Christmas 2013 - A Month Long Celebration

Merry Christmas! Wowzers! What a wonderful holiday season we have had! We began celebrating just after Thanksgiving in Mtn. View and have continued to celebrate all month long! 

Mtn. View Christmas with my family...

We returned from Mtn. View to find our Elf Gizmo had just arrived from the North Pole. The kids were so excited! But a few times Emery got upset with Gizmo...One morning she found him wrapped up in one of her blankets and it made her cry! And another morning the kids found him having a tea party with one of Em's dolls. She threw a fit! She did not like sharing any of her things with Giz. At all. 

Celebrating Christmas with our boys. New dress shirts for everyone but the hit of the night was new Nike basketball socks. Who knew new socks could be so exciting?!

Christmas Program at Highland Day School…

Then on to Waverly for Christmas with James' family. Unfortunately, James' sister and entire family (all 5 of them) came down with the flu and couldn't make it in from Austin. We were devastated. It wasn't the same without them but we tried to make the most of it!

Em's first movie experience. FROZEN. Such a cute movie! We all loved it!

Back to Memphis on Christmas Eve just in time for the last Hope candlelight service. 

And our kids must have been good this year. Santa was very generous! 

From our family to yours…

Christmas Morning

Jingle Bells

Breakfast with Santa 2013

I believe the photos speak for themselves...Hopefully both kids have been good this year! 

It Takes a Village - Some Thoughts on Going Back to Work

So, I'm back at work. Full-time. And yes, it has been a bit of an adjustment. In fact, I'm still adjusting. But so far, so good I think. And largely due to our amazing support system. Last week I whined publicly on Facebook about not having family in town. I got caught up feeling sorry for myself. And while life would certainly be a bit easier (or a lot) if we had family in town, we are still so blessed. I shouldn't have complained. Since I've been back at work, our family and friends have been incredible!

We have two wonderful sisters (twins actually) keeping the kids at our house for us on Mondays and Fridays until the end of the year. One comes on Mondays and the other on Fridays. The kids love them and it makes Mon/Fri so much easier on me! So thankful for this family and for the fact that they have practically become a part of ours!

And while we may not have family IN TOWN, both families do live within a shortish driving distance and I'm thankful for that. That is the main reason we chose Memphis to be our home nearly 10 years ago and I'm so glad we did! Huge shout out to both my parents and in-laws for volunteering to step in and help any way they can. We've already taken advantage of the offer! The kids had a great time in Arkansas last week while I was on a business trip to NYC.

Last but not least....our friends here are amazing! From leaving a surprise home-cooked meal on our doorstep (which brought me to tears) to heart-felt text messages, I have felt the love in so many ways!

How could I have complained about not having family in town? As the Thanksgiving holiday quickly approaches, I think this year I'm most thankful for not only my immediate family but also for friends that are, for all intents and purposes, family.

Family Photos 2013 - by Mindy Cooper Photography