Never seen ya happier, lil' brother!

Look at that smile! One cannot hide true happiness ~ that is for sure! He is so very happy and we are so very happy for him! Libby is a great addition to our family! We are looking forward to many more memories with the two of them!

The most special Christmas tree....

You will think I am not telling the truth when I tell you this.....but......this is my first Christmas tree! When I was a newborn, my parents bought this tree for Christmas and then planted it in our front yard. From the pictures of it when it was in our living room...it started out at about 3 1/2 feet tall. As you can see, the tree is now HUGE! I was struck by the enormity of it when I was home for the holidays this year! I guess it will always be the most special Christmas tree to my family and me. Who would have thought that it would grow to this size?

After the mayhem!

Hours and hours of wrapping result in lots of trash! But it's so much fun! I got Tommy clothes, shoes, slippers, etc. His big gift was a TV for our bedroom. He got me boots, perfume, and....a LAPTOP! Wooo-hoooo! The dogs got more stuffed animals to destroy-- which is exactly what they asked for. All the gifts were great...but the true gift lies in our everyday lives. So many gifts....

One of my favorite parts of the season.....

....is knowing that there will almost always be something in the mailbox other than bills! I love Christmas cards...especially the ones with pictures in them! I think that we don't write enough letters in this day and age! With e mails and faxes and voicemails.....it seems rare to get a card in your mailbox. In 2006, I vow to write more letters.

** I need to come up with a better way to display cards next year. Each time the dogs run by...a few cards swirl to the floor! Any ideas?

WOW!

I had to take a picture of this house! Is this unreal or what? It was even more crazy in person! I would absolutely hate to be the person who has to dismantle this display!

A new look...

Sometimes in life...you have a chance meeting with people and you just KNOW that great times are ahead! Such was the case with Steve and Heidi. They are such fun people! We met on Wednesday night to celebrate my birthday at a new little place (that quickly became a favorite little place) and much to our surprise....Steve is sporting a new 'stache! We liked it so much that we thought it would be only fair to post it on the blog. You see, Steve thinks that I have a camera attached to my right hand so he frequently razzes me about taking pictures of fairly unimportant moments! What did they get me for my birthday ---- a camera! What else?! Anyway, Tommy and I are in full support of your new facial growth Steve! Just don't hurt Heidi with it!

Holiday photos...

We try to get a Christmas picture every year to send with our Christmas cards. My mom is the photographer by default. The whole photo shoot is stressful enough with two dogs--we could never do the whole "set the timer" thing. And then there is the stress of choosing the picture....it has to be the one where Tommy approves of how he looks, one that I am satisfied with, and one where both dogs are in position! It's virtually impossible to get past the first two parameters--much less the last one! Anyway, we did end up with one decent one to send to friends and family...but these are two of my other favorites from that night. I love the one of Tommy and me. We always have so much fun. I'm thankful for our laughter. The next one is of Pepper--he is and has always been so photogenic. It's as if he knows it will be much easier to just go along with my "humanizing" him than to bulk and prolong the whole ordeal. He is my boy....we have such a history together. He knows me well....and that is why he has become so good at just staring into the camera until I say "We're done!"
In my search for our place in the world of traditions--I guess this is one of ours-- A Christmas Photo. And not just any photo--one that captures the very essence of us, our little family, at the very moment!

Tis' the Season.....Fa la la la la

We had our first snow today! In our little family...the first snow is a very big deal because Tommy and I make a prediction in October as to when the first INCH will fall. I picked November 15th (I was wishing!!) and he picked December 24th (always the realist!)...so he won. I now owe him dinner at whatever place he chooses! He might cash in on dinner this weekend. He has been crowned the Snow King for 2006.
We got out of school early today--which is always a crazy process! But it was fun to see the faces of the kiddos when they saw the huge flakes start to dump from the sky. Any chance of learning flew right out the window once the weather set in. I was so happy for snow, too. Though my communte home was a bit ...ahem..white-knuckled....I felt the holidays finally begin! It just isn't holiday-ish enough for me without the white stuff.
These are our big trees this year. It is hard to capture the true beauty of a twinkling tree because of the ol' flash...but you are able to get the idea.
I just love coming home to a house full of Christmas! It is quite magical.

Everyone wants to help with the decorating...

Tommy got some much needed help with the pencil tree decor. But...all that decorating tends to wear a dog out! Both dogs were soon fast asleep..with dreams of snausages dancing in their heads, no doubt.

Holiday Wine Tasting Party...

Oh what a very fun time we had Saturday night! Tommy and I had our first ever wine tasting party--and we loved it! Each guest brought their favorite bottle of wine with the label concealed. We all tasted the wines and placed votes using corks. There were red wines, white wines, dessert wines, sparkling wines, and more! Doesn't everyone look great? A huge thanks to all of our guests for making the party fun...and for bringing a warm blanket for those less fortunate! We collected 12 comfy blankets!

Tea, anyone?

I hosted a table at our church Christmas Tea this year. It was an amazing experience! Of course--I loved decorating the table! That was right up my alley. The speaker was phenomenal! I laughed until my face hurt. She has been given an amazing gift and she uses it well. The evening was filled with good tea, desserts, great conversation, a million candles, shopping, and uplifting entertainment! My dear husband even served our table. He did a fabulous job...especially since he had never served before! I felt very blessed to have a table full of wonderful firends, a great mother-in-law, and the best mom!