SNOWPOCALYPSE

Before: This is what Missouri Science & Tech looked like before the SNOWPOCALYPSE. On T's friend's facebook wall, some are referring to it as Snowpocalypse 2.0. It's been that kind of winter. I do hope Taryn photo documents this REAL "Snow Event".



Major Storm - Click on all 4 days!

I thought, as a concerned mother, perhaps I should investigate what I was reading on facebook. So I went to weather.com. Boy, have I been out of touch! The MOTHER OF ALL STORMS IS HEADED STRAIGHT FOR MY BABY!!!! I don't even have time to overnight a winter storm kit! At least she has her trusty ginormous flashlight and plenty of food and water, a double layered toasty warm jacket and subzero winter boots and gloves. I feel a little better now.

Of course, I couldn't leave well enough alone. I went to her county's severe weather warning alert to read about it. Somebody thought they would only getting 6"... I'm not so sure about that honey... weather.com said this baby is HISTORICAL. As in a 500 Year Storm affecting one third of the country! By the way, I made up the 500 year part, but not the 1/3 of the country part. Read up on this. It's good stuff. We're gonna get TORNADOS out of it. I've got the migraine that ushers in the storm systems that verifies this is THE MOTHER OF ALL STORMS!!

Severe Winter Alert: (note, her college is basically ON interstate 44. I've spruced it up a little, because boy is that alert dry reading.)

• 6-12" of snow AND sleet. 12" plus for central Missouri. (Hello?!)
• Significant sleet = 1/2" (I'd say that's significant, wouldn't you) along and south of interstate 44 (uh-huh & that's gonna freeze, right?! )
• On Tuesday, snowfall will exceed 1" per hour (But wait, there's more...)

ICE.....

• Freezing rain of 1/4" accumulations on the I-44 corridor, south of the corridor up to 1/2" (that is enough to cause power outages that lasts days to weeks...surely the campus is super techno and has underground power, right?! According to the weather.com map, T's campus is squarely located in between the colors denoting "nuisance and crippling" from ice storms. Hmmm, the damage key kinda reminds me of a certain event not so long ago, huh T? )

WINDS.... (oh, this is good)

• Strong winds from the (frozen tundra wasteland) north, with little visibility (good thing some guys can be identified by scent alone)
• Winds will be 20-30 mph (whoa! that's enough to take Taryn OUT!!)
• Higher gusts can be expected on Tuesday (seriously?) causing blowing and drifting of snow
• Snow drifts may exceed 4-8 feet in some locations (wait, that's not a snow drift!! It's a frozen ZOMBIE!!!!)

IMPACTS.... (good question, unless the power goes out, what would it take to IMPACT a MS&T student?!)

• Travel will be increasingly treacherous on Monday (gotta WORK for that cafeteria food!)
• By Tuesday, WHITEOUT conditions and near BLIZZARD conditions will make travel near impossible at times ("hey did someone say BLIZZARD? Dairy Queen's just across the street!!! Let's form a human chain and drag everyone across on the snow shoes made out of 100% recycled materials the freshmen engineering students designed YEAH!!!!! We'll put the toilet lids back on when the plumbing works again)
• Localized power outages especially south of the 44 corridor can't be ruled out. (quit with the corridor my kid lives on!)
• Bitterly cold temperatures follow this storm to LAST UNTIL FRIDAY MORNING (you've got to be freakin' kidding me)

JUST HOW COLD IS IT?!

• Sub-Zero temps likely by Thursday A.M. (did we just read what we thought we read...SUB-ZERO, that would be colder than 0, negative something, minus degrees... I think your eyeballs freeze when you go outside. Brain cells are destroyed. We have genius' in harm's way here!)
• Wind chill drops into 10 to 20 below zero at times (pretty sure I'm right about the eyeball thing)
• Consider taking a winter storm kit with you. (consider NOT LEAVING THE SAFETY OF YOUR WARM BED!!! How about that?! If your cruel, heartless, raised by a pack of wolves professors do not call a Snow Day, oh the horror of it all, consider using your handy dandy tall boyfriend as windblock, snowdrift shield, Tower of Heat, and ice slippage preventer!!! How's that for an excellent idea?! Tell him there's a TLC kit in it for him! And last but not least, consider calling your mommy and letting her know you are all right!!!)

