Happy New Year

It's New Year's Eve and I can hardly believe it! This year has blown by at such a fast rate it makes my head spin! A year ago at this time we were anxiously awaiting the arrival of our Baby Girl to make our family complete. I simply can't believe that was a year ago. Anyway, I am working today but thought I would get in 1 last post before the end of the year so I could close out my "book" for the year and start fresh in January. Don't worry, the blog isn't moving or anything, I just have to have Blurb "slurp" up my final entries for the year before I do any in 2009. I uploaded some video, as promised, a few days ago, that's why the date of this blog is probably off. It's actually December 31st at 3:07 pm and I'm hosting the Sisters and their families this evening for some Poker fun...if we can all manage to stay awake! We're getting so very old! I really am not thrilled about hosting, but it will be much easier for Addy to have her bed this evening. Brian is working today too and I still need to go to the store for some goodies for this evening. Maybe I'll go when Addy gets up from her nap.

Ashleigh went to see "Marley and Me" with the York's yesterday and Ally said Ash cried in the end. Even though I am always sad when Ash cries, it was nice to know she actually watched the movie, interpreted it, and expressed emotion from what she was seeing. Ashleigh is a very sensitive and compassionate person and she lets it show quite a bit. Then she spent the night over there. Ally has been letting the Girls sleep together the past few times and they do okay after a couple of hours of giggling. But last night, Ally told me that Ash was desperately trying to get some sleep but PeyPey wouldn't stop trying to talk to her. Finally, Ally moved Ash into the spare bedroom and poor PeyPey cried for half an hour. But at least they got some sleep. Ash is still with the York's now and will be until they all make the trek over here for the New Year's Eve festivities. I do miss her as it's been over 24 hours since I've seen her.

Ash has been pretty busy...on Monday afternoon, Jessica Rogers called and asked if she could come pick Ash up for a play date with Jaydon. So she came and picked her up when she got off work at 2:00. Brian, Addy, and I went to pick her up later that evening after we went to Los Molcajetes for dinner (where Addy had her very 1st "gag throw up" all over her pants...but whereas Ash would have cried afterward, Addy just went about her business). Jessica said the kids played pretty hard outside most of the afternoon and it showed. I could tell they were both exhausted by the time we got there. But that's good, it makes for some good sleep! While we were there we finally got to see the new nursery for Jacoby and the expected in the next couple of weeks Jilian. It looks great! I get to help them with a French Memo Board soon...it's been a while, but they are fun to make and always look so pretty!

Here are the videos I promised you...all 6 of them! I could have uploaded more, but these are the highlights. They may be silly to you, but I just love these. Get your popcorn ready, this may take a while.

This one I just couldn't resist, I call it Cheerios:

Another one that's too cute for words, it's called Peek A Boo:

This is Ashleigh's Violin Recital where the outcome wasn't what we had hoped:

This is the little music recital at Dad's Christmas party where the outcome was just as we had hoped, I was so very proud of her:

Going to see Santa:

Christmas morning:

I hope you enjoyed all of them...they took FOREVER to upload! I just love having these memories and am so glad we are fortunate enough to be able to capture them!

The rest of this posting might get a little sappy because I want to speak directly to my little girls to end Volume 1 of many in their books of life. Feel free to move along if you'd like, but you are certainly welcome to stay.

