Merry Christmas

We can hardly believe that it's Christmas time. Time seems to crawl by the rest of the year, but after Thanksgiving it just flies by. This year started off with us celebrating our 5th anniversary. Has it really been 5 years? It seems like yesterday that we were walking down the aisle.


Abigale started off the year in the eye doctor's office. We noticed that her left eye drifted out just a tiny bit and mentioned it to her pediatrician who suggested that we find a pediatric ophthalmologist. We found a great doctor and at the first visit he suggested that we watch her closely and try and determine just how much of the time her eye drifted. Within a few weeks we were back in the office, her poor little eye was drifting quite a bit more. The solution was glasses! Abby did really well and seemed to understand that they helped her. She still only takes them off when she's really upset...usually because it's bedtime or I've said no to candy :) We started Abby to Sunday school in the spring. She went to the 18 month old class and seemed to take to it rather well. Her teachers did tell us though that she wasn't too keen on sitting still. Big surprise. In September she moved to the 2 year old class and is improving but still doesn't like to sit at the tables and listen! Abby turned the big T-W-O in August and has been growing like a weed and go, go, going non stop! She wasn't talking like we thought she would at the end of summer but now it's all she does. She is like a little sponge and soaks everything up. She has the sweetest little voice of an angel straight from heaven!


Jason is still plugging away at Navsite, now as a Senior Exchange Engineer. Navisite has seen very promising growth which is always a plus. Jason also started back to school, working towards his degree in mechanical engineering. He is taking at least two classes a semester and as many as can be taken online as possible. He did wonderfully this semester with two A's! Eventually he will transfer to the University of Houston, Cullen school of engineering. Yes, that's right it's not an IT degree. Mechanical engineering has been Jason's goal since high school and he wants to make it a reality. He works very hard and studies just as hard...with a little help from me ;) I know that he will do awesome in all of his courses and I have full confidence that he will graduate with honors!


Me, I'm trying to keep up with Abby and Jason! I love being a Mommy and wife. It's truly my calling. Me and Abby have really made an art of going to the grocery store. I have her snacks and drinks and we get in and out with hardly any trouble. I did take up a new hobby, although I can't recall just when I started. Crochet! I taught myself with help from internet tutorials. Now I'm not an expert...yet. I really just do it because it's rather relaxing.

We had our first family vacation this summer at Schlitterbahn in New Braunfels. Actually it was my parents, sisters, their families, Aunt Pat and cousin Phillip. My Dad set it all up for us and we all met down there the last week of July for a couple of days of sun, fun, and good food. It was a blast, Jason and Abigale's first time to Schlitterbahn and Gruene. Abby loves the water and had a blast in Schatze's park! We ate at the Gristmill in Gruene, which was awesome as always. After dinner we strolled on over to the shops and got some ice cream and t-shirts. We all ended up in the side yard of Gruene Hall listening to a band play and just enjoying the summer evening with family. This trip really brought back a lot of my childhood memories from going to New Braunfels during the summers with my parents and having the time of my life.

We said goodbye to my paternal Grandmother, Lorine Praesel, on October 13 of this year. She had been battling congestive heart failure and was in a nursing home in Hewitt, Texas. She will be remembered for her devotion to her family, her wonderful cooking, and love of country. We take comfort in knowing that she is with Grandpa dancing the night away once again.


We also said farewell to our precious Mocha. Jason had Mocha since 1996 and enjoyed every year with him. He was the most affectionate cat ever. And boy was he smart. He loved to run and chase things, but also loved to lounge in the sun. We took him to the vet who performed surgery and found cancer. We decided that it would be better to let him rest than put him through more surgeries and great pain. We were able to bring home to rest in peace. He will never be forgotten, always remembered for his wonderfully loving cattitude!


We had a little scare two days before Thanksgiving. I was outside making sure the girls (cats: Neptune and her daughter Galaxy) had plenty of food and clean water. I noticed that Galaxy's neck was wet and upon closer inspection I realized she had a huge wound on her neck. We rushed her to the emergency clinic and they cleaned it up and concluded that it was some kind of puncture wound that looked suspiciously like a cats bite. We assumed that her and Neptune were playing and maybe just got a little carried away. We kept her inside and then boarded her at our regular vet while we were out of town for Thanksgiving. She is good as new now and we are really surprised at how fast she healed. She did get a bit spoiled to being inside though and cries at the back door to come in...yes we let her in.


That's about it for our year up to this point. We are looking forward to a new year with new resolutions to keep and achieve. Jason will be registering for the spring semester soon and is looking forward to the next two classes. Jason and I can hardly wait to surprise Abby with her gifts on Christmas morning. This is the first year that she really understands what's going on. She loves the tree and all the lights around town.


Our warmest wishes and a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New year to you all.