O Christmas tree, O Christmas tree

After visiting with Santa we came home and put up our Christmas tree. Dad was the main tree fluffer. While Ben fluffed the tree I put the kids to work by putting the hangers on the ornaments

Then we started trimming the tree

Matthew

Cole

Maddy our little "Who baby" As the nurse at the kids school call her. :)

Me helping Kaycee

Kaycee

Matthew

James

Cole

Kaycee

Maddy. She loved that Rubik's cube that night

Cole

I LOVE this picture of Maddy.

The tree all finished.

MERRY CHRISTMAS!

Visiting with Santa

For the past few years we have gone over to our friends the Markwalters to visit with Santa. The kids look forward to it every year. Here are the kids with Santa. Thank you Wendy and Vince for putting this on ever year. Cole and Santa

James and Santa

Matthew and Santa

Kaycee and Santa

Maddy and Santa. Maddy want to impressed

Here's a funny story to go along with the night. When we pulled up the kids started asking where Santa slay was. They said they couldn't see it on the roof. Well as we parked the van we parked behind a red Toyota truck. I told them that when I was a kid at our family Christmas party one year my cousin and I snuck out as Santa was leaving so we could see his slay. But guess what he got into a red Toyota truck and drove off. So I said maybe the red truck we parked behind was his. Well we went into the house and talked with Santa and was eating some goodies. Another little girl that was there went up with Kaycee and asked Santa were his slay was. Santa replyed, : I drove my red truck tonight." PERFECT!!! :)

Snow in Houston???

It wasn't much BUT it was snow. At one time during the morning the flakes were so big and pretty. Any way here are a few pictures of the day and Cole and Maddy's first experience with snow.
The front yard The back yard

The licence plate on Ben's car

Maddy trying to figure out what that cold wet stuff is

Maybe if she tastes it she will know what it is.

Hahahaha!

Cole showing me the snow that fell on this blow up ball

Cole trying to keep his hands warm

Snow ball fight. He was trying to hit me through the window. :)

The wind up

HIT!!!

And another hit!Dads turn.

Cole was having a blastMaddy was having fun watching from the inside. :)

Look how happy she is. :)

Dallas Zoo

The day after Thanksgiving we loaded up the vans and went to the Dallas zoo. What a fun day. Here is Cole, Rebekah, Justin and some random girl in the birds nest in the merry go round. Ben and Maddy. Look at Maddy's face. I love it!

Maddy and Rebekah holding hands. They were so cute that day.

Best buddies

Had to get a cheesy one of Ben and I. Hahaha

Gators

Albino baby Gator

Which way to the Giraffes Maddy?

Kaycee, Aunt Lenae and Cole waiting to go on the zoo train

Most of the kids that were at the Higgins for Thanksgiving.

Bottom row: Adam, Cole, Emily,Kaycee, Rebekah, Maddy and Matthew

Top row: Analli, Chelsea, James, and Renee

Not pictured: Nathaniel and Justin. Little stinkers wouldn't get in the picture.

Thanksgiving

Well I figures since I had a moment I would up date my blog a bit. For Thanksgiving this year we went up to Dallas to visit with Ben's side of the family. His sister Jaylene and her hubby and family just moved there about 2 months ago. I LOVE having close family only 4 hours way. :) Any way here is a picture of the Sam Houston statue. Not a bad picture considering we were going 70 miles and hour. Here are the kids enduring the car ride. They did great. We were only a month from potty training Cole and he did great. We didn't even have to stop.

Thanksgiving dinner. Yummy. Thanks Monty and Jaylene. I was fun having Megan and Jared (Ben's older brother) and their 2 kids as well as Ben's younger sister Lenae.

The clean up.

The kids playing in their HUGE back yard.

And to end the night my niece Renee had to bring out her corn snake for all the kids to see. Look at Cole's face. I love it!

Matthew thought it was pretty cool.

Kaycee wasn't to sure of it at first but then she warmed up to it.

James loved it and is asking for one for Christmas. Sorry son, it aint going to happen.

Even Maddy got to hold it. She didn't mind it at all.