I Hate Santa!!

Yesterday, Carson had a Christmas Program at preschool. A secret visitor (that happy, jolly old elf) came to visit the kids at the end of the program. All the kids sat on Santa's lap and got a yummy looking blue or pink Dora the Explorer candy cane. I even commented on the beautiful canes. "Wow! What great looking candy canes!"

Well, when it was time for Carson to sit on Santa's lap, he chose to stand beside him instead. (I think he was tramatized at the last Christmas party, when Santa got a little too friendly). Anyways, after Carson told Santa he wanted Star Wars Legos for Christmas, Santa said, "I'll see what I can do," and then handed Carson an itsy bitsy red and white striped candy cane. Carson promptly ran to me, hid his head on my shoulder, and refused to talk. As soon as we stepped out the door, Carson yelled, "I hate Santa! Santa is mean!" He couldn't stop talking about Mean Mr. Santa for the rest of the day.

I'm glad Santa is already a bad guy, because guess what? Carson is not getting Star Wars legos for Christmas!! Santa's really going to be in the Doghouse now!!

Cali's Christmas Piano Recital

Cali played "What Child Is This" today at her piano recital. The piece starts out really slow, so don't worry, she hasn't forgotten what notes she's supposed to play!!

Seafood

I hate seafood, or any form of ocean life that I am supposed to ingest. I grew up in the MidWest (is that where Ohio is?) and the closest thing I ever came to eating seafood was VandeCamps Fish Sticks. I love those deep fried little guys.

Somehow, I managed to marry a man that LOVES seafood, and I gave birth to a son who arrived with the same palate as his father. Ian orders the Captain's Platter whenever we visit the ocean. The platter contains almost every form of fish, crawling creature, and shell found in the ocean. So far, Ian has loved every piece of seafood he's tried.

Today, he tried Oyster-on-the-Halfshell (otherwise known as a Naked Oyster)for the first time. These are the results!!

Don't Talk to Strangers . . . except during the month of December!!

"Mom, I really don't want to talk to him!"

"Sure you do. Look excited!"

"I'm really nervous, but I really want a present!"

"Everyone is staring at me. Why is Mom making me do this?!"

Cali told Santa she didn't want to sit on his lap, but he insisted.

The kids were much more comfortable in a group setting. After all, they had the numbers: 3 to 1. Santa didn't have a chance!

Did you ever notice how adults contradict themselves?!
During the Spring, Summer, Fall, and most of the Winter:

"Kids. Go straight to school. Don't talk to strangers. Don't even smile at them. If anyone you don't know tries to give you candy or tries to talk to you or asks you to get in the car with them, run away as fast as you can. We can't be too careful these days!! There are lots of wackos out there."

During December:
"Hey, Kids! Guess what you get to do tonight. You get to sit on a strange man's lap, tell him all of your secret hopes and dreams about Christmas morning, take candy from him, eat the candy he gives you, give him a hug, and have a photo taken with him that will soon be posted on the Internet. Make sure you smile or else you won't get any presents!"

"But, Mom. I don't want to sit on his lap or talk to him. He's strange. He has a fake beard, he coughs, and he smells funny. Plus, I don't want one of those old candy canes."

"Sit on his lap, or else!!"

Like Father, Like Sons

Send your own ElfYourself eCards

It's A Country Christmas

Send your own ElfYourself eCards

Side by Side, Hand in Hand, Heart to Heart

Aaron is going to turn 38 years old on Christmas day, so I thought I'd give him an early (free) birthday gift . . .
Here are 38 reasons why I love you!
1. You never complain about my sweaty palms. (I'm still looking for a cure! If anyone has any suggestions . . .)
2. You are funnier than anyone else I know. (Besides me, of course!)
3. Your smile lights up the room! (Those bleach whitening strips are great!)
4. You are WAY SMART -- LIKE SMARTER THAN EINSTEIN!
5. You LOVE your job. (I'm so glad you come home happy!)
6. You always compliment my cooking (Even when it's just cold cereal! Get excited. That's what we're having tonight!)
7. You clean toilets.
8. You make the bed on Saturdays and Sundays.
9. You read to the kids.
10. You do dishes.
11. You watch The Amazing Race with me. (Wasn't that the best season ever?!)
12. You watch Survivor with me.
13. You catch me up on current events since I don't read the newspaper or watch the news.
14. You fix the computer.
15. You change lightbulbs. (By the way . . . will you pick some more lightbulbs up after work today?)
16. You shop at Costco for me so I won't spend too much money.
17. You never mention my terrible case of adult on-set acne.
18. You always say, "Yes!" when I say I want to go out to eat.
19. You always share a Founder's Favorite with me from Cold Stone.
20. You're a great tipper.
21. You never kiss me after you've eaten seafood.
22. You love my family.
23. You never look around the house and say, "So, what did you do today?!"
24. You love our kids as much as I do.
25. You call me from work even though you hate to talk on the phone.
26. You secretly enjoy my love for Hollywood gossip.
27. You love Diet Pepsi with fresh lime squeezed in it with pebbled ice.
28. You look like Matt Damon. (Wait a second, I think he looks like you!!)
29. You love to go to the movies and eat popcorn with me even though it has 10,000 calories in 1 bucket. (Plus, you never complain when I want the free refill!)
30. You love to read.
31. You want to retire at the beach!
32. You don't talk to much!
33. You are a great listener.
34. Your eyes twinkle when you're happy.
35. You hardly ever get mad.
36. You do all the driving on long trips so I can take naps!
37. You don't think it's strange that I sometimes cry for no reason at all.
38. You are 100% trustworthy and support all my hopes and dreams.

THANKS FOR BEING THE BESTEST HUSBAND AND FRIEND I'VE EVER HAD!!

We Found Someone to Hold All of our Stuff!!

We were a little bit concerned about what we were going to do with our dog, Biscuit, and our heavy, winter coats during the photo shoot. No need to worry. We found a nice homeless man who was willing to take care of all of our stuff -- including the dog!!

Sisters by Birth, Friends by Choice

The girls have this saying on the wall in their bedroom. I think this picture does the quotation justice!!

I Crack Myself Up!

Whether it's kosher or not, I've always laughed at my own jokes. I've had a hunch for a while now, that I think I'm funnier than Aaron does. These pictures prove it!!

Nyah's Audition for Next Twilight Movie

I've Only Got One . . .

We asked Maritza to take pictures of our family on Friday. It was freezing outside, but we had a blast! Maritza came back to our house with us to check out the results of our photo session on the computer. Ian saw a picture of himself and announced, "Look. I've only got one nipple!" Wow!! We all burst into peals of laughter. Ian thought about what he'd said and quickly corrected himself, "I mean, I've only got one dimple!" We seem to have at least one accidental, nasty comment in our home a day!! I love kids!!

Nyah's Reflections Entry

Nyah won 1st place for her film/video entry for the Reflections Contest this year. I'm pretty sure she was the only person that entered this category for her age division, but we were very proud of her first efforts as a writer, director, and producer of her "short film."