My New Ride

With Connor approaching driving age (yikes!) and soon needing a vehicle to drive, I took the opportunity to do a little car shopping to replace my current Expedition with something newer and fancier. I was planning to wait until spring time, but my timeline moved up unexpectedly when I found the perfect replacement that was practically brand new. We took it for a test drive on Christmas Eve, and then a few days after Christmas, Jeff and I signed the papers to make my new ride became official. 

It was quite the splurge for me, but I was happy to keep working hard to earn it. We love our new Expedition with all the bells and whistles, and the extra room inside will work out great for our family. All I need to do now is figure out how to keep it looking this nice and clean, ha!

Morgan Family Christmas

On Christmas Day, Collin and Kevin went to celebrate the holiday with their mom's family, and the rest of us set off for White Oak to spend time with my extended family in East Texas. When we arrived, it was already time for several of us to start preparing holiday snacks while the kids and Grandaddy jumped right into their usual board games competitions.

When the snacks were ready, it was time to head over to Robin and Paul's home for the extended family gathering. We enjoyed our usual yummy Morgan Christmas spread while soaking in the much-needed time with our loved ones. After we ate, we kicked off our beloved Morgan family Christmas traditions with the gag gift exchange and guy/girl while elephant gift exchange. This year we added another game - Left Right Center - for a pot of cash to the winner in the end. It was a looong and contentious (haha) fight but Alli was the last one standing to win the money. So much fun all around!

The next morning, we held our final Christmas celebration - this time with my parents and our immediate families. We were SO bummed that Ben and Charlotte weren't able to join us this year due to illness, but we made the most of our time together with the rest of us. As for all the cousin kiddos, it is so fulfilling to see their cousin bond grow stronger year over year. Connor sticks out like a sore thumb as the only boy, but that doesn't stop the fun and laughter. They have so much fun together catching up, playing games, and even joining in the meal preparation for our Christmas dinner. 

Of course, everyone's favorite part is always the Christmas family gift-giving. There is usually some last-minute wrapping followed by the ritual of passing out all the gifts under the tree. Smiles all around with this group!

Year after year, we are showered with abundant blessings by having our family together for these wonderful Christmas memories. I am beyond thankful!

Courtright Christmas Eve

Christmas always seems to sneak up on us amidst so much going on in the Courtright household, and this year was no different. Normally we have to wait to celebrate Christmas with Collin and Kevin until after the actual holiday, but this year, we were able to get together for our family celebration on Christmas Eve. Connor and Kaitlynn were SO excited that they wouldn't have to postpone the gift-giving like we usually do. Patience is not a virtue in our house, ha!

Our Courtright family Christmas traditions include a casual morning with breakfast while we take turns opening stockings in our pajamas. Now that the kids are older, Connor and Kaitlynn really enjoy filling the stockings as much as we do. Youngest to oldest, we watched everyone open their stockings and then began unwrapping family gifts while enjoying all the breakfast and Christmas goodies. 

When it's all said and done, there's nothing like that after-Christmas mess all across the house! It's a sign that holiday traditions were alive and wonderful memories were made. 

With all the Courtright boys home for the moment, it was the perfect time to take a photo of Jeff with his sons. We took one of these pictures last year and it was surprising how short Jeff looked compared to the boys. This year, the surprise was more focused on Connor, who seemingly had surpassed them all in height. 

With Jeff at 6'0, Collin at 6'1", and Kevin at 6'2", we wondered if the youngest Courtright son had taken over the lead. There was only one way to find out: the tilt of the book! So we lined up Connor and Kevin back to back and then placed a book on their heads to measure the tilt. And there you have it: a new leader in the race for the tallest Courtright! What a fun and memorable Christmas Eve it turned out to be!

Fall Updates and Photos

Towards the end of fall, we finally got our hands on Connor and Kaitlynn's official school yearbook portraits. With Connor in 10th and Kaitlynn in 7th, these photos were proof that we just can't seem to stop the passage of time. They both seem so grown up!

Kevin lives with buddies in the Houston area and we always enjoy getting some time to see him and catch up on the weekends. He recently bought himself a motorbike and is really enjoying this hobby with friends.

Late in the fall, Connor was shooting some hoops in the driveway and began practicing his dunking skills. It was a big moment for him when he realized he was able to successfully dunk with one of the smaller balls. I snapped a pic to capture the special occasion. Very cool!

Throughout the fall, Jeff made several trips to his new property in Spicewood on Lake Travis. On one occasion, he actually spent the night in the car parked on the land. The temperature dropped into the 20s that night, and it was a big lesson learned for him that perhaps camping in the car during the cold weather is not such a great idea, HA! He sure does enjoy being there, though. He has been diligently working towards building a walking path from the street level of the lot down to the lake. It has been a ton of work!

Earlier in the summer, I ordered some new living room furniture to replace ours that had been beaten up quite a bit from our overseas move. With all the delays in order fulfillment and shipping, it took almost 7 months to arrive! We were excited when we finally had everything delivered and set up in the living room. All that's left is some key accessories like lamps and decor!