December

December was wild, as usual. It also brought some seriously cold weather, which didn't last but totally killed most of my plants. And found me in the pasture on some random mornings with a hammer. Cows gotta drink water, right?

It also brought Cher's first buckle!

And we spent a whooooole lotta time working on this guy's hair.

And this photo basically made me laugh ALL MONTH LONG.

We spent some time out at Paw Paw's house playing in the hay...

...and taking pics of Clyde who was sold toward the end of the month to a very nice man who introduced him to eight girlfriends upon arrival at his new home.

We also snuggled some baby dairy cows...

...repeatedly...

...and fed tiny goats.

Santa came!!! And brought a tablet...

...and a bicycle.

He also brought Taylor a giant wheelbarrow for the barn and she was pretty thrilled about it, truth be told.

Nana and Boppy also came to exchange presents and brought this little one some dress up clothes. Tell me she's not adorable.

We spent a lot of time hanging around the house over the holidays because we knew majors' season would begin in January and be constant for 3.5 months. And it was wild. And crazy. And ushered in a really difficult period for my older girl. But that's another story for another time.

And - plot spoiler - yes, she survived. :-)

November

I fell off the blogging wagon. Again. For a long time. It's not all that surprising but I am trying to document things so I can look back one day and remember at least a few details.

At the very end of October, Cooper won a British Reserve Champion title. It was a good, good day!

We also took family photos and I basically loved them all. But I'll spare you the 50 images. :)

I went to New Orleans for a short conference and Dave went along with me. We, of course, stopped by Cafe Du Monde and ate WAY too much every day.

Tiny also celebrated her 3rd birthday a little early...

...with a breakfast party because girlfriend is a HUGE fan of breakfast foods of all kinds.

As soon as the party was over, we headed north for our annual ICE! trip. 

This year's theme was Santa Claus is Comin' to Town and it was soooo fun. The girls also made Build A Bear animals before we left the Gaylord. It was Soph's first time and she was a big ol' fan.

The next day we headed over to Grapevine Mills Mall. Neither Taylor nor I had ever visited this particular place but we were big fans. And, let's be honest, any mall with a carousel is gonna get a big thumbs up from a toddler!

My sweet girl had surgery to remove the cyst found during her major September illness the week of Thanksgiving so we delayed the actual meal a bit. Eventually, though, we all headed down to Belton for a feast.

And the little one wanted to eat nothing but butter. Straight. What?!?!

Last but CERTAINLY not least, the Ag Advocacy team placed first at District...

...and at Area. They were State Qualifiers for the first time! It was a HUGE accomplishment and a phenomenal way to end the month.