One last thing: I'm really not that worried. Here's a photo I found of some enterprising MS&T students. Even if they lost all power, they know how to stay warm....

Our Parents

Well, it's official... mom busted out. She was last spotted in San Diego gallavantin' around town with her friends and helping my Grandpa move out of his house and into a senior living center.

She asked for some photos to show everyone how she managed to break free of this place in the middle of the project going on here. Here you go mom! I'll make sure Skeeter hides the ladder next time. We're onto your tricks!

On a more sober note, we are following closely news from Utah regarding Mike's dad who suffered a massive stroke a week ago. His situation has improved and we look forward to hearing more good news as he gets settled in the long term rehab facility his sisters booked him into. We enjoy the emails from his brother as they have been very informative and remind us alot of Art (Mike's dad). Should the need for a ladder to break out of the place arise, all he need do is let us know and we'll be there!

Why Not A Swag Van?

This story today reminded me of the golden opportunity lost, simply LOST, when Mike refused to register the '97 Mazda MPV with a personal license plate of SWAG VAN. I was so bummed. After all, I've been working on making Gib's life a living nightmare envisioning driving that THING to his posh high school where most kids are driving some pretty sweet cars. I thought it would be hilarious if Gib drove the '97 van to school with the SWAG plate. I mean, let's just OWN it, man!!

But Mike countered that it would more than likely be him driving the van (much to Gib's immense relief) and there was no way he was driving a swag van. Besides that plate cost $100.

Sawdust & Turnip Greens

The ending of that story is so the Mazda Van. It's been hit a couple times now and we can't tell. Can't say the same for the other guy.

Completely random other news:

Taryn is now working the front desk at the Residential College! Yay!! I hear it's been awhile since they've had a freshman get that job. And I bet it's been even longer since there was a cute little five footer who could swing her feet from the swivel chair! :)) It's a great job for Taryn, and we're really happy she got it!

Indy is on her way home for a weekend visit. We're looking forward to seeing her. She will get a chance to meet McKitty before I have to drive him to the rescue lady. Wah. If only Diego would calm down a little, maybe McKitty could have stayed. Oh, and if Mariah hadn't been so allergic! And Chino kept looking at me like I'm a two-timer. Actually, that I could've worked around. But, I'm bummed.

Gib is doing good. He loves his Xbox. We have to drag him down for food sometimes. He will be spending his spring break at drivers training school. He's not happy about that. No sleeping in. Serious infringement on Xbox time. Dude, what were you thinking? (Mike did it). Gib just finished signing up for next year's high school classes. All I can say is Whoa, this time it's serious. Alot of AP courses and Honors. Dude, what were you thinking? No, kidding!!! Let's hope not, right?!?!?!?

Mariah is sick. She's been home with a cold. Today it has turned into a non-stop cough, so it was a good call she stayed home for school for the 2nd day. It's actually driving me crazy right now, so I'm going to go to the drug store and get some Delsym. It seems like all I ever do is buy the stuff and it disappears.

Unto The Least of These

So much has happened in the almost 2 weeks since I last put anything up on the blog, who knows what to even write anymore. When in doubt, just jump in right where you're at...

I am home with Mariah today, who has a cold which is compounded by allergies. It was probably the worst day EVER to be away from preschool. We're down 3 staff and people filling in for each other, subs, cabin fever, change of schedule, etc. It's days like these where I am just cringing to hear from someone that everyone survived OK because these are the times when stuff happens.

Well, McKitty is still here. He really loves us. He's very loveable. I could easily work him into our household except for one major problemo....named Diego. Everything was going so well until 2 days ago when the weather FINALLY warmed up enough between snow storms to introduce McKitty to the cats face to face and the outdoors. I figured that was the final test. If he came back, then he would either be an outdoor cat who showed up for food, or if he was a fighter, then he would have to go. Well, it was neither. McKitty pretty much walked by my side like a dog and doesn't fight anyone. He romped around for awhile and then wanted back in. He really doesn't want to be separated from his new people. He's really attached to Mariah, who seems to be quite allergic to him. It's probably not gonna work.

