Yay for Christmas!!!

Christmas came fast as our school break started the closest to Christmas day that it ever has since we came to Texas--December 21st!  Top that off with Kendra having two Snow White shows on the 21st and one more on the 22nd and we were rushin' and crazy!  Thankfully, I had all the shopping done, and our wonderful PTA at school had given me a 1/2 day off earlier that week so I had done the wrapping, too! 

Christmas eve arrived with me feeling rather puny (found out later that I had the flu and a brewing sinus infection) so Kendra and I chose to stay in.  Kendra pampered me with a spa night---she got me a hot bath ready complete with bath salts and rose petals, and then lit candles and put on Christmas music for me.  The hot bath really helped me feel better!

We were awakened in the night by one doozy of a thunderstorm!  It was LOUD and it went on for hours.  Definitely a first for us---thunderstorms on Christmas night!  Normally I have to wake up my Sleeping Beauty on Christmas morning (every year!)  but this year the storm did so we got up at around 7:00--a record early time.  :-)  Kendra enjoyed opening her gifts---highlights this year for her were new bedding from me (we're redoing her room slowly) and gift cards from her dad (she LOVES to shop!).  Kendra spent her own money to buy me a beautiful sweater and to put a Lifesavers Book and toe socks into my stocking.  Awesome.

An awesome blanket from her dad and his fiance---it is embroidered with "I'd Rather Be Acting!"

Gift cards!

Surfin' the new body pillow on the new bedding set

Surveying the blessings!

Sweater courtesy of Kendra

 After unwrapping, I made homemade cinnamon sugar doughnuts...mmmmm!

Time to make the doughnuts!

 We got showered and ready for the next VERY anticipated activity of the day....we went to see Les Miserables!!!  Oh man, great movie.  I introduced Kendra to the amazing music about a year ago, and she loves it as much as I do.  We can both sing the whole musical!  But we didn't sing in the theater---that would be rude.  :-) 

We walked out of the theater three hours later to find it was.....

SNOWING!!!

It came down fast!!!

It made for a little bit of a dicey drive later on that night, but the snowy whiteness and the joy it gave to Kendra made it more than worth it.  But holy CATS, it was also so COLD!  We headed over to the (David) Ballards for dinner with our (Scott & Sherry) Ballards.  Kendra and I were both dim witted (or maybe just trying to remember everything we needed to take with us) and didn't even think to bring snow gear for Kendra to play in.  The kids all piled outside (minus Kendra :-(  ) but they didn't stay out long in the bitter air.  We had a delicious prime rib dinner and enjoyed wonderful friends.  We exchanged gifts and were rottenly spoiled by our Ballards yet again.  I received a new pair of  black dress shoes (desperately needed) with a certificate to buy another pair of my choice, new flannel sheets, a certificate for car washes, and a certificate for a 90 minute massage.  Kendra received a gift for both of us---tickets to go see Wicked coming to Dallas!!!!!

Are you kidding???????

We had a beautiful Christmas...we are very, very blessed.