The Twelve Days of Christmas....

So, my original plan was to post something each day, but I am more than twelve days behind. So this is a quick run down of what we did for the twelve days of Christmas. Some of my plans worked out, others are on hold, and then a few had to get scraped all together.

On the first day of Christmas, my mom and dad gave to me...
a Barbi "Christmas Carol" DVD.

On the second day of Christmas, my mom and dad gave to me...
a Christmas ornament of Barbi in the "Christmas Carol"
and a Barbi "Christmas Carol" DVD.

On the third day of Christmas, my mom and dad gave to me...
a pair of Christmas pajamas
a Christmas ornament of Barbi in the "Christmas Carol"
and a Barbi "Christmas Carol" DVD.

On the fourth day of Christmas, my mom and dad gave to me...
the Polar Express book
a pair of Christmas pajamas
a Christmas ornament of Barbi in the "Christmas Carol"
and a Barbi "Christmas Carol" DVD.

On the fifth day of Christmas, my mom and dad gave to me...
a Barbi ballerina Christmas ornament
the Polar Express book
a pair of Christmas pajamas
a Christmas ornament of Barbi in the "Christmas Carol"
and a Barbi "Christmas Carol" DVD.

On the sixth day of Christmas, my mom and dad gave to me...
a book called "Fancy Nancy and the Spelendiforous Christmas"
A Barbi ballerina Christmas ornament
the Polar Express book
a pair of Christmas pajamas
a Christmas ornament of Barbi in the "Christmas Carol"
and a Barbi "Christmas Carol" DVD.

On the seventh day of Christmas, my mom and dad gave to me...
a black sequined Christmas dress
a book called "Fancy Nancy and the Spelendiforous Christmas"
A Barbi ballerina Christmas ornament
the Polar Express book
a pair of Christmas pajamas
a Christmas ornament of Barbi in the "Christmas Carol"
and a Barbi "Christmas Carol" DVD.

On the eighth day of Christmas, my mom and dad gave to me...
a black sequined hat and a black and silver sequined scarf
a black sequined Christmas dress
a book called "Fancy Nancy and the Spelendiforous Christmas"
A Barbi ballerina Christmas ornament
the Polar Express book
a pair of Christmas pajamas
a Christmas ornament of Barbi in the "Christmas Carol"
and a Barbi "Christmas Carol" DVD.

On the ninth day of Christmas, my mom and dad gave to me...
a set of three ballerina Christmas ornaments
a black sequined hat and a black and silver sequined scarf
a black sequined Christmas dress
a book called "Fancy Nancy and the Spelendiforous Christmas"
A Barbi ballerina Christmas ornament
the Polar Express book
a pair of Christmas pajamas
a Christmas ornament of Barbi in the "Christmas Carol"
and a Barbi "Christmas Carol" DVD.

On the tenth day of Christmas, my mom and dad gave to me...
a book about a snowman
a set of three ballerina Christmas ornaments
a black sequined hat and a black and silver sequined scarf
a black sequined Christmas dress
a book called "Fancy Nancy and the Spelendiforous Christmas"
A Barbi ballerina Christmas ornament
the Polar Express book
a pair of Christmas pajamas
a Christmas ornament of Barbi in the "Christmas Carol"
and a Barbi "Christmas Carol" DVD.

On the eleventh day of Christmas, my mom and dad gave to me...
a pair of house slippers
a book about a snowman
a set of three ballerina Christmas ornaments
a black sequined hat and a black and silver sequined scarf
a black sequined Christmas dress
a book called "Fancy Nancy and the Spelendiforous Christmas"
A Barbi ballerina Christmas ornament
the Polar Express book
a pair of Christmas pajamas
a Christmas ornament of Barbi in the "Christmas Carol"
and a Barbi "Christmas Carol" DVD.

On the twelfth day of Christmas, my mom and dad gave to me...
a Christmas nightgown
a pair of house slippers
a book about a snowman
a set of three ballerina Christmas ornaments
a black sequined hat and a black and silver sequined scarf
a black sequined Christmas dress
a book called "Fancy Nancy and the Spelendiforous Christmas"
A Barbi ballerina Christmas ornament
the Polar Express book
a pair of Christmas pajamas
a Christmas ornament of Barbi in the "Christmas Carol"
and a Barbi "Christmas Carol" DVD.

