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!