Diego, on the other hand, has gone into battle mode and is one angry fella right now. He's gonna have to work on those anger issues, like today, or things are gonna get serious. I'll be understanding that I created this dilemma only so far. To help him with his problem, I'm not letting McKitty out of the bedroom at all today - no tv time or people time (poor McKitty). However, Diego is also sequestered. I'm not in the mood to be blitzed by an angry cat again. Chino and Pixie are rather tired of it too.

My vet is trying to help me solve this problem. Outside of prozac for Diego, which I don't see me getting near enough to administer, it looks like McKitty will have to go. That makes me actually shed a tear. He really wiggled his way in my heart. I know Mariah and Gib really like him too. We can't figure out why he makes them have allergies though when the other cats don't. Must be some kind of dander thing. I thought it was the tomcat smell, but it should be almost gone now.

McKitty is just so dang adorable and he talks to you constantly which is kind of funny. After I described how easily he bonds and how unagressive he is with all 3 of my cats, my vet called someone who they think might be able to get him in an exclusive no-kill rescue. The kind that has weekend adoptions. Because of his adorable face and nature, and his willingness to "talk" and head butt for affection, I think his chances for a home would be good. I just didn't want him to go in a cage. This one has placement in homes so I'm really hoping it works.

I try to live by the adage, "Unto the Least of These" but sometimes I really wonder if the motto "No Good Deed Goes Unpunished" gets alot more mileage.

Return to Normal

The School Board ruined it. "Mothers Held Hostage" ended on the eve of Day 5. I think there were threats. We had what was going to be a 10 day vacation going there. So what would normally be a TGIF is feeling more like a Monday. Since Monday is a holiday, I think we will all be completely out of whack for quite some time! The snow is still on the ground but reports indicate a warming trend is on the way (migraine confirmed) so I guess the Snow-In/Snow Out of 2011 will be over shortly.

I can clean the house though. That would be good. Do some laundry. Get ready for CWC tomorrow. Spread some more de-icer. Check a neighborhood for a Lost Kitty sign that I received an email tip on. Put a poster up over there if I don't find theirs. We had one close call, but it ended up not being their black & white cat Cookie. We heard all about him, and how they named him that because of an argument about the merits of Oreo as a name. Mariah and I were shooting looks likes crazy! We tried Cookie out on McKitty, but to no avail. I don't think he has a name. He doesn't answer to anything. Not CAT, not Kitty-Kitty, not even Bob. I spent an hour last night just throwing out names every now and then to see if I got lucky. During that time I concluded, he was a Man's Cat. McKitty loves to have his tummy firmly rubbed in any direction. He does not play with toys. He was not fixed. He probably lives in a garage and spends the majority of time outdoors. He responds excellently to FOOD, but doesn't hear his own name...and come on Kitty-Kitty-Kitty is universal!

I am praying about whether or not to follow up on an offer for him. I don't want to give away someone's pet, but I just can't decide what to do. It is very possible that in this snow, he just couldn't smell his way home. Or his owner got stuck out of state and was unable to return home and refill the food dish in the garage. I could just let him out again and put food out and see what happens. If he sticks around, I can decide what to do then. But my cats will end up fighting the intruder. If I go that route, and he sticks around, my choices are to recapture him and remove him, or get McKitty vaccinated and neutered for my cats safety, basically making it my "outdoor cat" It's not the best option because a bite or a wound on my cats will end up costing me a vet visit and antibiotics. If he was fixed, I could afford to wait much longer but the musk glands in unaltered male cats is STINKY. I have to decide soon, because I can't take that smell much longer. Poor McKitty. He really is a sweetheart. He definitely has had owners. What I can't figure out is why he wasn't fixed and why they hadn't missed him yet. In this weather, in the low teens at night, a pet owner would bring their cat in at night or at least make sure there was a warm and dry place. By the time I found him he had to have missed several meals and water to come meowing for help. That cat drinks more water than I've ever seen a cat down. I'm pretty sure McKitty was keeping warm in car engines judging from his dirty paws and the smell on him when I first found him. That went away and was replaced by his current he-cat odor.

