Holly Jolly Christmas & hApPy NeW yEaR!!

Zoie's 2nd Christmas holiday already...it doesn't seem possible! We were blessed to spend the holidays with lots of family & friends, but as always, we couldn't do it all. We weren't able to (again) make it to the Barnett Christmas in Kansas for Christmas Eve...and Zoie & I were going to make a road trip south to TX with stops in Wichita & OKC, but that fell through also - due to illness (read on), bad weather, & tight funds (as always)!

So, what DID we do? Well, since we knew we weren't going to make it to KS, we (Mom, Zoie, Indie & I) took off for my brother, Gary's, house on Dec 23rd and arrived there late that evening...and we were SO glad to get there! My car was jam packed to the gills! Poor Indie had to squeeze into the space on the floor behind my seat and rode most of the way with a box (luckily not a heavy one) on him! We now know how Santa feels...but at least we'd made it! Christmas Eve was a nice relaxing day...with snow! Gary had to work that day and we thought he had to go back in that night but he had a nice surprise when he got home and didn't have to go back to work until midnight on Christmas so he got to have a real holiday! As usual, there was a bounty of food, gifts under the tree and laughter...we always think we're having hard times and then we're blessed with such abundance...we were in a nice warm house, with a roaring fire & a big beautiful tree surrounded by loved ones in the spirit of Jesus' birth...oh, what would we do if we were faced with only a stable and a manger of hay for a bed? Again, our cup runneth over! It was still a joy to give gifts and see the smiles & surprises - and sometimes tears - on everyone's faces - especially sis-in-law Chris who was 'tricked' and became the recipient of the traveling Doxon Fruit Cake! Ha! Yes! I did it! I really had to outdo Brandon from last year when he really got one over on me...it becomes more of a challenge each year and we all really look forward to it! Zoie was and had a lot of fun this year, but still was a little reserved about the decorations & gifts...she did like to read the story of the baby Jesus though, and really liked to talk about the donkey that gave Mary a ride to Bethlehem. She got excited about Santa Claus - as long as he was on TV, in pictures or at a distance in person...up close, she latched onto me and looked away from him when she said "Hi Sanna" very quietly! Luckily, she wasn't over spoiled (well, ok maybe a little) on Christmas...she got a bouncy Inchworm that you ride and bounce on, a Fairy Cottage shaped like a big boot & people that go with it, and - her favorites - crayons & books, along with a few other awesome things like her annual ornament from Grandma Doxon. One of the sweetest moments was when we put her Santa hat on her and she promptly said "Ho Ho HO!" I think most of all she liked being around my nephews and Gary & Chris...she even willingly gave Uncle Gary lots of hugs & kisses on this visit...and very quickly had him wrapped right around her little finger! Poor Brandon wasn't feeling too great when we got there and a few of us seemed to catch the same thing - a stomach flu type thing...NOT fun! Luckily, Zoie didn't get it then, but I think had a touch of it since. It snowed & iced a couple of different times while we were there, but I have to say even though it affected travel, it was beautiful to have snow on Christmas Eve & Day. Ok, so now onto some photos!














We extended our stay at Gary's by a couple of days and then came back to Lincoln - the kitties were missing us (thank you to Jim for watching out for them and keeping them company)!! We then had a couple of get togethers with Jim's family - his parents on the Saturday before New Years, where there was a visit from Santa that Zoie unfortunately missed because Santa arrived right during her naptime and was gone before we got there! :( Then we had a really nice Christmas brunch with Jim's kids & grandkids on the Sunday before New Years.








And last, but not least, we bid adieu to 2007 & welcomed in 2008! I thought I'd be putting Zoie to bed and watching TV til I fell asleep (most likely before midnight), but my friend, Lindsay, & I had a nice relaxed late dinner at Misty's here in Lincoln (an AWESOME restaurant, in case you didn't know - steaks that cut like butta!)...where I got hit on my the bus boy who just turned 19 on Christmas Day and was only about 5 ft tall, but 10 ft tall on sweetness. He definitely made my year end on a happy note! :) Then, Lindsay & I went back to mom's and I got Zoie in bed, and, bless her heart, Grandma graciously stayed home and Lindsay & I went to a small town tavern near Lincoln to have some champagne and some ok karaoke! It was fun and I really look forward to so many more adventures in 2008 - for Zoie & me, as well as for my friends & I and Mom, too! Let's hear it for auld lang syne!





We wish all of you many blessings each and every day in 2008!!

Love,
Heather, Zoie, Indie, & Melody