Christmas at the Hendricksons'

We celebrated Christmas a little early when we went to my parents' this past weekend. The Carpenter Crew came in town and we had a wonderful traditional Hendrickson Christmas complete with Christmas PJs. It is Drew's first Christmas so we had to spoil him a bit, and we had to spoil Clayton because he's just so special and fun! I LOVE those two lil' guys.

Drew and I shared many sweet snuggles!

He is a very good baby and I love seeing him smile and giggle.

Jeff got to met him for the first time, and he stole his heart as well.

Yummy traditional turkey dinner with my favorites: cornbread dressing and sweet potatoes!

Jeff and I with our stockings filled with Christmas candy!
We are headed to Jeff's parents' house today for round two with his side. MERRY CHRISTMAS EVERYONE!

It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas....

I thought I'd share a little commentary on the Albus home and general happenings as we prepare for Christmas. I have to admit that our tree stood with no decorations on it for about a week. I begged Jeff to get it out of the attic and set it up and then I didn't have/take the time to decorate it. Oh well, here it is after the final preparations:

I need a tree topper. I'm going to look for one at the craft fair I'm going to with Wendy this weekend and if that doesn't work, I'm going to try making a big bow out of the ribbon I bought. I'm intimidated by bows because I really don't know how to make them, but I guess now is as good of time as any to learn!

I celebrated my 27th birthday the other day. I decided it is going to the best year yet because 7 is a perfect number! Jeff bought me beautiful roses and a sweet card. I love the way they look with the Christmas tree in the background!


Jeff wasn't feeling well so I told him all I wanted was a puppy cake from Wal-Mart, but he took me out to dinner at Hasta La Pasta too. Yum! Have you seen these puppy cakes? They are almost too pretty to eat...almost! My favorite part of cake is the icing, especially buttercream, and this cake has a LOT of it. Under all that icing is two cupcakes...perfect for the two of us.


I got another wonderful birthday surprise when it SNOWED!


This is the first time it has ever snowed on my b-day and Kristen said God gave it to me because He loves me and thinks I'm special!


It is difficult to capture this smile on film, but the snow brought it out:


After the short time in the snow (it didn't last long or accumulate at all at our house, but some parts of Houston, had a lot more) we built a fire and snuggled on the couch with Christmas music playing....very romantic! Thanks hubby for making my birthday the best ever!!


Snowflake enjoyed the fire too. I was afraid she was going to jump in!

Catch Up

Well, sorry for the lack of posts, but I am going to try to give you an update on the last several weeks. We had a wonderful Thanksgiving and are enjoying preparing for Christmas!! A couple of days before Thanksgiving, I was honored to help one of my dearest friends, Jenny register for her first born, expected to arrive in April. I had so much fun picking out lots of pink princess gear for baby girl Matute!

Jeff and I split time between our parents this Thanksgiving. Lisa, Jeff's sister and her husband recently moved to Colorado, but came in to celebrate. Jeff and I enjoyed a lot of yummy food at both houses and took a nature walk to enjoy the fall colors and try out our new camera! I love that my parents, as well as Jeff's live close enough to share the holidays with both sides.

This past Friday night we went to our Sunday School class' Christmas party and had a great time hanging out! I brought my camera and took some pictures of couples in front of the beautiful tree! Thankfully, Bret returned the favor and captured a great pic of Jeff and I!

Pictures of my upcoming birthday and our Christmas decorations to come!

A New Beginning

So, it is almost that time again, you know what I mean...the time where we stuff ourselves like a turkey for two months and then "begin again" with empty promises of a year of healthy eating and exercise.



Well, I am going to try to minus the two months of gorging and start early with the resolve to be healthy. Don't get me wrong...I do plan to indulge this holiday season, but with moderation in mind. Please, for all you super disciplined folks out there that would love to scold me each time I reach for a goody, I ask you to be encouraging and not reprimand me. I have found in the past that this is very counter-productive for me.

As a means of achieving a healthier lifestyle, I have done some Internet research. I considered joining Weight Watchers, AGAIN, but just didn't want to find the time or energy for all that counting. I LOVE the program and have found it very successful in the past, but am going for simple and mindless and FREE at least to jump start things. I enjoy looking at Kraft Foods.com for easy recipe ideas and recently came across the "Healthy Living" tab. You can set up a personalized log in with your individualized stats (all those numbers we don't want anyone else to see). The site gives you individual weeks of full day menus that fit your caloric needs to be healthy. Oh, and you can even print out a shopping list that they have already put together for you and can make meal substitutions easily. The only thing is that the meal recipes are portioned for one, but I am just doubling the dinner recipes to include the hubby.

