Merry Christmas to You

Hello blogger friends!

Well, it is a few weeks after Christmas, but I had to update on our Christmas this year. We have lots of fun memories to share together from this first Christmas break. However, I can't say that while we were packing in 80 degree weather in Houston, I didn't wish we were packing our bags for Cabo... a repeat of Christmas 2009, anyone?? Also, I couldn't help but think back to that trip. That was where Rob and I had our very first conversation about getting married. :) Let's go back!!

Maybe next year :)

With this Christmas being our first one at home without Dad, I was a little uneasy when I would think about how it would go. I definitely had shed a few tears leading up to our break just thinking about how different it would be. He added so much to our holidays, especially Christmas. I have many, many fond memories of catching him staying up at all hours of the night putting together toys, making every detail perfect for his kids. All of his traditions, his joy... Christmas was just a blast with Dad. Miss you much Pops.

However, I must say, whenever it started to sting a little, I couldn't help but remember each and every time we could feel the Lord guiding us and walking us through each and every stage of this difficult situation. I knew this would be no different. And I was right :)

Besides the "first" I just spoke about, it was also another important first...Rob's and my first Christmas together as husband and wife! I so enjoyed getting to share each and every part of this Christmas break with my honey and his side of our family. The statement is so true that when you marry, your joys are doubled. I cannot imagine spending another holiday without my man and all that he adds to my life.

Because I had two weeks off of school and Rob had to work a semi-normal schedule, I thought I might be bored out of my mind. It was quite the opposite! As soon as I got out of school, it was full steam ahead with Christmas shopping and prep. Man, it was a lot!! Rob was out of town that first weekend, so I got a ton done in those couple of days. As soon as he was back, I got to have a few lunch dates with him...I love those! I think they are so rare and are so few and far between, it makes them a blast. I loved our time together over the break. That was, by far, the BEST thing about the break. We shared a fun date night at one our new favorites, Shade, in the heights right before we left. I will always cherish those nights :)

On Wednesday, we began the tour to see all of our crew. We got to see almost all of our immediate family on both sides, and that was such a blessing. We started out in Boerne to visit Nana and Uncle Jeff. It was great to get to spend some time with them.

The next day, we headed to Kerrville (after stopping at Bumdoodler's of course!) to see my family. Austin and Laura were in from Maryland, and it is always a treat to get to spend time with them. The guys went hunting almost twice every single day, and the girls enjoyed sitting by the fire, shopping, and catching up. Good food, good convo, and some intense game nights...sounds like a normal Maxwell Christmas to me!

Mom and her kiddos.

The...kids.

Us. :)

We stayed there until Sunday morning and then we headed back to Boerne to celebrate Christmas with the Williams and Hemati crew. It was a short trip, but it was wonderful. Our two nieces, Claire and Annalise, were super cute. Christmas is just much more exciting with little ones :) We enjoyed our time with them.

The Williams siblings :)

That afternoon we headed back home to Houston. Even though we had a blast hanging out with our family, it felt wonderful to be back home. Our apartment is super temporary, but it is so incredible that we feel so settled in and cozy in our small place. I absolutely love that our first place is here. Such sweet memories :) Here are some of the decorations we put up for our first Christmas together.

Our first Christmas tree and "hearth" with stockings :) Don't worry, Santa understood.

I had to get us an ornament like this one. I can't wait to decorate our tree in years to come and stop and reminisce!

Another of my favorite ornaments that we put on the tree this year. Rob's parents gave us a few ornaments from their tree. Isn't he the cutest thing?? If we have boys, I hope they look just like their daddy!

And speaking of our little guy...

He practiced lots before Santa came :)

Rob headed back to work that next day. More relaxing, running errands, lunch dates, etc. ensued that next week. It was nice to have such a relaxed schedule. Working out, taking Jonah on walks, keeping up with laundry and cleaning, getting things done that I have been wanting to get done for a long time. I loved it. I decided that if it works out to stay at home when we have kids, I will be more than willing to do so. I'm not pretending that I will have that much time when I have a little one to take care of, but I will definitely volunteer for the job! :)

I headed back to work the following Tuesday. I can't say that I was ready to go back (and complained about it until I got in the car that morning). But as soon as those kiddos came into my room on Wednesday, I was quickly reminded why I am where I am. Even though my job is thoroughly exhausting and lots of work, I know I am meant to do what I do. :)

May your new year bring you and yours lots of wonderful reminders of why God has you where you are.

