Christmas Eve

We spent Christmas Eve at our house. Mom came over early in the day to play wih the kids and David and Leda came over for dinner and then spent the rest of the evening with us.

We ate a delicious dinner... chicken pillows, mashed potatoes, stuffing, corn, green beans, homemade rolls (which I made, which were rediculous, by the way). We also had egg nog, scotcheroos and chocolate chip bars.

Then we acted out the nativity story which we have done every Christmas Eve for as long as I can remember...

AND it came to pass in those days, that there went out a decree from Caesar Augustus, that all the world should be taxed.

(And this taxing was first made when Cyrenius was governor of Syria.)

And all went to be taxed, every one into his own city.

And Joseph also went up from Galilee, out of the city of Nazareth, into Judaea, unto the city of David, which is called Bethlehem (because he was of the house and lineage of David:)

To be taxed with Mary his espoused wife, being great with child.

And so it was, that, while they were there, the days were accomplished that she should be delivered.

And she brought forth her firstborn son, and wrapped him in swaddling clothes, and laid him in a manger; because there was no room for them in the inn.

And there were in the same country shepherds abiding in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night.

And, lo, the angel of the Lord came upon them, and the glory of the Lord shone round about them: and they were sore afraid.

And the angel said unto them, Fear not: for, behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people.

For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord.

And this shall be a sign unto you; Ye shall find the babe wrapped in swaddling clothes, lying in a manger.

And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God, and saying,

Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men.

And it came to pass, as the angels were gone away from them into heaven, the shepherds said one to another, Let us now go even unto Bethlehem, and see this thing which is come to pass, which the Lord hath made known unto us.

And they came with haste, and found Mary, and Joseph, and the babe lying in a manger.

NOW when Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judaea in the days of Herod the king, behold, there came wise men from the east to Jerusalem,

Saying, Where is he that is born King of the Jews? for we have seen his star in the east, and are come to worship him.

When they had heard the king, they departed; and, lo, the star, which they saw in the east, went before them, till it came and stood over where the young child was.

When they saw the star, they rejoiced with exceeding great joy.

And when they were come into the house, they saw the young child with Mary his mother, and fell down, and worshipped him: and when they had opened their treasures, they presented unto him gifts; gold, and frankincense, and myrrh

After the Nativity, I decided we needed to take a Christmas picture... you can see how well that went...


You can't win them all, right?!

Last, we decorated sugar cookies for Santa. I love doing it with everyone, and our creative side really comes out.

After we were done, the kids went to bed, we all visited a little longer and all went to bad to wait for Santa!

Snow Day

It snowed alot... alot for here, anyway. Enough for snowball fights, snowmen and sledding.

Jackson was ready to go outside and play from the minute he woke up. Once we were all up and ready to go, we headed outside...

This is Jackson sledding on the hill behind our house. He really enjoyed himself. But, there is not alot of space at the bottom of the hill and the kids kept running into our neighbors house, trashcans, and boat.

This is the view from the top of the hill

Caroline wasn't so sure at first. She stood still alot because she seemed to slip alot when she tried to walk. Plus, I had her so bundled up I think she could barely move.

After sledding our hill for a while, we headed to one of our neighbors who have a great hill right outside their back door. The sledding was so fun. I haven't done it in forever. I eneded up with a bruise on my back from the sleg I went so much!

Jackson couldn't get enough. Every time he made it to the bottom he immediately asked to do it again.

Even my fearless, lttle woos wanted in on the action. She climbed into a sled and fussed until we let her go down. She went several times... one time the sled even flipped over and she ended up face-first in the snow, but she wasn't done.

It was so fun to hang out with our neighbors and all act like kids again! I can't wait to do it again!

Apparently she thinks so, too!

Batting at 76%

Bill Simmons writes a column for ESPN.com that I think is quite funny. Cameron often tells me about it, and more than once has sent me the column feeling that it is particularly relevant to our lives. oday was no exception. He was writing about the Tiger Woods mess and talking about why his wife might or might not be crazy. The reason... she has two small children. I think all of those that have small children can relate.

Bill Simmons just always says it so perfectly...

Tiger's wife gave birth to a daughter (now 2 years old) and a son (10 months). You're reading the same guy who once premiered my buddy Sully's "Twelve Percent Theory" in this same space: that every childbirth makes a woman 12 percent less sane until the kids can fully function on their own. So if you have two kids, you're batting at about 76 percent sane.


