12 days well spent :)

This year I decided to do the "12 Days of Christmas Movies". I started the weekend after Thanksgiving and would watch a movie a day as often as I could. I actually talked Mark into watching a few with me, but flew solo on most viewings. I ended the 12 movies on Dec. 23rd with Mark and my favorite Christmas movie of all time - A Christmas Story!

P.S. This post is dedicated to my movie-loving brother-in-law, Aaron!

Merry Christmas!

Merry Christmas to all! We enjoyed an actual WHITE Christmas! Starting yesterday morning, it snowed. It took about half of the day before it started to stick. By last night, the sidewalks and streets were even covered in snow. This morning, it was still cold enough for us to wake up to a white Christmas. It is starting to melt now, but I will take what I can get!

Our house Christmas morning

My in-laws house Christmas Eve

Family photo session

This past weekend my family took professional pictures together. We were on location at the capitol building in Austin. The one with Mark and me in a gazeebo is extra special to us because that the spot where Mark proposed to me! Check out the slideshow!

http://cozyimpressionsphotography.com/Epperson/

Sweet baby girl

One of my best friends, Joy, and her husband, Kevin, just had a sweet baby girl. Reagan was born on Dec. 11th. Mark and I had the chance to visit them this past weekend when we were celebrating an early Christmas with my family. Reagan is an absolute doll! She was so sweet to hold and made me even more excited for the arrival of our little one. Congrats Joy and Kevin!

The rejected ones . . .

Every year we get the most beautiful Christmas cards from our friends and family. We also send out a card. For the past few years, we have borrowed Mark's parents nice camera and tripod. Of course, I always want to pick the best picture to send out. However, it is the ones that we did not pick that really show our true personality and make me laugh. Here are a few of the "rejected ones" this year.

Mark testing the shot and me . . . well I'm not really sure what I'm doing.

Our attempts to include Oreo in the family photo.

Dear Mrs. Fowler,

Last week my class went to our regular library time. We were about to do a project where the kids had to take a digital photograph, load it into Word, and print it on the computer. Another class was finishing up and gluing their pictures to their projects. My class was trying to listen to the instructions from the librarian, but the other class kept talking. When I got back to my room, I found a stack of letters on my desk. The teacher of the other class made every kid write me an apology letter for being so loud and disrespectful. I wanted to share some of them b/c they are hysterical. I will type them with the spelling/grammar mistakes, b/c they are better that way!

Dear Mrs. Fowler,
I'm sorry for yelling why your class was doing a lesson. And i am also sorry for you having to come over to use and say stop three loud times.

Dear Mrs. Fowler
I am sorry that we were not being quiet I am very sorry & I shouln't have treated you like that you teach us for IC & we do really fun expiraments & activities I promice that I will never do again & it's not fair you class does nout get to do the activity too your really a great teacher I'm glad your my tutering teacher.

:)

Merry Christmas to Us

This year for Christmas Mark and I decided that our gift to each other would be to go to the Big 12 Championship game to watch Texas play Nebraska. In the very last second of the game (literally) we got a VERY Merry Christmas! If you didn't watch this game, my friends, you missed an incredible one. It was the kind of game where you go through every human emotion in a matter of mere minutes. Crazy! As a huge fan, this is the kind of game you live for. There is nothing like a game that comes down to the wire when your team is the one that pulls it off! It actually made me think of the Rose Bowl game we went to on Jan. 1, 2005 when we beat Michigan by a field goal in the last seconds of the game. What a high! However, I must say that from a football standpoint, the amount of turnovers, mess-ups, lost chances, and bad officiating was ridiculous. I'm not so sure Charlotte enjoyed the whole experience. It was loud, exhilarating, and exhausting all in one. During the last minute and a half of the game my heart was beating at a very unhealthy rate. She was kicking away! I am SO glad I got to experience that game with my wonderful husband and I look forward to many more Longhorn games in the future! Merry Christmas Mark!

Outside the new Cowboys stadium

Our view of the field (we were in the top section!)

Love the Longhorn band!

My maternity Longhorn shirt

Before the game started - we didn't know what we were in for

Big 12 Champions!

Smiles of happiness and relief

I can't help myself!

