Christmas in Amarillo

The Brockman/O'Neal Family ~ Christmas 2010

The Big Kids

(from top) Jackie, Ashley, Connor, Nickie, Joe & Garrett

The Little Kids

(from top) Ryan, Maggie, Jake, Brock, Kenzie, Jack & Ben

When we arrived in Amarillo, we saw that Walter didn't have a tree.  Well...he had a tree, in a shoe, standing in the corner.  So, several of us bought him a tree and then we had Ryan...

...Brock...

Jake (and help from Nickie) decorate it.

Here are the boys after they finished.  They did a great job and it looked really pretty.  Walter was in Dallas for the weekend, so when he returned, he had a beautiful tree waiting for him.

And of course, we had to take a goofy picture, too!

The newest addition to the Brockman Family, Jack. 

(Born on Sept. 22)

Jody and Jack

Payzlee in the car

Maggie and Greg

Steve, Carmen, Brock, Ryan and Max (dog) O'Neal

Lee, Michelle, Connor, Ben, Maggie and Kenzie

Greg, Diane, Nickie, Joe, Ashely and Jack

Don and Kelley

Paul, Jody, Jackie, Garrett and Jake

Walter with all his nieces and nephews

Ashley with her boyfriend, Matt, and his daughter, Payzlee.

Amanda (friend of family) with Ashley and Nickie.

Maggie, Jake and Brock

Carmen and Walter

Michelle, Joe and Matt

Kelley

Ryan and Nickie

Carmen and Ryan

Maggie, Kenzie and Don

Jackie and Diane

Diane and Nickie

Brock, Greg and Jack

Joe and Jake

Jake and Brock

Ryan, Greg and Jack

Ryan, Jake and Brock leaving cookies and milk for Santa

Jackie and Jack

Garrett and Brock putting Brock's Atlantis Scorpion Lego set together.

Connor and Ryan putting Ryan's Ironman Car Lego set together.

The men (and babies) are pooped.

Jake, Connor and Ryan

Maggie with her best John Travolta imitation.

This was supposed to be a picture of Garrett and Ashley giving a silly face.  I think Garrett is the only one giving the silly face!

Amanda and Jackie

Jackie and Maggie

Max is worn out on the way home...even the dogs have fun at the Brockman house!!

Skiing in Sipapu, NM

We took Ryan and Brock skiing for the first time.  We decided to go to Sipapu, NM since it was much cheaper than Angel Fire.  We wanted to see if the boys actually liked it before we spent a lot of money on lessons and an expensive resort.  We accomplished our goal:  The boys do like it and want to ski again.  However, we probably won't go back to Sipapu.  We went at a bad time...not much snow...and their lessons were only an hour.  Maybe if we had gone when the mountain had better snow, we would've had a better experience.  Next time, we will probably go to Angel Fire and get them all-day ski lessons so they really learn well.  They did enjoy it and did learn to ski!

The first day we got there, we went behind our cabin to play in the snow.  This was just down from the back of our cabin.  It was a beautiful scene.

Brock starting on a snowman.

Nickie (our niece), Ryan and Steve join in on the snowman.

Brock, Nickie, Steve, Ryan and their snowman, complete with hair, blue eyes and red lips!

Ryan making a snow angel.

The family in the cabin next to ours had some sleds they led Brock and Ryan borrow.  Right outside of our cabin was a little hill they slid down.  They had a ball!

A video of Ryan sledding

A video of Brock sledding

Outside of the rental area was a mound of snow that Ryan liked to fly like Superman down.

Ryan on the slopes.

Steve and Brock on the slopes.

A video of one of Ryan's first attempts down the kid's slope.

A video of Brock coming down the kid's slope.

A video of Ryan skiing.

Brock really wanted to go down the bigger Bunny Hill.  Steve told him that he had to learn how to stop and turn before he would take Brock on the Bunny Hill.  Brock worked and worked (he is a VERY competitive child) and learned how to do both.  Here is a sample of him turning.  He actually was able to go around all 3 poles!

Dec. 2010

The O'Neal Family ~ Christmas 2010

Putting up our tree.

We ate dinner with Santa again this year.  The boys always love it and have a great time. 

We went to College Station's Central Park.  They decorate it with a lot of lights.  We went early and had a picnic dinner, fed the ducks some bread and went on a hay ride.

Waiting on the hayride

Every year my Bible study brings the kids in to sing for the other women.  One of the songs they learned this year was the "Our Father."  Ryan was so proud to learn the whole thing...and I am proud of him, too!

Nov. 2010

We went to see Uncle Greg and Aunt Diane at Nickie's house in Austin.  While we were there, Greg dressed Ryan up as Erkel and...

 ...Steve and I got to meet our new nephew, Jack!  He is the cutest little guy and such a good baby!

While in Austin, we went to McKinney Falls and went on a little hike.  Steve, Brock and Ryan have been there before on their YMCA camping trips, but it was the first time for Nickie and I.  It's a really beautiful place.  In the picture below, we are standing in a half-cave where Indians used to live.  Very cool.

We are standing on some old, dry lava.  Yes, lava...from a volcano...in Austin, TX!

Ryan and Brock love this bridge.  They call it the "rickety bridge."

For Thanksgiving, Brock's school had Grandparent's Day, where grandparents and/or parents could come eat a Thanksgiving meal of turkey, stuffing, etc. with the kids.  Brock was so proud and happy to have Gramma and Papa there with him.

After lunch, we went back to Brock's classroom where the class put on the "ABC's of Thanksgiving."  Each student had a line to say about Thanksgiving.  Brock had two lines:  "J is for Jones.  In the spring, Captain Jones, the captain of the Mayflower, went back to England.  The pilgrims stayed in their new home, America" and "In 1941, Congress made Thanksgiving an annual national holiday, to be celebrated on the fourth Thursday of November.  Now it's a time for family and friends to give thanks together, to eat lots of good food, watch parades and football games, too.  It's also the start of the winter holiday season."  He had his lines memorized and did an awesome job!

We celebrated Thanksgiving with the O'Neal's this year.  We were blessed to have Steve's Aunt Harriett, his mom, Janell...

...his cousin, Richard...

...his Uncle Dick, (Steve & Adam) and his dad, Gary.

And I can't have a blog post without at least one goofy picture of my kids.  Ryan decided to wrap masking tape around his head.  Not sure how he did it...or got it off without it really hurting!

Brock loves to take pictures and videos with my camera.  Here is one of his videos of Ryan.  It's pretty cute!



Christmas Cards

I love sending Christmas cards...and receiving them!  I especially love to receive the photo Christmas cards.  There are so many people that I don't get to see very often and to get a picture of their family brings back great memories.  For the past couple years, I have sent photo Christmas cards.  They are so much more personal and a great way to send something fun.  One year we sent a picture of our family at the beach in Destin, FL.  Last year, it was a picture of Brock and Ryan with Santa.  I think this year will be a Christmas family picture...or maybe a collage card with some individual pictures of the boys as well as our family. 

Shutterfly has so many different options for photo cards.  So, when I found out from a friend that Shutterfly is giving away 50 FREE Christmas Cards to bloggers, I was ready to blog all about it!  I have ordered Christmas cards, calendars and prints from Shutterfly before and have never been disappointed.  They have anything from snowy scenes to Santa to Christian.  Here are some of my favorites...I can't wait to figure out which one to get this year! Watch your mail!

They also have great Calendars.  I've made a calendar for our family for the past three or four years.  I've given them as gifts to grandparents as well.  I wish I had known about their Birth Announcements when I had Brock and Ryan!  They are so cute and easy to make.

Would you like some free Christmas cards?  Visit Shutterfly to find out how!