Christmas, Trip to Texas, and New Years 2014!

Happy New Year! Hope all of my dedicated Blog readers had a great Christmas! We sure did! We had a nice, small, quiet Christmas Even and Christmas at home. Grandma and Grandpa came over for Christmas Dinner, along with Don and Margaret. Mom and Dad had 2 days to themselves prior to Christmas. We decided the weather to drive to Texas for Devin's 4th round of chemo looked clear, so we left on the 27th. We got to visit with Devin for 3-straight days in the hospital while she was admitted, and we celebrated New Years Eve with a small group of Dad's family. We headed back to Colorado on January 2nd, and ended up doing the ENTIRE drive in just one day because of a storm that was passing through the Texas Panhandle. It was a loooong day...but we made it! We had this past weekend to get caught up and recuperate from the trip, and it was back to work and school yesterday. Alex started her first day in Preschool yesterday morning. It definitely was NOT a smooth start, but she ended up having a great morning in Ms. Colleen's class, and she will be returning every day this week for a transition period. She will be "full time" starting next Monday. What a big girl! Mom managed to take a TON of pictures. Enjoy!
Alex helping Mom prepare for her Cookie Exchange that was hosted at our house on the 20th. There were tons of cookies, and a good time was had by all.

Both Alex and I Had our Christmas Programs at school on the 19th. Mom and Dad were shocked to see how well Ms. Alex participated. In fact, she was the star of the show jumping around and dancing and ringing her jingle bells!

Alex singing and dancing away!

My program was a little more "tame." We sang about 5 songs, and then had our party.

Eddi went back to the North Pole on Christmas Eve. But he still managed to squeeze in a drink before leaving town.

Chillaxin on the couch:

Ms. Shelly (Auntie A's Mom) helped Mom host the cookie party:



Mmmmm...Cookies!!!

Christmas Eve--Eddie left us a reminder as to what The Big Guy in the Red Suit would prefer (Chocolate Chip cookies and carrots for his reindeer).

We decided to go to Chili's on Christmas Eve! Mom didn't have to cook or clean. Merry Christmas to her!! We learned that Alex loves chips and salsa. She gets that from the Texan in her!

Alex forgets to keep her eyes open when she smiles for the camera!




We kept the tradition alive by driving around and checking out the neighborhood Christmas Lights after dinner:

Christmas Eve--reading Christmas Stories before our long winter's nap:


And Santa DID come, and Alex and I got HOOKED UP!

And Santa enjoyed the snack we left out, and left a letter behind!

Christmas morning was full of excitement and smiles. Alex and I were pretty impressed with the gifts that were left behind. I got a really cool train set to put under the tree next year.


Awesome Star Wars Light Saber!

Alex was soo happy to see her shopping cart!

And Olaf!!



Anything left in there?

Alex and I both got bicycles!!!

Now we just need some warmer weather to take them outside.


Star Wars!

Moses and Daddy:





And I got tons of Lego's!


Dad got a Dallas Cowboys blanket from Alex and I that he just LOVES. His lucky blanket!

Alex just LOVES her shopping cart!

Oh...and Mom *might* have slipped away to Starbucks on Christmas morning. Yum!!

Christmas dinner was Pork Tenderloin, Double Baked Potatoes, Salad, Creamed Corn, and pie for dessert! We had a lovely dinner.

Hey! Where did Alex go!

Margaret and Molly visiting

Did I ever share a picture of our Gingerbread House and Train?  They went into the trash the day after Christmas, but their picture will live on!

Mom was on a mission on the 26th to take down all the Christmas decor and get ready for our week-long departure to Texas. Alex and I were big helpers.

Pooped!

Panera!




We left early on the 27th and drove a little over half-way and stayed in a Holiday Inn Express.  Devin didn't know we were on our way down...so everything was kept pretty quiet so that we could surprise her.

Alex and I insisted on getting into our PJs within minutes after arriving at our hotel.  It was 3:30 in the afternoon!! LOL



On the road again...just about 5 hours to go the 2nd day of driving.


When we arrived at Mumsie's house...it was like Christmas morning ALL over again! Tons of presents waiting to be opened.


Mumsie and Alex playing with another set of Legos that I received.


They got another new kitty! This is Chrissy!  She showed up at their back door and wouldn't leave, so she was welcomed as part of the family and the 4th cat at Mumsie's house.

Chrissy is just a baby...so she hasn't learned that hiding from Alex and I is an option.

We showed up to the hospital Monday morning to surprise Devin. She had NO idea we were coming and was pretty shocked!  We snoozed all the way to the hospital.


The waiting rooms at Cook Children's are pretty amazing.  Alex and I had fun playing video games while Dad sat in on Devin's Neurologist appointment.

Exploring the hospital with Ashtyn and Jada (Devin's Step-Sister)

Frozen Yogurt and playtime:

WE had 3 straight days of visits with Devin. On Tuesday, Mom and Dad got to visit Devin alone for the afternoon while Alex and I stayed back. She has a pretty rough round of Chemo, but she is DONE.  They will do more scans on the 23rd of this month, and find out if the cancer is 100% gone.  If it is not, Devin will start Radiation Therapy.  We are hoping that the chemo is out the door and radiation will not be needed.

Alex modeling some of her new gear=:

New Years Eve playing cards with the family after Alex and I went to bed:



Chrissy joined Alex for breakfast:

Cousin Anthony came by for a visit:

And we left around 9:30 in the morning to head home on the 2nd.

And about 3 hours in to our drive...we started getting the Winter Weather Warnings.  Uh Oh!  So we kept calling the towns ahead of us as we decided to keep going with the "all clear" and we made it ALL the way home and avoided the storm.  Phew!

Mom made a "test cake" for Alex's 3rd Birthday Party coming up this Saturday.  It turned out good! Don't worry...this isn't what it will look like on party day.

Alex with Mom at the store. She got the "baboon" hook-up!

Just like her Big Sister! Cowboy boots and a horse!


Can't believe it is 2015.  We are hoping this year brings lots of good news regarding Devin's health. I will start public Kindergarten in August, and Alex is an official "pre-schooler" and is 100% potty trained.  We are hopeful this year will be a GOOD year.