Side note... so you don't think we are just spoiling Kaelin rotten (already been done by others in the family), we do have reasons for giving her something everyday for the twelve days of Christmas. First, no one likes to get Christmas pajamas on Christmas day or get books to read about Christmas when Christmas is a year away. So, we give her those things that lead up to Christmas. It allows me to talk to her about Christmas, for her to be involved in decorating, and then to have a little fun in the process. Also... it also helps to lower the anxiety and anticipation of all of the wrapped gifts under the tree. When she knows she is going to get to open something, the other things aren't so tempting.

What did we do for twelve days... (not everything I had planned, but we tried):


We held a party (described in a previous post) where gifts were brought for a needy family.

Kaelin helped shop for gifts for the kids of the family. (we discussed why we give gifts to families that might not have them otherwise)

Kaelin helped buy groceries for the family. (we discussed why we share food with other families)

Kaelin helped wrap the presents for all of the kids.

We bought and donated baby items to a local shelter.

We bought poinsettas to bring to a nursing home (but the wind destroyed them before I got them there... we will try again next year).

Party Pics

As promised, I have lots of pictures from our Christmas party last weekend.

Sometimes I stop and wonder if she will be mad at me when she grows up for the extra BIG BOWS... I don't think so... she likes them as much as I do.

Kaelin would have sat on Santa's lap all night if he would have let her. We went through those few incidents where there was no way she was getting near Santa much less on his lap. Those days are sooooooooooo over.

Look Santa did give me a present, even though I was told he might not due to my questionable behavior...

Update on our family we adopted....

There were four kids ranging in ages from 1 to 12. Each of the kids got about 8 presents each. They got toys, clothes, backpacks, etc. We gave a ham, turkey, and 3 big boxes of food. They also got a gift card and some money to buy things they were in need of. I think they are going to have a pretty good Christmas, thanks to our awesome friends and family who pitched in to help us give others a memorable Christmas.

My kind of Saturday

Today was definitely my idea of what Saturday's were meant for. As soon as Kaelin woke she asked me if we could go shopping. And, seeing how I have really not gotten much crossed off on my Christmas list, I thought this sounded like a wonderful idea.

So....

We headed for the Galleria (yes... I realize it is the weekend before Christmas).

We started at Macy's, went to a few other stores, stopped for a lunch break and then ended our trip with ice skating. Kaelin had never been ice skating, but she loves to pretend she is skating on the kitchen floor, so we decided to do the real deal. She was great (in fact, she was pretty impressive). She did not fall (much), only held my hand for a little while, and insisted on trying it all by herself.

Don't ask how much Christmas shopping I accomplished, but we had a great time ice skating.

Recovery

We had our Christmas party yesterday and it was a HUGE success. We are now into our "Twelve Days of Causes". We have decided to do something for the next 12 days to give back to different causes. Last night started off our fast and furious quest to do good things for the next 12 days (no, that does not mean that I get to do bad things after that).

Last night at our party, we had two special events going on.

First, we sponsored a family in need, so we asked everyone that wanted to participate to bring a gift for one of the family members. We got so many great things, that family is going to have an awesome Christmas. It was wonderful to watch how giving and generous our friends were (but we knew that, otherwise, they probably would not have been on our friend list to begin with).

Second, we had parents bring a gift for their own child and our guest of honor (Santa) handed out the presents to all of the kids. You should have seen the kids. They were ecstatic when they saw Santa walking across the yard. In fact, Kaelin attached herself to his leg. It was way too funny.

Kaelin listens to everything....
As soon as Santa called Kaelin's name, she ran up there, jumped in his lap and got her present. Then she immediately ran up to me and said "Mommy look, I got a present. You said I wouldn't, but I did. Santa must have thought I was being good." As you can guess, she has been threatened about Santa not visiting if she acted up. This was a major relief to her when Santa gave her a present. (I think she was a little stressed about this, because some of her choices have not been the best lately and she knows it).

