided that I wanted to do something special. Not the just same old, same old. I looked through my recipes and came a cross one for a Black Forest Cake. I've always wanted to try this recipe but never had so I decided this was the perfect time to give it a try. I'm glad I did! The cake turned out great. It is simple but is time consuming. It is so worth it because it tastes wonderful!

Decorating for Christmas

As I said before, Christmas is my favorite time of year. Last year, during Christmas, we were remodeling our house so I didn't get to decorate - much to my disappointment. This year, I made up for last year and "decked the halls"! I've included a few pictures. Enjoy!

A Quick Update

The chili is simmering on the stove, JJ is quietly entertaining himself, and Jorge isn't home yet so I thought I'd take these few quite moments that I have to give a quick update.

Thanksgiving in San Antonio was wonderful. Too short. But we definitely enjoyed ourselves. I love meeting Jorge's extended family. They are so sweet and made me feel like I've always been part of their family. Of course, they adored JJ and made us promise to bring him back again soon. We loved our time in San Antonio so that won't be a problem for us!

Last night, Jorge brought on the Christmas decorations in and I set up the Christmas tree and decorated everything. I love Christmas time - it's my favorite - so I love Christmas songs and decorations. The only bad part is all the work that goes into putting everything up and taking everything down! It is so worth it though. A few Christmas lights and decorations can bring such a quiet serenity to a home. I love the soft glow of the lights while Christmas carols play in the background. Unfortunately, it only lasts one month. If it were up to me, it would be much, much longer! ;)

I need to check on the chili and my child. I will write again soon!

Merry Christmas!