The Last Few Weeks…In Pictures

 I took a break from blogging to do the holidays. My holidays looked like this:

My brother Kyle came into town from Virginia.



We hosted our 7 or 8th annual (no one could remember exactly how many years) Jingle Hop party for the neighborhood.

We hop to 3 different houses throughout the night--all walking distance. Kids and adults.

We introduced our new Giant Jenga game at
Jingle Hop. So. Much. Fun.

We drove to my aunt's house in Indiana for the day to celebrate Christmas with my mom's side of the family.

We finally got to meet my cousin Kevin's
new little girl, Libby. We gave her the snazzy
white furry boots she's wearing.




And we got to see my dear, sweet grandmother that we call MaMa.

My mom, MaMa and my Aunt Connie.

We had Christmas.

The girls always get new jammies on
Christmas Eve. McDaniel requested
feety jammies. She looks like a Twizzler.

The girls being silly. Yes, Ellie is kissing
McDaniel's foot. Shortly thereafter
McDaniel ripped a huge hole in the crotch
of the jammies. Blow. Out. Not sure if
they can be saved. 

Official Buddy The Elf costume.
That is what she asked for from Santa.
She said she wants to wear it to football
games when she goes to high school next
year. I'm dead serious.

Our chalkboard Christmas Countdown. Usually we glue
cotton balls onto Santa's beard. This year we did it
sans the glue. So much easier. Ellie drew the somewhat
alarming-eyed Santa. Forgive her spelling.

Rabbit trail:  When Ellie was still car-seat little, we were driving through our town at Christmas and passed a house with a large inflatable Santa Claus. 

Ellie:  "Santa's poop holes sure are scary!"

After a few "What the…?" rear view mirror glances to McDaniel, I dared to ask.

Me:  "What did you say?"

Ellie:  "Santa's poop holes were scary back there."

It took a minute 

and a spike in my blood pressure, 

but McDaniel and I figured out that the PUPILS on the Santa Claus inflatable we had just passed were somewhat creepy.

 They were.

We got snow! I missed you dear, friend! It only delayed my brother's flight home, which was good.

Ellie got a camera for Christmas and made McDaniel take pictures of
her in the snow.

Love this shot!

We went sledding.

It almost looks like Monte Photoshopped himself into
the picture.

This one might make it onto the piano.

We built a snowman.

It was Monte's idea to take our spotlights (that had been
shining on Mary and Joseph and Baby Jesus) and use
them as eyeballs for our snowman.

Then he turned the lights on. And named him Herbert.

Herbert at night. In a snowstorm. Looks like a snowy
lightning bug of some sort. He turned it on for several
nights until we realized it was shining right into the
living room of a neighbor who has a No Solicitation
sign on her front door. And enforces it. On Halloween.
Monte unplugged Herbert.

Our neighbor's snowman. Monte got all competitive. He
SWEARS the one eyeball and buttons just "fell off"
on their own. 

Wait…how did this get in here?

Crazy Rooster.

I made a sheet music wreath and put a snowflake
in the middle. I used sheet music from some
musicals I was in while in middle school and
high school. Notice the yellowing of some.

Isn't this adorable? My mom gave this to me. It was
hand painted onto an ENORMOUS skate.

We went to our 2nd annual New Year's Day
breakfast at Waffle House. We wrote
out our family resolutions.

McDaniel in a chocolate chip waffle daze.

One of 3 puzzles Ellie and I put together after the Christmas
tree came down.

Ellie and I love putting together puzzles after Christmas. 

It completely relaxes me. 

Monte and McDaniel love hiding the last piece so we go crazy looking for it.

So NOT relaxing. 

When I found our dog Nigel had taken the last piece of the puzzle above and hidden it under the dining room table

complete with teeth marks.

I wondered how Monte trained him to do it.

Christmas is over. This does not make me sad. It means
the card table is coming out and it is jigsaw puzzle time!

We were discussing at the neighborhood New Year's Eve party who put their Christmas tree out to the curb fastest.

One neighbor (we suspect) had it out Christmas night. 

Many had it out the very next morning.

I wanted the tree gone then but we were busy getting my brother to the airport in a snowstorm. It was the next day when ours got to the curb.

Dang.

There is always next year!

Hope your holidays were as special and relaxing and filled with family time as ours.