One good thing that has come from this is it's helped me think about an idea I had to test the market in the area for in-home cat pet-sitting. There are pet sitters who will go to your house to feed your pets, and there are places you can take your pets for long term housing. But for cats, those places aren't so hot. The cat has to live in a space the size of a cupboard if it is a posh facility. Half of the space is for the litterbox. It's like taking your cat to the pound for a couple of weeks. But if you have to give medication or will be gone for a long time, your neighborhood kid might not be an option for you. I have a friend who boards dogs and gets about $25 a day. I was thinking boarding cats in one of the spare rooms might be worth a try. McKitty doesn't seem to mind being a free renter, except he really wants OUT now! Being the gentlemen he is though, he hasn't clawed anything... just looks out the window and meows to let you know when you come in. Until you put down the food. Then it's all business.

Mariah's Blog: Milk Carton Cat

This is the cat we found today that we think may need a warm place until we find his owners. We took him to our vet but he isn't microchipped. Everyone should get their pets microchipped!

Mom and I have been arguing over what to call him until we find his family. I liked Oreo, but Mom hated it. Then I came up with Domino. Mom liked it but then she wanted Murdoch. Does he look like a Murdoch to you?!

Mom says take note of the "M" milk-stache....

We keep trying to guess what his family might have named him

When we called "Mickey Mouse" he ran to mom, but then he didn't the 2nd time.

"C'mon, Play with me!"

He loved it and demanded Belly Time.

He meows alot when I am visiting him. He looks out the window. I wonder if he lives across the golf course. I think we should look over in those neighborhoods tomorrow for Lost Cat signs and put up Found Kitty signs. After all, Dad says NO!!! And that he's not cute. How horrible!!!

Mom says we need "M" names to try on him... she thinks we're onto something there.

The Big Break

The wait is over.... The SAT scores are IN!!!!

I just hope the extended Winter Break (and speculative rumor has it we'll end up with 10 days counting weekend and MLK) doesn't affect any future scoring! Our brain cells are a-wasting! They are losing valuable academic instructional time, after all.

So, I know you're all scanning to get to the good stuff: Gib breathed a HUGE sigh of relief that overall, he got a higher score.

Mariah was QUITE PLEASED to receive a math score that was 10 points HIGHER than her brother's. I pointed out that he probably attempted to answer more questions than she did, considering she skipped all the geometry ones. If you get answers wrong it counts against you, but if you don't answer it at all, you just don't get those points.

I think considering neither prepared, except to be familiar with the test format itself in 10-15 mom-nagging intervals a week or two beforehand, they did exceptionally well!!!!

We are extremely PROUD of both of them! They received scores in the 10th and 7th grade that most 12th grades would be happy with. It's only gonna get better from here!

Gib will finish Algebra II, and go on to take more math in 11th and 12th grades. Mariah is only in Algebra I and hasn't had any geometry yet. I really hope this gives both of them the confidence and motivation to continue forward with a little bit of extra oomph, knowing that alot of colleges would accept them right now! Work a little harder, beef up that high school resume, and you become a PRIME admission candidate.

Mariah:
Critical Reading 480
Math 570
Writing 520
Multiple Choice 52
Essay 08

Gib:
Critical Reading 520
Math 560
Writing 520
Multiple Choice 52
Essay 08

The average scores for college bound seniors in critical reading is 502, math 516, and writing 492. Ooorah!!!

1/11/11

The making of Snow Angels - Gib and Mariah Style.

1. Pick your spot. But don't delay, or someone else will jump in! Literally.

2. Prepare for liftoff
3. Style and level of difficulty points will be awarded


4. Nail the landing


5. Make a gigantic Snow Angels that will make the elderly walkers who go by our house (undeterred by snow, hail, heat or gloom of night) look twice and pause in wonder.

This is what an exhausted angel looks like.
Awwww.....
We need to do it again. I didn't jump high enough.

