Christmas Snapshots...

Unfortunately, I didn't get any snapshots of Christmas morning. Hank did film it, and I hope to have it up soon. :)

Here are a few from our time in Houston (well, Tomball and The Woodlands) and in E. Texas with the inlaws.

Look at these goofballs!



Playing around the fountains...



Christmas with the inlaws... They look SO excited, huh? Teenager... Hmmph. HAHA!




Anna loved her My Little Pony from her big bro!



I never thought I'd have a kid ask Santa for an umbrella, but Anna did. She has wanted one for months now. So, how could he NOT deliver. I'm sad to report, she doesn't like the umbrella at all. Can you tell?

Pictures Galore, Folks!

First off... We have Allison's birthday session (BTW, HAPPY BIRTHDAY ALLISON!) done earlier this month. It still floors me how grown up she is.

And now we have all the goofballs together.

See this picture? Some would say this one isn't worth framing. Oh no. It is. She captured the pure essence of my kids. Ezra the candy fiend... Devon the Serious One... Allison the Little Mommy... (You KNOW she's starting to scold Anna right there, don't you?) Anna the Goofball... Yep. Those are our kids!

Oh dear. I don't know if my heart can take all this. I love these kids!

Pretty Girl...

Allison decided she didn't want to be a blonde anymore... I like it, what do you think?

Ezra's New Thing...

*sigh*

His new thing, when he's angry, is to spout off with something to the effect of "I not be wiff you, anymore! Hmmph!" Okay, it's kind of cute.

I'm wondering what to do about this. Ignore it? Reprimand him? Jeeeezum.

Ohhhh, the joys of a preschooler. He's the third kid I birthed, and I'm still at a loss sometimes. HA!

What Anna is Thankful For...

Tomatoes and radishes... Weird, but there are worse things to be thankful for, no? She made sure to tell us she was thankful for these things numerous times throughout the weekend. She certainly is developing quite the personality.

And really, I promise I will write about my other monkeys too... I suppose Anna's just been on a roll lately.

Letter to My Youngest Daughter...

My Dearest Anna,

Why must you write on things that are not made for that purpose? Also, it would be REALLY helpful if you would not go all Drama Queen on me when I ground you from your art supplies for a week. You're a smart, mature girl. Please refrain from doing this in the future. I know you're my little budding artist. I absolutely love that about you. I'm hoping this will only make you suffer just enough to never do that again. I got you your own little binder with paper and a zipper bag full of crayons and colored pencils. I put a whiteboard on the wall, in case you had an urge to write on the wall. Tell me girlie, how do I get you to stop without stifling your love for art?

Signed,
Your Exasperated Mommy

Anna's First Kiss...

There is this boy in church who Anna adores! Actually, we like the whole family. I was in a Bible study with the mom, the dad was once Anna's Sunday School teacher, they have two teenage girls, and a set of 4 year old triplets (identical boys and a girl). Allison is good friends with one of the older girls, and my two little ones play with the triplets.

One of the triplets has become the apple of Anna's eye. His name is Zachary. She is constantly talking about her "boyfriend". Oh, and even though he and his brother are identical, Anna has NO problem picking her boyfriend out. She even told me that she will one day marry him. I asked her, "What if you find someone out there that you like better one day?" She looked at me... She was dumbfounded... Then she replied, "Mom, there is no boy better than Zachary!"

Today, we have our normal church routine, and we sit next to the future inlaws. Anna insists upon sitting next to Zachary, and I spot her *gasp* with her hand around his shoulders. Oh my! What a forward little girl. Then... THEN... We see her kiss him. So, at 4.5, Anna has officially had her first kiss with a boy (who isn't related to her - LOL!)... Oh, just wait until her daddy finds out.