Snow Day---Part 2

Zane coming down the hill.

See, I was there too! We had a great morning and then went for lunch as the snow started to melt. That's the best part of living in Georgia. We get to see the beautiful snow and take time off to enjoy but then it melts quickly and we can get back to a snow-free reality! :)

Snow Day!

We got lots of snow yesterday and it was the good kind....not the icy, dry kind we usually get. It started just before the kids got off the bus and kept snowing until around midnight. We have around 4 inches but it is melting fast in the sunshine today. We got the kids up early to go sledding. That is a rare treat in Georgia! They had a blast, except Sam. He wiped out on the first run of the day and was ready to go after that.

Here is the crew headed up for the first run...

Will came down first. He loved it!

Steve, Kate, & Sam right before they wiped out.

Meet Max

We got a dog! The kids have asked for years and I always told them that after everyone was potty trained we could discuss it. They have remembered this and took me up on it a few weeks ago. We rescued him from a shelter. He is 8 weeks old and he is a German Shepherd mix. We are hoping that he will be big enough to go running with me by next year. :)

His name is Maxwell. The kids call him Max...except Kate. She calls him Maxey. I'm sure he loves it. He is super mellow for a puppy. He lets Sam drag him all over the house and lay all over him without making a fuss. The kids are great about feeding and walking him (we will see how long that lasts!).

Here is one of Sam making Max look at the camera. Doesn't he look thrilled?

Merry Christmas!

Merry Christmas from our home to yours!

We had a wonderful time spending the day together as a family....
Lots of excitement, less fighting, more smiles

Our annual Christmas pajamas...I got pajamas every year growing up and now mine do too. They recently asked if they could open 2 gifts on Christmas Eve. They finally figured out they were getting pajamas every year...

We have lots of trees at our house...the main tree is the real one in the great room. We also have a tree in the playroom with all of the kids' decorations and trees in each of their bedrooms. Kate has a pink tree with Hello Kitty ornaments and silver tinsel.

Will & Sam have a candy-cane tree with fake candy cane ornaments (they would eat real ones and I would be left with a tree of wrappers) and a star on top that lights up.

Jake & Zane have a "Red River Rivalry" tree. Half the tree is Texas and half is OU. Zane has a Sooner Schooner and Jake has Bevo on his side.

I want to add a tree in the basement next year. I think I may have Steve convinced finally. I love all of the decorations at Christmas. I love them more now that we have a basement storage room where I can store all of the fake trees fully assembled!

Kate's Christmas Program

Kate had her Christmas Program at school. It is her last one since she will head to kindergarten in the fall. Lucky for me, my friend reminded me that I get to start all over next year when Sam starts!

She was excited about the program but preferred last year when she got to dress up like an angel. She said the shepard costume itches too much. I think she was disappointed that there weren't any sparkles on it...

Here is Kate with Catie & Keely. They are known as the Posse at preschool. They are a cute bunch and have lots of fun together.

Grandma & Grandpa Visit

Grandma and Grandpa came to visit a few weeks ago. They were able to see Zane's chorus program, Christmas shop, go to the movies, and enjoy Christmas traditions with us...

Sam was the lucky one who got dragged to the mall for shopping since he is the only one not in school. He did luck out and get to ride the train though. That satisfied him for a while.

Grandma wanted to take pictures and Kate was happy to oblige her. That girl loves the attention.

We decorated Christmas cookies and we didn't even wait until December 24th this year. It was the one thing that I didn't do last minute in 2009. We did have to do a 2nd batch on the 24th for Santa though...

Zane's Stage Debut!

Zane had his stage debut in the chorus program. It was "Christmas at the OK Corral". He played Quickwhiskers the Barber. He has been rehearsing at school Tuesdays and Wednesdays all fall. That has made for some EARLY mornings for mom since he had to be there at 7:15. Yikes! He loved it though and he did a great job.

This was taken right after the performance. Grandma and Grandpa were able to come to town and see him in the play. That made his night!