Christmas Day

We had a wonderful Christmas. Jeff woke the boys up at 8:00 a.m. because he wanted them to open presents! Needless to say, they went back to bed. Both boys went back to bed and slept for several hours. We didn't do a lot of decorating this year, in fact, we didn't even have a Christmas tree. We kept waiting for a time when all of us could go cut one down and it just didn't happen. I'm all for buying an artificial tree - with lights already on it. I think we have reached that time in our lives. I did hang Christmas cards, though, which always looks so cheery. But Christmas isn't about trees and lights and decorations. It is about the birth of Jesus and that is what I focused on. I hope you all had a very merry Christmas, too.

Holiday Fruit Baskets

I'm taking a break from cashiering this week. I am making holiday gift baskets at the store. I'm stationed in the entry way along with all the shopping carts and the Salvation Army bell ringer. Actually, it is a pretty smart place to make the baskets. Every person that comes into Hy-Vee walks right up to where I am working in order to get a cart and then past the finished baskets on their way into the store. It is unbelievable how much fruit is in one of those baskets! Definitely worth the cost. If you haven't ever given a fruit basket as a gift, I would highly recommend it.

Christmas Shopping

Yesterday, Zach and I went into Ames Christmas shopping. He wanted a winter coat for Christmas and that just wasn't something I wanted to buy without him to pick it out. While we were out, we did a little shopping for my nieces. I've decided that unless you want to by a Barbie item, Walmart and Target probably won't have the toy that you want. So last night, I talked Jeff into taking me to Des Moines to go to Toys R Us. You would've thought that I asked him to give up oxygen!! Okay, I do feel a little guilty for making him drive almost an hour one way in 5:00 traffic to go to one store. But I did find what I was looking for; three toy kitchen appliances (coffee maker, toaster, and microwave) that use batteries to light up and make noise like they really work. I think that my nieces, Erika - 6 1/2, Meghan - 4, and Rebekah - 15 months will love them.

Zach

I seem to be having difficulty getting a more recent photo of Zach. The only time we are home together, it seems like one of us is sleeping! This is a picture of him at his graduation in May. Zach is always on the go. He loves to be out with friends. Besides working at the daycare, he is also picking up hours at Godfather's Pizza on weekends. He made about $65 in tips on Saturday. He is saving his money to buy a decent car.

Josh & Me

I can't believe that God has given me two great sons. This is a picture of Josh and I. He asked me if he could get a picture of us together wearing his jerseys before he turned them in for the year. While I can see a lot of Jeff in him, he is my son through-and-through. He has so many of the same personality traits as I do. He even looks like me!

Another Winter Storm???

It is barely the middle of December and we just had another winter storm. This makes four storms in less than two weeks. Winter weather shouldn't seem unusual for our family since we spent 5 years in northern Minnesota, but it's just different here in central Iowa. We don't seem to get more than 4 or 5 inches of snow at any one time, but there is always a layer of ice involved. Last week, I got out of the Yukon and wasn't thinking about how icy it was. My feet hit the ground and just kept going! I landed on my butt! I'll admit that I was a little sore for a day or two. I'm about tired of snow, but I think Dodger likes it. He's like a puppy all over again when he gets out in the snow.