I LOVE Christmas! I know that sounds very cliche because most people say that. But, I really do! I just love everything about Christmas. Here is a list of some of the things I love:

- putting up our Christmas decorations
- buying new decorations
- going to stores and seeing them filled with decorations
- putting up the tree and remembering the ornaments and where they came from. Some are so very special because they represent certain points and memories in our lives.
- turning on my Christmas tree each night after I get home from work
- saying "Merry Christmas" or "Happy Holidays"
- all the Christmas music
- buying gifts for other people that I can't wait to give them
- making yummy Christmas sugar cookies
- all of the delicious homemade candy my mom makes
- visiting family - we really treasure time with Mark's brother and his family because we don't get to see them very often
- playing with my nieces and nephews
- playing Wii games with Mark's family
- opening a new ornament each year with my family
- Christmas movies
- driving around and looking at Christmas lights on houses
- the way my brother-in-law, Aaron, hugs each gift giver after he opens each gift
- that my mother-in-law, Nancy, puts on a Santa hat when we start opening gifts
- that fact that my family exclaims after each gift we open, and that I still do that when I am with Mark's family and they think it is funny
- wearing red or green on Christmas day. I have even got Mark to start following this tradition!
- the fact that someone (usually 3-4 people) will receive burnt orange Longhorn items as gifts in my family each year
- the fact that most people are in a happy and giving mood!

I could go on and on, but that would take forever! Here are some pictures of Mark and I decorating.

While we were at my parents' house for Thanksgiving, we helped put up the Christmas tree. Here was what Mark would prefer to do!

Mom and Jessica hanging ornaments

Skylyn is having a great time!

Unpacking Hallmark ornaments from their boxes

Putting together this tree is a whole family affair

Uncle Jeremy keeping Skylyn occupied

We are having a . . .

GIRL! We went to the doctor today and found out we will be having sweet baby girl. Her name is Charlotte Ruth. We are so very excited! I am particularly excited about all of the dresses, bows, and plethora of pink in my future! However, the best part is that she seems to be very healthy and growing strong! She is currently around 11 oz. and 7.9 inches long. During the sonogram it was so amazing to see her moving around. She had her feet above her head like she was folded in half. We also go to see her open her mouth two times and swallow. It was so amazing to see the miracle that God is creating inside me.

This was what the sonograher drew at the beginning of the appointment. You can see it better if you click on it, but it is a bow ontop of her head. That was how we found out she is a girl. You can see her leg above her head.

In this picture, she is sucking on her hand. You can see her profile really well with her nose, chin, and her little ear. You can also see her foot sticking out up there at the top with her little toes.

Cast your vote!

We find out THIS Friday what we are having! Do you think it is a boy or a girl? Vote on the poll on the right side of the page.

SO annoying

Every once in a while this type of conversation will come up in the teacher's lounge, and I just find it to be very irritating. Here is how it went today:

Coworker: Life expectancies used to be shorter, so when you got married you didn't have to stay together as long. These days you sometimes have to stick it out for 40-50 years. Who wants to do that?

Me: I do.

Coworker: Well, you may plan on doing it, but you never really know what is going to happen.

Me: I still want to.

Coworker: You just never know.

Me: I know that I want to stay together and I am very happy.

Coworker: Good for you.

Me: Thank you.

I am not saying this to in anyway judge those who have been divorced. It is not my place. Everyone has their own stories, lives, and trials. It just drives me crazy when other people try to tell me how my life is going to turn out!

My growing stomach

My sister asked me for a belly shot, so I thought I would just go ahead and post it on my blog. This week my stomach really started to bulge and I actually look pregnant, not just a little pudgy. Although I know there will come a day when I want my belly to just stop growing, I am taking the time to really enjoy being excited about my pregnant belly at the moment.

8 weeks

15 weeks

17 1/2 weeks (to be precise!)

baby movements

Yesterday afternoon I laid down to take a nap and I felt the baby move for the first time! At first I thought, "Was that really the baby?" Then I felt it two more times and was convinced! It was so amazing to feel the first little flutters of our precious baby's movements. It is still hard to grasp the idea that I have an actual baby growing inside me. God works on wonderful ways! Today at school, while I was teaching, I could feel the baby move sporadically throughout the day. On the way home in the car, I coughed and then felt two quick movements like the baby was saying "Stop that, Mom!" What a wonder!

Halloween Party 2009

On Halloween, we had our annual small group costume party. We had a small crowd this year, but we still have a GREAT time! It is always so fun to see the costume people come up with!

Here were some Longhorn cookies I made. No, they aren't "Halloween" themed, but they are orange and the Longhorns football team is scary good this year!

Spider rolls that Alli made

The Chamblees as "The Flinestones"

Bam-Bam and Pebbles

I have a "bun in the oven" and Mark is the chef

Closer look at the oven

Garrett and Amy are the people on the Snuggie commercial

I don't know why this is sideways, but Mallory was enjoying Mark's apron.

Jake playing with the oven. He kept opening the door and giggling :)

Happy Halloween, everyone!