My Dearest Little Ladies,

You Girls have simply amazed me this year, I don't even know where to begin. I guess I'll start at the beginning of the year. Addyson Shealeigh (our little Munchkin or Munchie Munch), you were unexpectedly born on January 10th. You were scheduled to born via c-section on January 16th, but you decided to come a little early. I'll let you know in a minute how this ended up being a blessing in disguise. The York's and the Harris' were over for dinner because Daddy was so proud to BBQ them these HUGE ribs he had found. While I was cooking some Stove Top stuffing I thought I had a contraction but just dismissed it as a pregnancy pain. But then a few minutes later I had another one. Hmmm...maybe I should have someone start timing these suckers. Sure enough, labor was on full force and after only about 30 minutes, my contractions were only about 4 minutes apart. Unfortunately, I still had to do payroll for Daddy's business because his guys expect to be paid on Friday (you were born on Thursday). Anyway, I did payroll while Aunt Ally and Auntie Rae packed my bag (yes, I'm a slacker and didn't even have a bag packed yet). By the time me and Daddy were in the car an hour after the labor started, my contractions were only 2 minutes apart and so strong...so strong and so much pressure in fact, I was worried we wouldn't make it to the hospital in time. Once I got to the hospital the nurses knew I couldn't wait and immediately called my doctor (Dr. Vaughan) and luckily he was on call and on his way. It was such a whirlwind, but I did have to endure very strong labor for 4 hours before they were able to give me a spinal block and do the c-section to deliver you. Your sister was with the York's so at least I didn't have to worry about her, she was in good hands, but she was so anxious to meet you. When you were pulled out of my womb at 9:58 pm, I knew it instantly because the "oohs and ahhs" from the staff over your size were immediate. They were so impressed with the size of your umbilical cord that they sent it down to pathology so they could "study" it. You were 10 lbs 15 ozs, heck at this point, we should just call it an even 11 lbs! You were so beautiful. You looked so much like your big sister it was unbelievable. The births of both of my children were the MOST amazing moments of my life. They weren't the way I had planned long ago where I had prayed to have you both naturally with no complications, but it WAS the way God intended it. And so it was...the MOST incredible moments of my life...and your Daddy's life. Your Daddy was so emotional with the birth of you girls, and so very proud. The next morning when Dr. Benzick came to examine you for the 1st time he detected a murmur in your heart and ordered an echo cardiogram (sonogram) of your heart. When he told us what was going on it was the scariest moment of our lives. Now you have a Pediatric Cardiologist and we were told you had a VSD or Ventricular Septal Defect or a hole in your heart. The red blood was mixing with the blue blood and that "swooshing" through the hole was the murmur that Dr. Benzick detected. I couldn't believe you had a birth defect, but we were later told that you could live with this forever and it not cause any problems for you. It should close on it's own by the time you turn 12, but if it doesn't it should be okay. You have to have another Echo when you turn 5 so we can keep an eye on it. Phew, that was a relief. Anyway, when Ashleigh came to visit you in the hospital, you have never seen such a proud Big Sister. She used to sing to you in utero and you guys were in instant love. It was such a special moment that I will never forget. Addy, you have had a year of so many "firsts" like all infants do, but I try to treasure each and every one of them. You are our baby, our last baby, and we are trying to take it all in and slow down life a little so we can savor every tooth, every bottle, every bath, every everything. But you will continue to grow up, you will continue to amaze us, you will continue to be loved. We don't have the biggest house, nor the best car, nor the fanciest clothes, but I can promise you that we will be the best parents to you that we possibly can. I promise that to both of you. You two girls deserve the best, kindest, most compassionate parents.

By the way, the reason it was a blessing that Addy was born early is because MeMe got the call on January 16th, the day Addy was scheduled to be born, to receive her new kidney. MeMe would have been heart broken if she couldn't have been there for Addy's birth, so I am VERY thankful it turned out the way it did, even though my one benefit of a c-section was no labor and I had to endure it anyway. I wouldn't change a thing! The Man upstairs knows what he is doing.

Ashleigh Shea (our little Punkin'), what can I possibly say that I haven't told you a million times?!?! Out 1st born, our 1st true lesson, our blond-haired angel. You started Kindergarten this year. That means you turned 5...could it be? It's amazing to me! We have been through a lot with you and we have learned so much being your parents. You have endured a lot over the last 5 years: a 3 day hospital stay for dehydration due to Rota virus, stitches in your left eyebrow due to nasty coffee table, ear infections galore that led to tubes in your ears, and then that resulted in speech therapy that you are still enduring, a busted ear drum that almost resulted in surgery and took a year to heal...that's just to name a few. You had barely turned 5 when you started "Big Kid's School" and I was so worried, but you have ran with it. You are doing so good and really seem to love your new learning environment. I am so amazed at how much you have accomplished so far. You also started playing tee-ball this past Spring and you already have 2 seasons under your belt. You've recently been talking about taking dance lessons so we may try that out this coming Spring. You have also started playing the Violin this past fall. It was a little painful at first, but it's bearable now to listen to you practice. Ashleigh, you have the most kind and loving heart, you truly care for people and their feelings. I am in awe at the compassion I see you spilling out. I am often mesmerized by your eyes...there is a lot going on behind those beautiful green eyes. Did you know your eyes were the bluest of blue until you were 3? Yup, you woke up one morning and they were green...yes, it was totally weird! Anyway, you are such a unique kid and you have taught us so much about being better people. We love you so much and we simply can't imagine life without you in it. We feel so blessed that God chose us to be your Parents. We are who we are because of you. Seriously, I'm pretty sure Daddy would be a truck driver if you hadn't come along. LOL!

