A Very Merry Christmas

We had a great time this year here in Dallas for Christmas. After living here for 3 years, this was our first time to host Christmas at our house. My mom, dad, and youngest sister Katie came to Dallas and were here for about 5 days. It was so nice having them here for so long. Christmas afternoon we went to see Four Christmases. It was pretty funny! We had fun catching up and hearing about Katie's upcoming trip to Brazil after graduating from UT in May. Sounds like it will be a great time!! Mom, Katie, and I got all of Lauren Margaret's clothes washed and organized while they were here as well. She's got enough clothes for ten little girls...we are really going to have fun playing dress up each day! We put the final touches on the nursery, so now I just need to get my bag packed for the hospital and the car seat in the car. I think we're in pretty good shape. I'm still feeling great and have truly enjoyed being pregnant! I know being a mom will be even more wonderful, but I sure have enjoyed the last 9 months!! I know that sounds crazy to some of you, but I really have loved it! I've felt great and have just been so excited about each new week...reading about how Lauren Margaret's growing and what she's up to, etc. It's just such a blessing...why not enjoy every moment, right? What a true gift from God.

Last week Dad was able to go out to Poly-America, Brandon's company, to tour the property and operations. He was very impressed with how big of an operation it is out there...he even got to go into the big factory where the products are made...just like on that show "How It's Made." I'm glad they had that special time together!

Well, Christmas seemed to come and go like it always does, but we have some wonderful memories to cherish! I think this year more than ever we were reminded of the many blessings God has bestowed upon us and our families. We look forward to the new year and the plans He has for our lives. Merry, Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

We had our big dinner Christmas Eve. Here is what happened to Brandon after his 1st sip of wine...had a little spill. We just thought it was so funny because you would think he would have had the whole bottle with a shirt that ended up looking like this but it really happened on the first sip. So funny...he was our "Cousin Eddy" of the night! We made him keep the shirt on because it was just so funny! The meal was so wonderful and I had fun cooking and preparing it with mom this year :)
Our first Christmas table
Here are the guys watching something on t.v....probably something on the History Channel...their favorite channel!

The Chefs (mom and I and Lauren Margaret at 36 weeks old :) )

Mom with her grand dogs, Lucy and GiGi. They were just waiting for something to drop! Can you tell??

Laura, Carrie, and Andrew

On Sunday, The Lee's drove down from Tulsa to celebrate Christmas with us. Jim, Brandon, Grandmother, and Adrian are pictured above.

Brandon with his twin sisters, Carrie and Adrian

Snow in the desert?

Here are a few pictures Brandon took in Vegas yesterday...something is just wrong with this picture. I mean, snow on palm trees....trying to wrap my brain around this one!!

tick, tock, tick, tock....and Vegas Baby!

Where does the time go? I had my 35 week checkup yesterday and things are progressing. Apparently she is descending some, so we might just have this baby girl before her due date on January 20th. However, Dr. Nokleberg still thinks she will come closer to her due date. I start going for a check up each week, so we'll be keeping a close eye on things. Either way, we are so excited we can hardly stand it! We are finishing up the last few touches on her nursery...pictures to come...to all of you who have asked!

Brandon left this morning on his company's jet to Henderson, Nevada where they have one of their plants. He was so excited to go and tour the facility there and attend a hearing. He will get to meet the attorney who has been handling this case for them out there as well. He is staying in Vegas through the weekend...I joked that this was his "Daddy Moon"...ha, ha, ha! I would have loved to go with him but it's a little to close to LM's due date to be traveling. I'm excited he's getting to go...and on a private JET...well...fancy, fancy...am I jealous or what? Have fun, Daddy! Lucy, Gi Gi, and I will hold down the fort while you're gone! Win big!!

Sooner Babies

On Saturday, seven of Brandon's fraternity brothers/wives hosted a baby shower for us and The Underwoods. It was a double baby shower which was a lot of fun. We are both having girls...we are due in January and the Underwoods are due in February. During the shower you know the Heisman award ceremony was on the big screen! It was fun because OU's Sam Bradford won this year's award...so you can imagine the loud cheers when his name was announced. Above are Rob Cunningham (Carolina, his wife, was taking the picture), Matt Allen, us, Allison and Geoffry Underwood, and Ted and Rikki Downing (and baby girl Downing on the way). The cute baby Ted is holding is Cooper Cunningham (3 months old). Host/hostesses not pictured were Will Johnson, Mike and Libby Elder, Matt and Ashley Polluck, and Bryson and Ilena Varner.
Mae, Allison U., me, Amanda, Allison W., Carolina, Rikki, Sterling, and Whitney
Travis, Geoffry, Rob, Mallen, Brandon, Wade, Ted, Bryan


Ted and Mallen, a.k.a The Chipmunks

Another Baylor Baby on Board!