Anyone married with two young children can back me up: You don't mess with your wife, in any way, shape or form, during the 12 months after that second kid is born. Her hormones have gone haywire. She isn't sleeping enough. She's dealing with the new baby, the suddenly wounded ego of the first kid who doesn't feel special anymore, and whether she can handle two kids at all. She's trying to lose the weight from Baby No. 2, only she doesn't have enough time to work out yet. So she hates herself and hates you for doing this to her.


You aren't walking on eggshells around your wife during this stretch; you're walking on razor blades. Every comment has to be carefully considered before being spoken. For instance, here's a typical exchange with a mother of two young kids who has a baby 10 months or younger:


Husband: "You look really nice today."
Wife: "Why today? Why did you have to say today?"
Husband: "I just meant--"
Wife: "So I don't look nice on any other day?"


That's the Twelve Percent Theory in action. Again, you can't anger your wife during this time under any circumstances.


There's a chance that Tiger just has a fleet of nannies who deal with his kids, nullifying the Twelve Percent Theory to some degree. I don't think this is true for a simple reason: Tiger's wife was a nanny. Former nannies are less prone to hire a fleet of nannies because they know firsthand how attached a baby can get to a nanny. I think his wife carried much of the load herself. That would also explain why Tiger's mother was reportedly there on Thanksgiving. Not just for the holidays, but to help out. Right?


(I know, I know. I am throwing crap against the wall and hoping it sticks. On the other hand, you found yourself nodding the whole time. I'd bet anything. So let's say that Mrs. Tiger is hands-on with the kids. Fine.)


Anyway, the mix of "facts we know" and "things we perceive from those facts" left a little wiggle room and led to four accepted explanations emerging after the accident. I am leaving out any far-fetched explanation along the lines of "Tiger was going out to buy crack" and "Tiger had been furious at that fire hydrant for months and it was only a matter of time before he went after it."

The Walls of Heaven

I saw this on Facebook with the caption... "now I know what the walls of Heaven look like"

I would have to agree!

Naughty or Nice?

I Love this picture because is making the same goofy face as Jackson!

Speaking of the "Naughty One"

Amy's Birthday Cake

Jackson LOVES Amy! The other day he told me in was in the kitchen making Amy a birthday cake. When he was done he came and got me so we could sing "Happy Birthday" to Amy.

This was his cake...

Ever since my cake class, Jackson has "made" several cakes, but none that looked like this. It took me few minutes, but I figured out he was copying this cake:

Rose's cake from "Sleeping Beauty." This is the scene that he will watch over and over and over again!

It's Christmastime!!!

I LOVE CHRISTMAS!!!

Everything about it... the lights, the smells, the food, family, friends, everything!!!

But my favorite part is going and picking out a Christmas tree, a real, live, Christmas tree.

Unfortunately, this year I have a naughty girl and I wasn't going to get a traa at all, but I gave in. And, sadly for me I bought a cheap, fake tree that my naughty woos couldn't ruin. Despite the fact that it's f-a-k-e (which is usually a four-letter word around my house) it turned out very pretty and fills our living room with Christmas light.

And of course, my favorite Christmas decoration...



And speaking of naughty, how do you like the Christmas t-shirts I made for the kids using iron-on letters? Cute, huh?

Merry Christmas!!!

Good Friends

My friend, Kasey, who lives in South Carolina was up over the Thanksgiving holiday, and we used it as a great excuse to get together a couple times.

On Friday. Amy, Kasey and I met at Olive Garden dinner. It is our "go-to" spot. I was explaing to someone recently that is is my favorite restaurant, but it's not even abou the food. It is about the time I have spent there and the memories that have been made. It's the place we've always gone, and I'm sure it will be the place we always go!

Our fantastic waiter, Jamison, took our picture. Aren't we lovely?!

Kasey's kids and my kids are really close in age, but she has a brand new baby, unlike me. Her son, Jake, and Jackson are about three weeks apart in age, and her son, Nick, and Caroline are about 6 weeks different. Her new little boy, Ty, is 2 months old. We decided to meet at Chick-fil-a on Saturday so the kids could play, and Jackson has been talking no-stop about his new friend, Jake ever since. It was great fun! I went to high school with Kasey's husband, Daniel, so it was great to see him as well!

Nick and Caroline. Caroline is 6 weeks older.

Kasey and me (holding Ty)

The whole bunch of us. That plant behind me makes my hair look crazy. ha!

I Wish!