Everything we do, every decision we make, is because of you girls, our princesses. You probably won't realize how loved you truly are until you have children of your own (MeMe and PopPop used to tell me that too), but it's so true. We will do everything in our power to give you the lives you desire. You will know the value of a dollar, you will learn to respect your elders, you will serve your community, you will learn to be outstanding citizens...but you will be happy if I have anything to say about it. Whatever life deals you, run with it, deal with it...but always with your chin up. If you can't do that, then we, as your parents, haven't finished our jobs. We love you both so very much. We can't wait to see what the New Year brings. 2008 has been challenging financially, but you know, we survived. 2009 promises to be better, but whatever the case, we will be together, and that's all that really matters. We, The Linder Family, are truly blessed.

Happy Holidays

Oh my goodness, another week has come and gone. And in that week? Well, Christmas of course, which means a lot of running around, a lot of family togetherness, a lot of good cheer, but not a lot of rest. I'm pooped, and work begins once again tomorrow. I did stay home today, but it was filled with laundry and big disappointments. The 1st being trying to change out Ashleigh's earrings because she has been wearing unmatched earrings for quite some time now and I was tired of looking at them (this was from 1 falling out, getting lost, and me having to put an unmatched one in because she wouldn't let me change out the other). Well, I tell her to go get another pair of earrings and she starts bawling! I mean as if I asked her to jump in a pool of fire. But she went and got them and I noticed one of the posts were broken. Well, crap, she's never even worn them. So I knew Oma got her a pair for Christmas that had lady bugs on them so we go get those...with her still bawling and me risking vomit all over the place...I thought for sure it was going to come up a few times, but I threatened her life if it did. So I tel her to sit down so I can take out the mismatched ones. This was such an ordeal I just couldn't believe the way she was acting and I was getting so mad at her. But I finally get them out and they were quite dirty so I decided we needed to clean her holes. She threw a fit even with the ear cleaning stuff, but I got them cleaned. Now it's time to put in the new earrings. OH MY LORD, you just wouldn't have believed that was my sweet little Ashleigh acting like that, I was in shock and thought maybe we needed an exorcism to get the devil out of my little girl!! I managed to get one earring part of the way in and it started bleeding. I don't know why, maybe because she was thrashing around so much I may have missed, or maybe they were infected, though they weren't red or anything, so I don't know. After the last flailing episode, I pretty much had enough and told her (in a not so nice voice) that we were letting her holes close and if she wanted to be beautiful with earrings, then she would have to get it done on her own when she's old enough to drive herself. I've seriously had enough and am NOT going to fight her with those dammed earrings for one second longer. It's a shame since she was so very brave when she got them pierced...OH WELL!!!

The second disappointment of the day was the Cowboys...enough said! I'm so upset that I wanted them to go to the Playoffs so bad and they obviously wanted to start their vacation early. Whatever!

Our Holiday was nice. As usual, I was out there on Christmas Eve with all of the other last minute wackos! Luckily, I took the day off and got an early start. It really wasn't bad at all, I was pleasantly surprised. I started out at Best Buy and there wasn't a soul in line ahead of me, SCORE! Then Leslie's Pool Supply and not a soul in the store at all besides the clerk. Then Target...again, not busy at all and waited behind only 1 person to check out. I got done shopping so fast, I headed on over to Hobby Lobby to return a couple of things. Of all places, I waited the longest there, but again, not bad. Brittany was nice enough to come over at 8:00 am to watch the girls so I could get that shopping done. Then she was even nicer by sticking around to help me wrap ALL of my presents since I procrastinated with this as well AND she helped me make potato salad. All in all, Britti hung out with me for about 8 hours, which I thoroughly enjoyed since I don't get to spend much time with her these days, plus she'll be going off to college soon.

Oh, these pictures cracked me up, this 1st one is Sally...that dog thinks that blanket is hers and it doesn't matter where it is, she will get on it. She thought she was in Heaven when Daddy covered her up with part of it...spoiled, I tell you!



Hehehe, this one is Ash in her PJs and she had asked me if she could go get the mail and I said if you put on shoes and socks. Of all the shoes and of all the socks she has, this is when she came up with! Totally cracked me up! I guess she was in a Hello Kitty kind of mood, even though those shoes are a tad too small.



Since Brian's Mom is German, we always celebrate on Christmas Eve with her, per her traditions. We had a great time with great food. Oma really went above and beyond and we all enjoyed the evening.

Ash thinks it's a good idea to wear a headband with her hair in a "little ponytail". Oh, and she wears it half on her hair and half on her forehead.



This is just priceless...the Cousins waiting patiently (or not so patiently) for the opening of the presents. From top to bottom: Tekoa, Kaileyanna, Ashleigh, and Addyson.

Addy getting into the spirit of things:

Then of course, we had our traditional Christmas in the morning. I got up pretty early to shower and be sure I was ready for the day but Ash was up before I finished my shower. We didn't even have to wake Addy up because she woke up too soon after. Here's a picture of the goodies Santa left behind.

