Merry Christmas!

We enjoyed many holiday preparations here in Little Rock. Then we drove to Texas for four days, where we saw real snow on Christmas Eve which stuck around for Christmas morning. At church, the priest mentioned that in his 77 Christmases in DFW, this was the first one that brought snow on the ground Christmas morning! Poor Bella had a stomach bug on the day we drove down there and Christmas Eve, so she was still a bit under-the-weather on Christmas but recovered that weekend before we returned home. Afterwards, we had another mini-Christmas back in Little Rock with Michael's parents and sister.


Gabi cutting gingerbread cookies


Tito and Tita in town for Thanksgiving


Bella posing under the Christmas tree


Bella declared naptime


Gabi after riding a horse-drawn carriage at school


The girls' gingerbread house


Gabi coloring a new "mural" (giant picture)


Snow in Texas on Christmas Eve


Bella playing with a new puppet


The girls giving a gift to Gramma Jane and Grampa


Gabi pouting


My husband :)


Bella opening a present on Christmas Eve


Uncle Scott


Aunt Alicia and Uncle Stephen with the girls in their new pajamas


Gabi crossing off Christmas Eve on her calendar
(just one last link in her chain-link count-down to Christmas!)


Bella and Mommy on Christmas morning


Bella opening her stocking


Playing with Uncle Brian's iphone


Gabi's new pattern blocks


Bella rocking her new doll, Hannah


Bella's new sewing cards


Real baby Hannah (a cousin) with Amy and Uncle Scott


Gabi telling a story


Gabi opening a present back in Little Rock


Mommy and her girls


Gabi taking a picture with her new camera

Notre Dame

We took the girls to Notre Dame to visit the campus for Michael's Glee Club Reunion weekend. We enjoyed gorgeous weather, although we were overdressed (having expected colder). Ever since we've returned, the girls (especially Bella) love to point out "the Dome" whenever we pass the AR state capitol or Capitol Bank.


Happy Bella at the airport on our way to ND


These are our girls:
Gabi tends to pout, but Bella loves to smile!


Riding in an airport sleigh


Girls on the new Irish Green


Tying a ribbon on the new "cancer tree"


Gabi near ND Ave.


Bella, with a view down God Quad


Gabi and Mommy on God Quad


Glee Clubers singing at ND in Revue on the Irish Green


The girls with Daddy after ND in Revue
Much thanks to our hosts, Tom and Kirstin, for watching the girls during the game! Bella needed a nap, and although Gabi was disappointed that she didn't get to watch the game, I think she probably preferred picking green tomatoes while Kirstin worked in the garden.


Girls walking on South Quad


Daddy and Gabi with the Basilica in the background


Looking at the ducks on St. Mary's Lake


Praying at the Grotto


Bella in front of the Dome


Gabi in front of the Dome


Gabi and Bella wearing new Notre Dame dresses

Autumn Travels

We've been out-of-town often this Fall. I spent Labor Day in Houston before our family trip to Disney World. We all traveled to Texas in October so Michael could take an exam for work, and then Gramma Jane watched the girls so I could accompany Michael to DC for a work convention. We watched an Irish victory in San Antonio on Halloween while the girls trick-or-treated with cousins in Dallas, and finally we took a family trip to see the Notre Dame campus. During my recent travels, I was able to meet up with many old friends, some of whom I hadn't seen in many years.

Houston, TX

Melissa and George in the Orion mock-up in the NASA high-bay
Arlington, TX

Grampa reading the girls a bedtime story


Gabi says, "Hey! Grampa, you're being silly!"


Gramma Jane helped Gabi find caterpillars in the garden


Uncle Brian and Bella check out a caterpillar


Bella being shy


Uncle Brian with his nieces


Allison, my friend since we both moved to Arlington at age 3 (almost 4)
Washington, DC

Jenny, Melissa, and Lisa


Michael and Stephen, old college roommates


Amy, my friend from junior high


Abbey, my best friend and neighbor from elementary school
San Antonio, TX

Melissa, Christina, and Evan


Christina and Evan


Cousin Leah's family


Leah, Melissa, and little Patrick


Little Patrick and Melissa


Old friends from fifth and sixth grades


At Stephanie's house


Hugo, a fellow computer science major from Notre Dame


Notre Dame friends: Cynthia (and Jacob), George, Michael, and Cathy


The ND band made a space shuttle blast across the field to land on the moon


Deep in the heart of Texas


Old college roommate pose


Visiting before heading back home
Dallas, TX

My cousin Mark and one of his twin girls (Lily, I think)


The other twin (Hannah, I think) with Uncle Patrick and Aunt Ashley


My cousins (and Hannah and Lily's two godmothers), Anda and Ashley


Ashley's son Joseph peeking at his cousin
Notre Dame, IN
The following weekend, Michael and I took the girls up to Notre Dame. I'll save those pictures for the next post.