Tuesday, December 25, 2007

A Spur Branch Christmas



This morning we woke up just in time to hear the sleigh bells ringing as Santa and his reindeer sped away from our Katy abode. We all ran out to see what Santa had brought and we were pleasantly surprised by our holiday bounty. Above is a pic we snapped in our Christmas PJs before our Navidad Nap.




We also got some pictures taken at a studio for Christmas, so you can see those pics here:
http://www.tabblo.com/studio/stories/view/721666/


Sunday, December 23, 2007

Christmas Lights in Houston

This year, we wanted to find a really good display of Christmas lights now that Jackson and Emily are both old enough to truly enjoy them. After a short search on the web, it sounded like the Prestonwood Forest Drive display was going to the best and closest option. This spread of luminescent joy has received mention by numerous media organizations including The Sun Group, The Houston Chronicle, and The Travel Channel.

Saturday night, we packed up the kids and headed out for the lightshow. To get there, most of you reading this would take 249 north from the beltway past 1960. Exit the first exit after 1960, pass the light at Schroeder road, then hang a right on Prestonwood Forest Drive.



The main street cuts right through the neighborhood with numerous cul-de-sacs off to either side with dazzling light displays. The most impressive part of the display is how widespread the decorations are without any official mandate from the homeownership association or anything like that. None of the individual houses in the neighborhood are going to knock your stockings off, but the sheer magnitude of the displays make it worth the trip.

Each street follows a common theme, and it is obvious that there is a high degree of coordination between the houses on the street. One street has all Disney characters, one has a Snoopy theme, another lets you drive through Frosty themed displays that will make it impossible for the car to keep from singing along. The residents of one street put up properly timed lyrical cue boards for the whole "Frosty" song.

This display goes through the end of the year (and is up every year), so swing by if you want to see some great Christmas lights. We thought it was well worth the trip, if for no other reason than to see the kids' reaction to the spectacular light show.

Saturday, December 15, 2007

Drummer Boy


If it wasn't apparent from recent posts, time is flying by and the kids are growing up at an alarming rate. Daddy just got back from a 1 month trip to Mumbai, India for work and it is amazing how much the kids have grown in that short period of time. Emily it fully conversing now, and seems to understand just about everything you say no matter how complex the subject matter or words. Jackson is continuing to amaze all of his teachers with his ability to read and make sense of the world around him.

Last night we attended Jackson's first big performance at his school. He was a little drummer boy in an amazing show that had the crowd smiling and aaaahhhhing at how adorable all of these little tykes looked in their holiday gear. Front and center, Jackson was on cue with all of the drum beats, song lyrics, and other gestures and antics of the performance. Pictures were not very easy to take at the event, but we were able to get this one back in the star's dressing room. We will be getting a DVD of the entire show if you'd like to see Jackson in action.


Afterward we had a celebratory trip to the Toll House mecca of sweets in La Centerra here in Katy. There were some carolers signing out by a gigantic Christmas tree they had setup in the main esplanade. It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas...

Sunday, December 09, 2007

Daddy's Home


My little munchkins were there to greet me at the airport after returning from a work trip to India. I can not imagine a better welcoming that the kids with Mom and Mamo there to pick me up and welcome me back to the comfort of the great US of A!