Party like it's 1999!

Okay I know this is a cheesy title but in the spirit of New Year's Eve, I thought I would post a couple of pictures from a very memorable New Year's celebration almost 10 years ago. Susy, do you remember? We were freshmen at the U of A and had traveled to Dallas for the Cottonbowl. We had a great time celebrating in Dallas with our fellow Hog fans. We ended up beating Texas the next day in the Cottonbowl. It is safe to say that tonight I will not be partying like I did in 1999 but it is fun to reminisce. I am just hoping to make it to midnight.

I hope everyone has a safe and Happy New Year!

Natural Beauty ?

To quote Dolly Parton in STEEL MAGNOLIAS, "There is no such thing as natural beauty." As women we start working on our appearance at an early age. Laney has caught on to this tradition. She loves her toenails painted and likes bows in her hair. This is our Saturday night ritual so we will have curls on Sunday :)

Pictures from Christmas

I am trying to get my blog caught up. We were busy with Christmas. I hope everyone enjoyed their holiday. We enjoyed our time with family. The kids got more than they needed. I may have a toy review post later in the week.

Speaking of toys this is a good time of year to go through your kids toys. I am taking the toys that my kids have outgrown and donating to our children's preschool/daycare. I am sure other places such as churches with preschool programs would be interested in donations as well. Since children spend so much time there, new toys are always exciting. It is also a good way to free up space for the new toys your kids received for Christmas.

I am posting pictures below from our Christmas celebration with the Texans. We had five children 3 and under.

Merry Christmas!

My posts will probably be few and far between for the next few days. We have had sick kids and lots of preparation for Christmas celebrations. I hope everyone has a wonderful holiday season. I hope we all remember the true reason we celebrate.

May God Bless you and your Family!!

Welcome Texans!!

I am so excited that our Texas family will be coming for Christmas. Everyone should arrive sometime tomorrow. Although I sympathize with the difficult drive ahead of them, I am happy they will be visiting us this year. We actually have a home this year so I am looking forward to sharing it with our family this year. We have so much to be thankful for this year as a family. We have two new additions that will celebrate their first Christmas. We are also fortunate to still have my grandparents in great health to celebrate with us.

I hope everyone has a safe trip!!! We will see you tomorrow.

Almost 2...

It is hard to believe that in exactly a month my baby will be 2. When Logan was this age, I thought he was becoming such a big boy. Now, I look at Laney and say she is just a baby. Logan was a big brother at this age. Wow, I can't imagine having another child with Laney this young. You can tell my perspective has changed. Although I am little sad that Laney will not be a baby anymore, I look forward to all of the fun things we will be able to do together as she gets older. I can't wait to shop for her prom dress, chaperone her dances, and have giggling girls over for a sleepover.

Christmas party

We had a great time at our Sunday School Christmas party. We had a game night at Landen and Melissa's. The food was great and we had a good turnout. We also played a game Mad Gab. This was so much fun. I love playing games like this as opposed to bowling, miniature golf, or any other activity that involves athletic ability and coordination. What can I say...I am a nerd?

A Banana?

You might wander why I would devote a post to something as insignificant as a banana. Well, in my house it is a highly anticipated treat. The funny thing is I have spent the last 3 1/2 years trying to wow my children with trips to Chuck e cheese, the latest and greatest movies, and exciting toys for Christmas. I am now discovering it is the little things that mean so much.

I guess you would need to go back 25 years ago to my childhood to understand the significance. My granddaddy would bring my brother and I a banana every Saturday on his way to town. For my grandparents this was a once a week adventure unlike the multiple trips I make in a day. They were married in 1929 so they started life in the midst of the great depression. My Granddaddy farmed and drove a school bus while Grandma worked in the school cafeteria. All of this meant that bringing a banana was a special treat. I probably didn't appreciate that like I should have. My Granddaddy died before I started kindergarten so this is one of the few memories I have of him.

Fast forward to 2008, my doorbell rings every Saturday morning. There stands my dad with bananas for my kids. They love it and want to eat them immediately. I have stopped buying them at the grocery store so that they can await the visit on Saturdays.

During the Christmas season, I am going to try to bring back the simple things that I have overlooked. Maybe, Santa will put bananas in our stocking this year.

The Sickies

Sorry I have been MIA for a while. Laney has been sick. She had a sinus infection. It is so hard to see your kids sick. On the up side I got to spend some quality time with both of my children. We have added a good Christmas movie to our list of favorites.

The 12 Dogs of Christmas

When Shopping Goes too Far

I am an avid shopper as most of you know. I pride myself in finding the best bargain but even I avoid the crazed shopping of Black Friday. I would rather pay regular price than fight the mob. I was saddened to hear about the employee that was trampled at a Wal-Mart store. You can read about it here. Just think we live in a civilized society yet we trample each other for some electronic gadget on sale at Wal-mart. This is one holiday tradition that I would like to see changed.