Happy CHRISTMAS!

What a sweet family we have been blessed with.Emmett getting one of many, many kisses.

The girls got Fur Real pets from Santa, a bird that squacks and flaps its wings, and a chimp that makes monkey noises and moves its arms. I don't know, don't ask me.

I think she is excited!

We have a few differences at our Christmas. The major thing (a few people don't like it, but we think it is a dang good idea) is that Santa only brings 0ne present, which is generally small. First, since Santa has unlimited resources, and should conceivably be able to give any gift (since he's the biggest pirate of all, violating patent laws left and right with nearly every present he gives) this limits what the girls can ask Santa for. The second thing it does is allow the kids to be able to express gratitude to Mom and Dad for their other gifts. It is nearly impossible to thank Santa, so they can continue to learn to appreciate what they receive and show appropriate thankfulness. The girls did have a great Christmas, and we are all doing well, sitting at home waiting for school to start so we have something to do.

On a side note to legends and seeming strokes of genius. Like Santa Claus, we have another home invader. He has taken up residence in the attic, and there is no telling when he will grace us with his presence. He is known as the much feared "toy monster". The toy monster eats toys. He is small, about the size of a purse dog, has an excellent sense of smell but is nearly blind. He sleeps all day and he can't jump. Sometimes he will stumble through the house late at night when the kids are asleep. Thankfully he is deathly scared of people so he won't go in a room where people are sleeping, but any toys left out may fall prey to him. He tends to leave clothes alone, but for some reason dress up clothes he finds quite tasty! He has huge appetite and there is no telling how much he would eat if given the opportunity. He isn't clever and could never find a way into a toy box. There are a few toys that are to big to eat, such as the girls lego table, and box. For this reason I suspect he would only put a large hole in any dress up clothes, but the girls have yet to leave anything out to discover the capacity of his appetite. If you ever happen across one, I highly recommend you take him home with you and give him a home in an uninhabited portion of your home, they can live just about anywhere!

Four down...

Here is our handsome little boy. He was smiling, and we were trying to get a shot of his dimples so these were with my phone, and the resolution isn't the best, but when your that good looking it doesn't matter.Emmett discovered his tongue.

I think he was a little annoyed that my phone was in his face, maybe that is why he stopped smiling.
It looks like a cry, but really its a yawn. For some reason he just wants to sleep and eat. Lazy bugger.

This is the picture I meant to post of Carol's back after five epidural attempts. This was taken the day she got home, and you can see, it was a little tender for a while.
AND
Yeah, one more semester down. Counting summer that makes four semesters down and only 68 credit hours to go, oh that is depressing. Anyway, I read and graded the last of my papers this morning, sent in my grades, had my last final on Wednesday, and I am just waiting to get my grades.

The World we live in...

What an amazing world we live in. The other day after Emmett had come home, I was watching some silly cartoon with Jess and Maren. Maren wanted to hold Emmett, so I had her sit next to me, while she held him. After about 10 seconds she usually tires of having to sit in the same spot with Carol or me curled up around her ready to take him away if she moves in the wrong way. This time she was totally content to just sit and watch the show snuggled between the two of us. Then I realized why she was so content. The little stinker had zonked out. So there I was, Emmett asleep on Maren, Maren asleep on me and Carol was gone. What was I to do, but whip out the camera phone and take some quick pictures. That is just the first example of the crazy world we are in. It is really kind of mind boggling to think that I have this tiny little piece of plastic in my pocket that can do so much. The next example is from Emmett's wonderful arrival. As I may have mentioned the anesthesiologist kept hitting veins and having to pull out the catheter. Five times she poked my wife in the back with a needle the size of a small child's arm. Carol wanted to have a look at it but the mirror wasn't giving her the angle she wanted so I took a picture for her to see, and then a few days later took another one to compare. It looks like it hurts a lot. And I am pretty sure Carol would confirm it did. Fortunately it was well worth it when it came to choosing between that and the delivery pains. This is about 5 days after Carol came home from the hospital.

And finally, today, I was sitting at the kitchen table leafing through a magazine while Carol went to pick up Cora. Not much was going on, Emmett was sleeping (he does that a lot), Maren was playing toys, and Jess was watching Robin Hood (the Disney cartoon). Again, I wasn't paying much attention, I had noticed that it had come to the end of the big battle following the archery tournament and the "Love Goes On and On" song was playing. Then I notice Jess stand up. She slowly walked to the T.V. put her little hands around it, one on the side and one under neath, as far as she could spread her arms. Placed her feet on the T.V. stand to get a little more height, and hugged the T.V. snuggling her little cheek right up against the screen. I was agast. I had no idea what to do or think. Then she turns and kissed the T.V. Again, I did not know what she was doing, and unfortunately was not thinking enough to pull out my phone and take a picture or a video. It was one of the funniest and most shocking things she has ever done. I can only assume it was the movie and the song that she was so enthralled with that it would move her to such action. I am a little nervous that she is already very romantically inclined. If that is the case, sappy chick flicks are going to be the least of my problems once she truly notices boys. With that in mind, if she ever does that again, I will be ready. On a short aside, usually the T.V. is strictly off limits to little hands. The girls have watched me wipe off their smudges before, and they no better, which is part of what so caught me off guard. Still, I think that will always bring a smile to my face.