What a great day - January 11, 2011. Obviously we didn't have any school today, due to the snow and "road conditions". Speculation about how many days we may milk this for, or if Late Starts will be the way the School Board goes have been the subject of much discussion. As I was blogging this, the phone rang and SCHOOL IS CANCELLED TOMORROW. On facebook, there is a mixture of disgruntled disbelief from parents with children in elementary school, and celebration from teenagers and parents who get to sleep in because their kids are teenagers (that would be ME)!

I think we will have a Late Start on Thursday. Some people think we will get off for the whole week. That would put the county at a dangerous low of only a couple days of the original 10 built into the calendar that can be used without having to make up. We do have Flood Days to think about when winter is over, you know.

Yesterday, on our 24th anniversary, Mike and I raced away from the Plains snow storm and encountered no difficulties at all as we drove into Tennessee which had received snow and ice the day before. Road crews had cleared the interstates and we got home before everything refroze. It was a bit of a bummer to cancel our anniversary plans for the day, but with the storm approaching I don't think the view from the Gateway Arch would have been good, and it was way too cold to get out of the car and go anywhere anyways. Next time we go through the area, we will make up for it. That should be the 24.5 anniversary.

However, we did enjoy our stay at the eclectic Moonrise Hotel and we had a nice dinner at a little hole in the wall cajun place a couple blocks away. I thought it was a restaurant, but "lounge" was part of the name of the place! When we walked in at 7 pm, we came to a dead stop, the bartender came over, the 3 people at the bar stared at us and we wondered if we were in the wrong place. I asked if this was the cajun place and he answered, "sure 'nuff, take your pick of seats. The place doesn't get hoppin' til about 9". We chose the back corner of non-smoking! It was quiet, the service was great, and the food was pretty good, so score a point for not judging a book by its cover. I think the cook was named Grandma, and she did fine by us with our sampling several dishes: Shrimp & Grits, Crab Cakes with Cajun Buttermilk Sauce, Biscuits & Sausage Gravy, Homemade Garlic Fries, and House Salad.

But next time I want to go to the Blueberry Hill restaurant! It sounds thrilling, doesn't it?!

The Crock Pot

Indy got a crock pot for Christmas. She was bewildered by this gift and wondered why in the world she would want or need a crock pot! Perhaps it was purely for our viewing pleasure in watching her try to open it!

Here's an idea: Those who know how nice it is to have a good crock pot meal ready to eat 8 hrs after dumping in the ingredients, send your best recipe(s) to Indy via facebook message. She can print it out and try them. Be sure to scale it back to about 4 servings though. Her crock pot isn't the industrial sized one!

Well, I guess I ought to go see which of my crock pot recipes I think Indy might like. Now that I've had my laugh.

Snowed Out

The kids are snowed in with what I read is probably about 6" of snow overnight. We, on the other hand, are snowed OUT of Tennessee! Gib has things well under control at the house. He took care of de-icing the porch and put the Volvo at the top of the drive so anybody needing to go anywhere can get out. If anyone needs anything else all they have to do is unplug the xbox or find him at the snow bowl with Mariah.

We knew there was a high likelihood of this happening but decided to celebrate our 24th anniversary in St. Louis at this fun hotel I found on the internet anyway. It's called The Moonrise and there is a cajun lounge (which is not quite the same thing as a restaurant but has great food) 2 blocks away - making it a great destination for a quick overnight trip. Our plans were to go to the top of The Gateway Arch today and see some sights as we leisurely made our way home, giving the road crews time to do their thing and other travellers to make tracks. We took the truck so all of Taryn's stuff would fit and it is not a good snow vehicle.

Well.... the best laid plans. There is another snow storm coming our way from the Plains and the news reports mentioned school closings in Missouri possible later today and definitely tomorrow! So now we are racing from one snow storm and into another. We are currently in the bubble, but not for long. Our plan is to depart as soon as we eat breakfast and drive until we should stop. Maybe Paducah. We are considering possibly Louisville and my Uncle's house, but it is kind of out of our way.

Both girls got to their colleges before the storms hit. Indy left a little earlier than planned yesterday to miss the storm and is safely tucked away in Macon riding out the ice storm that is currently in force there. I'm looking forward to hearing all about it. Taryn will be in the middle of a big snow this afternoon. I think she will be happier about the jacket I insisted on yesterday at Walmart. And that's it! We have to eat and run! Keep up to date on Facebook!!!