Ash showing off some of her loot:

Addy seemed to really enjoy her 1st Christmas and loved playing with all the paper and that's her new pink rocking horse in the background. She hasn't quite gotten a hang of it yet.

After our celebration at home we all got ready and headed to the Gaylord and met my Dad, Anna, the Harris', and the York's for our 1st Christmas gift from Dad which was their SPECTACULAR Christmas brunch in the Grand Ballroom. This was the brunch of all brunches and you knew it as soon as you walked in. They even had this little "path" as you walked in that was like a Winter Wonderland with beautiful decorations and plentiful photo opportunities. We spent about 2 1/2 hours at this brunch and I still didn't get to even half of the available food. Let me take a stab at telling you the available tables: breakfast (waffles, eggs, made to order omelets, bacon, potatoes, etc.), salad (every possible combination to have it just like you like it), sushi (I know nothing about this, but there were all sorts of different varieties and many people were in hog heaven), seafood (the biggest jumbo shrimp in the world, crab claws, salmon, etc), traditional meats/sides (fresh cut turkey, ham, stuffing, potatoes, veggies, etc.), breads (tons of varieties), fruit (tons of varieties), kids table (this was cool because it was a low table so the kids could serve themselves that included chicken nuggets, corn dogs, mac and cheese, veggies, cheese pizza, decorate your own gingerbread man, etc), dessert (OMG, more than you could imagine but the highlights were a chocolate fondue fountain that you could build your own stick of whatever and hand dipped ice cream for Cherries Jubilee, plus every other dessert you could possibly imagine in between. I'm sure I'm leaving something out, it was just really great. And then afterward, Dad treated us all to the ICE! Exhibit which was simple breathtaking (literally, since it was FREEZING in there). Here are some pics:

Poor Addy was so cold, but we bundled her up in one of the smaller parkas they provide and we could hardly see her. She was such a trooper!

This was Sydney, Peyton, and Ashleigh in the Gingerbread house:

Brian going down the ice slide:

The Nativity Scene at the end, it was just beautiful and the photos just don't do this place justice.

Then we headed back to Dad's for the rest of the celebration and the opening of the presents. As usual, we were all spoiled, especially the children. Ashleigh got a Nintendo DS. So far it is hard for her, but she'll get a hang of it. It would help if she could read!

The Harris Girls:

Ashleigh with Ally wearing PeyPey's new pink hat. Click on this one so you can see how LARGE Ally's eyes are!

I thought PeyPey looked so "her" in this one:

My lovely hubby being silly...he looks like a bat!

Addy opening her 1st present, she slept through most of the festivities since she stayed awake the whole time at the Gaylord being such a trooper! We were very proud of her!

Then we spent the day after Christmas with my Mom. She was supposed to be resting and recovering from her virus and that is why we decided to have cold cuts in lieu of a large Christmas dinner of turkey with all the trimmings. But she ended up cooking anyway...meatballs, sausage balls, dip, etc. It was all very delicious and I'm pretty sure we all averaged at least a 5 pound weight gain! Here's some shots at Mom's house:

Peyton and Addy, my little Munchie Munch:

Ash being her beautiful self, My green-eyed girl:

Needless to say, we had a great Christmas and we have a lot of cleaning out to do to make room for all of the new "stock" we brought home. Our house is simply not big enough for all of this stuff and it requires we rotate the stock at least once per year. But I'm not complaining, it only means we are all extremely blessed. Sometimes we forget how blessed we truly are, but we need to remind ourselves every once in a while so we don't lose sight of what's truly important.

Addy has cut her 11th tooth...her 1st bottom molar. Poor girl is cutting these teeth so fast it seems they are all coming it at the same time and she can't catch a break. Santa brought her LOTS of Tylenol in her stocking in an attempt to keep her pain free. That was generous of him, because he can't stand to see her suffer! She's been eating more and more table food, she really has a big desire for the table food, and I guess with all of those teeth, she is ready! She also started blowing kisses today. It's kind of a backward one, but I know what she's doing and it just melts my heart! My little baby is going to be a year old already in just a couple of short weeks and I can't tell you how this makes me feel. I'll go more into that on my next post, which will be my last one of the year and will close out Volume 1 of the Linder Family Blog. I will be making this blog into a book for the girls and it will go by year. I've already started it through blurb.com and look so forward to the girls being able to look back some day and reading about what their life was like when they were children. I think it's an awesome gift! Technology can be such a great thing!

