December 25, 2010 Christmas at Our House

Christmas was at our house this year. Everyone came over, we played a little Apples to Apples for a while and then a new game we got, Buzz Word, while we waited for everyone to get here. After everyone arrived we ate dinner and had some gift openings. It started with Kinsley, she's the only little one so she got alot of presents. And then we did the adults. First our stockings (explained below) and then our grab bag.

Kristien helping Kinsley open some of her presents.
















We did something new this year and it was alot of fun. Alicia made everyone a stocking with their name on it. Everyone bought something for everyone's stocking and it was not suppose to be more then $5.00 and if it didn't fit in the stocking you just put it next to it. All the gifts were wrapped and we went around one by one and opened all our gifts in our stockings. As we went person to person you knew who some gifts were from cause they also gave other people the same thing. We all had a great time and took a vote and decided to do it again next year. Uncle Tom was the first one to start the stocking openings.













Heather & Brent














Kinsley, Kristien & Heath













A cousins picture....sort of. There are a few missing.

December 25, 2010 Christmas Morning

Christmas morning is always a fun morning. It usually starts with Alicia being the first one up and going through everyone's stocking and then making sure everyone is up or on their way over. This year she went to JR & Madeline's first thing in the morning cause she is in their family gift exchange as well. When she got home we were all up and waiting so she didn't get a chance to go through everyone'e stocking so they were all a surprise to her. After stockings we go around while each person opens a gift.

Alicia decided that she should open the gift that Santa left for the family. It ended up being a new game called Buzz Word. This was the year of games cause the kids got Kev a bunch of games as well. It's so funny cause he hates to play games, or so he says he really only hates it when he loses. When we go camping we play games all the time so now we have a great new selection.













All Paul wanted for Christmas was stuff for the house. He basically needs everything. He even got a new door mat from Aunt Mary later on in the day for his stocking gift. Here's some of the new dishes he got.













Heather and her new camera. Should have been the first gift she opened but it ended up being the last.













I got a new clock for my wall so that when you are watching TV all you have to do is look up to see the time instead of turning around to look at the other clock to see what time it is. It was driving me crazy. Notice I am also wearing my new amazing snuggie, I love it!!
















I wanted my new clock hung up right away so Kev started to hang it and then decided that Paul needed to climb up on the ladder that shakes constantly while you are up on it.













This is a picture so that you can see how good the clock looks up on the wall, not of how cute Alicia is!!!!













I got Kev this new ASU shirt and he really couldn't figure out what it said. He didn't realize it said ASU and Sun Devils. He wanted to know if it was a shirt for when he was on acid.....whatever!!! But once the kids told him it was a cool shirt then he decided he liked it and would wear it.

December 24, 2010 Christmas Eve

We always spend Christmas Eve with Kevin's side of the family. We go to his nephew Jeramie's house for dinner and a gift exchange. Plus they all have little ones so it's fun to watch them open some new toys as well.

The two boys, Roman who is Michelle's oldest and Gage who is Jeramie's son. His wife Sasha is pregnant with a girl due in a couple of weeks.













This is Linnea with her daughter Zoey. She's just this litte petite doll and knows how to get her way. She just cries til someone picks her up and gives her what she wants and then it's all good. What a cutie!!!













Heather just loves little Peyton,who is Michelle's youngest, cause she has this bright red hair, just like she did when she was little.

December 23, 2010 Christmas Lights

We went out looking at some Christmas lights with our friends Meredith and Dave. Kev had our whole route mapped out of where we were going and what to see.
We came across a house that had this big Grinch blow up in the yard, so Kev had to take his picture with him cause that's who he is, the Grinch. His favorite holiday movie is the How the Grinch Stole Christmas plus he is always saying how he hates Christmas. So here he is with his holiday hero!!!













But we did come across some houses that were so cool. No pictures of them, but they had their lights all sychronized to music. In front of their house was a sign that said what radio station to tune to and then you could just sit there and listen to Christmas music and watch the lights dance in tune with the song. Really awesome, definitely some must sees for next year!!

December 18, 2010 Yankee Swap

Don't ask me why it's called Yankee Swap cause I couldn't tell you. As a matter of fact the host of the party, Meredith & Dave, couldn't tell you either. But who cares, it was a super fun night. You bring a $20 gift unwrapped. All gifts go in the center of the room and a set of dice are passed around. If you roll doubles you get to pick a gift or steal one from someone who already has one. Here's the catch, if you get your gift stolen, you do not get to replace it, you have to wait til you roll doubles again to get a new one. A gift can only be stolen 2 times so a good idea is to steal things that are on their last chance cause then you are guaranteed to at least take something home. I finally caught on to that after having a couple things stolen. I went home with a set of tools, a bath set that had $10 lottery tickets and a $20 Best Buy card. Kev never rolled doubles the whole night, so he like some others got no gifts!!!