Indy's Blog: What Really Happened

Today we had the lovely opportunity to take family photos. Where you might ask? At a barn. Oh yes, that means we were outdoors. The temperature, you wonder? THIRTY DEGREES. I was not pleased. It put me in quite the bad mood before leaving, especially during the frantic search for a clean undershirt while wondering if I even had one at all. My nose was running in anticipation. Needless to say, it was quicker than I imagined, judged by the fact that my fingers did not fall off from frostbite. It is my only hope that when the pictures come back we all have red noses. We can be the Rudolph family. Ahhh, what a thought.

The best part, though, was the taunting during individual photos. I was exempt from this process. Why? Because my individual photos were first, and on top of that, I started the taunting promptly on the next photo victim. (Mwa ha ha). The whole family joined in on this one. And for the ones who may try to wash their hands of this type of torture, we all know you laughed! To enlighten you all, here is a play-by-play of the background noise. Don't we all wonder what was going on when a photo was taken? Well here's your chance.

What really happened during the individual photos for....

Taryn: "Say Tim! TTTTIIIIMMMMM! TIM THE BOYFRIEND!! Oh look at that smile! How cute. TTTIIIMMMMM! *Laughter**Rest of the family has caught on to the trend-many "Tim"'s ensue* TINY TIM!! He's not tiny! She is half his size! He's like 14 inches taller than her!! TTTIIIMMMMM!"

Gib: "So who is the girl, Gib?? *silence - he reveals nothing* C'mooonnnn you gotta give us SOMETHING! Yeah!! Something!! *I have found Mariah can be a good sidekick. You know, one who repeats certain words you say for emphasis* Ooooookkk say PPPPAAAAUUUULLLLL!! (Gib's best friend) *Hilarious laughter at this wonderful idea* PPPPAAUUUULLLLL! Ok how 'bout this. Say PPPPPAAAAUUUULLLLIIIIEEEEEE! PPPPAAAUUULLLILIIEEE!! He's cute, isn't he?? *Gib is laughing enough for it to be seen in the photos* Awwww look at how happy Gib is to hear about Paulie!! PPPAAAUUULLLIIIEEE!!"

Mariah: "Any boys Mariah? HMMM? Like anyone??? *She had to have known this was coming. In fact, she was probably dreading it.* Do you llliiiiikkkeee anyone? You know, like-like? *Mom bursts out* SAY TRENT! Trrreeeennnntttt! Oooo a boy named Trent, eh?? TRRREEEENNNNNTTT! TREEENNNNTTT! *Mariah loudly responds that she hates Mom*"

Mom&Dad: "Ok, remember to look cute! ...Mom, you look scared. Frightened, even! It is like you're screaming inside, 'I don't know this man! I DON'T KNOW THIS MAN! HELP! HELP!' *Mom laughs during the photo and says thanks a lot (for the humor, I bet!)* Well then you should smile like you mean it! Be happy!!"



Overall, I think Gib suffered the worst at the hands of a good joke. I know my Mom mentioned I have a sick and twisted sense of humor, but what she didn't mention is that I love to watch other people squirm when they get teased. ESPECIALLY family! :)

Today

Today is the last day of vacation for Gib, Mariah and Chrissie. Although I will point out that my second part-time job pretty much stole any dedicated vacation time away from me in the first place. I had a day here and there though.

Mike has returned to work. CHS renewed their contract with Novell for another year. Yay! Indie and Taryn have one more week before another college semester begins.

Today was our freezing cold family photo day. Early this morning I got a call from the photographer saying it was only 18 degrees outside and did I think that was too cold for us? Ummm... let me think.... YES!!!! We rescheduled for 11 am in hopes that it would be closer to 40 degrees by then. I figured the kids would appreciate the extra couple hours of sleep. But Mike was not happy because he had already missed an hour of work, then had to change into work clothes, go to work for an hour and a half, and come back home to change again into the MS & T tee shirt and jeans for our photo shoot.