In November some Baylor friends hosted a baby shower for Kim Carver Winkler in Houston. Kim and Shawn Winkler are expecting their first baby girl in February. Maybe Lauren and Baby Winkler will be roommates and Kappas at Baylor one day like their mommies?? Pictured above are Courtney Crowell, Kim Winkler, Emily Cameron, Kristin Miers

Backtracking to Fall...

Here we are at the Baylor vs. A&M game. We met up with Amanda and Robyn at the George's Tent. We enjoyed watching the Bears destroy the Aggies this year!
Brandon and Bryan at the George's Tent. I tell you, I love my husband...he is a always cheering The Bears on...when they are not playing OU, of course :) He was cheering louder than the Baylor grads sitting around us at the game. Love you, B!

Aikin Elementary Shower

Sunday afternoon my Aikin Elementary friends (school where I taught here in Dallas) hosted a baby shower at Lauri Griffith's house. It was so great to catch up with my teacher friends and hear how things were going at school. Can't wait to introduce Lauren Margaret to all these great teachers :) Top row: Kathy McAlister, Sarah Sanders, Linda Pearce, Lura Raney, me, Courtney Faris. Bottom row: Meredith Luebbehuesen, Lauri Griffith, Sara Fox, and Helen Schultz. Maybe one of them will be her teacher one day - she'd be lucky to have any of them!!

Happy December!

Christmas has exploded at our house. Tree - check, stockings hung - check, wreaths/lights up - check, empty Christmas decoration boxes still laying around everywhere...CHECK! We're really excited this year as we will be celebrating Christmas at our home for the first time with The Todd's (my side of the fam). The Lee's will also join us a few days after Christmas at our house so we'll eventually have the whole crew here! It should be a lot of fun...

Thanksgiving Fun

We had a great trip to Tulsa for Thanksgiving. All The Lee siblings were there...Adrian was in from Virginia and Carrie and her boyfriend Andrew were in from Boulder, Colorado. It was great having everyone together! My mother in law, was even able to get us all into the hospital where she practices for another sono...that was fun to see Lauren Margaret again so close to her arrival. Here we are making gingerbread houses (a Todd family tradition) the day after Thanksgiving.

Brandon enjoyed a few days off of work and had plenty of time to play Guitar Hero (his new favorite past time). We were able to meet Chris and Abby Kern's new little boy, Marcus, while we were in town and also went over to Mike and Libby Elder's to watch the OU/OSU game. Brandon and I always enjoy seeing his friends back in Tulsa.

Here's what Lucy did the whole trip...slept on the couch...literally the WHOLE trip! Rough life, eh? Lucy seriously thinks she is human :)

Gi Gi, our dog that actually likes playing outside like a normal dog, enjoyed playing outside in the big back yard with the other 5 dogs that were there (6 dogs in all for the entire week/weekend...good thing they have a big back yard and plenty of room for everyone inside). It was a bit like a dog park the entire time but they all get along so well which was fun!

So, that's our Thanksgiving in a nutshell...onward towards Christmas! Happy Holidays everyone!!

A friend who will always be remembered...

I just received word on Tuesday that one of my favorite residents where I volunteer passed away. This was a 53 year old woman who lived in the nursing home for a number of years due to some health issues. She lived her last few years in a small room with minimal possessions but seemed so content with her life. She loved getting her nails painted each week, playing bingo with us, and enjoyed coming to all of our parties. As sad as I am to know she will no longer be sitting at the end of the long table ("Shirley's spot") when I go to visit, I have to remind myself of all the other residents who will be eagerly awaiting my arrival each week and how much the visits mean to them. Shirley touched my life, and I would like to think I touched hers in some small way...even if it was only for a few hours each week. I am reminded of how rewarding it is to help others in need...others who might be lonely...sometimes it's easy to forget the importance of this when life gets busy, but Shirley has reminded me why I take the time to do it and why I will continue to do it! I encourage you to find a need in the world and fill it in your own way - it will be one of the more rewarding things you could ever do. As we approach the holidays what a perfect time to think of how we can help someone else in need...not with money but with our hearts...make it one of your new year's resolutions...you won't be sorry!

