Christmas Day 2010

After Christmas morning at home, we headed over to my sister's house in Pearland. For the past few years, we've all been meeting up at my aunt and uncle's house in League City. However, since this was our first Christmas without Josh, we decided it would be better not to do exactly what we've been doing b/c it would just remind us of his absence even more. Maybe that sounds silly, but I think it was good for us. We even changed it up with the food and had Mexican food. There were tears but also laughter. I think we all tried to enjoy our time together just as Josh would want us to do. It helps that there are three kids in the family, too...they keep things light-hearted. We all missed Josh so much, though. This was our first Christmas without him in 24 years. Even when he was in the Army, he made it home for Christmas...even the year he was deployed to Iraq - he had his R&R over Christmas and was home with us that year. Life is just not the same without him.

We told my family about our pregnancy the same way we told Rhett's family. I was convinced that my family would catch on right away, but I was wrong! Jackie was the first to notice Caleb's "big brother" shirt but it probably took 5 or more minutes before she noticed...even though Caleb was right in the center of everyone! My family is excited about our addition and it will be fun to add another cousin to my side of the family.

Anyway, here are some pictures from our day. Somehow, I missed getting a pictures of Kyle, Jackie, and Bill but they were there!

There is a story behind this gift (a book about Tom Landry and a VHS transferred to DVD of the Dallas Cowboys' 1987 Christmas Special). Somehow my family found out that Rhett did not know who Tom Landry was when we were together at Thanksgiving. This almost got him disowned, LOL. (my family was crazy about the Cowboys back when Landry was the coach...we watched that Christmas special every year after we got it, LOL). Anyway, they all gave him this book and DVD so he can get to know Tom Landry and the Cowboys a little better! We watched the DVD and remembered many of the lyrics still after all these years!

I got a new camera lens for Christmas, so Luke modeled for me a little. (it is a 50mm f/1.4 which results in the blurred out background)

And this is the ornament I bought to hang on our tree in memory of Josh...