Christmas Eve

We spent Christmas Eve getting ready for Santa’s visit that night and trying our best to remind our littles what Christmas is really all about. 

First up…stay in your PJ’s all day!

Second…make cookies for Santa

What?  We didn’t sample any dough…

We spent the afternoon hanging out as a family, and had our traditional Crab bisque dinner…well Jeff and I did…the kids had an alternate menu!

Then we wrote our letter to santa….

Got the letter, cookies and reindeer food ready…silly mommy forgot the carrots but I assured Brady that the reindeer loved Celery too!!

One last picture in front of the tree…in the cute reindeer antlers from Bryan and Juli….

Well, we tried!

 

We then read the real Christmas story, talked about Jesus’ birthday and then it was off to bed!

Then the elves got busy.  These elves didn’t plan very well when picking out presents…there was a lot of assembling to be done!  After lots of blood, sweat, tears and a midnight battery run (thank you 24 hr CVS) the Elves CRASHED. 

In keeping with our 3 present rule….

Everyone got a new kitchen to share….

Brady Got an E-Z fort (soo  cool) and a Tag Reader

 

Kaden a slide and a truck and Karsyn a Piano and an interactive singing puppy…

Happy Birthday Jesus!

Let the games begin

We spent 3 fun filled days with Nana and Grandanny in Rockwall.  We packed a lot into that short time….trip to the movies, presents, Granny’s house, and TONS of cousin playtime and slumber parties! 

Ready to open presents!

 

notice the frowns…..

and now smiles…this would be where Uncle Matt made a comment a out Santa Claus going to the bathroom!

Whatever it takes to get these smiles!!!

opening stockings….

dollars!!!

look at all those presents…spoiled much?!?!

these two were clueless!!

 

Kaden started to get in on the action…slowly but surely

The girls showed him how it’s done!

a guitar!

getting lesson’s from Uncle Matt!

Rock Star!

After the mass amounts of presents had been opened and some of the mess had been cleaned, we spent the rest of the morning in our pj’s playing with our new goodies!

hard at work with the play dough

 

Kaden helping Nana cook!

Later that afternoon Grandanny and Nana took the big kids to see Alvin and the Chipmunks…Shipwrecked.  Even though Karsyn didn’t go we certainly needed a picture of the girls in their matching shirts!

Sweet little presents!

 

On the 23rd we went to Granny’s to celebrate with the Carrell’s and the newly married Peavy’s!

Sadly my camera didn’t surface much…I forsee this as a problem the next few years…just not enough hands to help with the present opening and the picture taking!

BUT we did get our annual group shots….However I didn’t seem to get any of just Granny and the Grandkids with my camera…Juli if you have any you’d like to share I’d love it!

The Brewer’s 2011

Wow….That’s a lot of kids not looking the right way!  And next year there will be another one in the mix!!!  Cole #4 is due in about a month!

Great-Grands with granny

Brew Crew…yeah, we were pretty much done at this point!

After lunch and a failed attempt at naps, we headed back to Houston.  There was lots to do to get ready for the “big guys” visit!

We had a great trip and our kids are S-P-O-I-L-E-D!  Thanks to everyone!

Brewers meet Brewers

and Cox's….and Mirke’s!!  After our visit with Grandmom we took naps and headed into Kaufman to the Cox’s House!  Because of lockdown and schedule’s not matching up Ashley and Paula had yet to meet the twins! 

Paula and Karsyn with Hudson supervising! 

 

Kaden walked in and went right to Ashley…if you know Kaden you know how rare this is! 

Ashley was holding Ellie and Kaden seriously squeezed his way in between them and made himself comfortable…hmmm rotten much?!

I didn’t take too many pictures, but we did attempt a group shot…minus Chloe…I’m not sure why Angie didn’t want any of these kiddo’s holding the 4 month old!!

Nice…  Karsyn, Brady, Hudson, Ellie, Kaden, Olivia

About as good as it gets!

These 3 cooperated well!

Ellie, Kaden, Olivia

I’m pretty sure Kaden has a little crush on Ellie….and I’m pretty sure Ellie was unimpressed!

 

I love this sweet family and am so glad they let us barge in on their family gathering!!  Every member of this family prayed countless hours for these babies and I’m so glad they finally got to meet!  AND that I got to meet Olivia and Chloe!

Stay tuned for Christmas with Nana and Grandanny!

Visit with Grandmom

Grandmom is my dad’s mother, and is Karsyn’s namesake.  Grandmom has had Alzheimer's for about 15 years now and has been “gone”mentally for quite some time now.

If you know me at all you know how special this lady is to me.  I spent much of my childhood at her house, in her kitchen, following her around, mimicking every (well almost everything) she did!  She taught me how to cook, how to set a table, and inspired me to be a teacher with the endless hours she spent playing “school” with me!  Most importantly she taught me the gift of giving time.  I’m quite sure Grandmom had a million other things she would rather be doing when we were at her house, but she was NEVER too busy to sit in the floor and play with me.  Although I’m sure it would have been much faster to make cookies without me, she always took the time to let me help…to let me measure everything out,  to let me drop eggshells in the batter and then to take the time to fish them all out!  She was always willing to play checkers or watch whatever play my cousins and I had come up with to perform for her!

Grandmom has been living with my aunt and uncle for several years, and unfortunately I haven’t been able to see her as much as I would like.  However, Grandmom’s heart is beginning to fail and we’re fairly certain her time here with us limited, so my sister, my dad and I went to see her last week.  This was more than likely my last visit with Grandmom, and although the majority of her memories are gone were able to have a few conversations about some of our favorite memories. 

But more than anything I was so happy to get to introduce her to her great grand daughter who carries her name. 

Mary Jane Trollinger and Karsyn Jane Brewer

 

I actually got to introduce her and tell her she was named after her several times!!!  Each time she expressed how honored she was to have her named after her and each time I got to tell her that Karsyn was just a fiesty as she was!

Grandmom with her grand daughters and great grand daughter 

These are obviously pictures and memories I will treasure forever.

There are no words to accurately express everything Grandmom means to me, but I’m beyond certain that I would not be the person I am today without this woman.  I strive to be like her, and I strive to take the things she taught me and pass them on to my children.  While I’m sad I haven’t spent as much time with her as I would like to have the last few years, I’m so confident that I did get the best years of her life!  And that those memories and life lessons are the things I want to, and will carry forward. 

Baylor Bears

On the way to Dallas, to start our Christmas festivities, we decided to make a little detour through Waco!  Brady had never been to the Baylor Campus and to be honest it’s been several years since I’d been back. 

We had lunch at Ninfas, and then headed to see the “real” bears!  Brady was pretty fired up!

Sic ‘em Bears!

The bears!

 

Me and my babies in front of the bear pit!

 

pit stop on our tour of the campus!

Karsyn patiently waiting on her brothers to join her for another picture!

my 3 little bears

and he’s off!

It was so fun to show my crew around campus!  Some things are so very different and others will never change!  Ahhh the memories!!  Some of which I’m not yet ready to share with my children but they’re fun memories nonetheless!!

As we were driving around I was showed Brady the places I lived while in college.  While driving past the infamous 1809 8th street, a house I lived in for 2 years..Brady said “you lived there?”  “It’s not a very nice house”  Thanks son!!  It was nice in college I promise…or maybe not!!

Another thing I want to remember...we’d been pumping up the “real” bears on campus and how cool it was going to be to see them.  We saw the bears, toured the campus, hit the bookstore and were about to leave and Brady said “ wait I fought we were going to see the real bears” 

“we just saw the real bears silly”

“NO, the real bears on the foootball field”

Sweet boy thought we were referring to the “real” football players we’ve been watching on tv this year!!  Guess we’ll be going to a football game next year so he can see the “real” bears!!

Sic ‘em Bears!!