First Snow of 2009

When I was in college, I was disappointed to learn that snow was a once in a decade event.  I’d heard stories of the elusive white stuff but didn’t ever see it in my 4 years in San Antonio at Trinity University.  The absence of snow continued for years after I moved to Houston as well and I was accustomed to thinking that snow was a fluke and I’d likely never consider to be “real” snow after growing up in Utah.

This all changed on Christmas Day 2004 – the first Christmas when the Texas Batemans included Jackson in addition to Mom and Dad.  Christmas Eve saw more than an inch of the white fluffy stuff piled up on the grass, cars, and just about everything else.  It was a nice treat for Jackson’s first Christmas and shattered my belief that the only snow the kids would ever see was when we went on trips to the Rockies.

Fast forward to 2009.  Yesterday, we had a respectable snow storm that survived overnight and was enough to make a few snowmen in our neighborhood.  Not to mention that it has now snowed in Houston 2 years in a row!  Global warming, wha?

So we are now fully into the Christmas spirit with Thanksgiving behind us, the Christmas tree and lights up, and snow on the ground.  Today, we deck the halls!

Here are some pics from our 2009 holiday season:

Our snowman - Frosty

  

Hermey the elf and Dad putting up Christmas lights

Thanksgiving in San Antonio

Jackson’s fake mustache we got from Black’s BBQ in Lockhart, TX

 

Christmas tree hunting at Dewberry Farm

 

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.

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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/

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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...