My husband is known far and wide for his chocolate chip cookies. Well, he's known around this family for them! He likes to use their evil power to bribe our neices and nephews into liking him better than anyone other than mom, dad, grandma, or grandpa. I'm not sure but I think it may be working...
Brayden, last night. (Shawna's baby)
Shawn, Shelly, and the latest cookie monster!
Christmas was good this year. The kids were really happy with their gifts. My mom and dad, Jeff, Mandee, and their kids all were here for Christmas morning. I love seeing the excitement on Mandee's kids' faces on Christmas morning. My kids are not as excited about Santa coming anymore, so it's fun being with smaller kids. I still remember being so excited on Christmas morning, seeing the milk ring at the bottom of the glass and a big bite out of one of the cookies that we had left on the fireplace the night before. Jason, Lenna, and their kids came later in the day. It's crazy when we're all here. The youngest girl thinks that when we build a house that it should be really big so that they can come more often and not be as crowded. Of coarse, she isn't going to have to pay for the new house either.
Boy 2 and Girl 2
This child is completely crazy about Tennessee!
All of the Kennedy cousins. Next year there will be one more thrown into the bunch!
Shelly, Jason, and Mandee sans make-up! Yikes!
Our house will never be the same! Santa brought PS3 along with a couple of "boy" games to our house this year. The youngest girl, being the girly girl that she is, decided that she needed a "girl" game. So, what did her daddy do? Well, he high-tailed it to the nearest W-Mart for the "girl" game of her choice...High School Musical sing along. I find it extremely amusing to video my family without permission or their knowledge. I think after watching the next video, you will too!
I hope everyone had a very merry Christmas! Personally, I haven't felt like it was really Christmas at all this year. I don't know why. Maybe the lack of cool weather. Maybe the speed with which this year has passed. Who knows.
Our theme this year is gold in memory of my grandmother.
This is a gold-leafed santa, given to us a by grandma a couple of years before she passed away. (She would gold-leaf ANYTHING) Seriously, she gold-leafed an entire side table!
Glass candle holder with ornaments in the bottom.
Glass box with lights inside.
The tree. (Sorry, it's a little shaky)
Recipe for Grandma Rosie's Christmas Morning RollToday was Boy 1's Christmas Band concert. In the video, he is the second tuba player from the end. You can't see his face but you can see his hand. This clip is of the tuba players big part of this peice. The sound on the video doesn't do it justice. They really sounded wonderful today!
The second video is Boy 1 recieving recognition for making All-Region.
This is what we were doing tonight. Sorry about the blurriness. I haven't figured out the specifics on the new camera.
"Wait... here I come!"
Boy 1
I love this game!
When basketball season starts, Shawn is like a kid with a new toy. He has volunteered to coach the peewee team and the travel team for Boy 2's team. This will be Girl 2's first year. We can't wait to see her play.Every year, we set up the tri-pod and use the timer to take a family picture for Christmas cards. As with everything else this year, I was really late in getting it done. This years picture session was no less exciting than years past. First of all, Shawn had other plans for this evening. Well, truth be told, he hates (HATES) this picture session. Which puts me in a bad mood, which in turn puts the kids in a bad mood. OK, back to my story. Shawn had other plans, so he comes in after work and immediately says, "Are we taking a picture? Let's get it done!" Well, we weren't quite ready and the longer it took to get ready, the more frustrated my dear husband became. Then, I couldn't figure out how to set the timer on the camera (new camera, remember...I broke the other one). Then when I did figure it out, the batteries started dying. By this point, not only were we all frustrated with each other but Polly (the dog) starts biting the two younger kids. Really, steam was literally coming out of Shawn's ears. (Well, not really but it sounds good.) The whole scene was reminiscent of a Steve Martin movie. I would set the timer, run to my place, we would all count the seconds, then a kid would push another one (setting off a whole chain reaction in itself). Repeat process. Over and over.
The youngest girl does too but she HAS to look into the camera. Seriously, something cataclysmic might happen if she doesn't!
