oh, how we love the etter family!

we can thank these two papas for becoming besties years and years and years ago. . .

for nights like this!

for the record: these two were such scrooges about taking pictures tonight.  i am sure they will be very disappointed christmas morning.

sup sup supper club.

have a holly jolly christmas,

it's the best time of the year,

i don't know if there'll be snow,

 but have a cup of cheer,

have a holly jolly christmas and when you walk down the street,

say hello to friends you know and everyone you meet!

supper club was at sam and lucy's this month and yahoo it was fabulous! delicious chili with noodles, a jeffrey "must" from here on out and decadent desserts made all of our bellies so happy! time with sweet friends is always special but it was especially perfect because it's christmas!

p.s. we missed you ryan dunagan.  hope you are feeling better!

headbands are so in!

word on the street is that headbands are on thier way "out" but i just won't stand for it.  so we decided to start our protest with a craft night.  what a success! look for us around town sporting the cutest hair duds you've ever seen!

birthday party!

on wednesday night i got this surprise in the mailbox. inside read that basically i was about to have the birthday of all birthdays.  i could hardly sleep the next three nights and andy was so shut-lip about the whole thing it was making me crazy! andy woke me up my birthday morning to the most beautiful pair of tall brown boots my eyes ever did see and then we headed over to my parents house to embark on a "planned months ahead" perfect birthday weekend in san antonio! here's the wrap-up of the fun!

promise me.  the next time you are in san antonio you will try this place out.  hands down, best cheeseburger i have ever had and everyone agreed.

we were so lucky to eat with a dear family freind who brought me a special birthday treat! just too sweet.

the rest of the afternnon was full of the riverwalk, which i love! then we got all ready for our big birthday night out.  ate yummy mexican food, cracked up at the mariachi's (one of my favorite things ever!) and then. . .

cue drumroll please!

oh. my. word. my parents surprised me with tickets to this fabulous thing! i was speechless! the show was so great.  it was amazing to watch how people make themselves look like REAL animals.  so wild! no pun intended.

the perfect night ended with  my traditional funfetti cake that my mom has made for me every single birthday.  i was fearful that  since we were traveling i wouldn't have one but oh no, never doubt my mom.  she thinks of everything. thanks mom!

thank you sweet friends for all of  the birthday wishes and thank you my dear family for a birthday for the books! here's to next year. . . i'd be fine with paris or maybe italy!

celebrate early? why not!

my husband of the year decided that he wanted to celebrate the birth of his wife early with a sweet dinner and a very sweet surprise on saturday.  my real birthday is this coming saturday, december the 12th and i cannot wait for my big day.  andy caught on to my excitment about a month ago and saw it fitting to do it up big and celebrate two weekends in a row! i think it's just pure genius. 

i had run some errands for new crafts on saturday afternoon and when i returned i found this HUGE box waiting for me.  andy is all about being tricky and sneaky when it comes to surprises so i knew that what was in the box was surely not really that big. needless to say, i couldn't wait to find out!

isn't he the best? i love my new uggs!

birthday countdown: 3 days!

it's a holly jolly christmas.

well these crazies here, along with our hubbies decided to ring in the month of wonderful december in downtown abilene at the annual city sidewalks christmas parade.  poor parade.  it was so cold and wet that not many floats showed up to participate.  don't blame them a bit! but we watched the floats pass by while we dined on our dellicious and rather small proportioned food at cypress street followed by gabbing at the vinson's afterwards.  it was the perfect night to pay welcome to december.  so much good goes on in december, i can hardly sleep at night.  my birthday month, christmas cards, new traditions and treasured old traditions, christmas eve & christmas day, cute sweaters, tall boots, coats, gloves and scarfs. there is not a better month!

the christmas parade is a sweet memory for andy and i. this was our 3rd year in a row to be in attendance.  three years ago we went to dinner and the parade just as friends.  we both left the parade that night wanting to be more than just friends and here we are today! the married jeffrey's! i owe alot to that sweet little parade.

where i left off.

i just never knew how busy a little wife can get until i became one.  i would not trade it.  here's the highlights and lowlights of our first thanksgiving as a married couple: wonderful, yummy food, emotional because my sweet grandpa was rushed to the hospital early wednesday morning, wonderful memories made with our families, a little bit crafty and just perfect having andy at home with me on my days away from kindergarten world.  i can not wait for Christmas break! 

so my a to z's of thankfulness just didn't make it on my to-do list but have no fear.  i'm picking up where i left off and finishing my list with a new twist and a few of my favorite things. . .

h is for hobby lobby.

i is for ice cream.  only cookies and cream.

j is for jcrew!

k is for kickball.

l is for love languages.  i am all 5!

m is for m&m's.  peanut please.

n is for new clothes.

o is for the name olive.  i desperately want to name a baby girl, olive.  andy says no way!

p is for pumpkins.

q is for quick reflexes.  necessary in my classroom.

r is for ready to bake cookies.

s is for soup!

t is for target.  my favorite place on earth.

u is for uggs.  not a warmer boot out there.

v is for very nice manners.

w is for watches.  i love watches.

x is for x-ray vision.  i would love to have this super hero trait.

y is for you!

z is for zippers on the outside of dresses.  such a cute detail.

(this was harder than expected.)