holiday catch up

For Thanksgiving this year, we went to my Maw Maw & Paw Paw's house in Baton Rouge and had a lovely time with my Dad's side of the family. At my grandparent's request, Anna, Reuben, and I stayed on for an extra week after the rest of the Don Zeeks went home. We had a really wonderful visit, and it was very cool to see my little guy toddling arround their home just like I did at the same age - even enjoying the organ with all the buttons, just like I used to do.

Reuben, Great Paw Paw Zeek, and Anna

Playing in Maw Maw & Paw Paw's living room

Reuben playing the organ

Me playing the organ, when I was his age

Shortly after returning to Texas, we were suprised and delighted to get an inch or two of snow on the ground; the most snow I'd ever seen in all my years living in Texas. It was mostly gone by morning, but boy did my brothers and sisters live it up while it lasted.

The week before Christmas found us moving into the spare room next door (finally!), and the crazy adventure of repainting the main living area at my parents, while having hard wood floor installed.

My sister Rebekah...after lots of paint fumes

We got the whole thing...well, mostly done and put together again just hours before Dad's family arrived from Louisianna to spend the holiday with us.

Me, Bekah, Minda, Aunt Marisa, & Cayla in our penguin slippers

Anna, me, and Reuben

Zeek family group pictures - Christmas 2008

Anna has been growing so fast! She's right on the verge of sitting up unassisted, regularly gets up on all fours, and rolls/ooches herself all over the floor when she's given the chance. She's generally a happy little kid, pretty dang noisey much of the time, a wiggle worm like you never saw, but happy and sweet as they come.

Sweet Anna

Reuben is so close to talking it's painful. Seriously, it's so frustrating, for him and us. He tells us all sorts of things in the course of the day, but most of the time we just can't make it out for the life of us. My youngest brother Willie has become very good buddies with Reuben, though he really enjoys playing with all his uncles (and Aunts too, though not as much).

Uncle Willie & Reuben

Jeremy's doing pretty good over there in Baghdad, with less that 100 days to go we are on the home stretch and very, very thrilled about it. He got the day off Thanksgiving and Christmas, though some administrator at the battalion level didn't file his paperwork, so the brigade level administrator decided Jeremy's battalion didn't get their day off for New Years (Jeremy was pretty bummed about that).

Jeremy & his new MRAP truck

Despite the fact that Reuben, Anna, and I are still batteling the same miserable cold we got five days ago, this was a very happy day for me. We finally paid off our credit card, and Jeremy and I both chopped up our cards to celebrate going into the new year debt free! Plus, when 2008 dawned I was dreading Jeremy leaving and having to somehow survive without him for a very long year; as 2009 dawns, I'm looking forward to him coming home, and the only thing happier than that is Jesus coming back.