December 11th

Hey everyone,

We are all doing good. Enjoying a little wintry weather this week, finally. It started snowing on Friday night and has been off and on the last couple of days. Saturday was beautiful. For once the wind wasn't blowing so the trees and everything else looked like it has been sprinkled in powdered sugar. As you can see from the pictures.

Last Tuesday was Kristian's Christmas band concert at school. He did a wonderful job. One song she had the bass guitarists, which consists of Kristian and another kid, start the song off. He did it perfectly! We were so proud of him.

Thursday I went into town with the 3 kids and went to Maite's house for a play date. The kids loved having "new" toys to play with. We stayed for lunch and then I went and did grocery shopping with them. I was pretty impressed with myself. They behaved so well!

Friday I went and dropped Max off at the kennel. Came home and packed us all for the night. Kristian was spending the night at Connors, Dylan was going to Tracy's and Mike and I were staying downtown at the Hilton. His work's Christmas party was Friday night and we decided to get a hotel across the street from the restaurant and just make a night of it. The party is always a good time. The food is unbelievably good! Plus we get to catch up with people we haven't seen in a while. After the party we went out for drinks with some friends and then back to the hotel. Unfortunately the people next door were having a "good time" all night long!! So we had to listen to that all night. I was too embarrassed to call the front desk. I mean what do you say... Anyway the next morning Mike surprised me and took me to a furniture store to pick out a new buffet for the dining room. I have been looking for one for a few months now and just hadn't found what I was looking for. I found one and lucky me... it won't be in till January 7th! But oh well at least I found one right? After that we went and had breakfast. It was so nice just to be able to sit and talk and not be interrupted every couple of minutes by the kids. After breakfast we went and picked up the kids, picked up Max and came home.

Sunday we hung out at the house for the most part of the day. In the afternoon we went to the store and had dinner at Applebees. We got home around 7. The boys had to take showers and get ready for school the next day. Around midnight we got a call from Mike's youngest sister, Tayla. She was having really painful stomach pains and was throwing up. She wanted to know what an appendicitis felt like. Mike told her what to do and she was feeling like that was what it was. So Mike told her to go to the emergency room. She got there and they did tests and the ER doctor said that that was what it was, but the radiologists said it wasn't. So they waited. Finally around 3 in the afternoon a surgeon said, well that is probably what it is because she is very tender in that area and there isn't another reason why. You have to love Oklahoma doctors. Anyway they did the surgery and it was in fact her appendix. Luckily it hadn't ruptured yet. But I guess when your appendix becomes infected it excretes bile and that went into her intestines. They said there isn't much they can do for that. I am just glad that they finally figured it out and that she is on her way to recovering.

Yesterday, the school called and said that Kristian wasn't feeling well. He had a mild temp and a head ache. I picked him up and dropped Tracy's kids off to one of her friends. He came home and rested and seems to be doing better today. I am keeping him home just to keep an eye on him.

Well just two more weeks till the big day! I can't believe it. I am pretty much done with my shopping except for the stocking stuffers... Tomorrow we start the 12 days of Christmas with the boys. They get to open a small gift every evening from under their tree upstairs. They are really excited to start. Then on Christmas eve they get to pick one from the BIG tree! My family will be here two weeks from Friday. I am excited for them to come. Tammy has never been to my house before and all of them at one time has never happened either. It will go great and I am sure like any family gathering will have it's ups and downs, but... at least we will all be together.

I guess that is it from us. Hope to be back on here sometime within the next week. The pictures are of Kristian and Dylan before the band concert, us during the snowfall on Saturday, the trees on Saturday, and some out takes of our "Christmas photo shoot"!