A Day out at Papa's House

Did you ever have one of those days?? Well, today was mine. I always love going to see my papa and nana. Today was no exception. However, papa was busy cutting up a pair of wild hogs he had just killed and nana was busy doing nana things. Mom sat down to help papa carve up the meat while I was left to deal with the kids. We decided to make the most of a warm winter's day by staying outside and out of trouble. Haha. I heard you laugh and you were right.

Emily fed bread and cereal to the chickens, chased the cats, and entertained herself with anything and everything that she saw. Lightning, um, I mean Jake was crawling through the chicken poo, throwing dirt, climbing under buildings, on tractors, and over anything that was standing in his way. I could barely get ahold of the boy before he was off again. By the late afternoon, the "mountain" was the lesser of all the evils that lurked about. The kids had a great time climbing and sliding in the dirt. They were busy for hours!! Jake didn't even make it to the end of our visit before he fell asleep. Emily did make it to bedtime, but there was no protesting the welcomed sleep. Now where can I get one of these mountain things for my house.....

Merry Christmas!!

For the secularist:

There were the shopping trips for "just one more thing," milk and cupcakes for Santa, and the Christmas tree that threw up from all the "love" sent by relatives and friends... Emily and Jake had a great morning opening each and every present they could get their hands on. Emily is familiar with the process and ripped right through her boxes so she could get busy playing with her new toys. Jake was not so ambitious. He wanted to "opie" all of his gifts, but would get sidetracked playing with each one as it was unwrapped. Every so often, I would have to convince him to open something else. Eventually, all was opened and one more bright Christmas morning was transformed from anticipation to a memory.

For the sentimentalist:

Long after the eggnog is gone and the fruitcake is tossed, I will still be opening my gifts from you. Every one of you who is reading this is my gift. Your time and friendship and love are the greatest gifts you could have given me this year. I want to thank each one of you special people for being in my life. I hope that I have been as great a gift to you, as you have been to me. Thank you for being my friend.

FYI... To all of you who haven't received my imaginary Christmas cards yet this year, please know that they are not in the mail!

Decorating the tree

Jake and Emily had a great time decorating the Christmas tree. Emily spent quite a lot of time making sure that she put her decorations in just the right places. Jake spent most of his time undoing what his sister had done. Ahhh, brotherly love. Just so you know, I spent most of my time praying for a silent night.

Like Father, Like Son

Who needs DNA? There is no question that this boy is Kyle's son. They are so alike that it is scary.

St. Francis Christmas Pagent

Emily was in a Christmas pagent at St. Francis Cabrini this year. We believe that she made a very beautiful angel. She sparkled from the inside out.

Jake's Artwork

As you all know, we are in the process of moving to another state. In anticipation of selling our home, we were doing a few home improvements. Jake decided to add a few projects of his own. He decided to tag the wall with trim paint and roll the coffee table with blue wall paint. Isn't it beautiful!!