Oh, a quick shout out to Ashleigh...my Dad threw a Christmas Party at his house last Monday and had all of the musicians do their thing and he wanted Ash to play her violin. We all know how her recital turned out so I wasn't sure she would do it. But she did!! She kept telling herself she wasn't going to cry, she watched the others play the piano, and she was so brave and got up there and played her song! We got it on video (thank you, Kevin!) and I'll post it next time with many other videos from the past month or so. I'm so proud of that girl!

Anyway, I hope you all are having a VERY Happy Holiday Season! I have to go back to work tomorrow, but am looking forward to seeing what the New Year has in store for the Linder Family. Sleep Tight!

Busy Holiday Season

I've gotten so bad (or so I've been told, LOL)...I used to blog pretty regularly twice per week, but lately, it has only been once per week. I'm sure you all understand, this time of year time is at such a premium. There is quite simply not enough time in the day.

But we had a good week. Brian's sister, Jessica, came into town Tuesday night so we've been having a good time with her. It was Ashleigh's last week of school before the Holiday break, so she had an exciting week at school. Brian worked as little as possible so he could spend time with Jess; though, she sleeps 'til like noon some days so Brian worked in the mornings. It was Sydney's birthday on Wednesday and Dad's birthday on Friday. Plus some shopping, dancing, and work thrown in.

Speaking of dancing, Ashleigh LOVES to dance with her Daddy, so she asks quite often, and he picks her up and they dance. She is getting so heavy, so this is no easy task anymore. But Brian couldn't let his little girl down, so he still does it...the dance is just a little shorter these days because his arms get numb! :) Here's a picture of their dance of the week:

Brian and Jess got on the motorcycle a few times this week, because Jess now has the itch and LOVES to ride with her Bro. She even has her own helmet now. Here's a shot of them leaving the house earlier in the week, as you can see, they are as safe as possible wearing full protective gear (we have rules around here...I won't even let Brian run up to the gas station without ALL of his gear on):

LOL, this is "MiddleEastern Jess" getting ready to ride...that's antifreeze gear on her head to help protect against the cold...I couldn't resist taking this picture because she looked so funny. She was thrilled!

Oh, I wanted to give a quick mention to my friend, Deena, and her new talent at making Kleenex holder boxes. At our Christmas party a couple of weeks ago, she surprised us Girls each with one. I though that was so thoughtful of her and she obviously put a lot of work into each of them. Here's a picture of mine, which looks oh so cute on my desk:

Here's Jess at her usual position in front of her laptop...and I'm sure her cell phone is on her lap. That girl texts more than anyone I know...like hundreds a day. I'm pretty sure her fingers are a little flatter than they were a few years ago.

Addy Paddy and her adorable self being a ham, as usual, for the camera. I just can't get enough of that crinkly nose smile with the dimple in her forehead:

The weather was so incredibly nice most of the week, especially on Friday, so Brian and Ashleigh took advantage and washed their bikes. Of course, Brian had to make sure his was sparkling for the Big Texas Toy Run that was today (more on that later). Anyway, how could I resist grabbing the camera to capture this special bike washing Father/Daughter moment:

Ash had a Christmas party at school on Friday and they were dismissed at noon. I took the day off in order to help out with the party and to be able to spend some special time with her. Thanks to Jess for watching Addy while I was at the school! There were lots of parents at the school for the various class parties, in fact, the line was out the door of the school office to get signed in. There were probably about 6 parents from Ashleigh's class there. Anyway, they ate cheese pizza provided by the PTA, decorated Christmas cookies, had a book exchange, and received all of their goodies from the Festive week, which included an ornament that they apparently painted on the inside...I guess they put a few drops on the inside with some glitter and shake it up. Then someone with real nice handwriting put the kids' name and year. Of course, Ash's ornament was pink, I'm assuming they got to choose their color. She also came home with Reindeer food that she is supposed to sprinkle in the yard on Christmas Eve so that Santa and his Reindeer can see our house (it has sparkly glitter in it) and so that the Reindeer get a little snack while Santa is delivering the presents. Also, Mrs. Roberts gave each child a wrapped book that I let Ash open when we got home from her party. I think there were a few other art type projects too. I'm glad I was able to go to the party...since I work, I rarely get to volunteer, so I treasure the times when I can give Ash my undivided attention. I'm curious what you all do or have done in the past for teacher's gifts?!?! I always struggle with this, but this year we got each of the "Specials" teachers (PE, Computer, Art/Music, Library), her Speech Therapist, and her Violin teacher a candle that I had ordered through one of Brittany's fundraisers. I'm sure they get so many candles (which I didn't think of until after I purchased them) but I was thinking it was a great way to support Brittany's Band (or was it for the Youth Orchestra, I can't remember) and they make great gifts. Anyway, then we got her actual Kindergarten teacher, Mrs. Roberts, a $25 gift card to Chili's and then some Bath and Body Works soap to help weigh the bag down. She seemed to like it, but do you think it was enough? I know it's terrible, but I really want Ash to be loved by her teachers, so I always want to make them happy and have them love their gifts. I hope she really did like it and I hope it really was enough. **insert nervous nail biting** Please leave a comment with your opinion on the whole teacher's gift thing. Here are some pics from her party:

