Bruchhaus Family Christmas...

Then the Saturday after Christmas we went to Elton, Louisisana to have christmas with my aunt (My mom's sister) and her family. It it always alot of fun. I only get to see these cousins once a year.

Weldon Christmas...

The Monday before Christmas we left Jacksonville and we to my dad's house to have Christmas there. Angie and Jessie came over too and ended up staying at Dad and MJ's. Cindy came in to town Christmas eve. We were all there except for Pete. It was really nice to all be together.

Foster Family Christmas

I love visiting family, but it's nice to be home also.

We including Kory left here on the Sunday before christmas heading to Jacksonville, TX to have "Christmas" with Kory's family. The girls were excited and ready to get there. We stoped in Ruston for Kory to visit Wal-Mart and saw a few old friends there, then got back on the road.

(L to R) Emma, Sara, Lauren, Hallie

Remembering...

13 years ago today (actually it was the 20th but it was 12:30 in the morning and we had been at the hospital all day, to me it was the 19th) I lost my mom to cancer. Wow, it's been that long, it's hard to believe. I don't remember much about that Christmas, but I do remember much about my mom. We had our up and downs but the last year of her life was the first year of Alyssa's life and we had gotten closer. It wasn't just that Alyssa and I had moved back home, it was because I understood what being a mom meant. She was a great one! She wasn't perfect, but she was a great mom!

I've spent the last few days thinking about her and wondering how she did some of the things she did. Like my sister's and I are VERY close! How'd she do that, How did she make us so close and be each other's friends? Another big one, is how did she have cancer 15 years earlier (Breast cancer) and get it all removed and not ever go back to the doctor after that! She would tell us she wanted to be alive one day and dead the next. Well, she got her wish...we found out the cancer was back (in the other breast) and was also in her liver and only about 10% of her liver was working, during Thanksgiving of that same year. She only lasted 3 weeks. It all happened so fast. It was hard and I thougth my world had ended. Here I was with a one year old, 22 years old, & single. I still had my dad and my sister's, but still I felt alone.

We had wonderful neighbors, and they truely embraced us after she passed away. They were older, but they took us under their wings and started working on us. My sister, Alyssa and I started going to church with Nana Betty and Papa Robert. We were saved and baptisized all in this little baptist church. I believe that sometimes God allows things to happen to us for his glory and this is one of those times! God saw the big picture...I don't think I would be the person I am today without this happening to me.

Thank you MOM! I miss you MOM! I love you MOM!

My Mom and Dad the day my oldest sister got married, July 1993

Elf Yourself

Send your own ElfYourself eCards

MERRY CHRISTMAS EVERYONE!!

For our house to yours...Merry Christmas!

Sunday School Christmas party

Last night we have our Sunday School christmas party at our house. It was SO much fun. We ate, (lots of great food brought) then played the white elephant (dirty Santa) game, then shaved Franks head. Yes, you read that right. Frank wanted to shave his head, so the guys did it. It was really funny. You just had to be here.

Linus said it best!!

Another Early Christmas...

Kory's brother, Clint and his wife, Carrie sent the girls and us our christmas presents early. They loved opening the presents. I can see now it will be alot of fun with Emma this year. She was so funny.

Cookie Swap!

Last night I went to a Cookie Swap with the ladies of my Sunday School class. It was ALOT of fun, I highly recommend it! We had a great bowl of soup and then lots of treats and lots of great fellowship.

Santa came early...

Saturday Alyssa was baby sitting for Emma and Sara while I had gone to Stamp Camp. I had no more then walked in the door and Sara tells me, "I love the kitchen in the basement, Sissy (Alyssa) said it's a playhouse. " "Can we play with it?"

I had gotten them a Playhouse for christmas and had it in the room in the basement. Hidden I thought...guess I was wrong.

Well, I am as much of a kid as they are, and once they knew about it, I wanted to put it together and let them play with it...after a few hours of convincing Kory to help me put it together, we gave it to the girls. Emma has LOVED it! She has played for hours with it. She loves the door bell, she will ring it and they say, "Hello, anybody home?". It's too cute.

Thanksgiving Weekend...

I didn't think we were going to be going anywhere for Thanksgiving, but at the last minute we decided to go ahead and go to TX for the week. It was ALOT of fun. BUSY, but alot of fun!
I took pictures of my niece Jessica (she's a senior this year) and my other niece, Tatiana. I love being with family! It is always so much fun!!

Time flys....

MAN, where did November go?
We have been so busy and time is flying by, it will be 2009 before I know it.

Sara's Field Trip to the farm...

I went to Old Baker's Farm with Sara's kindergarten class today. It was warm and rainy when first got there, then as time went by it would rain a little, then stop and rain again and stop then it got cool. It was fun even being cold and wet.

Pumpkin Night

Last night our church didn't have a fall festival, instead it had a out reach night. We went trick or treating and handing out tracks to people that opened their doors to us. The kids loved it, they got to get candy and dress up. Sara even wanted to hand them the tracks after they gave her the candy. She said "I want to give them something back". It was alot of fun.

Pumkins...

Today we craved pumkins, the girls loved it! Well, Alyssa and Emma were all in it, pulling the "guts" out, Sara didn't like doing that at all. She didn't want to touch it till it wa clean.

Once it was all cleaned when she was fine with it.

Alyssa's pumkin took her a long time to clean and carve.

They have carried them around all afternoon.

Homecoming Court 2008

Alyssa found out about a week ago that she had made the "Homecoming Court". She was so excited and I was so proud. With her being the new kid, I was shocked too. Well, last weekend we made a fast trip to New Orleans to get a dress for this big event. This week everyday was something...Friday was crazy. But we made it, and she had alot of fun!

A Fast Trip to New Orleans

We went to New Orleans last weekend to get Alyssa a Homecoming dress. Shopping, Shopping... The little girls needed a little fun, so we took them to the park. They loved it!!

New Church home!

Well, we did it! Sunday we joined Concord Baptist Church here in Calera. It was bitter sweet. I remember feeling the same way when we joined Temple, Like as if I was betraying Lake Fork...this time betraying Temple. I'm weird I know!

Anyway, we did...we starting finding the holes to get "plugged in" here. They don't have a Sunday evening worship service, they have small group bible studies. Alyssa and I went, and it was fun. And I know getting "plugged in" makes all the difference.

(Working at Temple taught me SO much, more then any of them will ever know!!)

Enjoying the cooler weather!

The girls love that they can come and go with the doors open.

They will play out on the back porch for hours.

We have been pretty busy lately. Keeping up with two in school is a full time job.
Last Sunday we went to a fellowship for our new Sunday School class at the park. It was alot of fun and we got to know alot of new people.