Thursday, December 29, 2005

Christmas

We all had a great Christmas. We ate well - maybe too well! - and Jack racked up all kinds of toys.

We stayed a couple of nights in Livingston, so Jack got some presents from Granna, Pa and Aunt Heather (we somehow managed to haul them all home). Jack's Granna made an awesome ham for Christmas Eve dinner. Jack of course loved her rolls, which are wonderful.

We then made it home for Christmas Eve, and actually woke up in our own home Christmas morning, which we've never done. It took a while (Jack gets distracted), but Jack opened up all his presents. He loved his big red crayon (right) and legos.

We then went to Franklin for Christmas dinner, and Jack racked up some more presents from his Nana, Papaw, and Uncle Rob. Mom made my favorite, I-only-get-it-at-Christmas broccoli casserole. Jack had a great time playing with Uncle Harry - they played trucks and with Jack's crayons.

Addam and I finally took the tree down last night. Christmas '05 is done!

Updated photos - finally - from November/December are here.

Wednesday, December 28, 2005

Chronic - what? - cles of Narnia!

I saw this a couple of weeks ago on Saturday Night Live, and now the video's making the rounds on the internet. Here's the video, and an interesting article about it on Slate here. It's hilarious.

Christmas update coming soon.

Monday, December 19, 2005

Jack on Drums!

PHOTO DELETED

Did you know about Jack's musical abilities? Here he is on drums. He also likes playing Mama's keyboard, his own (borrowed from Aunt Rachel) piano, and has dabbled a little at Daddy's guitar.

Jack likes to dance too, sometimes. But he's very particular about his songs. His favorites? Weezer's Beverly Hills and Johnny Cash's Country Boy.

I'm such a slacker...

I've had this blog for about a week and already feel like I am neglecting it. Maybe it's the holidays? The fact that budget was due last week? I got sick last night? The dog ate my homework?

Except for the dog, it has been lately due to the above. I got very sick last night and did not even get to enjoy my own lasagna! After eating Saltines all day, I think I am going to try my lasagna tonight, which I was told turned out great (I'm very proud of my lasagna). I tried it last night but it did not stay down.... I rarely get sick, really. I really hate it when I do.

Jack, Addam, Jack's Granna (Shirley) and Aunt Heather all went to Opryland Hotel to see the lights tonight. Hopefully I will have some pictures later today of the experience. I skipped out due to the aforementioned illness and went ahead and worked (reviewing the budget I submitted last week). Addam called from that Aquarium restaurant at Opry Mills and said Jack LOVED Opryland Hotel, especially the water fountain. Apparently his little hand was reaching everywhere. I hate that I missed it but I'm glad I had the downtime too.

Jack's Christmas presents have all been purchased and tucked away. We can't wait to see him rip them open Christmas morning. This will be our first Christmas together at home as a little family. I'm looking forward to it.

My friend Laura is heading to Africa in January. She's been a bazillion times, so she's an old pro at being abroad, but keep her in your thoughts and prayers.

Sunday, December 11, 2005

Christmas Time!



The Christmas tree went up tonight! We were going to get a live tree; a ball tree that we can plant in the yard after Christmas. We did this last year, when I took the photo. But Christmas/the holidays (oh, the controversy, holidays or Christmas?) really snuck up on us this year, and we realized we only had two weeks left. So, down came the old fake tree. This is this tree's 15th Christmas - go fake tree! We worry that this might be the tree's last - Jack has thus far unplugged the lights about 3 times and pulled on a few ornaments. Luckily his Mama had the foresight to put all the old glass ornaments (or any breakable ornaments) up out of his reach. And we're not using any hooks, so here's wishing for an ER-free Christmas/holiday season.

Does anyone think that local radio is making too much of the whole holiday/Christmas thing this year? I mean, come on. If anything is attacking the spirit of the season, it's starting the Christmas shopping spree in oh, say, August. Not Walmart, the President, or whoever saying "Happy Holidays" instead of "Merry Christmas". I can think of reasons to be angry with Walmart, but this just isn't one of them.

Saturday, December 10, 2005

Jack's Big Boo-Boo

Learning the new blogger format, and just lost the rather lengthy write-up I just had. So I'll try again.

Last night was my company's annual Christmas party. Addam and I fully planned to go, and I was looking forward to it, but then the local newsfolk predicted bad weather. I'm a Southern girl, born and bred, but snow really doesn't bother me. In fact, I'm a little fascinated with it. It's the ice that I have a healthy concern about, and no care to drive in.

So, after the news shows supposed freezing rain for our area, I call the folks at work, make my apologies, and plan a nice evening at home, just me, Jack, Addam and some homemade vegetable soup. Maybe I'd catch The Apprentice, which I've missed the past few weeks.

After dinner, it happens. Jack was full of mischief last night, trying to climb up on the kitchen table time and again as Addam does the dishes. I decide to sit in the chair he's using as his stepstool. Danger averted, right? Wrong - Jack walks over to his Daddy, pulls on a dish towel, and manages to pull down a 40-year-old glass bowl. It breaks.

The broken glass must have popped up and cut his face, and he had a nice little 1/2 inch cut on his face. He's upset, so it's hard to gauge the damage, so I go get a washcloth to wipe the blood and put some pressure on his cut.

It takes Addam and I both to put pressure on his cut. Jack's independent and mobile, so being held down is so not his thing. He puts up a fight, which just makes things worse. He's still bleeding, and the cut looks pretty open, so we call the pediatrician, who says to take him to the Children's ER at Vandy.

Around that time the bleeding stops, and Jack's mood improves. On the drive down, Jack was a perfectly happy little 19 mo. old boy, oblivious to the cut on his face. There is noticeably no ice on the roads, even in our town which usually gets it while Nashville on south is fine. Thank goodness the weather folks were wrong.

Everything goes fine at the ER, except for Jack's vocal displeasure of having to wear a hospital bracelet. The doctor comes in, and decides she's going to flush the cut and then glue it (Dermabond) instead of stitches. She plans to bring in back-up. We expect a fight from our little dude.

Jack then proceeds to fall asleep. He sleeps as the doctor returns and we place him on the bed. He half sleeps as they flush out his cut. He starts to wake up while he's getting glued. He has this look on his face like "maybe I'm just having a bad dream".

It's 10pm when we leave Vandy, and the roads are still fine. We get home around 10:30, get Jack ready for bed, and he gladly goes to sleep. I took the picture the next morning at breakfast.

Friday, December 09, 2005

New Blog

So, I'm trying this blogger format, as opposed to our geocities site. Anyway, here I'll post family updates, and maybe some random thoughts if I find time.