Mrs. Roberts and Ashleigh Shea:

During the Book Exchange, Ash is at the top of the blue row:

Auntie Rae stopped by to check out Ash's party and then went back to Syd's party:

A group of the kids decorating their cookies with Mrs. Roberts looking on:

So today was the Big Texas Toy Run which is a HUGE event for motorcyclists and it raises money and toys for kids in need in the metroplex. In fact, the admission is at least a $10 toy or $10 cash. Brian and Jess participated this year and it was a 3 degree wind chill when they left. They each had on many layers in an attempt to stay warm...for example, Jess layers included 1) leggings, 2) jeans and t-shirt, 3) clima-proof pants with her thick coat, 4) hooded sweatshirt, 5) full protective riding gear with 2 pairs of gloves. Too funny! She was still freezing when they got home. But the event is rain or shine...the kids need the toys. There were a total of 7,000-8,000 bikes at the final destination in Arlington at the Convention Center. They seemed to have a good time. Here's a picture of them when they got back...looking puffy from their many layers:

While they were doing that, we had our annual shopping trip day with Dad. We started with breakfast and then headed to Wal-Mart...yes, you heard me correct, Wal-Mart of all places. We figured that is where we could get most of what we needed, but I was totally dreading the usual Wal-Mart "crowd" being packed in like sardines. But I was pleasantly surprised and they weren't that busy at all. Thank goodness. However, Addy was way past nap time and cried for about 30 minutes while we were there until she just finally gave up and stuck her thumb in her mouth. Then tonight, I cooked dinner for Jessica, Katie, her kids, and Oma. I cooked ham, cheesey potatoes, caesar salad, green beans, and garlic bread. It was quite yummy. In fact, I made an extra potato casserole so I could eat leftovers this week!

We also went to see Santa this week at Ridgmar Mall. The crown wasn't too bad and only waited about 15 minutes. Ash told Santa she wanted paper, envelopes, crayons, and a real camera. I wanted one picture of Addy by herself since it's her 1st Christmas and then one with both of them together. They both did sooo good with Santa, so I was definitely happy about that! I got some video of it too, so I'll post that at a later time. But here are the pics, I'm sorry for the "white space" on each picture, I need to learn how to scan to get rid of that like it thinks it's a much bigger picture, ugh! Also, I just noticed they look so tiny...you can click on them to make them larger:

This one is from Ashleigh's 1st Christmas in 2003:

Jess went home with Katie to spend the rest of her visit with her, until Tuesday when she goes home. Ash was sad to see her go, but she needed to spend time with them too.

Oh, on Friday night we went to Medieval Times to celebrate Syd and Dad's birthday. We haven't been in several years, so we really enjoyed it. Ash cried for the 1st 5 minutes when the show began because it was so loud, then the next 5 minutes with her hands over her ears. She seemed to enjoy it after that. She didn't really eat much of the food, though she did try the chicken, but then spit it out and said it tasted like "King". This was so funny because they had just introduced the King and Princess of the show. Here's a few pics:

My Mom spent a few days in the hospital this week due to CMV virus...a common virus found in transplant patients, but VERY serious if not treated. We're pretty sure the only reason she got out when she did is because they needed the room and they are going to provide Home Health to give her anti-viral treatments through a pic-line (SP?) This virus really took a lot out of her, but she is such a tough woman and seems to be getting stronger each day. She is just so tired of fighting every health challenge thrown her way. Please pray for a healthier 2009 for her!

And with that, it's almost 11:00 pm and I'm heading to bed. Have a GREAT week! Sleep Tight!

