Happy Birthday Matthew!!!

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Happy Birthday Matthew!! I love you and hope you have a wonderful day!!

Full Month of December!!

It has been a very busy few weeks. After Thanksgiving was very cold. But that doesn't stop us from riding the 4-wheeler, we just bundle up. You can't keep Belle off. She will be the first one on soon as it is out of the shop.


Deer season has been open and since Thanksgiving, duck season is open. The Duck Buggy is loaded and ready to go.

We had our nephew one morning. I wonder what these two are talking about?

Cailin started decorating the tree before we got it up.

Cailin loves Charlotte's Web and Wilbur the pig. All pigs are named Wilbur. So it was fitting to get her ornament a pig. Here is her and Matthew putting Wilbur on the tree.

Here are our 2008 ornaments. I was really pleased with them. This year they came from Anythingdoughs.com. They have a really goo selection.

Here is my attempt at taking her picture in front of our tree.

We even managed to get Belle in one of the pictures, even though she does not look very thrilled.

There is the smile I was trying to capture!!

In the midst of the Christmas season, our family had a big loss. On December 8th, we lost my Pa. He had battled cancer for some time and it just overtook him. So, we made a trip to Oklahoma. It was a very hard trip. This was the first loss on my Mom's side of the family. There are seven grandkids. 6 girls and 1 boy. We decided to all spend the night with our Nanny. We sent everyone home except us. Chris, the only boy, stayed with us until about 12:30am. There were only 2 full sized beds and we girls snuggled in like we did when we were much younger. The beds fit us when we were much younger too. That was the first time we all had stayed at Nanny's ever. And somehow, Nanny got a good nights sleep. We got a little loud at times. But I will tell you our story. Before we started the sleepover all of us went to the creek where we had spent our summers playing while at Nanny and Pa's. On the way down it was so dark and trying to stay out of the mud was fun. We all just stood there and told stories about our times with Pa and Nanny. It started to get cold so we all turned to head back up the hill and Chris stopped and said "Look". You could see each of our shadows on the hill. The full moon had risen and was shining to guide our way back home. We knew it was Pa showing us the way back home, because it has never been that bright down in the hollow. It was one of those feelings that we will always have to share. The seven of us are all in different places but we will always have the Moon!!

Our friends Craig, Cathy, and Avery, sent Cailin this cash register for Christmas. She has scanned everything in the house. I have to watch the plastic bags, cause she will get a bag and put her scanned items in them.

Christmas Eve!!!

Christmas eve was fun. We went to my Brother-in-law and Sister-in-law's house for dinner. Everyone was there for dinner and presents. When we got back home, there was a package for Cailin on our front steps. It was pajamas that had fallen out of Santa's sleigh. After we put out the Reindeer food,

we went in and got our cookies and milk ready for Santa!!

New PJs from Santa!





Christmas Morning!!

A pig named Wilbur from Santa!!

Someone always gets underwear for Christmas!! This year it was Cailin.

Playdough--what was Santa thinking???!!

Her very own PINK computer

Uncle Michael, Aunt Jessica, and Jaden got Cailin a trunk of princess dresses, tiaras, slippers, and necklaces. She barely got all of her gifts opened from us and was ready to open the trunk. She has been wearing dresses every day since Christmas.

Cailin also got a play blow dryer that blows air. Here she is chasing Belle around the living room with it on. It was quiet funny. I hope all of you had a great Christmas season. This was a very fun Christmas for us. Cailin was really into everything. Santa, reindeer, presents, the whole nine yards. IT was wonderful!! Here's wishing you all a blessed and happy new year!!

Chopstick and Santa Claus

Wow!! IT has been a long time since I was here and updated. Things have been pretty quite on the home front. Saturday we went to see Santa Claus. This is the first year she would get close to him. She was really excited to go and wanted to wear her dress. How could a mother say no to that request. She said she did not want to sit in his lap, but would stand beside him. It was very sweet. She told him she wanted a baby doll, which was not on the original list. Guess I'm shopping for a baby doll now.

Saturday evening we met my brother-in-law, sister-in-law, and nephew at the Japanese place where they cook your food in front of you. The kids really enjoyed it. Cailin was asking for no more big fire and my nephew was asking "Again, Again". Cailin did master the art of chopsticks. She tried using mine, but that was not working. Our waitress brought out a pair for her with a rubber band tied around the end and that is all she needed. She was eating salad with them. The only time she put them down was for the rice. She was not getting very far on the rice and she picked up her fork. But when it was time for the meat, she picked up the chopsticks again. The couple next to me was very impressed. I was to. I didn't even attempt the chopsticks. Of course, none of us had a camera, but I brought the chopsticks home. We'll try to get a picture. It was quite impressive.

It has been a hunting season ever since we moved to KY. Now, deer season and duck season have overlapped. Matthew is hunting both. I am trying to do our Christmas shopping, but I have a "teller". We bought Matthew a little stocking stuffer and she told him. She can not be involved in the shopping any more!!LOL!

I would also like to ask for your prayers. My Pa (Mom's dad) is about to lose his battle with cancer. I just ask that you pray for him and all of our family. It is so hard to let go but he has suffered long enough. It is time for him to go home. Please remember all of us.

Good luck in all your Christmas shopping!