Christmas 2008

I realize I'm a week late, but, since this blog will serve as our family scrapbook I need to bore my blogging buddies with some of my favorite pics from Christmas 2008. I feel like one of "those" moms who shows home movies to relative strangers. For the full effect, just pretend your computer screen is a white sheet in the living room and you can hear the roar of the projector in the background...enjoy!

Coco in her Christmas dress at church.

Coco and cousins (Jasper, Jillian & Jansen)

Daddy & Uncle Drew tinseling the house.

Her favorite present from Santa...the "bounce!"

All is right with the world: Jack has a new duck & Coco gets to open some more! She hasn't discovered that the real gift isn't getting to tear the paper.

Her other favorite thing: the Dora "dress."

Coco & Aunt Tricia flying!


The whole house and furniture and her favorite thing is the tiny little babies that came with it!

Coco & Hillary

5 highschool friends + 11 years = 7 sweet babies!

A.J. & Aunt Kacey

She LOVES her stroller!

New Year, Great Expectations

Could it really be that it's 2009? Christmas has come and gone and New Year's Eve too. I suppose time really does fly when you're having fun. Or, is the other adage applicable here? The older you get, the faster time passes. Either way, I can hardly believe it is really January 1, 2009. I was having one of those "conversations" with Coco today that you sometimes have with a 2-year old, a completely one-sided one. She was willing to be my ears as I chatted away recalling that 9 years ago today, people thought the world was going to end. I thought it absurd at the time and thinking about it now, it seems even crazier. With the promise of a new year, great expectations abound. I don't mean resolutions; I hate those. I think French Riviera and Jenny Craig are the only ones to benefit from them. I mean contagious optimism, forward thinking and a renewal of spirit. Despite what the media would have me believe, I look forward to what 2009 will bring. Knowing that no matter what I will see, hear and experience, my God is in control and on His throne. Hallelujah and Amen...bring it on 2009!

Pardon the Interruption

Long time, no post; please pardon the interruption. My free time has been consumed with the Twilight series. I don't know why it took me so long to get on this book bandwagon, but wow, am I ever so glad I did. Thanks to Christi Cranford, I have found a new guilty pleasure. Never had a crush on a 17-year old vampire? Read Twilight. You will.

Like Father, Like Daughter

Anyone who knew Donald in highschool will understand this picture completely. As a smitten 14 year old, one of the things I thought was "cool" about my future husband was his ability to wear a hat backwards and look so cute doing it. When I saw Coco wearing her hat this morning (which she put on all by herself; apparently she thinks they look better backwards too) and saw the look on her face, I was instantly taken back about 15 years! As the adage goes, like father, like daughter. She even has the "old school Donald attitude" down. Scary, huh?

Maybe next year...

As is very evident from the picture, Coco was not a fan of the "big guy in red." Luckily, Santa didn't take it personally and promised to visit her Christmas Eve anyway. I'm optimistic that one day we'll get that oh-so-sweet picture of our little girl smiling in Santa's lap...maybe next year?

Our December flower

Wow! How quickly 2 years flies by. Coco's birthday was Saturday and I feel like we just brought her home from the hospital. I can remember as if it were yesterday what our sweet nurse told Donald as we were loading up in the car. She said, "You know why God gave you this little girl, don't you? He gave her to you so you would always have flowers in December." This post is dedicated to our December flower, without whom our lives would be so empty.

Having a Christmas time birthday is tough so this year we decided to keep it low-key and have an old-fashioned family party complete with cake and cheesey decor. Coco loved it. Jansen did too. Since he & Coco were born 6 days apart, we had a together party featuring none other than "Dora and Diego." There were lots of presents and lots of cake...what more could you ask for? I do have to mention that Coco's favorite thing was the giant Dora balloon Namps delivered. Donald and I have been working on getting her to say "I love you" for quite a while. It looks like we didn't make the cut but Dora sure did. She is still carrying that balloon around saying, "I wuv it!"

First Place!

Anyone who knows me well knows that I'm a bit competitive. I try to keep this trait silent but occasionally it rears its ugly head. Our Sunday School class spear headed a Christmas float for our church this year. The main goal was, of course, to celebrate our Saviour's birth. The secondary goal was to show community involvement. And the tertiary goal was to win! And win we did! After several "kinks" coming in the form of pomp shortages, a crooked cross, busted lights, a precariously low and dry rotted trailer tire and 6 bags of balloons that nearly blew me away, we made it to the parade line up without a second to spare. It was eventful, but as my theory goes, isn't it the "eventful" experiences that give us fun stories to tell?

P.S. The pictures really don't do it justice.