Happy New Year!

"New Year’s Day: Now is the accepted time to make your regular annual good resolutions. Next week you can begin paving hell with them as usual." - Mark Twain

Bob and Carol, Kristy and Steve are all here for Carter's baptism.  Tonight we ate a wonderful dinner at Gustav's.  The strolling accordionist and Kristy had quite the show going for awhile.  He was surprised that I knew all the words to "If I Were a Rich Man" - I said "I was in the play once" and he said, "Were you Tevye?"

My sister is expecting!!!

She is due June 16th, 2010!!  :)

"And there was in that house, much moaning and wailing from the Cold and Pantsless; but behold, much laundry was washed, dried, folded and put away that day, insomuch that the cries of clothing joy were heard throughout the house. And there was great rejoicing in the land on that day"

Also:  I'm a terrible mother for letting her children jump on a frosty trampoline and wishing school started a week earlier.

Boxing Day Shopping

Here we are, enjoying a bench at See's.  Happy times.
 

Christmas 2009

I'm listening to the Jingle Cats sing "White Christmas" and the new SuperSmash video game, watching Roz jump on the trampoline in her new Snow White dress, and enjoying the crap out of Christmas Day. (Not that it has a lot of crap.)

This is a beautiful Christmas story. Enjoy.
 

We reach for You, and we stand tall...

... and in our prayers and dreams, we ask You, bless us all

Happy Birthday Carvy :)

Happy 8th Birthday to my sweet boy, Carter. Nothing but fun and cuteness the whole time.

The Old Neighborhood

This is outside our house on Dayton Street in Kennewick. When the city added sidewalks, Ric took advantage of the wet cement and there his signature remains to this day. Cool.

Call the authorities if we're not back in six hours

We're heading out to brave the crowds and stop for food at Applebee's. :-|

"Christmas means carnage!"

I have a newspaper photographer coming over this morning... better get busy hiding the bodies.

Thanks Visiting Teachers, Bawk Bawk

Eating pistachios and chocolate from my visiting teachers. Thanks, Ann and Robynne, you ladies rock!!

Then there was this bit of awesomeness:
Twilight Years from Tom on Vimeo.

You're Telling Me

Carter just used my cell phone to call our home phone, then walked into the room with phones on both ears and said, "Mommy... this is weird."

It's 15° outside right now. I'm thankful for anything heat-related... maybe even heat rash.

Daring

The nativity sets are safely home. Do I dare display them here?

Also, we have a predicted high temp of 30° today - perfect streaking weather.

Sadness

We just found out that Mr. M, the man who gave us his wife's nativity sets for the festival, passed away September 13. 

The bell choir at the Festival of Nativities was AMAZING. New Christmas tradition!!

Hubby is Sick.

I just gave him some of this.



Gee, I hope they won't miss him at work.

In other, better news: Carter, Roz and I had fun taking Carter's teacher, Miss F, to the nativity festival tonight. She's such a great sport. 

Excitement

For the 89th time this morning, Carter has announced that he doesn't want to go to school.

Later: 
Roz: "Mommy, Belle is prettier because she's a princess." 
Me: "Prettier than who?" 
Roz: "You."

Oh.

Later still: 
I just came back from helping decorate at the Festival of Nativities... it's looking pretty awesome! Can't wait for tomorrow! 

I love this life

I was sitting with Roz, watching a movie and cross-stitching, and she pulled out a needle and some thread and had the needle threaded within a few minutes. I was shocked! Now she's "cross stitching" with me. What a great blessing to be at home.

Happy Black Friday

I have a refrigerator full of food, and no desire to eat for the next eight weeks. How's that for gratitude?

Exemplary

If you ask my Primary class what their lesson was about today, they'll probably say "Bristle Blocks."

Heheheheheheheeeee

Today I fought the law, and won.

I was taking the boys to school and realized I was going 25 mph in a school zone... a cop had already pulled someone else over and I hadn't gone through the queue yet, so I figured when he was done with her, I'd be next, as soon as I pulled out of the school parking lot. 

So I parked the car at the school and walked home. :) 

Hubby, Brennan, Bella and I saw New Moon tonight in Portland!!! My friend from high school, Shawna G, had tickets to a birthday party early showing of New Moon and couldn't go, and offered me her tickets. It was fuuuuun.