New Year Wishes

Just wanted to let y'all know that an epidemic has hit our home...or at least, it has hit me.

BUCK FEVER!!!

I'm headed out to the deer lease just as soon as I can pack it all up and head out. Bri left for camp on Sunday and when I heard that she was sitting around the bonfire with extended family last night...I just couldn't wait any longer.

So, as soon as I talk my husband through a little computer work at the office, I will be hitting the highway, headed north with my muzzle loader in hopes of finding another unlucky deer in the next few days.

The boys will join us later this week and then we will head even further north to have Christmas with the Arkansas Goodes.

Wishing you all a "Very Happy 2011!" Maybe you'll even bring it in with a little bit of venison of your own!

Game Night At The Ham's

Last Saturday night, our family gathered at Kelli and Matt's house for Game Night and Gift Exchange with Grandma June while she was in town.
Since Matt was unable to join us for Christmas Tree decorating night, I made sure to snap a picture of him and Kelli in front of their Christmas tree. (Couldn't get one with the kids, unfortunately. Maddux was asleep!)

My mom (right) and Aunt Fran drove down on Friday night to spend a few days with us before Christmas.

Other than Matt and Jim, all our men-folk were missing. But here are pictures of Meagan (above) and Bri (below).

And finally, Jim and I.

After a delicious chili dinner and a game of Things...it was time to wake Maddux up and OPEN PRESENTS!

Since this was a 'free-for-all" opening...I had to snap pictures as quickly as possible!

It is funny to me how kids love the old things the most! Like Maddux and his John Deere tractor (above)...

and Brooke with the View Finder....

...and Davin was most infatuated with Gammy's snow globe!

We tried to get pictures of the three kids together, but this was the best one of the evening.

(PS...should you happen to come across one of those whale blankets someplace, please pick it up and let me know how much I owe you. Maddux LOVES it and will not sleep without it...but Kelli needs to wash it...and that creates problems for her. She has others like it (same maker/different design)...but he only wants the one with the whales on it!)

Even though our group pictures didn't turn out so great, here is my girl doing her "FABULOUS" pose.

And laughing on the floor...

While Davin was giving his Pappaw a bear hug!

WE had a great time...even if most of the boys were out at the deer leases!

Thanks for hosting us, Kelli and Matt!

Santa's Town

Back when Kelli and Matt were away at Disney World, I decided to take the grand babies down the road a piece to College Station to see some Christmas lights.

Thank goodness we found a lot of people willing to go with us or I don't think I could have kept up with them all!

This picture is a little dark...but it is of Maddux, Bri, Brooke, Me, Davin, Meagan and Teri (Derrick's mom).


This was the sight before we even went through the gate! Wow!

After buying tickets and stopping for a HUGE bag of kettle corn, we went straight for the fire truck. Davin loves fire trucks!

Josh volunteered to help herd children too. Isn't that sweet?

Here are my grandchildren taking the 'Texas' stage for a picture...my little Prima Donna taking front and center as usual!


Next the grand babies went in to see Santa and have their pictures taken.

Josh and Will stayed on the porch, guarding the kettle corn and watching through the window.

Maddux loved his stickers from Santa!

Next, we loaded up on the hay ride to tour the light show. Here is Meagan and Davin...but as you can see there were too many things to see, so I couldn't get Davin to turn around for the picture.

Maddux sat with Josh and Auntie while chowing down on kettle corn.

Don't worry, Brooke got some too. She sat next to Uncle Duck Duck (Will) and he made sure she had her share.

Some of the sights from the hayride:

Santa and his reindeer.

The nutcrackers.

Candy Cane Forest...filled with helpful elves.

Davin and Brooke loved the purple trees.

Reindeer flight school.

And a beautiful red house all lit up for the holidays.


There was also the Christmas story to see.

From the manger...

...to the cross...

...to the Good News that Jesus Lives!

It was a little chilly the night we went. So, after the hayride we sat around the fire with some dinner.

And watched a little show starring Marshall Frostbite.

Brooke was the only one in our crew brave enough to go up on stage to meet him.

After dinner and the show, we made our last stop for the night.

The petting zoo!

Some of them LOVED it!

And some...NOT SO MUCH!

Brooke was fine as long as Uncle Duck Duck held her!

Especially this one! For some reason the big goats loved her...but she didn't care too much for them.

It was a wonderful night...but the six of us adults were whooped by the end of the night!

The Lone Star Flag

Stagecoach
Remember the Alamo!
Longhorns
Cactus
Merry Christmas from Texas, Y'all!

A Little More Decorating

I have a few more pictures from our Christmas Tree Decorating that I wanted to share. I hope you don't mind!
The Goode Family: (back row) Brian, (middle row) Kelli, Fonda, Jim, William and Meagan, and (front row) Bri.

Nonna and Pappaw with our babies: Davin, Maddux and Brooke.

When our children were little, we started the tradition of buying them a special ornament to commemorate something in their year. I thought that when they married and moved away they would have a nice start for their Christmas trees to take with them.

However, the girls didn't want to take their family ornaments. They wanted them to still hang on the family Christmas tree. Each child, son-in-love and grandchild still get a new ornament every year...hence the need for a bigger Christmas tree soon! (That is at least 11 new ornaments a year, y'all!)

As Derrick was helping Meagan hang ornaments, he commented to the date on one of the ornaments and how long ago that was. It got me to thinking about the oldest ornament on the tree...

1981: Mine and Jim's first Christmas as man and wife

I had never put up a theme tree...or so I thought. But the more I think about it, ours is a history tree. A history of the Goode Family. Of the Texas branch at least!

Derrick, Davin and Meagan...

and Meagan's first Christmas baby doll ornament. A gift from my Aunt Kathy and Uncle Bobby the year she was born. (She was the first great grandchild on the Jenkins side and a little bit spoiled!)

Kelli and Brooke (Maddux would not sit still for the pictures)...

and Kelli's ornament from the year that Matt proposed.

Bri, Josh and Blue (the only baby she says she will ever have! We will see about that.)...

and their picture from two Christmases ago. Unfortunately, a lot of Bri's ornaments were lost when we moved from Alief. But, since Kelli did find my china this past summer, I am still holding out hope for Bri's lost ornaments!
Bohemian Brian...
and his ornament from the year he got his dirt bike.
Will...
and his ornament to commemorate his 7-point buck a few years back. (The horse beside it is Bri's from when she thought she wanted a horse. I told y'all my tree was packed with ornaments!)

I hope your holidays are filled with wonderful memories and traditions that bring your family together at this blessed time of year!

This was originally supposed to be posted a few days after the first...so please forgive any repeats. I was so busy these past few weeks that I never got around to finishing it. So, here you go. Two posts in one day about the same thing. I just didn't want to move pictures around!