Christmas Eve with the Hardy's

One of our family's most treasured days of the year is Christmas Eve. We love gathering with Sam's parents and sisters to have a big steak & lobster dinner together, sing Christmas carols while Grandpa plays his guitar, read Luke 2 from the Bible, get our new Christmas pj's, and to open one present from under the tree. This year was exceptionally special because it snowed most of the day, adding a kind of magic to the feeling of the season.
We also added making a cake for baby Jesus, to celebrate his birthday with the next day. It was a wonderful experience. Our kids actually worked together, without bickering, to accomplish their goal. They were so pleased with their results.
The kids in their new jammies.
Check out those socks! (They're actually Brie's)
Natalie with Gracie in the sonw.

Gingerbread Houses

What is the holiday season without gingerbread houses? Well, probably a lot neater and less kiddos speeding around on sugar rushes. I think after this year I have decided to buy pre-made royal icing. The kids were so excited to put their house together but each one quickly crumbled under the weight of our home-made frosting. Can't say we don't deserve an "E" for effort though! :) What do the kids enjoy most about their houses anyways?...EATING THEM!





Brianna Visits the Temple

Brianna, now that she has turned 12, had the wonderful opportunity to visit the Dallas Temple to do baptisms for the dead. It was a wonderful experience! Sam and I both were able to attend, which was so special for us. Sam was even able to participate as the priesthood holder with her. It was such a spiritual experience for all of us. I am so grateful for such an amazing daughter who values her baptimal covenants and know the importance of being righteous. We have been truly blessed.

13 Wonderful Years!

It is hard to believe that Sam and I have already been married for 13 years. So much has happened in that time. I am grateful every day for such a special man in my life. I could never ask for anyone more dedicated and loving towards me than Sam.
When Sam and I were first married, We promised each other that we would try our hardest to make every anniversary special. We would take time away just to spend it with each other. As we sat together this year and pondered what we had done in 13 years, we were amazed to find that we could remember almost every anniversary.
1st Year: We went back to the Hotel Inter-Continental
2nd Year: We went to the Double Tree Lincoln Center
3rd Year: We went to Abuelo's (Did not leave home this year due to Nate's arrival. We pushed him under the table during dinner, and he never made a peep.)
4th Year: We went see the Nutcracker at the Bass Performance Hall and "stayed" at the Hotel St. Germaine for all of 10 minutes. We had to rush home because Nate had pneumonia. The hotel was so--- kind to let us stay, at no extra charge, for Valentine's Day. It was great!
5th Year: Sam and I stayed in our brand new house together (Before we moved the kids in!)
6th Year: We went to a spectacular drive-thru light display in Arlington then stayed in the Sanford House Inn.
7th Year: We visited San Antonio. We strolled down the lit up Riverwalk, went on a carriage ride, where the driver talked our ears off the entire ride, and stayed in the ?
8th Year: Neither of us can remember
9th Year: We ate dinner at Mi Cocina, went to watch Trans-Siberian Orchestra, and stayed at the Gaylord Hotel in Grapevine.
10th Year: We were scheduled to take a hot air balloon ride, but the company kept canceling on us, and William kept getting sick.
11th Year: To make up for our failed 10th year attempt we took a cruise to the Yucatan and Cozumel. Wonderful!!!!!!!
12th Year: We went back to San Antonio. This has become one of our favorite quick trip spots! We stayed in the Beauregard House.
This year was Sam's turn to plan. I, for the first time, had no idea where we were going. He did a great job keeping it a surprise.
I had made several guesses, but when we headed on the freeway to go East I was stumped. We ended our drive in Jefferson, Texas, a little town with a huge history behind it. It was great! We stayed in a beautiful bed and breakfast called the House of Seasons.
Our suite was the exact suite President Bush and his wife stayed in on their visit to Jefferson. It had lots of memorabilia from all kinds of presidential events. It was really neat. Our arrival day was very rainy so we decided to do indoor things like touring the antique shops and trying out their best restaurants. That night, we took a train ride through the bayou to see Christmas lights. The lights were great, but Sam and I will never forget our guide's singing. We much preferred the music piped through the sound system of the train. It was still really nice though. We then ate a romantic dinner at a little Italian restaurant in one of the historic hotels. It was a wonderful finish to a wonderful day!
When we woke up the next morning, we went down to breakfast in the main dinning hall. What a feast! I think we gained 10 pounds just from breakfast! After that, we ended our stay in Jefferson by visiting the Jefferson Museum. It was full of incredible artifacts from American History. My favorite was the lavish art gallery. It was breathtaking! They even had to have humidity controls on the walls to make sure the levels were just right to protect such old paintings.

I am so grateful for Sam! Our trip was wonderful, and I can't wait to add many more trips to our list as our years together continue. I could not be more blessed to be married to him! Happy 13th Anniversary Sam!

The First Snow of the Season


Don't ever tell your kids that it has been too hot for the newly falling snow to stick! (Especially if you live in Texas!) You'll end up eating your words!
It did end up sticking, even if it was only for a few hours. The kids had a blast in it! Then all was back as it was. The shining sun, and a fairly nice warm end to the day.
Got to love Texas weather!

Going Back in Time

This year, we carefully planned out our Christmas activities way ahead of time, because it always seems like we have so much we want to do but time gets away with us. One of the biggest things we did not want to miss was going to Bethlehem Revisited.
The night we picked to go was a very foggy, misty, & cold night, but that did not stop us. We bundled up, packed our umbrella, and headed out to Waxahachie. It was absolutely wonderful! There were hardly any people there because the weather, and we were able to move through the town at a very nice unrushed pace.
We had time to stop at the various shops and sites and talk with the kids about what we saw and what was happening. It was great! The kids were even able to hold some of the farm animals without interruption.
The night was, in a sense, magical and we left greatly feeling the Spirit and what it must have been like in Bethlehem the night our Savior was born.