Christmas and Goliath 2015...

Christmas 2015 was one for the books...  Ice and all....

 Christmas was just exhausting...

 And we were off...  the 6 hour drive to San Antonio on Christmas Eve morning.

 Somebody was elated to see his Dede...  (Which is coming out more like "Dodo".)  We are still working on it, but it looks like Ledger could have a 'Bob' and a 'Dodo' as grandmothers.  Now that's comical!

Ledger was more into the big, pink exercise ball than anything at first!  Who would have known?

 Nothing says "Merry Merry" like a Walmart on Christmas Eve in San Antonio with no make-up and in sweats!  It was definitely a sight, let me tell you!

My very own Radio Flyer!  YES!!!

Too much fun with Dede....  Spoiled rotten!

This is awesome...

 

Nothing like scaring Dede and Grandma with a little air time!

 Does anyone see the similarities in all three pictures?  TOTALLY EMBARRASSING...  But yes, Ledger loves to use this finger when talking, pointing and posing for pictures.  Seriously?  Brad and I laugh that we are most definitely going to get called in when L goes to kindergarten - like the first week.

 "Mr. and Mrs. Wainscott, we need to talk about Ledger and his 'special' finger he always uses in conversations with his peers and during classroom instruction...." 

Talk about an awkward situation.  Total anxiety just thinking about it!

What..... I only get a plastic cat Mom?

No one can interrupt when Pat and Vanna are on.  

And then, we had to cut our San Antonio trip short because of good old' Goliath!  Brad and I had a fun, kid-free 24 hours planned on the River Walk Saturday day/night that we were looking OH SO FORWARD to.  I might have shed tears when I looked at the weather...  I just wanted 8 hours of uninterrupted sleep without looking at a flipping monitor every hour...  But thanks to Goliath, we headed back to the LBK and I put my big girl panties on.

 Goodbyes are never easy!  Ledger loves his Dede and Grandma...  (And Grandpa Jerry who was paying the bill!:)

And someone was supposed to be sleeping...  10 minutes into his 'nap' I turn around and see that sweet, smiling face.  Can't get mad at that:)

And then after being iced in for three days, our good friends, the Herrings, saved the day!  Brad's truck was stuck and obviously we needed some help.  I don't even know if we own a shovel, but if we do, it is packed away tightly in the lovely storage building miles away.  Thanks guys!

Even the cows were able to get out! 

We are going on Day 4 and it still is an icy mess on most streets.

But we made it out; Mexican food and the grocery store!

 Someone couldn't be more thrilled with getting strapped into his car seat. 

 

 Well, there are just no words about last night's game...  IT was ugly.  Real ugly.  We might not of won the game, but we do have the hotter coach.  That has to count for something, right?!

Missing that LA humidity about now.  Icemageddon must come to an end soon...  

It just has to. 

Love,

~H

 

One Month...

Well, we have been in Texas for one month.  It has been so great to be "home", if only we could find a home...  Not the most 'fun' process that I have ever been through, but I am hoping it will happen sooner than later.

Because....  IF I have to hear our lovely upstairs neighbor's music at 2:00 am any longer, I seriously may lose it.  I am not even kidding.  I love some hip hop, but not at 2:17 am anymore.  Those days have long come and gone.  And I swear they walk around dropping 10 lb. bowling balls throughout the daytime hours.  Maybe I should just let Ledger cry it out when he wakes at 1:45 nightly and disturb their party?  That will show them.  But then they would probably turn up their music louder and louder.  No win situation!  Hopefully not much longer of this nighttime insanity...

But nothing like being home and close to family and friends...

My Favorite Things Christmas Party...

 Nothing like a good, competitive game of Head's Up!  This is the losing team:)  Just kidding.  But I am pretty sure my team won!

 I think Target may know us by name...

Shopping with Bob is funny...

Loving this warm weather.  At least for today. 

 And celebrating Hodges Christmas early with a trolley ride and the Fantasy of Lights...

Fun times...

 Some of the crazies...

Wrestling is always guaranteed to happen.

Gift time...  Minus Ledger and Maren.  They slept through the whole celebration.

