Day 330

11 years and counting...

Today is mine & T's 11th anniversary and some days it feels like we were just married yesterday but at the same time, I can't remember a history before him. We have our ups and downs, but thankfully I can still not imagine my life without him in it. He is strong when I am weak and the opposite is true as well. We very rarely make even the smallest of decisions (usually about dinner) without running it past each other first. He doesn't mind when I am not inclined to cook or when I have to run to Target for underwear because I haven't had the time to do laundry that week. He supports me in every single way and will even watch a chick flick or two as long as I agree to a "Fast and the Furious" or "Miami Vice" from time to time (fair is fair). He allows me to be myself and loves me for who I am. I guess what I am trying to say is that he is my soul mate, my best friend, my better half and without him, I am not whole. Since it is a Friday, we will wait until tomorrow to have a nice dinner out, just the two of us.

Day 329

Only the beginning...
T got C this steering wheel and gas/break pedal for all of his PS2 racing games and I have to say, it makes me a little nervous for what the future holds! Here's hoping that he gets all of his need for speed out of his system BEFORE he can legally drive!

Day 328

Exhausted...Way too tired to pick up my camera. We had fun opening all the terrific gifts from friends and family and just enjoyed the day.

Day 327

Merry Christmas!!!
Turns out, the booby trap daddy set was completely unnecessary; he was up before the kids were!
We have our Christmas morning down to a science in this house. Stockings always come down first thing and M was most pleased to find the coveted reindeer Webkin along with some Hollister perfume, Itunes card and candy in hers.

C was equally pleased with his Hot Wheels Nintendo game among other things.
T and I had no idea that this little piggy wasn't a Webkin, but a Shining Star instead. All we knew was that little boo loves pink piggies and that was all she cared about too! After the stockings have been fully inspected, it is off to see what was left under the tree!
Ahhh, THE jacket of the season. No, we don't live in Alaska and we aren't going skiing anytime soon, but M just had to have this coat!
Roller skates for L...
The kids always get new calendars for Christmas and each year we are surprised at how genuinely happy they are to open them. M actually cried when she opened hers because it was a calendar full of Schnauzer puppies...awwwe! We spend Christmas night with my parents and I got a rockin camera bag this year that is on wheels so T doesn't have to break hi back lugging my packed out old one anymore!

I hope everyone had a wonderful day celebrating the birth of Jesus with their families.

Day 326B

Christmas Eve...part 2
Well, the kids were enjoying their time with Papa & Meme so much that time got away from us. For some reason I had it stuck in my head that the candlelight service was at 8:00 and wouldn't you know, it was at 7:00...doh! Obviously, we didn't make it which was a real bummer, but we did carry on with our Christmas Eve family traditions. First, we drove around the neighborhood enjoying all the lights on our neighbors' homes.

Then we went back home and opened one gift each. I had to post this one of M because it was so funny. She was desperate to open this gift even though she was warned it may not be as exciting as she was thinking it would be. I think the look on her face gives it away! After presents, it was time for...
A toasty fire (whether the weather calls for it or not) and hot chocolate while snuggling up to watch...
The Polar Express! Once that is over, it is time for bed so mommy & daddy can get to work.
Mission Accomplished. T even set a booby trap so we would know if the kids snuck a peek.
And the stockings were hung by the chimney with care...

Day 326

Christmas Eve...part 1
The beginning of the chaos, Christmas Eve. The kids decided to spend the day in the pjs and who could blame them? PJs are the best thing in the world! However, they were informed that they would not be wearing them to church tonight.
Papa and Meme were over bearing lots of goodie today and the kids could hardly wait to dig in! L got another gift card and clearly it was just the right size! My little saver, she still hasn't spent the one from her birthday yet!
She also got an art easel, which she just loved to pieces! She wants to be an art teacher so this was the perfect gift for her.
M can be a little tricky to buy for. The kid has just about everything a girl could want with the exception of a pony (seen the Verizon commercial..that's my muffin)!
But cold hard cash burns a hole right through her purse! I think she already has this spent in her mind!
The most impatient of all was my little guy. I thought he would burst looking at all those presents! He even peeked into some of the gift bags, hope there won't be a lump of coal in his stocking for that one!

Day 325

With only one more day before the festivities start and all the presents wrapped and the house straightened up, the only thing left to do was breathe. We usually do Christmas Eve with T's parents and then Christmas Night with mine so today we just kind of relaxed since it will be a few days before we get the chance again!

