Christmas Traditions

I LOVE Christmas traditions!! It's so comforting to know you are going to do the same thing every year. All of my most memorable Christmas traditions originate with my family. I am also looking forward to starting new traditions with my own little family. Here are some of my favorite Jackson family Christmas traditions.

{one}

On Christmas Eve we always got to open one present. It was usually pajamas or a game. I mostly remember the games because then we would all play it together that night! Also, Bryan's family does one pajama gift on Christmas Eve, so I love that we grew up with some of the same traditions.

{two}

We always had one present from Santa, that was unwrapped, and it was usually the big present. Stockings (my favorite!) were first, and then the other presents. One person would play Santa and hand out the presents to each person. We open gifts one at a time. It makes the present opening last longer, and you get to see what everyone gets!

{three}

My mom always makes delicious homemade cinnamon rolls for Christmas morning. And my mother-in-law decided to make them this year, without knowing that's what my mom does. I love having the same traditions both places!!

What are your favorite Christmas traditions? Click on the picture at the top of this post to link up your special traditions (Thanks to The Bonjour Family).

Christmas will be here in only 4 days!!!

Pre-Christmas Celebrations

This weekend we had our Christmas celebrations, before we travel home on Thursday. Saturday night we went out to dinner at Pappasito's (the fajitas were amazing!!) and then to River Oaks (fancy pants) to look at Christmas lights. And of course we had to stop by Starbucks to get a warm drink. Thanks to the sweet parents of the kiddos in my preschool class, I had plenty of Starbucks gift cards to get free drinks!

After looking at lights we came back to the house to have our own little Christmas. :) We had already gotten our big presents from each other, Bryan got a stereo for his car and I got a new digital camera. So, Saturday night we were just going to do stockings... or so I thought.

First we set Kelty's "santa" gifts under the tree. He got a A&M basketball, some squeaky balls, treat sticks, a "cookie tester" toy, and an antler to chew on. Spoiled dog!! :)

Once he was occupied with his new treasures, we did our stockings. Bryan went first...

Then it was my turn.

Here is a little breakdown of all of our Christmas goodies:

Bryan got a nut driver set, a multi-tool, an A&M car decal, a Texas Rangers car air freshener, a gift certificate to a cigar store, some pepper relish from a local sandwich shop, and candy of course!

And I got an eye mask, some polka dotted socks, candy, and UGG BOOTS!!!!! Bryan surprised me with these, as you can see in the picture. :) I have wanted some for a while and I had no idea he was getting them for me. I have such a sweet husband!

This afternoon we decided to drive up to Sam Houston National Forest and drive around. We want to go camping up here soon, so we wanted to scope things out.

Took this picture of one of the tree lined roads. I have been having fun with some new photography apps on my phone.

Here are my boys on the trail! Kelty did really good on the hike. He loves exploring the great outdoors, just like his dad. :) I love how this picture turned out.

Love all the trees.

It was a nice weekend, and now we are getting geared up for Christmas in Amarillo/Canyon. Looking forward to celebrating with family in just a few days. I can't believe it!!

Family Tree

I have to confess that NSYNC Christmas is my very favorite Christmas CD. They have some really good original songs, and their harmonies are beautiful. But, this year Dave Barnes came out with a Christmas album!! And I have to say, it's inching it's way to the top spot pretty quickly. :)

One of my favorite songs on his album "Very Merry Christmas" is called Family Tree.

Here are the lyrics

The family car, we barely fit

Christmas time had come again

Bundled up to fight the freeze

Picking out the family tree

We decorate with clumsy hands

And hope that Santa comes again

And in the morning, wake to see

Gifts beneath the family tree

And I don't know where I'm going

But I do know who I'll be

'Cause memories and names like these all hang

On us the family tree

We're older now

We all have changed

But we all laugh at the same old things

We'll spend the night with memories

Gathered round the family tree

And I don't where I'm going

But I do know who I'll be

'Cause memories and names like these all hang

On us...

We're so much more than blood

We're more than names

We're bound by bonds that only God sustains

But, this time of year

We all gather here

And I always know I'm home

There are voices now

Where silence was

The subtle signs of growing up

Where one is born another leaves

Branches on the family tree

LOVE IT!! Hope you enjoy this song as much as I do. :)

Merry Christmas!!

Clements Christmas Card

I wanted to share the Christmas card I picked out this year. It was my first time sending them, and I had so much fun. I hope to send one out every year!

I love the green polka dots and letter C monogram. My christmas tree has lots of letter 'c' ornaments, so it matches perfectly. And my Christmas decor is red and green. So my card matches my house, naturally. :)

From our family to yours.....

Merry Christmas!!

Happy Birthday Kelty Dog!

I'm happy to say that today our little Kelty dog turns 1!!

He's such a stud. :)

I also had to compare, with a picture when he was a puppy. That face is so sweet! He was such a fluff ball.

Our little guy is growing up so fast. We are thankful he is a part of our family and he will always be our first child. He brings so much joy to our lives and we love him bunches! Even though he can be ornery at times, he keeps us on our toes. I love that he is the epitome of a typical dog. He eats almost anything, chases cars, tries to drink out of the toilet, and loves having his belly rubbed!!

And I have to include that Kelty is "full bred beautiful." :) His cuteness has gotten him out of trouble a few times.

Tonight I made him some peanut butter treats, for his special day. Since he was the birthday boy, he got to lick the beaters!

And once the treats were finished, I thought he needed a candle.

Happy Birthday Kelty!!

Thanksgiving Recap iPhone Style

So, I decided to misplace the charger for my camera battery right before we went home for Thanksgiving.....nice. I had to rely on my trusty iPhone for all of my picture taking. I ended up finding it a couple of days ago under the guest bedroom bed, of course right?!?!

So here is a little recap of our fun at home:

We started off the festivities Wednesday night at my brother's house for a gender reveal party for the new little Jackson coming in April. I wore pink and Bryan wore blue, representing our guesses! :)

It's a girl, see the pink cake!!! Can't wait to meet sweet Charleigh Jo. {LOVE their name choice}

Tinkerbell also put on a show for us. Spending time with this cutie was the highlight of my weekend. We even got a couple of sleepovers in!

On Thursday, we had Thanksgiving with the Clements side of the family. After the delicious lunch, I decided to patch up the holes in my favorite pair of jeans. This is the result. I LOVE how it turned out!!

Friday we had Thanksgiving with the Jackson side of the fam. It was awesome having everyone together for one whole day! We ate lunch, had some mini photo shoots, and played the Wii. We got some great pictures for our Christmas cards. They shipped today and I am beyond excited!!

Saturday night we (me, my mom, my aunt Pam, and Kenna) drove to Lubbock to ride The Polar Express!!! It was one of the coolest experiences EVER. I might have had more fun than Elliot. :)

Here are my two favorite girls in front of the train.

They served us hot chocolate and cookies, just like the movie/book!!! That cookie was soooo delicious!

The train ride was super cool. Each train car had their own conductor and servers. Everyone was in dressed in costume, and we wore our pajamas. When we got to the "north pole" Santa came on board and gave each child a silver bell. Elliot was way excited and loved shaking her bell and singing. I'll have to get some more pictures from my mom to post. I can't wait to take my kids someday!

We drove back Sunday, and when we got home this was waiting for us...

So glad I decorated before we left! I am currently listening to Christmas music, and counting the days until we head back home. :)

Christmas will be here in...

I can't wait!!!