New Year's Eve 2009

I had planned to do another year end wrap up, but I ran out of time. 2009 has passed too quickly. We've lost 4 family members and rode out the bad economy remarkably well. I say all in all, it's been a good year. I hope that 2010 blesses all of us with riches and peace. If you are up at midnight, kiss a loved one and make a little noise. We plan too!

Potty training and truly his father's son

All day yesterday found my son running around in his new big boy underwear and a shirt. He was so proud of his Spiderman underwear that he didn't have a single accident all day. Man were we proud! As in Phil and I. But apparently Ironman doesn't have the same appeal, because within an hour of putting it on, Matthew had a huge accident in it. Sigh. We'll get back on track a little later today. Mom needed time to regroup! And you ask, why is he truly Phil's son? You already know they look alike and both have quite the sense of humor, but last night was the final proof I needed. Matthew hitched up his little butt check and squeezed out a fart! Matthew is NOT my son! 100% Dad's.

Christmas Day again

This better be good Mom. I was promised a feast and got chili yesterday. I was promised Auntie and Grandparents and got you.

Presents for you!

My new truck goes VRRROOOMMMMM!

Joy can't not be expressed in these pictures. The excitement of getting your very own pedal tractor. (The right color and all.)

Ok, maybe a little of the joy comes through.

I gotta stretch out the leg...

Do a little tongue work...

And try not the hit all the furniture. It's a real long, heavy, metal piece of equipment. And it's great. It's a reproduction of the Farmall M that his Great Grandfather Frank had.

Angela and me, just because it's a good picture.

After this the heavens opened up and sprung forth all kinds of yummy foods and we ate till we couldn't eat more. We all got more wonderful presents and Christmas was complete. A good time was had by all. Time passed much too quick and dark was coming. So, because of drifting roads, we boogied back home. We got to keep Angela for one more night and the next day we was able to get her car back out and home. I hope all of you had a wonderful Christmas. We really enjoyed our 3 days of Christmas. I mean, why wouldn't we? We had a white Christmas that caused us to have 3 days of Christmas! Looking forward to having the 4th day whenever you can make it down Auntie.

Christmas Day

It's Christmas Day! Santa has come, we are headed to eat a huge meal...but wait, there is too much snow drifted...we are stuck! Help, save us Santa! What can we eat? No huge meal? No extra family? Ok, I'll go put a crockpot of "Christmas" chili on...

Meanwhile, while I'm starting chili and all, the tractor liberation is on.

I just want my tractor pieces to be reunited for Christmas...

Hello!

White Christmas 2009

Santa brought us lots of good stuff. We grazed all day like cows and ate chili. We played with our new toys and got Angela addicted to Farmville. We looked at the snow and shook our heads. Maybe tomorrow we'll get to have the main event...

Christmas Eve

I just love my Panner cat. She's so cute. And so hard to get photos of. Angela made it here mid morning, just as it started to snow. Not only did she bring gifts for the humans, but also for the kitties. Pan found them and insisted that she open them immediately.

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After that we got to baking.

Don't I look fetching? Nearly a 50's house wife. *photo taken by Angela

Presents, presents, presents!

Why did I marry this man? Oh that's right, he makes me smile. :)

Angela

Dragging the presents out. Every year Phil says we have to wait till Christmas morning to open them and every year we open them all Christmas Eve.

Fire truck and station.

I love this firetruck!!!

New clothes!

Books!

Even as much as I love the firetruck and fire house and cars and tractors, I still take time out to read my new books. Gotta keep up with the current events after all...

Direct hit! I got "Aunt" Angela with a water bomb. Ok, it's time for small boys to be in bed or Santa may pass this house up!

Santa's Visit

He's making a list, checking it twice, gonna find out who's naughty or nice...


Santa's here!!!!

Let's see what I have for you little boy...

Yeah, I've been a good boy ALLLL year...

I do not smile for posed shots anymore, don't ask.

A marshmallow candy cane to munch.

Matthew liked Santa so much he brought him a bus so that Santa could look it over. This was the Monday before Christmas. Santa visited the daycare and school. Everyone enjoyed it. Even the teacher who doesn't like Santa at all.

