myselfandDi

I hope you all had a fabulous Christmas and are having a stellar New Year's Eve. Our celebration tonight was getting the wrong take out bag at Bonefish, we brought it back, they said to keep it, and gave us our original order. Soooo, we have 3 orders of bang bang shrimp, 2 salads, and some seared tuna. We are ringing in the new year fat and happy y'all*!* (Hey, that's excitement around here.) Over my latest bad bloggy break, I turned another year older. Whatever. I'll start to worry when I feel older. ANYWAY.... I was spoiled something awful this year (and I loved it :). This is probably totally tacky but I can't help it...

Here's some of my great stuff!

My best bud Kelly sent me this for my birthday. Isn't it perfection? (She knows me so well!)She found it on Etsy at littlebluebirdstudio .

And I just LOVE it*!* It makes me happy : )

And from the In-laws...this! My very own BigKick!!! Isn't it a sight to behold? Ahhhh...I'm breathless!

Some of you won't understand how awesome that is...but some of you SOOOO will*!*

My Mommy took me here and let me pick out some beautiful sweaters and shirts...I SO needed
them! Because, as she pointed out, "You can't wear paper!" (refering to a little "problem" involving 12X12 paper I've developed. Again, some of you won't understand, but some of you SOOOOO will!) I keep telling her that paper NEVER makes my *ss look big...

She took the girls and I out for a yummy lunch after we shopped...what a wonderful afternoon!

Thanks again Mommy *!*

As a kid, the birthday/Christmas combo gift was a thing I loathed~ I can SO appreciate it now that I'm older. I LOVE my combo gift~Hubby got me my very own Ipod Nano*!* I'm pretty sure it didn't have anything to do with me always borrowing his....or uploading my music onto it almost daily...or playing with it every other day. It's because he loves me and knows I would enjoy it (right?). An hour after opening it, it was loaded with 300 songs...and I can't wait to get more on there. I LOVE my music...and I LOVE LOVE LOVE my boy.

(Did I mention he used all the gift cards given to him as gifts at work? He is awesome.)

Don't want to forget to mention that my other best bud Molly gave me a gift certificate to The Paper Source (yummy*!*) and Hubby's Aunt, a gift certificate to Two Peas In a Bucket...this birthday is going to go down in history*!*
(Hope that wasn't snotty...I'm just really super excited!)





My favorite present? My sweet nephew Scotty came home! I was so glad he was home for his Mommy's birthday (the day after mine). I just love this photo of both my Sis's boys~Charlie just loves his little brother. I've taken 80 or more photos of that baby every time I've gotten out my camera...he'll get used to it ; ) Thank you all for your prayers*!*



One of our crafty attempts (with both girls...holy cow). We gathered some pine cones, some old interior latex paint, water, and 2 types of clear glitter to make our own little winter wonderland forrest. They look so sweet!








You'll notice I used my muffin tins (bottom left corner of photo) to let the pine cones drip dry. Yeah...if you like your muffin tins, don't do that.

Ahhhh....Christmas Eve. Such a magical night. If you happen to stay up too late and ask an almost 3 yr old to smile, this is what you'll get...the 8yr old isn't too thrilled either. It's Christmas Eve...hello?!? It was a rough day, Mallory was quite a pill ALL day...she didn't give a rip that "Santa doesn't come to see little boys and girls that scratch/beat/bite/yell at/kick their sisters all day!!!"

Lord give me strength...

Delaney put out Santa's magic key...

And the jolly guy in red came.
(tee hee...I love our little tree this year!)

Two amazing things happened that morning.

~Mallory didn't think that Santa had brought her anything. "Why," asked her Daddy, "Haven't you been a good girl?" Looking up at him with those big brown eyes and eyelashes even longer than his, she says "Nope." (Should I feel better that she at least knows she's being a turkey? That kid ages me every day...)

~ When we first walked into the living room, Delaney didn't want to open/play with/look at any of her gifts. "What's wrong Delaney?" we asked her (sort of in a panic because we thought Santa screwed up and got her things she didn't like). That sweet freckled face said, "I'm just so excited to give Mallory the gift I got her, I can't wait for her to open it and see her face." She's 8 1/2 years old...and she *gets* it. She GETS it! I know some adults who still don't. My baby "gets" Christmas...we were both speechless. I just love that kid. We're so proud of her.
Now....there's this teensy weensy little matter of this----->

That's my Delaney holding up a letter from Santa. The letter states that Santa didn't (order it in time) have room on his sleigh for the balance beam she wanted and SO rightly deserved. It says that once the elves load it onto his empty sleigh after he returns, it will be delivered to her. She was thrilled to be getting it and was excited about its arrival....she's not so....excited....anymore. Bless her heart, she's trying to be patient. Unfortunately she's losing faith and asking lots of questions...it's breaking our hearts. We've been trying to find out which *elves* we should be talking to about this and have come d*mn close to ordering another one. She is so sad about the whole thing...If there was any kid that should have her gift on time, it's her. No Mommy and Daddy points for us...

Here she is...Poo Poo Baby. Poor doll has no idea what she's in for...but she sure made one adorable, strong willed girl VERY happy. But...Mallory has been talking like the doll, like a BABY, ever since Christmas morning.

I get to hear "Mommy, you aggrivate me and give me a headache every day!" in the voice of a

1 and a half year old. (Her Sis says that to her by the way, not me.......I just think it.) I just wish you could hear how sweet it sounds...

But isn't she a cutie? God does that on purpose you know...

My Mom has asked me not to discuss my little brother's Baby Jesus antics this year so I won't.

In totally unrelated news, we got our Nephew (who is also our Godson) a wild west type gun-ish game for Christmas. There's a log with sensors along the bottom that, when hit with the laser, make pegs pop up and send whatever is on top, flying trough the air on what looks to be a very fun little...adventure.

My little bro taking aim...





Anything was game. A half eaten dinner roll for instance....


or, say....a baby lamb sitting atop a nibbled Nilla wafer.....

and that was all...

nothing else...

Some of us were laughing very hard.



The girls in their Bitty Baby matching jammies~aren't they cute?

It was the end of a long, yummy, fantastic day with our families. I know I say it all the time but I LOVE my whole family SO much. I am blessed beyond belief and I know it. I was grinning like a goofball all day just observing all of the chaos. Kids everywhere, food, giggles, spills, smells, tiffs, hugs, running, "Stop running!", snatching, "That's not yours!", accidents, "Go say you're sorry!", tears, belly laughs, messes, cousins, love,.........family. There is nothing like it. I wouldn't trade it for anything.

My Sister made me do it...Anne Geddes, your job is safe.

Happy New Year everyone*!*