2006 is done...but it sure was a good year. 2007 will bring all kinds of changes to our family but I am sure we are up to the challenges. As long as we stick together and love each other, we can handle anything. Happy New Year to everyone and may the new year be good to you.

We took the kids snowboarding again, this time with Michelle. She was very entertaining to watch. She thought it looked pretty easy so Kyle showed her some basics (after he had snowboarded once) and she took a small slope. I laughed so hard...well, I can't put it in my blog but the video of it is on MySpace. Take a look. Turn off my music on the right so that you can hear Michelle scream as she goes down the slope! That girl it just too cute. Kyle came down a pretty steep hill and fell so hard he had ice in his pockets and lost his pretty hat. But they never give up....

Happy Birthday Momma!!! Thank you for everything you have done for us. You are the best mom ever! We appreciate everything you do for us. I love you and I hope you have a great birthday!!!

We took Kyle snowboarding tonight in a little town not that far away. It didn't really snow, they make their own. Kyle had a lesson for an hour, then was on his own. He did very well and was going down the slope pictured. I have more pics but I will have to have them developed and scan them cause I was using the big camera for far away pictures. Kyle had a good time and so did we watching him...and drinking hot chocolate where it was warm.

Merry Christmas Eve.....Keith, Kyle and I went look at the Way of Lights at the Our Lady of the Snow. It was a beautiful display that showed the way to Bethlehem. Kyle is looking on very intently as you can see. Merry Christmas, everyone.

I have seen 4 movies in the last few days. Rocky Balboa, We are Marshall, Night at the Museum and of course, Pursuit of Happyness. All of them were great including Rocky which was a surprise. But Pursuit of Happyness was my favorite. It is a inspired by a true story of a single father that is trying to make a better life for himself and his son but ends up homeless while interning as a stockbroker. Will Smith is incredible and this movie made me laugh and cry. It also made me appreciate how easy my life is and how grateful I need to be every day for it. I recommend this movie for everyone. Also, special thanks to Kyle for putting up with me at Rocky and We are Marshall. Sometimes I get overly excited at sports movies and start clapping and maybe even cheering a little bit. Poor guy, I know he was embarrassed. I love how it goes around!

Sonnet 116

Let me not to the marriage of true minds
Admit impediments. Love is not love
Which alters when it alteration finds,
Or bends with the remover to remove:
O no! it is an ever-fixed mark
That looks on tempests and is never shaken;
It is the star to every wandering bark,
Whose worth’s unknown, although his height be taken.
Love’s not Time’s fool, though rosy lips and cheeks
Within his bending sickle’s compass come:
Love alters not with his brief hours and weeks,
But bears it out even to the edge of doom.
If this be error and upon me proved,
I never writ, nor no man ever loved.

William Shakespeare

This is the end of our familypalooza. We went eat at Landry's and had some good seafood (some of us, anyway) and then had cookie cake and presents at home. It was a really fun weekend and it was great just having those crazy kids around. We laughed so much this weekend....as we usually do. And in this family, there is a lot to laugh at. Thanks to John for being the good sport and putting up with our crazy family. He fits in so well that maybe he is a little nuts himself! And, thanks to Keith, Michelle, Josh and Kyle for making my holiday a perfect one just by being here and giving the time. That is the best gift of all.

From baby girl to grown woman. It happens so fast. Happy Birthday, beautiful Michelle! You are an amazing person that has shown the world what it means to be strong, courageous and resilient. You are kind, sweet and continuously show great compassion for people. I have learned from you to be kinder, sweeter and more compassionate because I have seen the effect you have on people and that touches my heart. Of course, I am work in progress! I am so proud of you and the person that you are inside your heart. You have been a gift to me and I know that Keith, Josh and Kyle feel the same way. We are so happy you are here with us and that we get to share this part of your life with you right now. Just know that I love you with all of my heart and that I will always be there for you no matter where each of us may be.

Christmas was wonderful. Everyone enjoyed each other and of course the gifts. We all received great stuff and quite a few surprises. It just ends all too quickly. Of course, we still have Michelle's birthday to look forward to tomorrow!

Thanksgiving dinner was good. Special thanks to Jenna for leftover white beans and artichoke casserole. The turkey from Hebert's was delish. It was wonderful to have Thanksgiving with the family. My kids are the best and such good sports about everything. They surely do indulge me in all the silly stuff I like to do. So what I am thankful for this Thanksgiving Day is my fantabulous children.

Familypalooza has begun. The first thing on our agenda was going to Kyle and Keith's basketball game tonight. It was fun to watch and Kyle had a really good game. We are so happy that Josh is here cause we miss him soooo much. Next, we are going to a 10:50 p.m. movie and see who falls asleep first! My bet is on Keith.

Here is my Christmas village that is a work in progress. I am aspiring to have one as good as Mrs. Halle. For those of you who do not know Mrs. Halle, her village is HUGE and INCREDIBLE. A wonderland. Hers is to big to be captured in a picture. But I love mine and it is fun to turn on at night and hear the music and see the lights. I just love Christmas!

A christmas tree decorated in pink....there is nothing better at the holidays! At least for me. We are getting ready for our family Thanksgiving/Michelle's Birthday/Christmas this weekend. Josh is coming in and everyone has off of work so it will be family fun packed. It will be the best weekend of the year for me to have everyone under the same roof and spending time together. For once, I hope the week flies by.

Happy Birthday, Delaney. I hope your birthday is a warm one! We love you.

The picture is compliments of brother William. Thanks, William.

Recently, Leighton and I went see Kyle's friend Doug in a Madrigal dinner put on by the high school choral department. Doug is one of my favorite people ever! It was fun and exciting, the singing was incredible and sounded professional. The players were dressed in medieval costumes with a king, queen and jesters to lighten things up. We were even fed some snacks and desserts. Unfortunately, we were not allowed to enjoy the boar's head!

A couple of more winter pictures for you people that don't know how cold it can get. This mornin' it was 17 degrees with a wind chill of 1 degree. The walk from the parking lot to the school was painful for my southern blood. It is only December so readers will probably hear a lot of whining for the next 3 months on this subject.

I wish I could capture a better picture but here is Kyle's SENIOR RING. Yes, it is finally here. The bar across the top says KAPT. It is really beautiful and I know he has been waiting a long time for it. Didn't we all? Just a year and a half to go before he is all done with high school. It sure is flying by as time tends to do. Congrats buddy. We love you!

Here is Keith and Kyle after their first basketball game for Keith's squadron. They won of course, thanks to Kyle's 14 points and many steals on the court. It is delightful to watch them play at the same time and Keith even had an assist to one of Kyle's scores!

Happy Belated Anniversary Christine and Terry. I hope it was a fun one and Christine was not working to hard. I couldn't blog this earlier cause we had no electricity but I am at Keith's work and it occurred to me that I could steal a pic from Terry's MySpace. So here you are!

It is cold up here! 8 degrees the first night and now 2 days with no power. That means no HEAT! Yippee. Tonight it is forcast for 10 degrees, so we should be a little warmer. It is amazing how warm you can stay under six blankets. Never take your warm toilet seats for granted. Hope the power comes on soon!!!!