The highlight of the weekend was watching this little stud win his basketball game.  Way to go Knox!

My future basketball star!  He was MESMERIZED during the game.  Didn't move at all....   

 Trying to get an 11 month old picture is a complete beat down...  "Still" is not in a nearly one year old's vocab, that's for sure!

Here is one Santa pic from this year.  Or as I like to call him, "Gansta Santa".  No tears at all with this non-Santa.  (I don't think you can even call him a Santa.  Seriously.  A tad oogie.)

Let's have a re-do!

Now a real, look-a-like Santa.  Complete with gloves, a gray beard and eyebrows, age appropriate, and super sweet.

Not good at all folks.

Then, all hell broke loose... :)

MERRY CHRISTMAS! 

If anyone needs a hip-hop fix at 2:32 am, come on over!

Love,

~H

 

 

 

Thanksgiving 2015...

Well, I am still full from Thanksgiving.  Oh LORDIE... The amount of food I consumed was nothing short of disgusting.  But it was sure delicious!  The rolls, pancakes, fudge, Nothing Bundt red velvet cake, and the most delicious white almond flavored cake from a random bakery I have no idea where.  You totally get the point!  All CARBS...

This cake was TO DIE FOR...

 
It was so great being in Texas for our first holiday as a family of three.  There was no expensive flight to Texas from New Orleans with a 10 month old to be had, so that made me extremely happy.  There were no tears after the four day holiday concluded as we headed the hour and twenty minutes home!  NOW, THAT was nice!  I always dreaded the heaving, snot slinging, ugly cry when leaving the whole fam on that last day, on the way to the airport.  Not pretty what-so-ever.  Glad those days are over for now!

Our Thanksgiving this year was all about the kids.  Not the big kids as in the adults, but all 6 of the Hodges-Wainscott kids.  We went from 3 to 6 littles in less than a year.  WOW.  

It was loud, extremely busy, enough corralling to make you want to poke your eye out at times, and a smidge chaotic, but it couldn't of been a better 4 days! Nothing like being with family and seeing the ALL the love the cousins had for each other.

 HUGS for everyone...  They were all elated to see each other.

My favorite three boys!  Ledger adores his big cousins...

 Knox has the sweetest heart and he just loved and loved on L.  The feeling was completely mutual.  

So much laughter in the house over the holiday.  Little babes' laughter may just be the best thing ever I have discovered since having my own baby...

Marlowe hamming it up for the camera.

 And again...  

 Knox pretending he was "Bebo" in his chair, reading the big "Hereford Brand", snoring as he slept.  Quite Comical.  Pretty spot on impersonation if I do say so myself.

 Uncle Slade is so funny...

 Horse ride in their pj's...  (I can't imagine why these three were so riled up?!)

 Talk about chill.  Miss Maren was a rock star with all the craziness...

 There was always at least one baby sleeping in a closet...  And the amount of sound machines for the babies was insane.  What would we ever do without them?:)

 We even had a Red Raider show up just in time for kick-off Thursday night!  So serious...

Bob and two of her favorite ladies...

 Bebo and one of his many girlfriends...

Ellis and Ledger - 5 weeks apart.  Already BFF's.  (Ledger, pulling on that ^&*^ ear!)

It's is never a family gathering until Bebo puts someone to work in 30 degree weather...:)

  Thanksgiving day with the second cousins at the kid table in the foyer!  
Now this day, we had 10 kids under the age of 8...  WOWIE!

 Sweet Meme...

And this lady is a "kid whisperer" I tell you.  They LOVED her.  Aunt Betty is amazing.  You can tell she was a kindergarten teacher for 20+ years.  Look at the cute rice krispie turkey legs and pilgrim hats she made for all 10 kids!  If I could afford her, I would move her right in with us!

 And the matriarch of the Hodges Family... Wearing a three year old's headdress!  Never a dull moment.

 And when we woke up Friday morning, this is what we were greeted with.  Far cry from Louisiana!

 Love these people...  

 And this bunch too...

So much to be thankful for and Thanksgiving 2015 was one for the books; full of carbs, a 2 lb. weight gain, little sleep, sweats and no make-up, but most of all love and family!

Love,

~H