Croquet in the Cold

One of Brice's good friends is in town with his wife. We all went to a nearby field today to play some croquet.

The boys played pretty consistently.

It was Becca's first time to play.

Cole had a lot of fun and played pretty well too!

However, I made my dad proud and dominated the course.

At least the first 3/4s of the course! Then I started slipping, to my husband's delight!

And did I mention it was freezing?? I think that made it more fun though. You know that brisk energy you get when the weather is chilly? We were all feeling it!


Brice ended up winning - I came in 3rd. I gave him props though - no bitterness. We do have a rematch scheduled for Friday though!

Preview

I will have many pictures to show of Thanksgiving and Christmas, but thought I'd go ahead and give you a preview. Here are the Jacksons Christmas morning:

Christmas #1.5

You'll recall from below that we celebrated Christmas with my parents on the 17th, before they left town on vacation. A week later I received a call from my mother as I'm packing to leave for my Christmas trip to St. Louis. She had awakened remembering that she bought a gift for us but forgot to give it to us - and had no idea where it was! Now, I will not mock her for this, for I have been there before and know I will be there again! We crossed our fingers hoping she had delivered it to St. Louis over Thanksgiving and forgotten.

Christmas day came and many presents were opened, however, none of mine were from mom and dad. I gave her the news over the phone. Though disappointed, we both knew it would turn up eventually.

It didn't take long! She called me the next day to say that she had found it in a random drawer! A while back, I was coming over to visit one day and she needed to stash it so I didn't see it. Well, she stashed it well!

So what is this marvelous delayed gift? Ta da!!

Isn't it all cute and red! Totally worth the wait! Thanks, Mom and Dad!!

Christmas #2 - Brice's Parents

Our second Christmas was on the 20th with Brice's parents. We enjoyed another Mexican meal at Pablo's before heading back to our house for gifting.

Brice got another nifty t-shirt - how many of you know this great reference?

Gratefully, I got soft and beautiful scarves and gloves, just in time for my trip up north!!

Cole was ecstatic with a new Wii game and a couple new movies. He also got a cute little device that makes various gaseous noises with a touch of a button. Definitely a top gift of the day for him!

Sweet Paige didn't forget Macie either. She loves her ball with feathers!

About as much as she loved the wrapping paper and ribbons!

A big thanks to the Jacksons for their amazing generosity! Another fun Christmas evening!

Christmas #1 - Anna's Parents

Last night we celebrated our first Christmas of the season. This was the Cheely family Christmas. We (the Jacksons) dressed in our Christmas PJs as though it was really Christmas morning. After a dinner of taco soup and banana pudding, we got to opening presents!

Mom is great about getting Brice some clever t-shirt every year. This year's says:

BRICE

The Man

The Myth

The Legend

She also helped Cole pick out his presents for us this year. He LOVED her suggestion and put his own money into it. He was very proud! We both got t-shirts that read:

Cole wasn't consumed with opening his own gifts which was so nice to see! He was very interested in what everybody else got and made sure we went all the way around the circle before he opened another present. Selflessness or OCD?

Memom and Pop's hit gift:

Brice likes to wear scrubs when he massages. Mom made a note of that and gave him a pair in black - his favorite color. Good job, Mom!

Memom and Pop's other great gift was a set of air guns that shoot out little plastic balls. The boys had quite a battle. Not really sure who had more fun!

Yes, the parents got gifts too! Besides Mom's yearly puzzle, she also got a new game: Bananagrams. Lots of fun. Comes in a little banana-shaped zipper pouch.

Dad is always hard to shop for. Last year we took to the idea of getting him something practical that we know he'll use. So we got him a package of toilet paper. He loved it! So this year: light bulbs!

Then I decided to get him something a little bit sentimental. I made a collage poster through Snapfish and used only pictures of him and the grandkids. Mom went bananas over it!

I think he liked it too.

Not to be left out, even Macie got in on the action. She, of course, loved the wrapping paper and the boxes!
It was such a fun evening. My friend, Stephanie, is staying with us a few days so she joined in the fun as well. She was also the designated photographer - thanks, Steph! And thanks, Mom and Dad - it was a great Christmas!

Last One Married

The last of my Troy friends got married a couple weeks ago. Some of you may know Erb - most people do. He's been a good friend for over 10 years and it's great to see him so happy with the girl of his dreams, Ashley.

The wedding was beautiful! Greenery and white petals lined the aisle of the church. Sesame and I sang "In My Life" from the balcony. She's great to sing with!

Another fun part of the day was seeing so many familiar faces that I haven't seen in years. And of course, my girls!

Congratulations, Scott and Ashley! Blessings and happiness on you both!

Christmas Songs

In honor of my sister's recent post about favorite Christmas songs, I'm requesting that you all leave a comment stating your LEAST favorite song of the holiday season. You know, those annoying songs that the radio plays over and over and you just can't stand!

Here are a few of mine:

So This is Christmas - John Lennon
The Little Drummer Boy - Bing Crosby & David Bowie
Wonderful Christmas Time - Paul McCartney
Please Come Home for Christmas - Aaron Neville or the Eagles

And has anybody ever noticed that when Karen Carpenter sings "Merry Christmas, Darling," she says:

"I've just one wish on this Christmas Eve. I wish I were with you."

Shouldn't it be "I wish I was with you"? Grammatically, isn't it "I was" and "we were"?
Just one of those things I've always noticed and wanted to clarify with the world. :-)

Hello, ebay!

I've been a long time buyer on ebay. I hate shopping so online purchasing is my method of choice. And I like a good deal, so ebay/half.com and Amazon are a few of my favorite places to look. I've never sold any items though . . . . . until today!

Brice pulled out some DVDs and video games and asked if I would list them on ebay. I agreed to do it but didn't make it a priority - knowing it would probably be a long process since I've never done it before. He moved the discs into the den on the coffee table so I've been staring at them for a couple days now. Tonight while he was at class, I took pictures, created sales pages, and listed my items on ebay!

The coolest part - I sold a Wii game within 5 minutes! Does that mean I underpriced it?

Now, maybe Brice should put my wedding dress on the coffee table so I'll list that on craigslist!

My Sister's Thanksgiving

My sweet parents drove 8 hours to surprise my sister for Thanksgiving. I predicted she would burst into tears and insisted they go to the door with a camera. Her reaction?


Dad hasn't seen the kids in over a year and won't be able to visit for quite some time, so they took advantage of the holiday and got some quality time with the grandkids.

I love this photo:

Mom was just there in October so when she went in to get Lily up from her nap, Lily looked up and said, "Memom - you're back." So fun! Wish I could've been there.

I've got dibs on Christmas!