December 16, 2010 Lance's ASU Graduation

Alicia met Lance while in the teaching block program at ASU. He has been a great friend and just loves hanging out with all of us especially Kev. He graduated from ASU with his teaching degree.













































Lance and his mom. His mom, brother, sister and other relatives came for the Graduation and a vacation from Michigan.














I just loved this blanket that Lance got from one of his relatives. It is big, heavy and so beautiful.

December 13, 2010 Cookie Trays

I spent the day Sunday and part of Saturday night baking cookies and making salsa. Paul had asked me to make some trays up so that he could deliver them to some of his work clients. I also made a couple of trays for his office as well as some chips and salsa. He said it was all a huge hit and later in the day he gave me an order for 7 more jars of salsa.

December 11, 2010 PF Changs

Had dinner at PF Changs with some of my Weight Watcher friends. It was meant to be a Christmas treat for our Leader Debi and her husband because she does such a great job at the meetings. Besides, what else do people with food issues do but eat!!!

December 11, 2010 Tamale Making

Tamale making at Grandma's is an annual event. And according to Grandma this is not a joke, it's serious business!! It all starts with the meat preparation the day before and then the day of, you have to get the masa just right. It takes alot of mixing and whipping, all by hand. Now that you know we all have our hands in it, you might not want to eat them.

























Theresa wanted to add her own ingredient to the meat.













Clean up duty is also a part of the day.













Of course the finished product is what it's all about!!!

December 7, 2010 Unit Christmas Party

Our Unit Christmas Party was over at June's this year. Quite a few people were not able to make it, but still a great night. We had a variety of mexican food which was really yummy. After dinner we do a gift exchange with stealing and restealing and it's so much fun.













I had to have a picture with this cute snowman before I got it stolen, cause of course someone felt they needed it more then me. Funny thing is only 3 gifts had nothing to do with snowmen. Snowmen have always been a hit at the gift exchange so alot of us had the same idea.

December 4, 2010 Light Parade

Went to the light parade again this year, it's so awesome. We loaded the tahoe head over to Phoenix parked and walked a couple of blocks and got a great front row seat. Kev wasn't feeling good so he didn't go but it was Alicia, Lianna, Lianna's friend myself and my friend Meredith. We stopped and picked up this ginormous pizza and when we were walking you could hear people say "look how big that pizza is."

November 27, 2010 Knobby & Flo's 60th Wedding Anniversary Party

Knobby & Flo are my friend Shelly, Collette & Terese's parents whom I have known for years. I played ball with all three of the sisters and at one time Knobby was our coach. Knobby was also the one that kept on me about taking the post office test back in 1982, when he also worked there as a carrier. It is because of him that I did take the test and ended up working there.

They celebrated their 60th Wedding Anniversary first at 4:00 Mass at St. Clement's in Sun City and then had a party right after in the church hall. This is Mom's actual wedding dress and I loved how they had it out on display, along with a suit for Dad and a bottle of his favorite blackberry brandy!!













Knobby reminds me so much of Daddy. He's so cute and social and funny, a great guy just like him. You can't help but love him and want to be around him!!

November 26, 2010 Black Friday

I have never been out shopping on Black Friday, usually because I am at work or better yet, sleeping!! This year Alicia said she was going out and was going to buy a TV so I told her I would go with her. AMAZING!! People standing in line after line to get some great deals. I know for some it's a tradition and can be lots of fun, but for me I'm not really sure how I feel about it.

Our morning was pretty fun I have to admit. We stood in line at Target and watched person after person come out with a TV and Alicia was freaking that she wasn't going to get one. And of course she was right, these people had been in line since the night before!!

We made it in the store just to get in another line in the electronics department, where she was told that the TV she was looking for was over in the clothing department and they were out. Oh well, nice try. We grabbed a few other things, and once again got in another line to pay.

As we waited in line this girl came walking down the aisle dragging a TV and I heard her say to some people behind us that she was putting it back. I told Alicia "go follow that girl she's putting her TV back." She jumped out of line and went in search of her but didn't know which way she went. Oh well, nice try again. So I am in line with our few random products and up comes Alicia to get back in line.....dragging her new 32" TV. The girl had just left it where she had found it, in the clothing department, go figure, and Alicia had found it just sitting there. She looked around, no one was claiming it, it was now hers!!!! Success on Black Friday.

November 25, 2010 Thanksgiving

Thanksgiving was over at Kristien's house this year. We had a small group but still managed to get in alot of food. There was even a few rounds of Apples to Apples.

























Colleen was in town for the holiday so she needed a group hug from her aunts & mother.