Baking Sugar Cookies

This was Grace "helping" with our sugar cookie baking for church. It was a pretty messy endeavour and she ate more than she cut out (of course so did I). We had the Grinch on while we were working. They sure were good!

Bryon's Doe

Bryon hunted harder and more this year than he ever has. Of course he was on a trophy hunt this year. He saw plenty of decent ones but just never got the right opportunity. Our redneck poaching neighbor (Dudley, no kidding) has ruined so many of his hunts this year it wasn't even funny. Bryon would do the whole scent free shower and clothes thing and sit out in the woods for hours at a time and then Dudley would come driving up, guns hanging out the windows and ruin his whole setup. This happened time and time again. Finally in the extended season he shot a doe to give to a girl at work (we still have quite a bit of venison from his last deer). Thankfully, the coveted monster deer still hasn't fallen prey to the Dudley poaching team, but it's probably just a matter of time.

The last gift!

I bought the last Christmas gift today for Bryon. I really thought maybe we could tone things down this year and not spend as much but I think we have spent more than ever. It's fun but a guilty pleasure at best. Bryon worries Grace won't appreciate her toys and belongings because she has EVERYTHING without even asking for it.

As parents we WANT to give her everything we can, but it's a fine line to travel. I don't want to create a monster. Right now she doesn't know the difference and isn't demanding and I would like to keep it that way. I can't stand those kids screaming for stuff in Wal-Mart and I think I'll just croak if she does that.

I think it's time for a fiscal fast at our house. I'm hopeful that after the holidays we (I) can stop spending so much. It's hard in an age of instant gratification and me with little patience, but that's my goal. I think I'll make it my New Years Resolution. It's good to have goals I suppose. Let's see how long it lasts.

Enough with the pictures already...

December 2007 020
Originally uploaded by trlrover

First Kids Christmas Program

This is Grace's Christmas Program at First Kids on Thursday. Their verse they memorized was "Joseph went to Bethlehem with Mary who was expecting a baby". They did a pretty good job! Grace had it down pat :) She did however pick her nose on stage for several minutes! Whose kid is that?

Santa Claus is coming to town!

Friday night we took Grace to Bass Pro to see Santa Claus. I took her the first Christmas (she was only 6 weeks old) to the Mall to get the requisite Santa picture taken but I didn't manage to get her anywhere last year. She didn't really know the difference but this year I knew she'd be into it. We actually tried last year to go to BPS but the line was sooooo long there was no way that was going to happen and after that my ambition for it waned.

This time we got there at 5:30 and NO ONE was in line. Bryon got a call and lagged behind but Grace and I went right on up and got the ball rolling. She kept peeking around the corner to see him and it seemed like she was going to just go right up there with no coaxing. When Bryon got there she said she was going to do this to Santa and popped her wet finger out of her mouth in preparation for a wet willy. (I taught her that, but it was her idea to do it to Santa!) Pretty funny but we said she probably shouldn't do that to Santa :)

When it was finally time to go up and sit on his lap and tell him what she wanted for Christmas she got a case of stage fright and wouldn't do it. So Bryon and I got on either side of Santa and she finally reluctantly stood in front of him for this pic. Then Santa bribed her with lolly pops and she cozied right on up to him and told him she wanted a BOW and a GUN for Christmas so she could go with Daddy and shoot deer. (not however, reindeer :) She actually came up with that on her own even though no one will believe us. Bryon had gone out hunting a lot this season and everytime he went out she wanted to go. I told her she could go someday because Daddy really wanted to take her and she said she needed a bow and a gun. I said yes, you should ask Santa for those and she did. She'll be getting both of course :)

Finally they got a picture of just her and Santa and the deal was done.