...Only in Texas!

No, this is not coming down a mountain but actually going into a canyon.

This picture is for you, Doug. I don't know if you still have your Marilyn Monroe shrine :-), but I thought you might like this.

If you eat a 72 oz. steak at this place in 1 hour, then you get your meal for free. Kinda crazy, huh.

Meeting Family

Max and his big "sis." Macy Jo and Max became friends very quickly. Here they were sitting in the back of the Expedition, looking at the Christmas lights as we drove around Amarillo. At some point Macy Jo ordered Max to hold her hand, and he did (with a smile on his face!)

Here they were having a tea party in the tub.

Here are all of the Ketcherside grandkids. We had to take advantage of Max being in town.

The day we left, we got to see Mandy, Annie and Beth one last time.

Max with his "Little Granny."

Max snuggling with Nana before bed time.

Max with his Pa-Paw, playing with his tools. (He wrapped his Pa-Paw around his little finger within a few seconds of being with him.)

Max and his Ma-Maw. Max got to see chickens, pet sheep and sit on a big tractor at her house!

Our Trip There...

Out trip to Texas took a total of 28 hours. We decided to stay overnight in Memphis, mainly to give Maxi a break from riding in the car. The next day was good although the second leg of the trip was longer than expected. Once the sky started getting bigger in Oklahoma, we knew we were getting closer. (Oklahoma is a looooooong state though!)

We stopped in Oklahoma City to eat dinner. Poor Max looks like he has had enough. It was here that Max made friends with a lady from Mexico and a hitch hiker from Florida.

The sky in Texas is beautiful. "Beautiful" really doesn't even capture what it is. As we were driving into Pampa, I looked at the stars, and they brought tears to my eyes. There were so many. It almost seemed like there were more stars than darkness. What a great God we have to create such powerful beauty.

Christmas in Texas

Today Joey, Max and I are setting off on our long Christmas journey to the country of Texas. It will most likely be a 20 plus hour adventure. We'll be staying in Amarillo and Pampa until Jan. 1st and then we will be coming home. We are excited to see family, and for Max to meet Joey's side of the family. The last few days have been very stressful, trying to get things finished here as well as prepare for our trip. Today, I have a huge list of things to do before we set out. In case you are wondering, I still have to pack, walk the dog, go to the post office, etc.

Some how this advent season has snuck by. I have to confess that this has probably been the first advent where I really haven't been able to slow down and really appreciate what this wonderful season is all about. Maybe 20 hours of sitting in the car is a God-send afterall. I'm sure we will be sharing some Texas pics with you shortly.

Merry Christmas to you all and a Happy New Year!!

Thanksgiving

We went to PA for Thanksgiving this year. It was wonderful to be with family. Max finally got to meet some of his cousins. Isaiah is only 5 months older than Max. The two of them became friends really fast. I think Isaiah is really to credit for Max taking his first steps while we were there. Max had to keep up with his new buddy after all.

Here's Jael trying to get something from Joey. :-) Ethan is in the background.

Abby and Jael were all over the place all the time. You had to have a lot of energy to keep up with them.

Here we are on our way to go sledding. I can't believe how big Gracie, Nathan, Dan and Caleb have gotten. Thanks for a great time you guys!!

Max actually seemed to like sledding down the hill, even when snow got in his face but...

...he didn't like sitting in the snow by himself.

I thought the lighting in this picture was kinda fun. Actually, I think the lense was fogged up when Joey took it.

Here he is all bundled up. I had to get a picture of this since this will never happen in SC.

HAPPY THANKSGIVING!!

One-Year-Old Pics

Hard to believe he is a year old already. He has been changing a lot recently. Although, he is not yet walking, he is getting into everything and exploring everything. One of his favorite activities at the moment is to sit in the driver seat of the car and pretend he is driving. His favorite book is I Love You Through and Through by Bernadette Rossetti-Shustak. However, his favorite book always seems to be changing. Max also loves to taste all that mom and dad eat and drink. This morning he was getting into dad's coffee. The one thing that never leaves his side, is his fork. He eats with it, plays with it, takes a bath with it and sleeps with it. I can only imagine what the next year is going to be like.

Happy Birthday Joey!

To my dear hubby! Happy Birthday, my love. I pray that God would show himself to you in a mighty way this coming year. You are a wonderful husband and daddy. I couldn't have asked for more. Alles Liebe zum Geburtstag!