Abilene Christmas 2008

These are the snowmen the kids made out of cupcakes, icing, pretzels, coconut, Reese's cups and marshmallows. The picture in the cook book looked good..........these just had a hard time standing up. Maybe next year.....

Some of the cousins with Grandad, Uncle Joe, and Uncle Jimmy

Thomas lost a tooth on Christmas Eve!!

Grant and Jake were at table #1 with me and Grandad.

Getting ready for pickle presents

Grant and Clara are ready!

Me and Jenny

Grant and his new pjs

Jill and her new pjs

Thomas and his.....

Lady, Clara, and me

Grant and Clara getting ready to go downstairs and see if Santa brought anything.....

Grandad with the cousins

Grant with Tony Romo..

Jill with the Guiness Book for Wii....

Grant with the football that lights up if you throw a spiral....

Santa brought Kit for Jill..

Grant with his football cards...

Thomas with his Steelers helmet...

looks good....

On Christmas, you can have Reese's before breakfast!

Breakfast..

A little Cousin Football

Jonathan and his dad.....relaxing on the porch!

This Bionicle has almost 300 pieces!!! Jonathan put it together......and he was patient!

Hope you all had a good Christmas! We will head out this week to spend some time with my Dad's side of the family........Happy New Year to all as well!

Open House...try # 341

I think most of the pics are on here now......thats good......because I'd almost given up on getting the pics to load. My sweet husband did get me a new computer for Christmas (I opened it this morning!), so, hopefully I wont have all the problems anymore.

Speaking of sweet husbands........here he is.......with his favorite decoration. It came from Whataburger or somewhere like that. Eggnog is like a little stuffed thing. I think we have had it longer than we have had Jill!

Me with eggnog......J thought this pic was too funny! He took it.

The kids tree.....all of the ornaments they have made are on here, including Jill's angel tree topper she made in PreK. Some ornaments Jonathan made in 1977 are on here too. He must have had a good teacher that year!

These are hand blown glass ornaments that the kids made a few years ago in Temple. They are hanging from the chandelier in the entry way.

This one is my favorite.........these are ornaments that my Nanny made a long time ago. I always remember them being on her tree----so shiny and sequinish!! I tried to make one for J when we got married----I dont have the touch though---it was too heavy and kept falling off the hanger! Martha I am NOT!

These things are also in the dining room. The tall Santa is from Nanny and Grandad's house....the short Santa is from France (a reminder of our trip this past summer!), and the little glass tree is a replica of one that was in my Momba and Bob's house.

The kids advent calendars with the Christmas village......

Merry Christmas to all!!!!!!

This morning.....

Since we will be at J's parents house for Christmas, we decided to let the kids open their presents from us this morning. Here is Thomas with the laptop we got........Dad is already tired from staying up late "testing" one of the other presents........

this is the one he (really we) tested.......the Wii......here are Jill and Grant boxing!

Thomas checking out Yahoo games......

Grant trying out the boxing again!

Dad, Jill, and Thomas playing......

I got Jonathan a Wii fit. Sorry, no pics of him on the balance board yet. He did his Wii age...his was something like 32. Mine was 53 or something crazy like that. NOT FAIR. We will try that again and see if the reading is the same. The computer did say he was a master at yoga breathing!!! HA! He is going to begin teaching yoga in January. SERIOUSLY!

Open House.......TAKE 3!!!

***FRUSTRATION = ME TRYING TO UPLOAD THE CHRISTMAS DECO PICS TO BLOGGER FOR THE THIRD TIME AND THESE WERE THE ONLY ONES TO LOAD........I KNOW YALL FEEL MY PAIN!!! I WILL TRY THE OTHERS TOMORROW. (maybe)

these are just some of the decorations in the kitchen.....Christmas plates, the nativity cookie jar, and the snowflake bowls.........

this is above one of the kitchen windows.....it started out white, but J spray-painted it for me...white would not have shown up well on these walls!

the stocking were hung on the stairway with care.......or something like that!
Grants is the bear; Thomas's is the snowman; Jill's is the Santa

the tree........I did get a new topper this year. The other one, an angel Jill made in PreK, has graduated to the kid's tree. Hope to get a pic of it in the next round.

front door with the wreath my friend, Linda, made........

hope to have more for you later!

Thomas is 8!!!!!!!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO YOU....HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO YOU...HAPPY BIRTHDAY DEAR THOMAS.....HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO YOU!!!

This boy loves the Steelers.......he needed a new cap.......(the kids had just gotten up...we usually dont let him run around shirtless!)
a glow in the dark football........

a new scooter........that I let him ride in the house....until he ran into the Christmas tree!!

the football again.....

testing it out........

during his party that afternoon...the day that the Steelers played the Cowboys.....Thomas's wish came true that day......and yes, he was the ONLY one in a Steelers jersey that day.

make a wish.....(it came true when the Steelers won)

some of the boys and other guests that came.......

present time.........

more presents......

It was a good day!!