Productive Day

I would say today has been a pretty productive day. It started by bugging Brian about putting up the Christmas lights being that it was near 80 degrees today (windy but warm). Well, he said that if I clean my office, he will put up the lights. My office desperately needed to be cleaned, so I agreed. Brittany spent the night since her parents were in Lubbock so I sweet talked her into helping me. We started with the GIGANTIC pile of Ashleigh's kindergarten work. I mean the sucker was probably 2 feet tall (Ally can testify, she gives me a hard time every time she comes over). I kept all of her little readers, sight word pages, math lesson sheets, and I was selective on the art work. There was some negotiating involved, but we got through it and the pile is now gone off of my desk. I admit, I am a bit of a pack rat when it comes to Ash's school work and art, but I know I simply, physically, and logistically can not keep it all. It gets overwhelming and it's so hard to decide what to keep and what to toss. Then Brian started shredding the really old bills and financial paperwork, it too, was really starting to pile up. We FINALLY got our little filing cabinet cleaned out that goes with the office furniture that Brian is using at the shop (yes, Jessica, you will finally get your filing cabinet), so that freed up some space in the office. Moved my other little filing cabinet and put the printer on it to make it more accessible. Anyway, there is more work to do in there, but at least, it's progress. I told Brian, we're doing the lights while it's warm and daylight, so the office will have to wait, ha!

We decided, in the interest of saving electricity, and thus money, that we would only put Christmas lights on the bushes this year. Most of you know, we are usually all decked out with Christmas lights....all over every ridge of the house, a fence made out of lights, bushes, windows, spotlights on my gigantic wreath, reindeer in the yard, etc. But, unfortunately, this year we simply can't afford the quadrupled electric bill. We are really trying to cut back everywhere we possibly can. If this gives you an inkling...Brian just clipped coupons...yes, Brian! Now it's a game to him. He said earlier, "I'm so excited about seeing how much money we can save". Good Lord, we all know when Brian gets a wild hair, he runs with it! LOL! But hopefully it will mean we save some money, lose some weight, and maybe learn a little something about conservation. We won't be Linder-Sizing for a while! UGH, I hate having to live conservatively! But hopefully it won't be forever! I know we are all having to adjust our way of living in today's economic difficulties. Anyway, the bushes look great, but compared to usual, quite boring and lame! Oh well, it will do.

Its been a busy weekend but Brian's cousin, Preston, didn't end up coming into town because he was sick. The airline gave him credit, so maybe we'll try again in a few weeks. Last night was Jessica's Baby Shower to help celebrate the pending arrival of Jilian Cate. It was a nice shower and they got tons of adorable things to help them stock the nursery for her arrival. Here is a couple of pictures from the affair:

Jessica is going to let me try my hand at some pregnancy portraits when she gets within a couple of weeks of her due date. I'm really looking forward to it, but I really want to do a good job. This is her last pregnancy, so I would love to be able to capture it for her. Once we're done, I'll see if there are any she will approve for me to post on here, but it will be a few weeks before that happens.

Yesterday morning was Ashleigh's Violin Recital. I could tell the past 2 days she was getting nervous because she would start crying when we talked about it. But the day came, and she was acting so brave and seemed quite ready to just go for it. Then we got to the church, went to the room where they were tuning their instruments while Brian and Addy went to sit down and then she told me she didn't want to go first and she started crying again. Oh Lord, please help Ash get through this and please help her to not feel that scared feeling. So I go sit down once I get her excited about being the "line leader" and the students walk in, everything is fine. Time for Ash to go, she gets up, her teacher gets up to play with her, they get through the 1st 6 notes and Ash just starts bawling. My heart completely broke for her and I completely felt the pain she felt from being that scared. I cried, Ally cried, Mrs. Lisa (her teacher) almost cried, and there were others. Then she walked to me and I took her out in the lobby until she could calm down. The crowd applauded her anyway and despite it all, I am so incredibly proud of her for getting up there and literally trying her very best. She physically could not control her emotions, but she DID get up there and try. I got the incident on video, and will post that at a later time once I get that disc filled up. But here is a picture right before the breakdown and one of Ash with her teacher.

Shasta came through her surgery alright. She was on pain killers for 4 days and today was her first day without one. She seems to be doing okay, but I don't think she is eating or drinking much. She isn't crying now, but I wish she would go eat. She is on antibiotic for 10 days, so maybe that is causing her loss of appetite. She will get her stitches out late this coming week. Poor girl has to wear a lampshade to keep her from licking it. When the bandage was on, she wasn't really bothering it, but once that fell off, she started licking it some, so we put the collar back on her. She keeps running into things and she is like a bull in a china store. She isn't sleeping well, and she must have woken me up about 7 times last night from getting off her bed, running into the wall, etc. Ugh! Anyway, here is a "before" shot and 2 "after" shots.

She is a little confused by the whole thing...wagging much differently, walking sideways, checking to see where it went...I guess her brain is telling her it's still there, but it's not. Each day that aspect gets a little better. By the time she is all healed, I think she will be much happier and won't have to suffer from that happy tail any longer! I know that Brian and I are already happier with it! Her surgery is our Christmas present to each other...sad, I know! But still a GREAT gift!! LOL!

