Grace and Hope

Grace and Hope
Wait for God. Wait with hope. Hope now; hope always! Pslam 131:3

Saturday, December 30, 2023

November - December 2023

November came and went so quickly, like a blink of an eye! We kicked off the month with our first Leader Connect Meeting for Modern Acts, which was a great way to start the month. We had 80 people register to attend the event and it was very well received. God has really blessed the ministry. Aubrey was also nominated as a Gritty Grizzly by her teachers, and we were very proud. 

There wasn't much going on until Thanksgiving break. We explored Waco for the first time and brought a friend for the girls which was a lot of fun. Some highlights were Magnolia Table, Magnolia Market, Spice Village, Baylor, Dr Pepper Museum and just being together in a new city for fun with no agenda. We stayed in a nice VRBO which we didn't spend a huge amount of time in, but enjoyed our evenings and mornings there. The rest of the break was pretty relaxing. It was the first time with no family in town, and I also worked during the holiday. Jay and the girls did an amazing job.  They each took two dishes and created an amazing meal that I could come home to. I truly have the best family in the world. We decorated for Christmas after Thanksgiving for the very first time. Aubrey and I definitely felt it put a damper on our Christmas spirit, but Avery and daddy were happy. We finished off Thanksgiving break celebrating daddy for his 42nd birthday! We received a great surprise and blessing at church to benefit Modern Acts, then tried a new place for brunch, went to an indoor putt-putt, to a brewery, then home for a relaxing evening. Overall, it was a wonderful break.

November was restful. December was busy, just as expected. Lots of holiday festivities, parties, gift exchanges, food, and everything in between. Aubrey had a winter choir concert where she did a group solo of Silent Night in sign language. The performance was fun to watch. We also all joined in on Zoom to watch Brian and Cathy get married! Yay! December was full of school parties, white elephant gift exchanges, and lots of treats. We did our annual Christmas Caroling with friends in the neighborhood and had a fun time. The family favorite was King and Country Christmas Concert. It was the family Christmas gift and the concert was absolutely amazing. Best concert ever. 

Christmas eve and Christmas day were just about perfect. It is the best gift and blessing to be celebrating holidays with all my favorite people. The girls really enjoyed their Christmas and were pretty excited about all their skin care and make up items under the tree. It was nice to have a full week off of work to enjoy a restful holiday with the family too. For Christmas, we are blessed to have both families visit for the holiday. Poppy and Grammy came for the last week of December and Nana and Grandpa are coming the first week of January. Highlights include a gingerbread house competition,  shopping, movies, bowling, an escape room, and fancy dinners. Three Christmases - those kids are not spoiled at all! 

November 2023:

Waco:





















Thanksgiving 2023:





Jay's birthday:
December 2023:




King and Country Christmas Concert: 


Christmas Eve Eve service at Crosspoint Church: 






Christmas Day 2023: 



Christmas with Poppy, Grammy, Aunt Aimee, Uncle Israel and Tessa: