Morning Exercise

From the title of this post, you probably thought I would be writing about

my New Year's resolve to be committed to my physical fitness.

No, this exercise far surpasses the daunting task of finishing the P90X challenge.

I am talking about getting Anna dressed every morning.

You would think it would be easier for me to have her dress herself!

After making her selection she went to get in the bath.

She proclaimed, "Oh, I can't wait to be cute!"

I couldn't help but laugh.

After all that hard work, here is what Anna came up with.

There is a true Punky Brewster element to her style.

HoHo

This has proved to be a stocking favorite.

Below is Parker explaining to me that he is glad the straw

is just "hoho" and not "hohoho."

That would take WAY too long for the milk to get

all the way to his mouth.

Santa is smart like that.

Home Builders

The kids love doing gingerbread houses!

This year I had them set aside a bunch of their

Halloween candy to use to decorate the houses.

Anna was super excited about hers!

Grant's was very creative!

Parker's was very well-planned and turned out cute!

Polar Express Gone Bad

After Thanksgiving we decided to take the kids on the

Christmas train that goes out of Grapevine.

This was the LAMEST train EVER!!!!!

I should have taken pictures of the actors but it was basically

like watching a 12 yr old Beehive go spaztic for about 40 minutes.

It was bad, I mean really bad!

I just wish Brad was there to keep me entertained with his commentary!

I should have also documented the 4 oz. glass of hot cocoa they gave out. Seriously, 4 oz. That's half a cup people! I guess they thought they were feeding the elves.

Hooked

Over the Thanksgiving break I took Anna to get her nails painted.

She loved it and has been begging to go back.

It is so nice, isn't it?

11-11-11

Veterans Day was special for us this year. My Dad was able to come out for the Take a Vet to School Day held at my kids elementary school. My Dad served 20 years in the Air Force and flew KC135s in Vietnam. There was an assembly where the kids sang a patriotic medley and then we had some time in their classrooms.

First stop, Grant's class. He was so excited to have Grandpa there!

Next up, Parker's Class. The kids recited a poem and gave them some cards. Then all the kids lined up and shook all their hands and said, "thank you for your service." It was really sweet.

Thanks for coming Grandpa!

Payday, Payday

I always say that I love my job but my employers just don't pay me very well. You know, in terms of cold, hard cash, I net around zero dollars a year.

However, what they do pay me, in terms of warm, soft moments, can be quite lucrative.

And, FAMILY PICTURES - it's like my annual payday.

Good pictures capture the hearts of these kids and helps me to see the beauty in each of them.

Extra bonus: all my earnings are tax-free!