2009 Independence Bowl - Texas A&M vs. Georgia

A fellow Aggie from our church asked us if we'd like to get tickets for the Independence Bowl with them through his company, and since Shreveport is so close, we thought it would be the perfect opportunity for Dane to go to his first Texas Aggie football game!  Since we were going to be heading straight to my parents' house for my family's Christmas, we dropped Sydni off early so my mom could watch her.  Parking was insane, but we somehow managed to get a prime parking spot in the hood about a 1/2 mile from the stadium for $20, which did, in fact, come with pitbull guard dogs.  So, we felt fairly confident that our car was parked in the safest place in town!  It was also pretty cold that day, but Dane didn't really complain about that, and he did good and stayed somewhat interested in the game, for the most part.  He took his Cyber Pocket game with him, so that when he did get a little bored, he just played his games. 

Unfortunately, the Aggies couldn't pull off a win, but we did top off our fun night together with a scrumpuous meal at Pancho's!

Christmas Pictures

We had a wonderful Christmas season this year, and we were fortunate to be able to spend it with so many friends and family that we love!  As usual, I don't feel like I took near as many pictures as I should have, but I took enough for us to be able to look back and remember how precious our two kids are, and to be reminded about how quickly they are both growing up!

Below are pictures of the kids with Santa Claus at the Kids' Christmas Party with our church.  As you can tell, Lane was recruited to play Santa again, which usually doesn't work too well, since all of the older kids announce to everybody that it's really just Lane, and then it kinda spoils it for the other kids.  Oh, well!  Dane did well and smiled nice for the camera, but Sydni was deathly afraid of Santa, and this is the best that I could get of her.  It was so funny.  She started screaming before I put her in Santa's lap, and she basically jumped out of his arms!  Maybe she'll have more fun with him next year.

The kids got all dressed up in their Christmas best for church the Sunday before Christmas, and I took these really sweet pictures after we got home.  I love getting these pictures taken each year with them.

We spent Christmas with the Brown side of the family this year, so we made special arrangements with Santa Claus for him to come to our house a night early, since the kids had been so good this year.  My mom and dad came over to go to church with us that Wednesday night, and when we got home, the kids got to open up one of their presents from Lane and me - their new Christmas pajamas.  Then we had a holiday dance party and got Sydni put to bed.  Then, Dane helped me get the cookies and milk out, and we wrote Santa a note on the marker board.  Then, it was off to bed!

Dane came up with what to say to Santa, and I just transcribed it.  This is also the first year that he signed his own name all by himself.  He is really doing so well with his writing skills lately!

Santa finally arrived and left a wonderful load of loot for us all, except for Lane, who got switches and coal in his stocking this year.  It didn't surprise me a bit!  Dane's big present this year was his VSmile Cyber Pocket hand-held game system, with several games to go with it.  He also got a Cars Race track, an adding machine to use as a cash register, some legos, the game Perfection, and Die-Cast Metal Optimus Prime.  Sydni's main gift this year was a kitchen for her room, with pots, pans, dishes, table and chairs.  Her Nana and Pa Pa got her tons and tons of play food, too!  So, she can whip up just about anything you might be hungry for right in her own room!  She also got a Baby Alive doll, a doll stroller, and some furniture for her doll house. 

I was super excited because Dane got me a basketball goal, which I have wanted for so long!  I can't wait for warmer weather, when I can get out there and play all the time!

After opening presents at home, we headed out for Houston, to spend a couple of days with Lane's side of the family, and we had such a great time.  It was a very special Christmas!  As you can see, Sydni was konked out!

Send your own ElfYourself eCards

My Favorite Time of the Year!!

Finally, after waiting all year, it was the Christmas season and time to put up the Christmas tree and decorate the house! Well, I have to be truthful, it wasn't technically the Christmas season just yet. I, being the impatient Christmas loving person that I am, could not wait until the day after Thanksgiving to start the season's festivities! On Tuesday before Thanksgiving, I couldn't wait any longer, and I made a deal with Lane so that I could go ahead and start decorating. Was it a good deal, I'm sure you're wondering? Looking back, I'm beginning to doubt it, but, what's done is done, I suppose! Lane agreed to let us put the tree up on one condition...that I allow him to pick out a new tree topper. Apparently the one we already had did not suit his specific tastes. In his own words, it was just too classy and not nearly as flashy as a proper tree topper should be. So, we headed out to find the perfect topper. We headed first to Ellis Pottery in Longview, one of the neatest places in town. They have gobs of Christmas decor, and I was secretly hoping Lane would "settle" on something from there, but, deep down, I knew that they didn't carry anything tacky enough for him to pick. So, naturally, we headed on to Wal-Mart, where at first, Lane was discouraged and thought he wouldn't find anything there, either. He had originally been looking for a flashy star of some sort, but just as he was about to give up, he noticed this display of angel toppers. The words that caught his eye were "Fiber Optic Lights". So, he finally decided on the perfect angel for him, which was wearing a blue dress, had red hair and, earily, looked a lot like me in the face. He thought it was so funny and knew he'd found the one. He kept holding it up to me and asking people in the store who they thought it looked like. Anyway, needless to say, I was beginning to think our deal was getting worse and worse. So, yes, our pretty tree is adorned on top with that creepy angel, and Lane is thrilled! Oh, well, it was still worth it, and I have loved every day and night we've gotten to enjoy our holiday surroundings!

-

When we got home, Lane got the Christmas music going, and we sorted the ornaments and started in decorating. This was Sydni's first year to help decorate the tree, which was neat.

Dane is so proud of his ornaments and carefully chose just the right spot for each of them.

And, there she is - that angel. He looks so pleased.

The finished tree - oops, I "accidentally" cut the topper out of the picture!

Dane used the money he had made from the garage sale we had earlier in the month to purchase his own blue Christmas tree. We put it up in his bedroom, and he is so proud of it.

After church one Sunday, I just thought the kids looked so pretty, so we had a little photo shoot.

Taking time to hug the cat.

The next week, we got dressed up one night and took our official family Christmas pictures. As can be expected with little ones, it is definitely a challenge, but they turned out pretty good, considering.

I love the next two of them - they really do love each other so much, so I don't have to try too hard to get them to pose together, which is nice. I sure hope they always stay that way!

Our many attempts at a family picture.

And finally - the official 2009 Brown Family Christmas picture!

From our family to yours, we wish you a very Merry Christmas, and we pray that, in the coming year, you will enjoy God's blessings of hope and love in all you do.