A belated gift

The morning after my birthday I woke up feeling different. I don't know why. I was on progesterone pills because I am not "regular" like other ladies. So, I went to Wal-Mart and bought a pregnancy test because Dave thought it was a good idea. I took one, and instantly got a plus sign. I didn't even have to wait the 2-3 minutes. Dave made me go back to Wal-Mart and get another test, and this time "I want one that says it in words." So, I did. After 4 positives, I think Dave got the idea. After 5 months of trying without getting pregnant, our doctor suggested taking a month off. He told me to call him in January, and he would put me on low-dose fertility meds. I planned on starting those right after our trip to Pasadena the next week. God sure does work in mysterious ways.

Happy 30th Birthday to me!

Well, my 30th birthday finally arrived. My mom was super sweet, and made one of my favorite dinners: steak, twice-baked potatoes, and zucchini fans. She even had us eat in the formal dining room. (That's usually only saved for Thanksgiving and Christmas dinner.)
Dave gave me a much-wanted (and needed) GPS, and Mom went ahead and wrapped all the clothes she bought for me the previous day. And, is it really a birthday without cheesecake?

Christmas Morn

My favorite holiday is Christmas. I love the look on people's faces when they open your gift. Katie is no different. She gets all lit up just by seeing the presents under the tree, her stocking full of goodies, and the trace that Santa left when he stopped by. This year was no different. Katie told Santa she wanted princess stuff, and he totally delivered. She got princess dress up shoes, princess dress up clothes, a princess castle with multiple princesses, a board game, and a camera.
Pugsley was also content with his hedgehog and his peanut butter bone. And, of course, you have to try on all the bling and dresses when you're done. She started out at Cinderella.
And, then she quickly transformed into Sleeping Beauty (and a photographer.)

Snowiest Christmas Eve on record

We headed to Grandma's for Christmas Eve like we always do. The forecasters said that there would be snow, but they did not predict what we were in for. When we got to Grandma's, there already was a nice blanket of snow on the ground. Katie had never experienced snow before, so this was new to her. Dave took her out in it a couple of times, and she absolutely loved it. After playing outside and eating, the most important part for the kids was the presents. Katie got all kinds of loot. She got a chest full of princess dress-up clothes, a board game, some clothes, a Snow White doll, and the Ice Age movie. Dave and I got matching shirts for the National Championship game in Pasadena.
Shortly after that, we started to head home. We got in the car about 5:45 to set home. We had no idea what we were in for. Traffic was terrible. The roads had not been treated for ice. People were sliding all over the place. It was an extremely scary trip home. We finally got home 4 hours later (the ride usually takes 1 hour.) I was relieved when we got home. Our driveway was so icy, we had to park in the street.

Christmas Tradition

Like I've said before, I'm into holiday traditions. I thought it would be fun to decorate sugar cookies with Santa, so we would have some tasty treats for the jolly guy. We got up on Christmas Eve, and I baked those pre-cut ones. Then, I let Katie decorate them. She loved this activity. Katie thinks the more stuff, the merrier. I think Santa enjoyed them because that night, he ate two of them.

The day finally came....Dave's Graduation

It was a day Dave and I had waited for what seemed like forever. Dave started at UTA the spring after I had Katie. Most of his TCC credits didn't transfer even though he had his associate's degree. Well, Dave and I had many disagreements about this day. I thought it would be a great lesson for Katie, and I felt that we had sacrificed a lot for him to finish school (without a doubt the best thing we did.) He wanted to finish, and I totally supported him. I wanted him to walk the stage when he announced he was graduating in December. With lots of prodding from family and friends, Dave walked the stage at UTA on December 13. I will never forget this day. Dave, I am so proud of you and love you more than you will ever know. I don't think you know how much this meant to me. Did I mention that Dave was a first-generation graduate?

Happy Birthday Lisa!

We went with Brad, Lisa, Carol, and Ed to Brio's Tuscan Grille to celebrate Lisa's birthday. Don't worry Lisa, your secret is safe with me. I know...you're only 26, right? The food was incredible, and we had a blast.

THE Gingerbread House

I'm all about creating holiday traditions. Katie loves doing holiday activities. So, I saw an adorable kit for a gingerbread house at Target, and I thought, "How hard could this be?" Boy, was I wrong. It took almost 30 minutes just to get the stupid rock-hard cookies to stick together. Katie kept asking when she could add the candy. We started letting her decorate. The house quickly deteriorated like a mobile home purchased with FEMA funds. I will post a picture of what it looked like about 2 minutes before the whole thing collapsed. Katie did enjoy eating the candy as she assembled it. I know that's the important part, but Dave does not desire to make one of these again...for a long time.
P.S. Our model did not turn out like the picture on the box.