Happy New Year!

Okay, so I'm a little behind - but it is still January... We had a great time on New Year's Eve. We went to Kristi and Marty's for some downright YUMMY ribs and pulled pork. They worked on the meat all day long and boy was it goooooood.

You know how you can tell when you have eaten too much pulled pork and ribs? The ball won't roll off your tummy. Gives a whole new meaning and use for the exercise ball.

New Year's Eve also happened to be the night of UT's bowl game. Lucky for us it wasn't on New Year's Day cause we would have hated to ring the new year in on a game like that. We will leave that all in the past.

First one asleep gets all sorts of things done to them - usually. Not this time, though. We didn't even get the shaving cream out.

We spent a lot of time flipping back and forth between Times Square with the ball dropping and the preparations for the car jump.

Finally, it is 2010!

HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!!

One More Christmas Post

THIS is the most important thing about Christmas. Luke 2.

I mentioned earlier that food was the most important thing about Christmas. Well, obviously it's not the MOST important thing, (although it does have a very special place in my heart.) Our family recognizes that the true meaning of Christmas is the birth of Jesus. We say Merry CHRISTmas, not Happy Holidays, and we think if reading the Bible at public CHRISTmas functions offends you then take down your CHRISTmas tree and return all of your CHRISTmas gifts. It is a CHRISTian holiday and you may actually be exposed to some CHRISTian beliefs. ---Okay, I will step down from my soapbox.

On Christmas Day, for our last family gathering, we go to my mom's to have lunch with my parents, my brother, and his family.

Amongst their assortment of gifts the boys got these manuals to study before getting their learner's permit. They were a little bit surprised by this one cause it really looked like they were getting coloring books. Maybe we can get these manuals in coloring book format - they may get more out of that!

Papaw got the girls a necklace.


And the boys got yet another gun. My mom says she has bought guns for Christmas FOREVER! I don't think the end is in sight either...

This is Holly's last Christmas as a high school student - a lot will change for her in the next year.

Instead of exchanging gifts, we play the dirty Santa game. The very first gift opened was the lump of coal that Anthony brought back from his mission trip to Kentucky. He had been planning this one for six months.

I think when you get older your arms must get shorter...

We had a great Christmas this year and hope all of you did as well.

Christmas Morning

When we got home from Tony's brother's on Christmas Eve, Ant and Al were fired up and ready for Santa's visit. They didn't want to go to bed and COULD NOT WAIT for Christmas morning. Alex had gotten a movie earlier that night so she put her movie in and actually let Anthony watch it with her. Must be Sweet Christmas Fairy Dust (or she breathed too much polyurethane in the last couple of weeks.) They finally went to bed. I should have known that was too easy. They had a plan. The plan was to set their alarms and get up in the middle of the night to see what Santa brought them. Alex's alarm went off at 1:30 but I happened to still be up and was able to turn it off. My alarm was set for 6 a.m. so that I could get up and get my shower, fix breakfast (my mom and dad always come for breakfast and to see what the kids got for Christmas), and pretty much just to get my day started without a rush. When I got out of the shower, Anthony's alarm was going off but, of course, he didn't hear it. He never hears his alarm. I was sure I had thwarted all of their attempts and plans. I was doing a certain degree of gloating that I had outfoxed the foxes. Little did I know, they had outfoxed me. Anthony just happened to wake up at 5, woke Alex up, and they came downstairs and peaked at some of their gifts. Ha ha on Ant though, the one he opened and wrapped back up was in an Adidas shoe box. He went to bed at 5:15 a.m. thinking he was getting Adidas shoes. Ha!, well at least I have that...

We have always told the kids they can choose three Christmas gifts for their wish list since Baby Jesus got three gifts. This year, their wish lists were very expensive so their Christmas was limited to their three gifts. And only those three gifts. There were no presents under the tree from us this year, partly because of our recent construction status - I was wrapping gifts on an as needed basis - and partly because Santa was the only one who came through for them this year.

While they had made their Christmas lists several weeks ago they were still not quite sure what they were getting. Anthony was somewhat surprised with this new Carhartt coat.

He also got some Union Cavalry soldiers. I think I'll be buying toy soldiers for the rest of my life. There are different soldiers for all the different wars you know. He can tell which soldier goes with which war by the gun they are carrying. (Note to toy soldier manufacturers: Always, ALWAYS put the right weapon with the right soldier with the right war - there are 14-year-old boys out there who know the difference!)

I think this was his favorite gift. A new paint ball gun. He was quite surprised by this one. He kept asking me if I had gotten it yet and I told him that I think they must have been out of them because there wasn't one like he was describing at the hobby store we go to. Was he sure that is where he saw the gun he wanted? You know, the normal Christmas fibbing... It helped that when he woke up at 5 a.m. it didn't look like there was a gun under the tree since the gun was disassembled and in a smaller box.

And for the Adidas shoes... This box actually held the paint ball vest he had been wanting. It holds the air tank in a pouch on his back so that he doesn't have to have the air tank attached to the gun. It looks more real this way...