More to come and lots of love,

So Thankful

Well, it was our first Thanksgiving as husband and wife, and I must say, I'm not sure we're going to be able to top it. :) This one will definitely go down in the books as a favorite.

We started out our break with a lunch date at one of our favorite sushi spots, Redfish. I'm not sure why, but lunch dates are just fun. We never get to have them because we work about an hour away from each other, so it is always a treat.

That night we ran a few errands to prepare for fixing our first Thanksgiving meal together. I know, such a big feat, but we were determined. I've never done anything for the Thanksgiving meal besides dessert and roles, so we had no clue how it would end up.

The next morning, Rob got up at 3:45 a.m. to start the turkey process. He was such a trooper, and it actually turned out really delicious. Huge props to him for that :) The rest of our meal included Martha Stewart's green bean casserole, butternut squash, homemade cranberry sauce, stuffing, maple glazed carrots, turkey gravy, and pecan pie. While we prepared to eat, we watched the Macy's day parade and just enjoyed being together. I will always have such fond memories of that morning. Two newlyweds, pretending they knew what they were doing, but doing it together. :) For two novices, I can say that we would definitely do it again. We really enjoyed it.

Here are a few pics of our meal prep and meal.

Our feast :)

Rob carving the turkey. Such concentration...

The setup...

It was delicious!

Right after we finished our meal, we packed the car and headed to the Texas and Texas A&M game. Price is a junior at Texas, so we had a really great time there. It was pretty chilly, but totally worth it. And a win for the Ags...can't get better than that!!

The fam at the game.

Two of my favorite boys :)

My main man...

That night after the game, rock star Rob drove until 3:00 in the morning straight to his family's ranch in Leakey. I was, of course, no help at all, but he did great. The rest of the weekend, we spent there at the ranch, enjoying our family, eating great food, having great conversation, hiking around the property, and hunting. Here are a few pics from the ranch.

Some of the Williams women on a hike

Jonah in hog heaven...

My two roommates :)

He's so handsome :)

We finished our weekend with shopping in San Antonio and then driving home to Houston. What a fun way to start out all of our Thanksgivings. We had so many blessings to be thankful for, and we were blessed to be able to share them with each other. I understood the statement that weekend that when you marry, your joys are doubled. So true. We're looking forward to spending many more together. :)

More to come!

The Williamses Do Vegas

Hello all! I hope this blog finds you all well. Well, my Christmas break started yesterday, which was much needed. I love my kiddos, but this break came at a clutch time. I even slept until 10:00 a.m. this morning, which never happens. :) Hopefully I'll have some time to update our blog a few times over the break.

At the beginning of November, Rob and I had the wonderful pleasure of visiting some dear friends, the Clements, in Vegas. It was a quick trip, but we packed in as much as we could! We both took off a Friday and flew out early that morning to go meet Chase to see the strip during the day time. Lauren had to do some things at work that day, so Chase gave us a great tour of all the hot spots. We hadn't seen either of them since they moved from Houston in July, so it was so great to see them. I must say, I was not great at taking pics on this trip. But here are a few that I did get.

The boys catching up in front of the Bellagio.

Us. :)

In our favorite hotel, the Wynn. Rob already promised that we could stay here next time. :)

After walking around all day on the strip, we headed to the Clement house to meet Lauren. That night, we made dinner at their beautiful home and then went to the country club in their neighborhood for some fireside drinks and good convo.

That next morning, we ran a few errands, (pedicures for the girls and gambling for the boys) and then all met up for lunch. We headed back to the house to get ready for dinner and a show. We headed into town and grabbed dinner at an incredible restaurant, Olives. Olives is one of Todd English's restaurants, and the food and wine was definitely scrumptious. The restaurant is also located right next to the water show in front of the Bellagio. You couldn't find a better spot in the whole city to watch the show. Here are a few pics from dinner that night.

