Christmas 2006 has come and gone and wow, was it a good one! My little ones all got new pajamas and one of the things my dad and stepmom wanted was a picture of them all snazzed up in their sleeping attire. So this is it! don't they look comfy?!

It's finally here...the chance to take a deep breath and just enjoy the next few days with family. As I write, I am waiting for my mom to get here. The kids are running from Mickey's First Christmas to the window, waiting for her too. My mom will be here 'til Christmas Day and then she goes on to her cousins and my dad and stepmom will come later morning Christmas Day. I am so blessed to have such wonderful parents. My mom and dad are divorced but remain friends and it's nice to be able to be open with them about the plans. My mom and dad even ran into each other at lunch one day and ended up eating together. They talked for an hour about my brother and I and of course the grandkids. My mom and dad are just happy and that makes me happy. Someday I hope my mom will find a man just as my dad has found my stepmom. She is another cheerleader for our family and we love it! The more the merrier.

I also am taking this time to think about my friends whom I love so much. For without you, I don't know where I would be. You are all so special, even those who I have gotten to know through blogging. Speaking of which, I cannot comment on some blogs which drives me crazy and I want a certain person to know how happy I am for her and her couragous battle with cancer! You did it girl and I am so proud of you! I know this Christmas will be extra special in ways I can't even imagine. Here's to you...

So, Merry Christmas my wonderful friends. You are the light of my days and I cannot wait to meet the new ones and see the old ones again. God has blessed me with you all...

Tonight is the biggest night in NFL football...at least at our house. It's the Viking/Packer game. They only play each other twice per season so they come few and far between. My bh is a huge Viking fan and our 9-yr. old is a die hard Packer fan so it makes for some interesting jabs when they play. We look forward to this game every year...and what did we find out? It's on a channel we don't get...NFL Network...and not many people do around here. It's like this exclusive channel that our cable provider doesn't carry or something like that. Believe me, I've called around. So now we have to resort to the radio which is not nearly as fun. sOr my bh is resorting to searching around on the internet to maybe hook up with the laptop. So I'll still have my usual football snacks around...chips, dip, chicken wings, etc. We just won't be watching it on the big screen. My Packer fan and Viking fan will be bummed but then again, maybe we can huddle around the radio, snuggled in blankets, eating junk food to our hearts content. Isn't that they way they did it in the olden days??

P.S. I am a Viking fan but to not hurt my son's feelings, I will cheer on the cheeseheads if they make some good plays. Secretly though, I hope that purple-headed guy in the stands spills his beer on the cheesehead in front of him...HA!

J esus

O thers

Y ourself

...this was the message our pastor talked about at the kid's Christmas program yesterday. And how true it is. Not only did I enjoy watching the kids do their part in telling the Christmas story but I had by my bh sitting right next to me, joining in all the holiday hymns. I know he heard the message too and took it all in. Nothing meant more to me than sitting in church with him. I found myself gazing at him and just feeling really good. God is answering my prayers as He always does. And as I listened to my 6 yr old. say her part about the angels, everything was content. I felt totally full, totally blessed. My bh was smiling and I knew he could feel the presence of God. Even today, the spirit is still there. It's amazing. Nothing short of amazing.

This afternoon my 4 yr old...oops, she is now 5, can't get used to that...anyway, we were making cards for my bh. She sat next to me and asked me how to spell "fixer"..I told her the letters one by one not knowing what she was writing. This is what she came up with...it made me smile. Once again, I realize how big she is getting. These are the things that need to be framed! Can't wait to see his face when he reads it...Merry Christmas as only a 5 yr. old can say it best.

I never imagined we would be outside with no coats on and no snow boots in the middle of December. This is how we spent one afternoon, playing in the yard, burning off that extra energy. Here's to those wonderful "warm" days of winter that we must take advantage of. Who knows what tomorrow will bring...

Put one of these red and silver wrapped Hershey kisses in front of me and I have no will power. None. I could eat these anytime of day, anywhere. I can eat them with breakfast, lunch and dinner and in between. I even snuck a few during church. God knows my love for these new candies out this season. The obsession started when I received a bag as a thank you gift. I had never heard of them before...I read the bag, "hmmm, candy cane hershey kisses...sounds interesting. i'll try one..." Then two, then three, then four...then I can't stop!! If you haven't had one yet, beware. They'll grab your tastebuds with the minty, chocolatey flavor and suddenly a monster is created! I love this time of year...especially because of these little bits of heaven that somehow seem to make me smile. So I'll just keep enjoying them while I can and passing on the goodness to other chocolate lovers. You must grab a bag before they disappear this season...or just come to my house. I'll have plenty to share!!

No photos for this one...you'll see why.

Have you ever tried giving an 85 pound dog a bath who doesn't want a bath? I did and I tell you it was no easy task. We are talking about a dog who will jump head first into the lake but won't step into a couple of inches of water in the tub. What's up with that?!? So normally I would have just bagged the idea but he HAD to have a bath. Needless to say, a lab likes to wander and he just happened to wander into the neighbor's garbage. He smelled...bad. I couldn't stand it. So I locked him in the bathroom so he couldn't escape and it took me like 10 minutes to get him in. It was like lifting a 200 pound weight. My youngest daughter, bless her heart, came in to help. After some convincing, we finally got the big lug into the tub. I started washing him down...darn, I forgot to get "his" shampoo. I wasn't about to leave him so I grabbed the baby shampoo. I figured if he smelled like baby, that would be okay. The actual washing part went pretty smoothly. Then it was time to get out. And out he came. Water was everywhere along with black hair and a few dollops of slobber. My daughter was laughing and grabbed a towel to dry him off. I knew once I opened the door he would start rolling around on the carpet, couch and anything else he could find. I really wanted to contain the dog hair in once spot. I grabbed the hair dryer and began to get him dry as fast as possible. My daughter immediately grabbed a comb and started "grooming" him. I thought to myself if someone were watching this, it would be really, really, funny....finally, he was dry, clean and smelled just like a baby. I let him out. He slid on the floor as his paws slipped on the water laiden tile. I took a deep breath...whew. The dog looked great but I was a mess. Not to mention the bathroom. I spent the next hour cleaning up. I knew right away I was not meant for the dog grooming business.

And next time, I may just skip the dog bath and take one myself!

Babies are the best to photograph...I think they are my favorites. I don't get a chance to do this young of babies very often but these were special. They are of my good friend's sister and baby Lane is 2 weeks old. Isn't he just sweet?!

'Tis the season for busy times! Seems like having both my daughter's birthdays in December creates quite the month. My youngest turned 5 on Friday...she had a blast. I made the cake for her, like she wanted, and put a crown on it. It wasn't perfect but she loved it. That's my baby...it could have been the worst cake in town but she would have loved it anyway. It was great just to see her so giddy and happy all day. Now I have my other daughter who turns 7 on the 20th...she will be just as happy with anything that comes her way. I love all the kid's birthdays but in a way, it does make me a little teary eyed. It takes me months to get used to their "new" age. And by the time I do, another birthday comes around. They sure are getting big, right before my eyes. But they are such awesome, amazing kids and I love them more and more everyday. So as for my son, I can't even talk about how old he will be next spring...only 3 more years and he will be a...a...a...teenager! Ugh!

Don't even ask how I am when my birthday roles around...it's not a pretty sight!