We even remembered to get an air tank filled up so that he could shoot his new gun right away. That is the mistake we made a couple of years ago with his first paint ball gun. He got the gun and an air tank. Who knew the air tank could be explosive had they shipped it with the air in it? Live and learn.
Alex, on the other hand had been lied to all month. She wanted a laptop computer. I told her there was absolutely no way she was going to get a laptop because they were so expensive. I told her Santa might bring her some money and she could add that to the money she would be getting from grandparents and she could order herself one after Christmas. So, that was her plan. When they came downstairs at 5 a.m. and opened and rewrapped one of their presents she luckily opened a Wii recharger. So, when she came down Christmas morning to open presents I think she was already a little bummed. A Wii charger? She didn't even ask for that... She opened two of her three gifts from Santa and left one of them laying on the floor and started on her stocking stuff. I think the remaining gift looked like a clothes box to her. Long and flat. Finally, she got around to opening that third gift.

I missed her initial expression - it was priceless. She was very surprised when she saw the Dell logo on the side of that last box.

And it was pink. And she was very happy.

Now, she can be seen on most days with her laptop on her lap, Itouch in her hand, and phone laying beside her. And she lived happily ever after.

(To stay true to my utopia form, I will not disclose the many conversations I have had with certain citizens from India while trying to get the laptop in good, wireless, operating condition.)

Forms of Torture - Christmas Style

Every year we spend Christmas Eve with Tony's family - usually at our house but this year we went to Tony's brother's house since we weren't sure if ours would be put back together. Since this is always our first stop of the Christmas season, the kids are VERY excited. This is what they have been waiting for! The very first thing they want to know is, "Can we open presents first?" Every year the answer is no. After dinner. Don't they know what Christmas is all about? The food? I think the waiting should be getting easier for them since they are getting older but it sure isn't. This year, though, I think we perfected the torture. And I am not talking about this tickle torture.

Or the forced hugs. (Brennan always gives Alex a little therapy 'cause Alex is a personal space kinda girl.) This really is a form of torture to her but this is not what I am talking about either.

The ultimate form of torture for a 14 and 12 year old on Christmas Eve, at the first gathering of the season would be... Watching old movies. Not old movies like Gone With the Wind or It's a Wonderful Life but old movies, like reel to reel, home videos with no sound old movies. Old movies that they will appreciate one day but not at 14 and 12. On Christmas Eve. When there are gifts to be opened.

I took some pictures of the screen just to see if they would turn out and they did surprisingly well.



There was a box with several movies in it. After we had watched two or three of them, Alex came around the corner to ask me if we were gonna watch ALL of those movies.

She finally gave up...

They did finally get to open their presents much to their relief. They look so forward to the
time when they can open their gifts and then it is over so QUICKLY! They waited ALL DAY for those few moments of joy.

Kind of like a junkie, that fix didn't last long and they were begging on the way home to "open just one tonight. PLEASE?"

Our Community Christmas Parade

On the first weekend of December, our community has a parade. This year, though, it snowed out the first parade, then the second weekend was cancelled as well - though I am not sure why that one was cancelled other than our city parade was that morning and that could have been why. Usually, the local churches make a float for this parade, the local school sports teams have a float, there are several four wheelers, and lots of horses. Usually. It was a rather paltry showing this year.

This is the highlight of the season for this crew. They had been disappointed two Saturdays in a row and they were ready for this. They comprised most of the four wheeler section this year.

There were a few fire trucks.

Sparky the Fire Dog made his appearance.

Oh, I forgot the tractors. There were several old refurbished tractors, too. This is how you get men involved in a parade.

And the four wheelers.

I didn't get a picture of Santa, but he brought up the rear. That was it. It lasted about 3 minutes and 39 seconds.

Memories of Ole Tearoom

We had a very busy weekend on this last weekend before Christmas. For lunch on Saturday, we went to this beautiful tea room. It is a tradition that we go every year at Christmas so that we can enjoy the beautiful decorations and delicious food. Most of all, though, we enjoy the friends we go with.

We have had a lot of rain and snow recently so this little brook was flowing quite noisily.

This is one of the owners of the tea room along with her granddaughter, Lendi, who was our server.

They have remodeled their old home place into this tea room that holds about 18 people. It is decorated beautifully on the inside as well.

These are three of my beautiful and sweet cousins that I unfortunately don't get to spend enough time with.

Kelli and her mother, Glenda.

I tried my hand at culturing Alex as well. (This feat is not to be taken lightly and also not to be undertaken and completed in a single weekend). Does her signature give you any indication of my progress? I'll keep trying. I will not fail. One day, she will be able to sit through lunch without needing french fries or ketchup...

Ohhh, this luncheon was filled with my favorite people. This is my Aunt Lib, I have written about her before. This picture was taken after she told Kelli she was gonna "kick her butt."

I do love this lady...

What a Way to Start My Day

This is the view I had through my office window this morning!

Beautiful...