White Christmas

It started snowing at 10 am Thursday morning, or Christmas Eve morn, and didn't stop till Christmas nite. Christmas morning the snow had drifted around our porch like this.

The wind was blowing for 2 days around 30 to 40 miles an hour. It caused some of the lawn to be scoured clean, while drifting deep drifts in others.

Night time view.

What looks like a snow covered hill right behind the fence, is actually a huge snow drift.

Snow drifted so bad across the road that in places it's piled up deep.

Snow is still drifting today. It's drifted enough in our driveway, that I think if we didn't have a 4 wheel drive SUV, we wouldn't have gotten out.

Matthew had a fine time playing in it on the porch today, for 5 minutes that is.

Helllllooooooo!!!

Even in town it drifted so bad that it's about 4 to 5 ft of drift going above the back porch steps.

Our neighbor came and cleared our driveway yesterday afternoon, but warned us not to try and go anywhere yet, as the drifts were bad. He had gotten his 4 wheel tractor stuck twice, trying to get through 5 ft drifts 1/8 of a mile from our house. As he runs cattle, he has to get out everyday. We were unable to go anywhere from 2 pm Christmas Eve, because of blizzard like conditions, until this morning. Instead of being able to celebrate with my family, we were stranded at our house with excellant chili. My parents had drifts around their garage so bad that his 4 wheel drive truck could not get out. They had to call a guy to bobcat them out today. And then bobcat them into my Grandmom's house. What a mess. It's still snowing at my aunt's, so she is very snowed in. As were were able to make it out today, we did manage to celebrate Christmas. I believe Christmas leftovers are calling to me. I'll be back with the gift portion of our "3 day" Christmas.

The busy season

It's the busy time of year again where you are scrambling to finish shopping and making cookies, planning menu's and cleaning house, and if you are nuts like me, moving your furniture around and sorting out cookbooks. I moved our kitchen hutch all by myself Monday night. Since I moved it, I've been weeding out cookbooks. So far I've eliminated some. I had two shelves full and my goal is to have only one shelf full. I hardly ever remember to crack them open anymore, even though I love to cook. Isn't that sad? (Even more sad I can never think of a thing to make for dinner.) So that's what I've been doing all week.

Matthew has been being a wild man from lack of outdoor time. Last night he announced it was bedtime and put himself to bed. Oh, I should have mentioned that Phil also converted his crib to a toddler bed, before he left. This means that Matthew has fallen out 2 times, lost all his covers twice, and had to sleep with me once. It's been an interesting week. Matthew also has peed on the toilet several times today, but I think the only motivation was for the candy treat. A night ago he wanted candy so he went and peed on the toilet. When asked if was going to start going on the toilet he replied, "Oh no!" Like silly mommy, I just want candy at the moment.

Weekend wrap up

Mister cool.

The outside lights.

Matthew's new nook. Part of the rearrangement of the living room.


We had a busy and relaxing weekend all in one. It's always a good weekend if we get to spend it as a family. Saturday, Matthew and I took off and met Angela, to visit the bug zoo. Matthew had a great time getting his personal tour. Afterwards, we did a spot of shopping and headed home. Phil, meanwhile, had been wrestling with hanging the Christmas lights outside. Phil has been massing enough to lights, since we got married, to compete with the Griswolds. Well, maybe not that many, but close. He has big plans. This year he went simple. He still needs to finish a pillar, but it still looks good. We watched alot of movies. Today, I decided that change was needed in the living room. So right before Phil took off, had him lug various pieces to new locations. Since he's been gone, I've been trying to organize, weed out, and place things in a decorative manner. I aspire to have a beautiful home. And I hope someday it will be.

More snow and such pictures

A hard core lego man. Notice the shoes Tiff.

Wearing our sunglasses just like our daddy.

Another day hitting the snow.

Huge snow pile. Intriguing.

It was put here for me to slide down.

Going down...

...And done, he just loves the snowpiles. And they are big enough I think it will take them awhile to melt. Our road just melted today and the yard is still covered.

And those snow piles we left by our kind neighbor that scapes the driveway for me. (If they only knew how many times I secretly wrote about and photographed them, they'd be surprised!)

Just look at how much snow was piled up on that sucker! I really do love country living.