Day 324

All wrapped up...
These were technically taken for today since it was about 1:30 in the morning when we finished wrapping, but I realized that I hadn't set the correct time on my camera...whoops. Even though this was the latest I have ever gotten my tree up, I think it is the earliest we have had all the presents wrapped. T helped out A LOT and together, we got everything ready to roll. Love you, honey! :)

Day 323

M's Party and choir program...
The last of the parties was today and this morning was M's school choir performance. This was the song, "Holiday Lights" and they all had colored flashlights. It was really cute.
When the 5th graders were done, they lined both sides of the cafeteria and helped out the 6th grade choir. This is M's second year in the choir club and she really loves it. Her clubs also help motivate her to keep her grades up which is never a bad thing!

Party time. For a quick snack after their pizza, the kids decorated Christmas cookies and wouldn't you know, they were messier than the 5 year-olds in C's class!
SNOW instead of BINGO! Don't forget to take a look-see at M's holiday nails complete with snowman (a little early gift for her since this age is so hard to buy for).
M and a couple of her gal pals. This is S and we see quite a bit of her. She is a new friend of M's this year.
This is T and she and M have been friends for a few years. She is such a sweetheart, I just love her!
Even C enjoyed this party and found an older woman to have a HUGE crush on.

Day 322

L's party...
And today was L's party. As her room mom, I didn't get the chance to take but a couple pictures. Her party was in the middle of the day so time was short but we had a great spread of food complete with nuggets, fruit tray, and tons of cookies and snacks. The other parents were such a help!
We had fun making wreaths with these jingle bells and did a book exchange (always a winner) too.

Day 321

C's party...
Today was C's Christmas program and party at school. He and his little class have been practicing for weeks, but little man gets nervous when he is in front of a crowd so..
to make him smile, I sat on the floor sticking my tongue out at him!
No shyness when it comes to partying though! Here they are playing pass-the-present and he was one of four left over at the end. We told them that the present had socks and underwear in it...ha-ha!
He got this terrific dinosaur book and "The Night Before Christmas" during the book exchange.
He just loooooves his teacher and has been learning so much in her class. I'll bet she is looking forward to her vacation as much as the kids are. I have no idea how she manages with fourteen 5 year-olds five days a week!

Day 320

Better late than never, right?...
This is the latest we have ever gotten the tree up. I can't believe it, 7 days until Christmas and not one present wrapped and T was only able to set up the tree last night. I have been so busy that I couldn't take the *stu* down and it was where the tree was supposed to be. In any event, I finally got it decorated tonight, only thrown together but here's a couple shots anyway.

Day 319

First Images...
I finally got to play a little bit today with the new camera. Unfortunately, I still haven't upgraded my CS2 to CS3 so I had to shoot these in jpg mode...bummer. I am saving all my PS "extras" right now so I can install the upgrade over the holidays while I am...relaxing...hahahaha.
So here's a coke and a smile just for you!

The kids just love these little bottles. I only let them have them during the holidays and M collects them.

Day 318

Quickie session...
A neighbor of ours bought a 12 foot tree (to go along the the four or so other trees they have) and wanted some pictures in front of it so I ran over today and took a few. This thing is huge! Debbie decorated it beautifully and as payment, she is supposed to help me with my very sad garland.

Day 317

Birthday party for two princesses...

Poor L's bday is actually in September, but given mine & T's crazy schedules, she hadn't had a party yet. Her bff had a birthday coming up too and wanted to spend it with L. We decided on a trip to The Woodlands Mall and R's "party" was at Libby Lu while L's was at Build-A-Bear.
The girls rode the carousel and had tiara's and finished the night off with a slumber party at R's house complete with a cake that had both their names on them! It was truly a girls' night out!

Day 316

After last evening, I needed a day to recover from such an emotional shoot and with so much going on lately, I didn't even touch my camera today. I will be back at it tomorrow.

Day 315

Matthew...
I have been a part of a few charity organizations for quite some time now. I strongly believe in giving back where we can and using the talents God gave us to help others but in a case like this, I wish it wasn't necessary. The organization I took these images for provides photo sessions at no cost two parents whose children are terminally ill and some who have already gone to be with Him. Tonight, I had the honor and privilege of meeting Matthew. A sweet soul on loan from God himself. Matthew is one of a set of quads and identical twin to Robert and he is in the final stages of liver failure. The fact that he is here at home for this short time is a miracle and one his parents did not want to let slip by so a nurse recommended that they call me.