There's no place like home for the holidays...

(and by holiday, I mean "Holy-day"!)

~ Papa & Mimi with the grandkids ~

~ Johnny, Amanda, me and Trey ~

~ Cole, Hassyn and Chase ~

(a.k.a. sweetest niece & nephews ever!)

~ My mom, NeNe and Aunt Kathy ~

~ ...can't forget my vanilla/raspberry snowflake cake! ~

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to you all!

fa la la la la

We're excited about Christmas around the Taylor house.

...mainly because we get to be with our families.

We didn't do a ton of decorating in our new house,

but a little here and there has brought about the Christmas spirit!

During Thanksgiving, Dreya didn't eat one ornament as I decorated the tree :)

Tonight, I made her very first stocking!

A cute doggy bone, of course

...complete with diva jewels and stuffed with new toys and bones.

Tomorrow, I'll decorate Trey's miniature "soccer" tree and another mini "candyland" tree.

Hobby Lobby had a great sale and I couldn't resist those itty bitty ornaments!

Tis the season to be jolly!

oh how I love thee...

Trey and I absolutely love having a Great Dane as part of the family now. Dreya is just about the sweetest dog we know and so stinkin loveable! Although she has lived up to the "puppy" stage, we love her more and more every day...

because of Dreya...

1. We go through much more peanut butter.

2. I vaccum at least 3 times a week.

3. I have to push everything out of reach on the counters.

4. I'm not strict about the floors & you no longer have to worry about taking your shoes off upon entry :).

5. We have a routine.

6. We get some use out of our separate bathtub.

7. I get to clean up broken glass from my wedding portrait.

8. We have a "race track" in our back yard.

9. I've been goosed more times than I can count.

10. We have a sock thief in our midst.

because of Dreya...

11. I have a new snuggle buddy.

12. We go on walks.

13. I get kisses every morning...and an occasional paw punch to face.

14. I've learned the value of a good bone.

15. We get to laugh everyday.

16. I get to watch a puppy grow to be bigger than me.

17. I've learned that dogs love massages just as much as I do.

18. I don't mind dog hair being on me. (big wow.)

19. There's always someone waiting at the door for me.

20. Our hearts have grown...

What a difference a dog can make...

gobble, gobble

happy day of thanks from our family to yours...

oh, and dreya and brinks say "happy turkey day" to all you turkeys out there!

this cowboy

As I was preparing some photobooks for the 10th Annual Burns Family Roping, I came across Dad's Christmas present in 2007. A photo book filled with family memories concluded with this poem I scripted. Just wanted you to have a glimpse of my very special father...

We live our lives from day to day,

Many people come and go.

But there is more to life than just livin,

Something one cowboy could really show.

He rises early in the morning,

Many horses and cattle to feed,

Never forgets to talk with the Lord,

And kiss mother before he leaves.

His boots are lined by the door with care,

And his hat hangs on the wall.

Then a clanging from his spurs,

We all know this is daddy's call.

You see, he is more than just a cowboy,

A preachin' cowboy, at that,

He is a man after God's own heart,

A man of many hats.

He mends the feet of horses,

And nurses the sickly calves,

Even the baby kittens have a home,

Thanks to dear old dad.

He is an interceder for the land,

A teacher to the congregation,

A discerner for his family,

His fathers prayer manifestation.

Without God, this cowboy would be nothing,

So he gives praise to his Creator,

And unconditional love to his family,

They could wish for nothing greater.

I love you, Dad.

good morning!

This SWEET face is wishing you a happy Tuesday!

In "Chia pet" style...

Dre - Dre - Dre - DREYA!

...she is growing like a chia pet for sure.

how can you resist this face? :)

the short-lived era of being on the furniture

we measure her by floor tiles these days

a biiiiig stretch!

in action...she loves sniffing the countertops for something yummy

alas, the happy dog-owners

weekend update

granted...this is an update from two weeks ago...nevertheless!

I was looking forward to the September 18th weekend for several reasons and everything was superb, as expected!

ANTIQUE SHOW

It pays off to be early and wait in line to have first dibs on some fabulous finds...

first rattle out of the box I got a perfect table.

exactly what I had been looking for and for almost 1/2 the price of others I've seen in the past. sweet. It's from a vendor in Dallas and she had fabulous picks!

The "tea caddy" now has a home beside my bed. (pictures to come)

NEW AGGIE FAN

Our visit to Aggieland was probably my favorite event of the weekend.

Trey and I were really looking forward to something different and the convenient Hwy-30 drive to my alma mater was the perfect plot.

My husband loves sports (mainly soccer and football). However, he's not a vocal supporter. he's an analyzer. a silent viewer. a viewer who's annoyed by obnoxious cheering and rants from fans who think they have all the right answers and need to let everybody know about it.

