Happy Holidays!!

Happy Holidays !!!!

I haven't forgotten my friends and families! I would like to apologize for not leaving a note more often. I have peeked in on alot of my favorite families over the past few months, and I give ALOT of credit to those moms who can squeeze in the time to post a note, and add a comment. Especially those who add the pictures - I always love the pictures! I've seen so many cute pictures in their scariest to the best dressed, or even just the big smiles.

As the holiday season comes to a close and the New Year begins.....I am finally making the time to update our blog. To recap the past few months, our Halloween was frightful, with many ghouls and goblins and way tooo much candy! Fortunately I work with a bunch of great people that don't mind the leftovers. Here's a peek at the girls "group".....the boys weren't waiting for anything. Sorry, no picture.Our Thanksgiving holiday starting off with hosting my niece's baby shower... there were little baby ducks and the color blue everywhere......

Everyone had a great time, Meg received some wonderful gifts and I got some great baby ideas, (now I just need the baby to put them to use, sigh). This will be her first child and we are expecting baby Colin after the first of the year. There weren't as many leftovers from this party, and I was able to clear off the dining room table to get started on Thanksgiving. For Thanksgiving we had the entire family over again. Fed about 20 people. I think I cooked 10-12 lbs of potatoes, this group loves 'em mashed! Our turkey was every bit of 20 lbs, and Chris had enough for his annual week of turkey sandwiches. Two pumpkin pies, gone. My mom was able to be here and that made my day. She doesn't get out and about alot these days, so it was really nice to have her here.

After cleaning off the dining room table again, on to Christmas. It then became the staging area for the gifts to be wrapped, mailed, and cards to be sent. While we were out and about preparing for the special day we received another blessing. One that last for several days. We were blessed to have a White Christmas here in our neck of the woods for the first time, in many, many, years. SNOW, and a lot of it. This was Saturday evening.......

This is our back deck, just before turning in for the night. Chris cleaned it off twice before this picture, and you would never know it!!!

These are taken first thing in the morning.......

The snow was as deep as the swings, almost covered and our pool looked like a giant marshmallow!

Here is an example of the rewards by feeding your leftovers to your co-workers.......

I try to think of it as a perk for working for a construction company! He was a wonderful sight coming up the street, Adam was very happy! He could retire his shovel!! :-)

A week later we STILL had all 27" of snow, making our Christmas the whitest one this area has seen in a long while!

Santa finally arrives filling the space under the tree bringing his bounty of gifts for the house to enjoy for the children have been very good.

I didn't take many pictures of the unwrapping, but no one was disappointed. (except me for not having the camera ready) Adam was blessed with a new sound system as this was a gift that will keep on giving......me a headache! :-) (Mom received a full bottle of Tylenol) The volume wars have already begun! He received a few new video games and many clothes to keep him at this fashion best. Santa was very fashion minded this year as Emily finally was able to wear the coat she spotted several weeks earlier. Santa's elves are the cleverest helpers picking things up when the Big Guy was unavailable. (Thanks to my very special elf named C !)

I tried to capture a few pictures of their gifts in motion, since I missed them that morning...Emily is always ready to smile, and she put on all of her fav's to model....the beret, the scarf, the coat and of course the matching boots.......

Adam was not so willing so, please don't mind the clutter of our basement, it's a "catch all" of things......do I hear a note for spring cleaning?

Christmas Day we had the family over again but the crowd was a bit lighter, Mom wasn't feeling her best and the weather had gotten very cold, so my requests for mashed potatoes was a little lighter. It was a fun day with the little ones running around. My youngest niece discovered that a few of Auntie Terry's stuffed animals sing! She just kept playing with them and didn't have any desire to open any gifts -

she is so cute!!

Our New Year's Eve was a very quiet day and evening. We both had to work part of the day, so we just enjoyed dinner out with my brother and sister in law and their children. As of tomorrow morning, it's back to the normal routine.....school, work, dance, bowling, homework and the busyiness that our house thrives on.

On our adoption story, we are still in wait mode. Ugg. Our I-600A renewal will be sent out tomorrow to the new address in Texas. In another couple of months, I will be updating all of our documents. In April it will be the two year mark waiting for a referral of a precious baby for our family. I am wishing and praying that we do not hit that anniversary date and we hear some wonderful news sooner!!! I have all these new baby ideas I'd like to try! Please keep us in your thoughts and maybe the new year will bring us some good news! I will be doing all of the spring cleaning earlier this year to help pass the time.

I'd like to wish everyone a safe and Happy New Year! Wishing and praying that good things come to everyone, from our house to yours!!!