Bailey had long beautiful hair from the time she was about a year and a half old. Everyone always complimented her on it. When she was about 4, she started asking to cut it. She was always asking for her hair to be cut short. My concern was that if we didn't let her cut it, she would cut it short on her own and keep it that way out of some sort of messed up principle. When she saw a special on locks of love, she really wanted to donate her hair. I was extremely proud that she would be so generous. Ok, I'm getting to the point here. Today she looked a picture and said that she missed her long hair. I'm happy that we made the decision to let her cut it. One less thing for her to tell a shrink about.Now, I'm sure some of you are going to wonder, "Is this the way she repay's him for all of his loving kindness?" Well, the answer is NO, it was an accident. Shawn and I were wrestling... No, not that kind of wrestling. Get your mind out of the gutter...when I elbowed him in the eye. There was that moment of complete panic when the elbow and the eye made contact. Then I had that horrible moment. You know, where you see (or in this case, inflict) pain in someone else and can't help laughing. He is getting a nice little shiner.
Now every time I try to hug him, he flinches. Crap.
Have you ever been to Rick's bakery, in Fayetteville, Arkansas? Oh, dear Jesus! They have these marvelous sausage roll creations. Now, I understand that it may not be everyone's cup of tea but for our family, these little "piggy's in a blanket" are scrumppppssshhhuuusshh!! Just look at these little mounds of heaven on a flat baking sheet.
Shawn made these last night and brought a batch to work for us. (Yes, the girls are so jealous that my husband cooks, cleans, and takes care of the kids while I'm working and at school.)
He used a recipe from Pioneer Woman Cooks for the Kneadless Dinner Rolls for the bread. I really can't explain to you just how good these were. I like mine with a little mustard. Hmm mmm! Shawn and the kids take their's plain. Even if you don't want to fool with homemade bread (kinda scary) then stop by Rick's sometime. Oh, oh...also... the Cheque bakery in West, TX. I think they run a close second. Maybe first. Well, whichever I've had last. No, I think Shawn's are first. No. Well, yeah, maybe definately!
My oldest son Caleb, who will be 15 this year, made all region band. Second band, fifth chair. Not perfection but certainly better than anything that I accomplished with my pitiful attempt at the clarinet. He left during school yesterday to "go toot his horn" as Shawn puts it.
I went in to work with nothing remarkable going on. It was going to be a good night. At 11pm I get a call from my baby who has been throwing up all day. He was in a hotel room with one other boy and still throwing up. He needed his momma. Oh, I could have cried. My baby needed me. I don't think he has NEEDED me for anything other than money, food, or a taxi service in the last 4 years. I had to go!
I wasn't confident in going by myself or sending Shawn alone. Being up all night at work, taking care of patients, up and moving, with lights on is a whole different ball game than driving at night in a dark car. I came home and loaded the other three kids up, still in pj's with pillows and blankets in tow. Shawn made the drive two hours south. I went into the hotel to get him. You know, it was typical. I love my son and I know he was sick but he knew we were coming. I talked to him a few times while we were driving. I called to let him know that we were right outside the hotel and when I got up to his room, his stuff was everywhere and he wasn't even dressed. uuugghhhh!!! I didn't say anything though because he was so sick. As we were leaving the hotel, he was walking in front of me. I realized that I had to look up at him. No longer was he the little boy that only a few months ago I could still give a piggy back ride to. But it doesn't matter. The feeling is still the same. He is still "my little boy". I don't think that feeling will be any different when he is 60 and I'm 78.
So, the four hour trip ended up taking five hours. I'm more wore out than I would have been if I was working but my baby is home and can throw up in our own commode. I'm so thankful that the charge nurse that working with me understood that kids come before work and that I was able to go.
Oh, and thank goodness for XM radio. I'm sure that I would have fallen asleep driving on the way home if not for all the great 90's songs on channel 9!!!
I made a trip to The Interior in Ash Flat today between classes. They have the most gorgeous Christmas room. It motivated me to finish up some of my decorating.
The tree
The tree, in different lighting.
Up close.
When he finished his cupcake, his mom gave him another without the icing. Uncle Shawn couldn't stand him doing without so... he got him another spoonful of icing!
Opening presents with mom (Shawna). For some reason, it looks like Shawn is stroking Shawna's hair. Sorry 'bout the angle.
I had to go to work last night and couldn't stay for all of the Maguffee Christmas party but I got to spend some time with BP. Meme packed me a great lunch to take to work...hmm. I love her cheese spread that she makes at christmas-time!
Yesterday was a great day with Shawn's family! It makes me sad though that I missed Declan's first birthday. I didn't realize how badly I would miss my family, especially my neice and nephews when we moved. They know that I love them though.
