Happy New Year

I love the idea of a new start, improving, changing, beginning. 2008 has been very good to us. I am sure 2009 will be great too. We will definitely do our part to ensure that it is good. Here are some photos from our trip to FL. No snow and hardly even jacket weather.

The oysters were my husbands. I like them, but not nearly as much as he does. This plate lasted about two minutes.

The beaches were overcast and windy, but the kids did not seem to care. Toes were buried and dipped in the cold Gulf waters. Waves were chased, as well as birds.

Things here are continuing at a lazy, vacation pace. It really couldn't be better other than being around family this week too. I guess I'll talk to you all next year. Have a safe and happy new year!

Free week

This photo is NOT an indication of our Christmas holiday. It is funny and very uncharacteristic of Aidan. Erika and Ainslee were all smiles the twenty minutes we waited in line and then once they sat in Santa's lap they wouldn't smile. Not a grin. Ugh. The best part was caught on video after the photo was taken. I had Aidan (she was then happy and smiling and pointing at Santa) and E & A were still on his lap chatting away. He was good at asking questions and listening and not rushing onto the next kiddo. So, we had a great visit in Florida, Christmas and the surrounding days were a whirl and a blur in the best way, and now we are back in TX. We have one more week until pre-k starts back up. I have some time (a whole free week's worth) with the girls and no place I/ we need to be. It will be nice. My husband and I are also on a cleaning rampage. All of sudden he has gotten the urge to purge and is going through closets & drawers. It is so unlike him, but I LOVE it. He can be a pack rat for sure, so I will enjoy it as long as it lasts. Christmas is being packed up, the Goodwill stack is waiting to be delivered, and I am feeling good about all the tidy closets & drawers. What a way to say "bye, bye '08".

Lazy Christmas

Things are slowing down here. Friday is the last day of pre-K and their class holiday party. Saturday we load up and leave. With the exception of two gifts (to be bought once we are in FL) and some wrapping (also happening in FL) I am done. Tree, baking, cards - all finished. I can get wrapped up in the excitement (stress) of holidays with the best of them. This is much better, although I do have a little voice "Am I forgetting something?". The downside to having time on my hands? Too many bad Lifetime Movie Network movies. Why isn't there anything good on during the day? It is nice having some quiet time mid-day. I have been knitting a little and catching up on magazines too. Such lazy decadence.

Seriously? It is snowing!

Many of you won't blink twice when reading this, but I was surprised when I pulled the blinds this morning. Our front yard was covered in snow! So was the back yard, the car, and all of our neighbor's yards! I dismissed weather reports that snow was a possibility. Flakes maybe. Snow no. I am eating my words. One of the girls was awake when I realized the whiteness. My reaction was more astonished and surprised than hers. Me: "Ainslee, come look. What is all that?" Her: "Um, snow." spoken in a very monotone and still-sleepy voice. Too bad my husband in is Louisiana (which is also getting snow by the way). If he were here we would have a snowman in the front yard. He is the fun one.

Counting the days

November and December are travel months for us. I feel like I am constantly counting days till our Thanksgiving trip, returning, unpacking and starting to count all over again for the Christmas trip. So, with the Thanksgiving trip behind us we are at home for another two weeks enjoying our decorations and the cold weather in between all the warm weather that we still get in spells. These photos were from our trip to Colorado. We wanted snow and did we get it! All seven kiddos had a great time in the white stuff. The adults managed to get in almost as much sledding as the tots.

Getting home was a little harry. The roads were pretty bad and cars were slipping and sliding all over the place. I had white knuckles until we finally got back to Denver.

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Blogging has definitely taken a back seat to everything, especially watching three little girls enjoy simple holiday treats (aka The Polar Express, hot chocolate, making sweet treats, decorating the tree, admiring the tree each morning). Hope your holidays are chugging along at an enjoyable pace!