First Day of School!

What a big day for Elia! She attended her first day at The Children's Place at St. Andrew's Church. She goes 2 days a week for 3 hours and has about 5 other boys and girls in her class. There is a set learning schedule each day, with music, art, reading, and of course play! Isaac and I took her, thinking it would be dramatic and traumatic for her. Were we ever wrong! She was perfect! No tears, just a big wave "bye" to mommy and daddy! I think she was ready for us to leave so she could get down to business! We sang a song about school the entire way there, and she would not let go of her Mickey Mouse back pack! She was a pro. The teachers said she acted as if she'd always been there. She slept the entire afternoon after her long morning at school! We are blessed to have such a special place for our little girl to learn and grow!I asked Elia, "Lista?" (Ready in Spanish), and she said "LISTA"!!


Mom, can I go in now?Elia got right into exploring all of the toys and books in the room. She showed her Daddy one of the great books to read.

Elia Opening Gifts with Mommy and Daddy

Christmas in El Paso

Isaac got great shots just as the sun was setting in Abilene while driving to El Paso for Christmas.


We spent our first Christmas in El Paso with Isaac's family this year. We had a really special time with family and enjoyed the kids playing together from morning til night! Julian and Elia went to Buil A Bear together and made matching puppy dogs. We spent Christmas Eve with a portion of Isaac's extended family playing cards and eating, of course! On Christmas morning, all of the kids opened presents and then we ate...again! Christmas night, my sister-in-law, Claudia, took us on a tour of the historic homes' Christmas lights (although we hadn't planned on it, ha!)and then went downtown to see the thousands of lights and the HUGE Christmas tree. We had such a great time.

Christmas at Nana and Poppy's

When Elia and I flew back from El Paso, we went to Nana and Poppy's for Christmas dinner and presents! Elia has discovered the joy of tissue paper and gift bags! She loved her new kitchen from Nana and Poppy. I know there will be a lot of little meals cooked on that oven! Get used to washing those dishes, baby!




Before we left for El Paso, Elia and I went to dinner with Nana and Poppy, followed by the tradition of traveling down to Carrollton to see the house with all the lights!

Happy Thanksgiving!

We headed to my mom and dad's for lunch on Thanksgiving. After a wonderful meal (as always) Elia "helped" Nana and Poppy decorate their Christmas tree! As soon as she put an ornament on, she pulled it right off! I don't think there will be any ornaments on the bottom half of that tree this year!!!

Pumpkin Patch with Nanna and Poppy

Nanna and Poppy may have started a tradition this year. They took Elia out to a pumpkin patch in the country to find just the perfect pumpkin. While there, she rode on her first hay ride, found her way through a hay maze, and ran around the big field without a care in the world! I'm not sure who had more fun from the looks of these photos!