Neighborhood Visit with Santa

Every year for the last ten years we have made it a point to visit with Santa in our own neighborhood.  You must bring canned goods for the poor and that is the only cost.  We bring our own camera and the kids get a few minutes to tell Santa what they want for Christmas.  I love listening to others while we are there.  "ALL 11 are yours????"  You would think they would remember us from year to year but the neighborhood has a huge turnover and there were once again lots of new faces this year, including our twins.  They were all ready!

Sugar with Beautiful

Beautiful - Adorable - Goobers

Beautiful - Adorable 

Jumba

Beautiful (left) and Adorable (right)

Another year with another visit.  Jumba was afraid to sit on Santa's lap this year so instead he just talked with him.

Who had my camera?

Princess and Bagel did.  They got lots of silly pictures.  Two pretty girls being silly.

If it could go wrong, It has!

 The first picture was the two babies all dressed to go to my Catholic Coffee Club's mom's group Christmas party.

The past few months have been hard on our family.  Nothing very serious but everything little keeps going wrong.  I thought the furnace would be the straw that broke my back but no.  The old one was in very bad shape.

At first it feels like God was picking on us, letting every little thing go wrong.  After seeing the furnace I know that he was protecting us.  CO2 would have leaked out those rusted out spots and could have killed the entire family.  So instead of feeling pushed over the edge I am very thankful.

After the furnace was on the babies could kick back and enjoy a good book!

Time for a Tree - A Real Family Event

So no farm searches for our real tree but we do enjoy our search in the local lot.  

 Always big debates on the best tree.

After the perfect tree is chosen and taken to the car we celebrate (and cool off) by getting some ice cream!

 An added bonus is getting visit with one of Goober's swim team friends.

Back at home the work begins again.

 I hope we get it all done right so that we have a wonderful display for Christmas celebrations!

St. Nick Visits!

In Mourning over our 10 years in Houston

We have been here for 10 entire years now.  Ugh!  I wish I had more time to post updates on our lives.  I will try to be posting more in the next few days.  We have swamped with life, car troubles, new business issues and the busy season for that business, holiday things on top of our normal busy lives.  

Anyway on December 7th 2002 we packed up our 7 young children and moved them to Houston Texas.  We thought this adventure would last two years maybe three.  I was thrilled with that thought.  

It seams like we hit some sort of time warp and are trapped here forever.  We have gone on to have more children and they are proud to be Texans.  I love this adventure but there are many things I am tired of.  I have wanted to move one for several years.  

Things I don't like in Houston would include the threat of hurricanes,

the constant heat,

 . . . and the traffic!  I HATE the traffic.

So I spent last Friday in Mourning.

I will also not give up hope that someday I will move north!  Don't worry about me though, until I get out I will continue to make the most of it.

Teething

It must be really bad if you chew on your bed to feel better.  Poor girls and their teething. . .no teeth yet.  I guess we want our two front teeth for Christmas.

Adorable teething on the bed!

 Teething toys help a little more than the bars of the bed!

Adorable- Beautiful