The Cowboy game is on...we are playing the Giants and are actually winning 14 to 3 in the 4th quarter...Still 8 minutes left, so I'm not doing my Happy Dance just yet! I am hopeful though. We really need this game to have any chance to get into the playoffs! **fingers crossed**

I am the bad Aunt tonight, because I missed Brittany's Christmas concert with the Fort Worth Youth Orchestra. But I go to most everything so I'm not feeling too guilty. Plus, it cost $5 to get in, and I'm contributing to saving money, LOL! I did go to Sydney's piano recital on Friday night...she did very well!

Ash went to Oma's house yesterday and spent the night there with Kaileyanna and Tekoa. Oma wants to start a new pre-Christmas tradition of having the kids come over to make ornaments and spend some time together. Ash had a GREAT time and then they all went to church this morning. It worked out well, because then Brittany had Ash's bed all to herself.

Brian's sister, Jessica, comes into town this Tuesday. We go to Medieval Times on Friday night to celebrate Sydney's and my Dad's birthday, Brittany's Christmas concert with her high school band is some day this week, and I'm sure there is more on the schedule. I am taking off on Friday to be able to go to Ash's Christmas party at school and help out. I never get to volunteer for anything, so I'm looking forward to it. It's the last week of school before 2 weeks of total boredom for Ash, but hopefully, we can have some fun!

Oh goodness, 14 to 8 with 5:35 left...I've seen the 'Boys blow it with less time than that before. And even worse, Romo is hurting...he has taken some major blows tonight.

Okay, I'm going to finish watching the game without typing! Sleep Tight!

I Know, I Know...

NOTE: This blog was written 2 days ago, but I had so much trouble moving the pictures where I wanted them and some kept getting deleted, I gave up! It's still missing some pictures, but I'm tired of uploading these darned pictures, so this will suffice!

...it's been over a week since I've blogged. Once again, life has gotten in the way. Tomorrow, Shasta will be having her tail amputated. A lot of you know that Shasta has suffered with "Happy Tail" for the past several years off and on. Happy Tail is when the tail starts bleeding at the tip from repeated and strong wagging hitting an object like a wall. She gets it every few months and it causes her pain. This past one is the worst yet, there is blood everywhere. Every time we think we've cleaned it all, we find more. It's really ridiculous! Anyway, we decided it is finally time to do something about it because it causes her pain, it causes us pain, it makes a big mess, and it has made the girls cry on more than one occasion since it hits them with amazing force. Believe me, it hurts. So say a little prayer for Shasta that she comes out of the surgery okay. This isn't a good time of year to scrape up that kind of money, but it has to be done.

Brian's cousin Preston is coming into town on Friday night and staying for the weekend. It should be interesting and I hope he has a good time while he is here, but it will be a fast weekend, I'm sure.

Then on the 16th, Brian's sister, Jessica, will be coming into town for a week long visit. We're looking forward to it, but it will be a busy week, as it's the last week of school before Christmas break with TONS of activities.

Ashleigh's violin recital is this Saturday at 9:00 am at First Baptist Church of Keller. If any of you are available, please stop by and listed to some music. Ashleigh will be performing first, so don't be late. :)

We had the Christmas party with some of our friends this past Saturday (Deena, Alma, and Meredith). It was at Meredith's house and they provided us with a very tasty Lasagna dinner. The rest of us brought desserts, so naturally, we ate very well. All of our kids seem to get along real well and play together nicely, which makes me happy. The adults do a Chinese gift exchange, me and Brian ended up with the $25 Target gift card (that we brought, LOL) and a movie night gift that included a bucket of popcorn, a bag of M&Ms, and the movies Juno, Devil Wears Prada, and National Treasures 2. The kids draw names to see who they buy for since there are so many now, it would be too expensive to but for all of them. The girls received some very nice gifts. Here are some pictures from the evening:

Also, here are some pictures that I took for some friends and families for their Holiday photos. I hope everyone liked them, I would be so upset if I ruined them for someone.

Let's see, what else...oh, the Cowboys really pissed me off yesterday. They had that win in the bag despite turnover after turnover, but noooo, they blew it! It's really what they do best. We went to the Harris' to watch the game since Kevin and Steve are big Steelers fans. Addy was in rare form...every time someone would cheer, she would cry, and cry hard! After a while, it didn't even require a cheer to make her cry, just standing did it to. It was weird, she's never like that. I think she was way over stimulated and it scared her. We ended up leaving in the 4th quarter because I got real tired of trying to calm her! UGH!

Okay, I'm tired, sleep tight!