:: Happy Holidays ::

I wish all of you a safe, wonderful and very merry Christmas.  

I'll have plenty to blog about next week, so be sure to check back.  :)

Grown Men and Snowballs...

It's been snowing here... it's practically a blizzard!  Well, okay, it's a "blizzard" by our standards anyway.  Like I said in my previous post - it rarely snows here, so when it does we get really excited.

So I was cooking dinner and I kept hearing the faint sound of snowballs hitting the side of our house.  I thought "oh, how cute... the kids are having a snowball fight."  I knew that Jason and Benjamin were out making a snowman - or at least that's what I thought.

I went outside to check on them and that's when I learned that the men on our street - yes, the grown, adult men - were in the the middle of a huge snowball fight.  And according to the witnesses I spoke with - my husband started it. The poor kids didn't stand a chance.  And the men spared no one... every one, small children included, were fair game.  

One woman was innocently getting out of her car after returning home from work and was pegged in the back with a snowball.  Luckily she was a good sport about it.  Jason and our neighbor Tony conspired to attack our neighbors across the street.  Tony rang their doorbell and then hid around the side of the house, and when they opened the door and Jason yelled "Hi neighbor!" from across the street, Tony ambushed them.  They were good sports, too.  In fact, they were really good sports - they started grabbing at snow and retaliated. Good for them.  

I am not sure what it is about an undisturbed yard full of freshly fallen snow that makes grown men act like nine-year-old bullies on a playground, but I witnessed the phenomenon first hand. Grown men, fathers, flying through the air pelting each other with tightly packed balls of snow.  Adult men squealing and laughing and hiding on the sides of houses and behind cars, waiting for a victim to attack.  It was hysterical.  And at the same time, oddly sweet and charming.

SNOW!!!

We had the most amazing surprise waiting for us when we woke up this morning.. SNOW! That's right - it actually snowed in College Station! Since we live so close to the coast, it very rarely snows here and we have not seen snow since we moved here almost six years ago. What's even more incredible - it just started snowing again and Benjamin is running around in the backyard yelling "I am eatin' snow, Mama!" "There is snow on my tongue!"  How great is that?

We saved two big snowballs in our freezer... we thought it would be fun to have a snowball fight in summer next year. Well, I am off to make a snowman... HAPPY HOLIDAYS!!

Holiday Card Photo Shoot

It's that time of year again!  Time for holiday photos! ugh.....

There is always drama in our home when it comes time for holiday photos. Yep, holiday photo shoots would not be the same without all the fussing, screaming and crying. I still don't understand what's so difficult about "just sit down, look at the camera and smile..."  I always manage to get at least one good picture - but it comes with a price, trust me.

I was determined to get my holiday cards out on time this year.  But in keeping with  my usual poor time management skills, I waited until the last minute.  I was actually putting off taking the photos out of sheer dread.  So, I procrastinated.  Which meant I had to pay extra for prompt processing and faster delivery.  

Now, I realize that I could take Ben to a professional photographer and pay for a sitting and order prints, but I am more of a naturalist when it comes to family photos.  I don't really like the "studio" look of photos taken by professionals.  It just doesn't seem natural to me.  I prefer more candid shots.  They just seem more real.

So, the day came, I took a deep breath, said a quick prayer and sat Ben down in front of our Christmas Tree.  I put a Santa hat on his head and started taking pictures.  And you know what? Aside from some minor distractions and goofy faces... it went really well.  I guess my little boy, who is now a big 4 year old, is starting to get the hang of having his picture taken.  I was so proud of him. And the best news of all? The cards I ordered arrived today, ahead of delivery schedule.  Which means I will actually get my holiday cards out on time this year.  

It's a Christmas miracle!!!

Holiday Photo Shoot

My Baby is 4... I Can't Believe It!

I seriously cannot believe my little boy is four years old.  

Time really is precious... it goes by so quickly. 

Benjamin loves Mexican food, and since I am a sucker for theme parties, I thought it would be fun to throw him a Birthday Fiesta.  So we did.  Complete with sombreros, maracas and tacos. It was a blast.  

I decided to rent a huge jumping castle (yes, the "Jupiter Jump" for all of you inflatable jumping castle fans) and I also rented a bubble machine. That was actually more for me... I just thought it sounded fun.

So, the day of Ben's party turned out cold.  Very cold.  And windy.  And not just a little windy... more like hurricane force winds windy.  It was insane.  I kept waiting for the Jupiter Jump to rip free from its stakes and float away with the kids still inside.  We had rented tables and chairs so that we could all sit outside.  Those were rendered completely useless once the wind gusts started, so we basically just sat in the dining room and looked out the window at the kiddos jumping in the castle.  The near-frozen kiddos jumping in the castle trying to stay warm. The wind also made the bubble machine fairly useless, too. Once you turned it on, the wind just whipped the bubbles around the backyard and they would hit the kids in the face and head and pop instantly. And apparently bubbles sting when they pop in your eye. Just ask one of the poor kids who was attacked by a wayward bubble.  Poor kids.

But you know, despite the crazy weather, I think everyone had a good time.  We had family and close friends here to celebrate Ben's special day, and that was nice.  Plus, not one kid blew away, froze or was permanently blinded by bubble solution.  So, I guess Ben's birthday was a huge success. 

Oh, and the day after Ben's party... perfectly sunny, warm day - and absolutely no wind at all.

For more pics from Ben's party, just follow this link...

http://s442.photobucket.com/albums/qq144/TipsOnBeingPerfect/Bens%204th%20Birthday%20Fiesta/

The Posts are Coming! The Posts are Coming!

Okay, I admit it.  I haven't been posting on my blog as much as I intended to.  I even had to remove an earlier post (the one about State Fair food) since the slide show I had in the post was causing all sorts of problems with the layout of my entire blog. Technology is frustrating sometimes.  But I'll repost it soon.  

The truth is that I actually have several posts started... I just need to finish and publish them.  You see, I tend to get side tracked and I lose focus and well, before I realize it, another week has gone by and I still haven't posted anything. So, here it is.... my "Early New Year's Resolution," or I guess it should be my "Near the End of the Old Year Resolution." Something like that anyway. Whatever it's called, here's what it means - I resolve to post at least twice a week.  That's it.  Not too much, but enough to keep my legions of fans interested. That was a joke.  I think I actually have about two fans.  And they have both emailed me asking why I haven't posted anything.  I told them I had just been super busy... but actually, I am just super bad at time management.  I also just got a subscription to NetFlix.  NetFlix is AH-MAZING! But I have spent a ton of time watching movies the past few weeks.  They were fabulous movies.  I just didn't get much else accomplished.  

Then there's the issue with trying to type with a four year old constantly talking to you and a husband who works from home and always needs to know where something is or needs my help with office work.  I have just had to explain to both of them that when I sit down to work on my blog, I am deaf and mute - so don't bother me because I can't hear you and I won't respond.  So there.

Well, I am off to eat some lunch and then run errands... but stay tuned... the posts are coming!!!