Pink, pink, and more pink...

This weekend was so much fun! Good friends hosted a shower for baby Lee and mommy at Missy Smith Rosenkranz's house. It was beautiful and meant so much to me to have so many special friends and family there! Pictured above are Allison Watson Williams, Amanda Horner, Amanda Catlin, me, Kimberly Slade with James, Missy Smith Rosenkranz, and Jaclyn Guthrie Weidenbach.

Pictured above are Grandmother Georgia, Aunt Shirley, Aunt Gail, mom, me, Laura, Aunt Katie, Grandma Betty, and KK. It was so special to have all these special women there. Two of LM's grandmothers, 2 great grandmothers, and 5 great aunts all in this picture and in one place - so fun. She will be surrounded by love :)
Mom, Anne and Daddy Smilie, me, and Brandon at the end of the baby shower. Thanks to Daddy (Brandon) and Daddy Jim for helping get all the presents home and put together :)

Sarah and Trent Get Married!

This past weekend, my sister Sarah got married! It was a wonderful weekend and beautiful wedding. Sarah was such a beautiful bride and is so happy. I was able to spend the whole week before her wedding with her in Houston. It was so much fun being a part of it all! I enjoyed being her matron of honor...7 months pregnant and all! I posted a slideshow of some of the pictures that we took (see right). Also, click here to see their wedding announcement in the paper.
Congratulations Aunt Sissy and Uncle T! We have a few new pics from the photographer. Click here for a sneak peak!

Showered With Love In H-Town

This weekend my sisters and my best friends from Baylor and Houston had a baby shower for "us" in Houston at Sugarbaby's. It was so much fun and a perfect place for a baby girl's shower...everything was pink, including the cupcakes! Pictured above are Sarah Todd, Courtney Crowell, Kim Carver Winkler, myself, Emily Cameron Marcom, Christi Conway Daigle, and Katie Todd. What a perfect morning :) See the slideshow to the right for more pics!

The Pumpkin Patch

This is Kimberly Slade, James Slade, and I at the Dallas Arboretum at Saturday's Junior League event. It was a beautiful Fall day and we had a great time looking at all the pumpkins and Fall flowers! What fun :)

Lee's 4th Annual OU/TEXAS Party

My attempt at making the house look "festive" for the party!
Well, things didn't turn out quite like the Sooners had expected at the game, but we still had a great time after the game eating bbq and visiting at the house. We had another great group of friends over and even some little Longhorns and Sooners running around. Next year we might be needing some babysitters at the party as there are many of us expecting this year. Should be a fun time next year...can't wait!


One of the Longhorn fans, Dylan Rosenkranz! Check out the big smile on his face...I think he was happy the 'Horns won!






























And the newest Sooner fan, Cooper Cunningham. Cooper decided to sleep through the party as he was so sad the Sooners lost! He did wake up long enough to check out Lauren Margaret's room...I think he approves :)
Jim and The Bakers

Ilena Varner and
Carolina Cunningham

Marcela, Amanda, Hollie, and Robyn taking "a break" from the day's festivities :)

Brandon, Tara, and Jody on the deck enjoying the great Fall weather!

Boomer Sooner!

Well, it's 8:30 am and the fun is already begun for the Sooner fans...Even Lucy and Gi Gi are up and ready for the Sooner's to beat those 'Horns!














The breakfast of champions....breakfast for OU Betas :)

The group on their way to the big game!

Good friends come to visit...

One of my dearest childhood friends Kathy Patten Altenbaugh and her little girl Elizabeth came to spend the night with us. Kathy and Elizabeth were shocked to see all the OU decor out for tomorrow's party....pretty funny as they are UT fans!


Kathy and Elizabeth, "The Little Longhorn"

Daddy's Little Girl

She's already got him wrapped around her little finger :)
What a sweet, sweet daddy he will be!

30 + 2 Birthday

Here are some good friends on my bday this year...Brian and Jaclyn Weidenbach (and their new baby girl, Lily), Marcela Devlin, me, and Brandon

Marcela, me, Brandon, Amanda Horner, Allison and Brian Williams