So I've slacked a little...

and I have a lot of catching up to do.

First of all, Merry Christmas! We have finally recuperated from our trek all over the state of Mississippi, and I must say that Sam performed rather well. Our holiday started in Jackson where we "had Christmas" in two different locations. We then loaded up and drove north to hang out with my family, and we rounded out our tour by spending a night in the Mississippi Delta with Anthony's grandmother.

We managed to make quite a scene at our Christmas Eve service. They were short an usher, so my FIL was asked to fill in. Everything was going well until Joe walked up front to get the collection plates. Sam went ballistic. He started flying down the aisle screaming, "Papa! Papa! Papa!" He then proceeded to help Joe with the rest of his ushering duties. I was really, really, glad that the service was dominated by families with small children.

Check out his knee socks and saddle oxfords. Love them.

What did Sam get for Christmas? I think the better question is what didn't he get. Our house looks like a molded plastic factory exploded, I have a tee pee in my dining room, and books are everywhere. In short, Sam made out like a bandit.

To kick things off, MP and Joe gave Sam a Thomas the Train set Christmas Eve night. I have a feeling that it will be a long-term winner.

The scene at our house Christmas morning. Where am I going to put all this? Santa and his elves must not have thought about storage problems.

Notice the fire on the television set. Anthony personally worked really hard on chopping firewood and keeping us toasty warm Christmas day. He's such an outdoorsman.

He really digs his new wheels...

and his new tee pee...

and his easel...he loves to "color" now--especially with "lello"

and his basketball goal...
and his computer.

I'm happy to report that although he is his father made over, he does still really love books, so there is hope for me yet. He got a ton of "literature," and several of his favorite--Curious George. He is OBSESSED. It's pretty cute.

Next year he will be a huge help with our cookie decorating. His clothing will be protected, too.


Overall, we had a great holiday, and we're fortunate to have such wonderful family near and far. We send love and lots of kisses, along with our hopes for a wonderful 2010!

My favorite sous chef...

Every year since we've been married, (and a few before that) I've baked and decorated Christmas cookies with Anthony's dad. We have a great time, and we've perfected our recipe. This year we decided to add to the fun and chaos, so Sam was given a little bit of cookie dough to play with.

Things started out fairly well. Cute Christmas outfit--check. Cookie dough--check. Good time--check. Then he ate the cookie dough...so we tried to take it from him. His reaction?

To make things a little safer/salmonella-free, we gave him a peanut butter and jelly sandwich which he then insisted on icing. I can't say I blame him.

Anthony thought it would be hilarious if Sam had an icing mustache. I didn't really think it was that funny. Sam did. (Notice we transitioned to a much-needed bib.)

By the end our our night, he was practically naked with icing from head to toe. Bath time was interesting.

And now, the score:

Sam--5

Christmas tree--0

Please pick up an angel...

I'm sure many of you know that there are still hundreds of local "angels" who have not been adopted for Christmas. Money is tight, donations are down, and charities are suffering. I cannot imagine waking up on Christmas day, and not actually having Christmas. I was fortunate enough to be born into a family who was financially stable, full of love, and more than generous. Now that I have a child of my own, it hurts my heart even more to see the list of children who may not receive gifts this year. I encourage you to pick up an angel.

http://www.wapt.com/money/21882562/detail.html

This Saturday is the last day to adopt an angel and next Monday, Dec. 14, is the last day to turn in gifts.

Angels can be picked out at Northpark Mall in Ridgeland or the Salvation Army.

People can also adopt an angel online at angel.jcpenney.com.

I went online, typed in my zip, and picked out my angel. Now all I have to do is shop for her and drop it off at the Salvation Army.

A trolley, some snow, and a little caroling...

I firmly believe that my husband is one of the hardest people to buy for in the world. He doesn't want anything for Christmas, and he doesn't care if he gets anything. (Although the Egg Bowl win was a nice little happy.) On top of that, his birthday is in December, which means that I have to scrounge up a good birthday gift, too. Despite the herculean efforts it takes to come up with something appropriate, I think I may have finally done it.

With the help of his and my parents, I rented the Fondren Trolley last Friday night. I had him invite his friends, we donned our tackiest Christmas duds, and we had a very "spirited" night. I even conjured up some snow.

Modeling his Christmas finery. He wasn't even close to being the tackiest.

I'm sporting my 3XL men's t-shirt that I wore as a dress. If you would like one of your own, you can pick it up for a meager $4 at Wal-Mart. And yes, that's a Santa Claus necklace around my neck.

This needs an explanation...We decided to give a small prize to whoever wore the tackiest outfit. Some friends showed up in these matching, denim jackets. The jackets were given to them as a wedding present. For real. No lie. They are hideous--and hilarious. I'm glad that they can now honestly say they've worn the jackets.

The trolley did not run us over--it was parked. And I'm wearing running shorts under my shirt/dress. I promise.

We stopped by Belhaven to do a little sledding. It wasn't that easy considering there wasn't a whole lot of snow, but we didn't really care.

Anthony's parents graciously let Sam spend the night with them that night, so we were able to sleep in. (Thank goodness because it was one of the latest nights we've had in awhile.) Joe took Sam out in the snow the next morning. Forgive Sam's motley outfit. I didn't send appropriate clothes for him because I didn't believe it would actually snow. Serves me right.

Saturday night, we headed to the Belhaven Singing Christmas Tree. It was beautiful, but pretty darn cold. We had dinner with friends after the program, and we decided to top off the night with a little bit of Christmas caroling. We didn't leave the house to subject anyone else to our singing, but we had a great time nonetheless. It was so cliche, but it was ridiculously fun!

Yes, that's the lamp from A Christmas Story. Awesome.

If you look closely, you can see our tip jar. If you missed out on tipping us that night, feel free to send us a check in the mail.

I promise I'm alive...

We've just had a lot going on lately. We had a wonderful, laid-back Thanksgiving holiday--which was capped off by a Bulldog win. Anthony still hasn't come down from his cloud. The Christmas tree is up, and although it hasn't proved to be quite the sticky situation I feared, Sam has still managed to kill an ornament or two.

We have a birthday party for Anthony tonight; I'm not going to divulge his age. I'll be posting pictures from this event ASAP. It ought to be interesting. Two words: Tacky Christmas.

And now, for the score:

Sam 3, Christmas tree 0