The four of us.

Love this man!

After our incredible dinner, we saw the Viva Elvis show by Cirque Du Soleil. We were definitely impressed by the stunts and choreography. We loved it!

Unfortunately, my pictures stop there. Not a win for Mallory and her picture taking that weekend. We finished the night with some good dessert and dancing the night away at one of the night clubs there. The boys even won some good dinero at the craps tables. :)

We grabbed brunch the next morning, the boys played a few more rounds at the tables, and then we hopped back on the plane. It was a quick trip, but we had a blast. For two people who didn't think they would enjoy Vegas, we are definitely sold. We'll be back soon!!

More to come!

A Low Grade Fever

Ok, quick, please someone have a baby that we (I) can keep for a night a week or so. Lately in our excursions Rob and I have come across some of the CUTEST kiddos. I'd be lying if I said I didn't have a little bit of a fever. Our friends make some cute babies :)

Our precious niece...

Peek-aboo with Bishop at the Snyders' house...

Welcoming Elizabeth into the world with the Amos crew...

Big smiles with Emma at the Howell household...

Eli Parrish cuddling with Jonah...

And, of course, I have to brag on my precious cousin, Abe...

How could I not???? :)

As of late...

Hello!

Ok, so it looks like once a month now is pushing it...if the trend continues, I'll be lucky to get one in ever! Quick highlight of some of our favorite memories from the past few months...

We've had a busy, but fun-filled few months. The last time I updated, I had just started school and we were getting in the groove of being married. That has definitely been the best part of the past few months...married life is so fun! I still LOVE the fact that I get to go home to Rob every evening after work. I love that he is just "on tap" whenever I want to hang out with him...love it! Because our weeks are filled, weekends are worth gold at the Williams' household. We're having such a blast. :)

Below is a pic of our dinner date the first night we had in our new apartment together. Such fun memories!

School has been a little bit of a difficult transition for me. I have always struggled with getting comfortable somewhere and then resisting change in any area of my life. My job is a great example of that. My school in Katy is wonderful and I have some really great students, I just miss a ton of things about my school in Austin, especially some of the people that I worked with. I know I will get to that level of comfort in my new school, it is just taking a lot longer than I had imagined it would. Below is a picture of some of my team. I'm blessed with my 4th grade peeps :)

This was Courtney's last day at school before she was induced! (The lighting was a little weird.)

These are a few of my sweet students. Rob and I have gone to a few of their games on Saturdays to watch them play. Aren't they cute?!?

In September, we also got to attend an Aggie game, which was a blast. Just being back there at Kyle field brought back so many wonderful memories. A&M played Louisiana Tech, and our friends David and Kristin invited us to go with them. It was a fun game, and we had a blast. Thanks Howells!

Another of our favorite weekends in the past few months has been when Rob and Cindy dunked their Aggie rings. Cindy had just gotten hers and Rob had never dunked his. So we all got together in Aggieland for some good 'ole tradition and good times. Here is a pic that was taken right before they started their endeavor. They did so well!

That same weekend, we woke up the next morning and headed to Dallas for a wedding (yes, we're still getting our usual fix in and loving it!). Ted and Kimberly Jakus had a beautiful wedding and we were glad to get to be there. Congrats you two!

With the anniversary of Dad's passing next week, I have been a little bit weepy lately. It is tough to remember back to where we were last year at this time and the emotions that we were feeling. This morning, Rob and I got the chance to run in the Susan G. Komen Race for the Cure 5K that raises funds for breast cancer research. I thought it might be difficult to see a lot of people that are enduring what we went through last year, but it was just the opposite this morning. It was wonderful to be around people that were survivors and living their lives to the fullest. I loved all of the bright smiles and laughter that were coming from a group of 33,000 people that gathered for a potentially tough and sensitive occasion. I got to meet up with a few of my Stanley co-workers, which was fun. Below are a few pics from this morning.

More to come! :)

Love,