I promise to post pictures later in the week.

Wrong Crowd

So, I made it back to Austin with no problems. I even think (or everyone told me) that Kaelin was dressed nice every day.

Funny Austin Story...
In Austin, I felt like I was constantly eating (no, I am not complaining). We had lots of catered meals and then ate in big social groups for others.

I realized I was probably in the wrong crowd when I went to dinner one night. I went to dinner with a group of my colleagues from other schools.

Before the waitress came over to take our drink order, my friends started talking about the different wine selections.

They started talking about the Beaujolais (yes, I had to google this word to even spell it correct). Evidently, (according to my friends) they had a fabulous crop this year and the wine is suppose to be excellent. ---- This is where I began saying "what in the world..."

So, as we talked about different grape harvests and wine selections, my mind began to wonder because I am not accustomed to talking about wine selections.

My mind began wondering (never a good thing)...
I wonder how the harvest is going on Boone's Farm?
I wonder how the grapes are up on Strawberry Hill?

As they were talking about the wine, I wanted to ask (but didn't) "Does this wine come corked, in a screw cap, or boxed?" (I am good with all of the above)

I did order a glass of the Beaujolais (double checked spelling again). It was good, but I don't think I could really tell a difference in that and the stuff from the grocery store.

After talking (or listening) wine for an hour or so, I began to think about the "redneck gene" that I am convinced I was born with.
- "Do these people know what NHRA stands for?"
- If asked who Jimmy Johnson is, would they answer "owner of Lowe's", "a football player", or "Nascar Champion"?
- Would they know that beer comes bottled, canned, and even kegged?

I am sure I can answer these questions for them and the answers are not that pretty.

The real kicker.... the dinner we had was terribly over priced. I had one of those Beaujolais's (again checked spelling) and a Chilean Sea bass and it cost me more than a pair of designer shoes. (I would have rather had the shoes).

These people are super nice and I see them many times a year, but I think they somehow missed the "redneck gene".

If I were making the decisions, we would go eat some Bar-B-Que and maybe stop by Wal-mart on the way home (and then still have enough money left over to buy the designer shoes).

Should I be worried....

I went to a girlfriend get together at a friends house tonight. When I left, Kaelin was dressed in matching clothes. This is what I came home to...

Seriously... what is wrong with this outfit? (Besides the bow and headband that matches nothing, the cowboy boots with the skirt, the t-shirt that is too small...)

In the morning, I leave for Austin and won't be back until Wednesday. I was not worried or concerned until I came home tonight and found this ensemble. So, now I am a little stressed thinking my daughter might make it out in public wearing something like this.

I may be going a little overboard, but you can never be too cautious when it comes your baby. I have gone through her clothes, picked out everything she will need to wear for the next few days. Then I even went as far as to label the sets of clothes according to the day she will need to wear them.

Now... I will just have to wait and see if my foolproof plan works.

Let It Snow!!! Let It Snow!!!

Oh, I am so spoiled... this is two years in a row that we have gotten snow around Christmas time. This really helps put me in the Christmas spirit. Kaelin is convinced that we live in an area that is accustomed to seeing snow. I don't have the heart to break it to her that this is not normal (although two years in a row is pretty awesome).

From now on, the years with no snow just mean we have to go to Colorado and see snow. I am definitely game for that.

Today was awesome, it was snowing by 8:30 AM. I got off work by noon. (Now, why couldn't every most days be like this?)

I think this might be our Christmas card. (No, I am not organized enough to have that little project taken care of yet)

This was definitely a day that you are affirmed of God's presence. This world does not get much prettier than today.

Go Cowboys

So, Todd and I went to the Dallas Cowboys vs. Washington Redskins game the other day. What a monstrosity!!! That place has absolutely everything. It is almost ridiculous.

The Cowboys did win, but barely. They were not playing so great.

This was Todd's favorite part of the game.

This is when I realized that Jerry Jones had outdone himself. He has personalized port-o-potties. Now is that not just the most ridiculous thing you have ever heard of?

I ended up having a great time and wanting to go back again, even though football is not on the top of my list. It really was fun!