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Monday, December 31, 2012

Happy B-day to my hubby!

We celebrated my DH's birthday with a bit of snow...only a couple of inches but enough that shoveling was required in the morning. Thankfully, the storm passed quickly and the rest of the day was cold but clear.

Craig declined to request a special meal for his birthday dinner, instead asking me to surprise him. I went with an Asian theme: homemade chicken fried rice for the younger palates and a spicy Thai pork with curry and black pepper for the grown-ups. In another life (the one before kids), I used to make blistering hot Thai food on a regular basis. This Thai pork recipe was the dish that Craig claims made him fall in love with me...so hot it drew tears to his eyes and made his nose run and oh, so delicious. I haven't made it in years, didn't have exactly the right kind of curry paste and this time I couldn't get it spicy enough...but it's the thought that counts, right? The flavor was still good and the kids enjoyed challenging each other to eat Mom and Dad's spicy food.

Dad's Bday cake...an ice cream snowman!

First cake, then presents

Madiyar gave Dad a new pillow so he can sleep on a cloud!

Kate gave him a Star Wars flashdrive!

The other kids gave him gift certificates, tasty food treats, and coupons for chores to be done without complaint...like picking up poop in the yard and shoveling snow (Way to go, Tanya!)

Date night!

As for me, I gave him a gift certificate for some quality time...some weekend between now and the end of March, we will slip away for a quiet dinner for two and a night's rest in a quaint little country inn...no children invited. Can't wait...

Hope you enjoyed your birthday, honey!

Wednesday, December 26, 2012

Christmas 2012 in pictures


First we shopped for our tree...

Some of us looked for the perfect shape and size



Some of us looked very cool in the process

One of us paid the bill and carried our pick to the truck                





Then we did holiday things...

We had a marshmallow roast...

and some of us pretended to be aliens

We remembered the reason for the season...

and sang Christmas songs with church friends


Christmas morning finally arrived.
The calm before the storm

Let the games begin

Aniyar found the pickle and got to open the first present!
Some of the gifts were a little freaky

No worries...they're just ski masks for our next NH trip!
Our prime rib dinner was awesome and shared with the best of friends.
 


From our family to yours, we hope you all had a merry little Christmas!

Monday, December 24, 2012

As usual, it's crazy busy around here...and it's Christmas Eve. Today I was fairly insane with all that wasn't finished for the big day: last minute shopping still to do, cooking prep incomplete, wrapping not even close to done. It was in the midst of the frenzy that my younger daughter came to me and asked if I would watch her favorite Christmas movie with her. I started to list all the reasons why I couldn't possibly...then I stopped and thought. She's 15...half the time, she'd prefer to text with her friends than hang with me. Hmmm...I put aside the To-do list for a little while and went to watch a bit of "The Polar Express" with my girl. So glad I did. The smile and hugs I got were better than any gift under the tree.

Note to self...remember to breathe and cherish the moments left of childhood. Let my kids know they are more important than any To-do list.