Trey's also never been to Kyle Field or an Aggie game. This was going to be entertaining :).

I was quite surprised when he had no complaints about letting me take this picture:

We had awesome seats from Chris & Emily and didn't have to walk the ramps. love-it #1.

During the pre-game activities we enjoyed watching march-in, warm-ups, finding Bobby on the sidelines and all the ol' army hype played on the jumbo-tron.

Speaking of jumbotron :). The Taylors were featured 3 times on the big screen.

Can anyone guess why?

Out of a sea of maroon, the cameraman had no trouble picking out the only guy wearing yellow. lol... Trey stuck out like a sore thumb and it was hilarious. love-it #2.

Needless to say, the game action was intense and we loved every minute of it. Trey was able to spot a young Huntsville native on the team sidelines and he also learned quite a few yells. By the end of the night I had to hold my ears because he was yelling so loud on kickoffs and while the other team had the ball.

No longer a 2%'r, my husband is now part of the 12th Man and the Ags got the W!

I'm not sure if this is the Heisman or a karate chop...

ANGIE: I love watching you enjoy this so much!

TREY: It's because I'm contributing to the team. I helped them win!

love-it #3.

Then we had a yummy dinner at Cotton Patch and I didn't even fall asleep on the way home.

Whoop & Gig'em for a great weekend!

I'll leave you with the Fightin' Texas Aggie Block "T" :)

Cutie Pies

Two of my besties have recently welcomed little ones into their lives. What a blessing!

WELCOME BLYTHE

Check out mommy Allison's post here.

WELCOME CAROLINE

Check out mommy Sally's post here.

Aunt Ge loves you little ladies. I can't wait to meet you!

countdown

7 REASONS I'M LOOKING FORWARD TO THE WEEKEND:

7. Uh, hello. It's the WEEKEND. duh :)

6. Friday night television. I don't even know what comes on. But I'll be sans hubby and that means no ESPN. hoo-rah.

5. Possibly, my first run after "the fall"...a.k.a. the gluten/lactose debacle. I haven't worked out one single day since June 10. I was so focused on what I could & couldn't eat and how my body would react that I just said "screw it!" to any physical activity. ha! Now, it's time to start TRAINING for Houston half-marathon #3.

4. An afternoon NAP. No explanation needed.

3. A week off from teaching our Sunday school class. I do love teaching, but breaks are nice! Thanks to KENT for preparing an "intro to Foundations" lesson this week.

2. ANTIQUE SHOW at the fairgrounds. This was a close call for numero uno, I must say. I'm slightly addicted to antique shopping and even more addicted to finding a good deal. Here's hoping for both on Saturday! I'm on the hunt for bedside tables and end tables.

1. I get to share my love of AGGIELAND with my hubby...and he's excited about it! Thanks to tickets from C&E, we're heading down the road to watch the Aggies beat the hell outta FIU.

Ever-livin...

Ever-lovin...

Fightin' Texas Aggie Weekend!!!

WHOOP!

always, sometimes, never

Levrets posted this last month & I'm following suit!

i ALWAYS

leave the kitchen nightlight on when we have overnight guests.

apply deodorant directly after showering, even if it's at night.

watch HGTV on saturday morning.

ask my hairstylist to cut "just a little more" off the back.

enjoy playing games with Trey.

clean the lint filter after doing laundry.

pick peppermint over spearmint.

i SOMETIMES

stay in bed longer than I should in the mornings.

hit the "divert" button on incoming calls at work.

don't take a shower every day...just not my favorite thing to do!

let Dreya lick the batter bowl.

laugh when people fall down.

lie about the above statement...i always laugh.

only put socks half-way on...I like my heels on the cold floor.

i NEVER

mow the yard these days, and i miss that! (thanks hubby)

go to bed without charging my cell phone.

cook dinner and leave the kitchen dirty.

dust the house on a regular basis.

skip on reading instructions.

walk on sidewalk cracks.

let Dreya go to bed without snuggling first.

A view of August

Here's a glimpse of the latest August happenings in the Taylor household...

a birthday surprise for Laura

...I hear my cake was yummy!

a Sunday afternoon nap

...my husband is classy ;)

Dreya's new bone from her favorite dog-sitter, B-Coop

yes, it's huge. yes, she's already taken down half of it in about 3 days.

more of our perfect little puppy

when I came home from work one day I found each one of these cleats strung about the back yard, along with her flowerbed hole dug right down to the pipe. I didn't mind the hole at first but it's no longer her favorite daytime napping spot :). Even when she wants to eat the camera, how can you get mad at a face like this?!

alas, we absolutely love our dane