Here's the site: http://www.kraftfoods.com/kf/HealthyLiving/HealthyLivingLandingPage.aspx. Once there click on the "Meal and Fitness Planner." You can chart your progress and log exercise as well. I've never joined Weight Watchers online, but it seems like a free alternative to that. I'm going grocery shopping tomorrow, so I will let you know if it is astronomical and if so I am back at square one. Would you like to join me? I would love the company on this little journey to healthy living!

Food for thought

I know this blog typically is pretty light hearted, or at least I purpose it to be, but today is going to be different.

I have been up since 4 AM thinking and praying. I've spent the last two years of my professional life wrapped up in the foster care system. Unfortunately, it has not always seemed to be focused on it's true purpose, protecting and nurturing abused and neglected children and providing them with a permanent home. Lately, that has made me jaded, as I'm sure earlier posts have reflected. Over the last couple of months God has begun to give me a fresh perspective that has brought me to consider the Body of Christ's roll in caring for abused and neglected children.

About a year ago Jeff and I did a small group study on James with some dear friends. Since that time God has continued to work on us in the manner James describes, which often includes difficult circumstances. James chapter 1 is dedicated to the work of trials in refining and humbling us. I never realized it before, but right at the end of the chapter is this verse:
"27Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world."

There it is!! God calls us to develop compassion and humility through our own personal trials and then to utilize this in ministering to the most vulnerable among us, "orphans." I'm not sure how God is going to use these revelations, but am grateful for the fresh perspective! I hope you too are encouraged by this call to Christian service. Truly, if the church took this to heart, we'd have no need for a bureaucratic system of foster care because Christian families would open their homes to children in need. Just something to think about!

Baby Drew

I came home Saturday night from 3 days in the Dallas area celebrating the arrival of my brand new nephew! Drew was born on 10/23/08, weighs 9 pounds, and is 21.5 inches long. My parents and I were able to get there the day before as Drew was born via a scheduled C section. Drew spent two days in the NICU for some minor respiration issues, but is a very healthy baby boy. It was only the second time that Jeff and I have been apart for more than a day since we got married. I missed him terribly, but am so glad I got to make the trip!

Dr. Clayton and I waiting for baby Drew to be born


Drew was not so sure about his first check up or the chilly temperature of the room


The proud parents with their precious baby boy


Aunt B with the snugly little guy


Precious baby Drew being held by his mom and big brother


Brotherly love!


Poppa D and Gran with the bundle of joy

Random Facts

So, my sister tagged me a few days ago and I have been contemplating my 6 random facts since then. I even considered cheating and doing 3 for me and 3 for Jeff, but then I decided I would just go for the gusto and try to come up with 6 just about me.

Now, if you're tagged, here's what you do:
1. Post the rules on your blog
2. Write 6 random things about yourself
3. Tag 6 people
4. Please pass it on for fun...

1. I had several sets of tubes when I was a kid and hence have a lot of scar tissue in my ears. I realized a couple of years ago that this might be why I have trouble hearing so I often tell Jeff when he complains about repeating himself that it's not my fault...it's my scar tissue!

2. I have this sort of inate ability to get along with a diverse set of friends. I love it and it has been a wonderful way for me to become more culturally competent at work. I jokingly say, "I'm chocolate on the inside."

3. This brings me to my third random fact. I am great at one liners and often surprise myself with them in addition to everyone else. One of the girls in our Sunday School class claims that I am the funniest person she knows because I always catch her by surprise with my humor. I guess mostly because I am relatively reserved most of the time.

4. I find pleasure in the simplest of things. I can be feeling like everything around me is falling apart and if I get a Sonic drink, I am a happy camper again. I am actually known at work as the Sonic girl and my boss tells me every time she passes one, she thinks of me. When Jeff and I were getting to know each other, I wrote to him that "Sonic drinks make me happier than anything in a Styrofoam cup should!" And, he married me anyway...he told me he was glad I didn't have expensive taste!

5. I can find the positive side to most situations, although it takes me longer to find it sometimes.

6. I am very clumsy. I am notorious for tripping over my own feet! I even remember several occasions when I mortified myself by falling UP the stairs in school and another time in high school when I fell all the way down a stand of bleachers and into a pizza box, after pulling my friend down with me! So embarrassing! Now, I just laugh at myself when these things happen because I figure it gives me character.

There...I did it!
I am going to tag:
1. Libby, 2. Katie, 3. Lauren, 4. Wendy, 5. Lynn, 6. Daisy