Meanwhile, back at CrazyVille a couple hours later, we (well, mostly me) were trying to find long sleeve shirts to wear underneath our MS & T tee-shirts that matched and coordinated decently with everyone else's. All is well that ends well though, and from what I could see, our photographer worked wonders under the conditions and got some great shots. The photographer liked how instead of saying "smile" at key moments, we would egg one another on by using a certain someone's name. When she was taking photos of just me and Mike, the kids were taunting us. Payback is a beetch.

Christmas in Pictures

Christmas 2010 was wonderful and unique. We had snow! It was amazingly quiet both inside the house and outside - you know how it is when it snows. It is a very rare event for Tennessee to have snow on Christmas Day. The first time in 17 years! Another first: I moved the tree to the dining room window. It's going back to the old spot next Christmas though. It didn't get admired enough and the presents didn't get shaken enough!

Not a creature was stirring.... waiting on people to wake up, get beautiful and discover what Santa has brought them in their stockings!
I'm in! I didn't get beautiful and I resent that Mike is taking the photo. C'mon, it's PJ time.
Mariah is ready and waiting impatiently for her siblings.

Grammy is in!

Indy makes a mad dash, overtaking Taryn and Gib. We let Mariah go first since she had waited FOREVER for Indy to get beautiful. Ahh, the excitement of Christmas morning, never gets old around here. Even if some people wouldn't mind sleeping in until noon for it.

Let the festivities begin!

Gib has an Xbox. And a knife. And a very weird look on his face.

The men in my family have a thing about using pocket knives to open presents. Geez.

It's like a using a blow torch to light a candle.

The rest of us got by with just our fingers. Imagine that.

My mom got to choose the first 2 presents from the Christmas tree.

Mariah got her leather coat!

She's been very stylish in it...even wearing it with her jammies.

Indy got a... "rug with rocks?"

It's a beach stone table runner Indy. Everyone knows that. And yes, it's from CWC.

Indy's choosing the next 2 presents. I don't know why we're laughing. "Tooshie Girl's" present is still on the tree, so that's not it. Indy had very unique labels on her gifts.

Oh no wait, I think she WAS getting Tooshie Girl! And these two were arguing about which one of them was Tooshie Girl!! Yeah, that was it. It was Mariah. And it had nothing to do with her personally. The gift was a cute little felt santa suit and to get to the present you had to open the back flap. Indy is a sick individual, that is all I can say.

Haha! Look at Mariah ever so delicately extracting her gift from the Tooshie. And Taryn is just thrilled it's not her. I love my family!!!

"YESSSS!!!!!!"

Chino's making sure Grammy doesn't make too much of a mess.

Little does he know... WE'VE ONLY JUST BEGUN!

click on the next post to continue....

Christmas in Pictures II

As we continued our tradition of each family member taking turns going to the Christmas tree and choosing two other family members gifts to give to them, Chino took a brief break in the festivities to watch the snowflakes through the window, through the hole in the chair. He's a complex cat.

Gib got a watch from Mariah.

Now they will know when to run for the bus without pulling out cell phones.
Chrissie trying on the robe from Taryn

Indy was making fun of someone's unique wrapping job.
Yeah, OK, it was MY wrapping job. But she was there when I did it!

Chino sees the world through a blue Christmas fog. He had a little too much catnip.
Chrissie rocking the Chemo Cap look.

We like to put these two together for obvious reasons and just WATCH.

Inside joke. It's been getting alot of mileage.

Gib's gift to Mariah. You need to enlarge this one and read what he wrote.

I was there when he wrapped it. Pink duct tape and much laughter. Ah, good times.

Mr. Picture Taker finally let go of the camera long enough for me to get one of him

Chino got a box with room to spare. He'll probably return it for a smaller one.

You know how cats are.

Mariah got a jewelry box from Indy.

You'd think this picture is of me and Indy....

but no, it's really of Chino. Again.

He was trying to help open the present.

Taryn was sooo excited to get these rain boots! Size 6.

When I see her shoes in the laundry room I think there's a kid in my house again.

The last gift had been opened. It's all over except the clean up party!

Time for Mario!

And Deer Watching

And trying on all your clothes... at once

Mariah trying out a new outfit for 2011