I JUST POSTED AND IT WAS TOO LONG

Rather than repeat WORDS and PICTURES,
I HOPE you will HOP over to my
HOLIDAY BLOG for a visit and see our FUN FILLED week with a few pictures of some cute kids! Our kids and their kids.
NEXT week I will be back doing most of my posting on GRAMMY GIRLFRIEND..aka Teresa's Treasures. What treasures I have in family and friends and NOW I can say BLOGGERS. THIS has been such a fun year entering the world of BLOGGING!
Now I have my good friends and elves,
TERRI and ELIZABETH both blogging..so stop by and see them.

This time last year, starting a blog was just a whim, just a thought, just a desire and look what happened! 104 posts later, then 70 plus posts on my Holiday blog and I am HOOKED. It is still mind boggling to me. As I have said before, I am not a great writer, I post crummy pictures, so it has to be my CUTE GRANDKIDS and maybe the fact that I know a little about tree decorating.

We are vacationing in January. I am looking forward to some downtime. It just happens to fall at the same time as the Beth Moore Siesta event and I so hate to miss it. Houston is just a few hours from me, but these were the dates we could coordinate vacations and condos and it is Jack's last week to fly FREE. For a change we are taking the family to Vail, a COLD VACATION. Mickey will come later in the year. We would never want the MOUSE to think we were slighting him.

THEN FEBRUARY will be my one year BLOG ANNIVERSARY! I have GIFTS, GIFTS and MORE GIFTS planned. I want to CELEBRATE YOU, MY NEW FRIENDS. I want all the lurkers to come out and identify themselves. Several have done that recently and I am so happy to get to know you. The next couple of weeks I am planning to STAY home! I hate after Christmas sales...I hate RETURNS! The stores have little appeal to me in January. I want to sit in front of the fireplace and catch up on lots of blog reading, read a few books, watch a few TIVOED shows, do a little computer work (as in learn a new computer that sits in the box), mostly stay in pajamas, watch a LOT of football, play with some little guys and all their new toys, pack for vacation, maybe play some cards with the girls (something I get to do almost NEVER during tree season), frame lots of snapshots from the holidays....and see some movies with MY MAN. We did see BROTHERS last week. One word..INTENSE!

Then I racked up at Christmas and received TWO FULL SPA DAYS that I plan to use SOON, plus another spa day in VAIL. Those are my favorite gifts...ALWAYS. ALWAYS..ALWAYS!!

One day next week I am going to share with you some of my VERY favorite blogs and bloggers and why I love them. They are really the reason I finally took the plunge. I wanted to know them. If you have a special blog that really got you started or really speaks to you, please share it with me.

Seems like we should start the new year with at least one prize. I have some BEAUTIFUL CALENDARS in my shop that we used in holiday baskets. I would love to mail ONE to YOU along with a few other things that will help you get organized for the new year. I will keep the comments open through Monday night....just leave me a comment letting me know what drew you to my blog and what kept you here. IF you are a first time commenter or lurker, your name will be added twice. You know I hate one winner, so let's make it two or maybe three. I am looking forward to catching up on YOUR blogs.

A TRIP WITH PARKER and JACK TO RIDE THE POLAR EXPRESS

I want you to laugh at this post. I DO NOT always have happy, always angelic, always obedient grandchildren. I know you thought I did.

This weekend JACK did not get a nap on Thursday when we left and NOTHING

made him HAPPY, THAT would be NOTHING!

Can you tell from his expressions. Santa did everything but stand on his head and Jack just gave him the stare. As Parker said on the way to the hotel, Jack had a case of BADIDIOUS!

He did not want to change into his pajamas...a must on the Polar Express

He and Pop having a heart to heart. Jack winning.

Still not happy about anything.....except whinning....are you getting the PICTURE?

He did not particularly like the cookie the elves served.....not his kind!

BUT, he ate it anyway.

Now Parker was happy, loved his hot chocolate and cookies and could not understand Jacks attitude, especially since Grammy let him buy whatever in the TOY SHOP! He thinks Jack needed an attitude adjustment. We wonder where he heard that? PARKER WAS THE BEST BIG BROTHER and TRIED EVERYTHING to make JACK HAPPY. Quite a task.

MY FAVORITE PICTURE FROM THE ENTIRE NIGHT. TWO LITTLE BUDDIES THAT LOVE EACH OTHER AND ARE THE GREATEST GIFTS that GOD EVER GAVE ME!

PARKER IS ANOTHER STORY. BUY HIM ONE NEW DS GAME AND HE IS A HAPPY CAMPER,BUY HIM TWO AND HE THINKS I HUNG THE MOON! AND THE BEST PART IS THAT I GET MORE JOY GIVING, THAN HE DOES RECEIVING THEM.

FINALLY, Jack begins to wind down (thank you Lord) and is thinking just maybe he might go to sleep.....just MAYBE!...

BUT FIRST A FEW TUMBLES OFF THE BED...

Finally ready for bed....BUT WHERE...He cannot decide, but knows that even though he no longer takes a bottle or a pacifier, he is for sure going to take one with Grammy and Pop! That is a FOR SURE. At this point he has already opened 7 Christmas presents, each hoping that the mood would improve. Now he has all his MUSICAL CHRISTMAS toys close by and ALL going at once. A cat, a reindeer, a barking dog and a chicken.....but he is not sure how he wants to arrange them.

He finally has them all arranged and off to sleep he goes for 10 hours! Friday and Saturday were much better days....He loved going to the movie, sat in Santa's lap and actually posed,lunched at Red Lobster and had dinner at TGI Fridays and acted PERFECT...and was sweet little, funny Jack the rest of the trip. Parker was a HUGE help and I rewarded him WELL.

Making memories with these boys are the most special times of our lives. They bring us a JOY that I did not know exist. Just wanted to let you know that I did not have PERFECT ones.

I can't wait to see Jack's eyes as he unwraps all his loot these next two days. He is at just the right age to be SO EXCITED.

Make a MEMORY this holiday season. I sure plan to. My new blog friends have made this year so special. AND I am going to get better at it....I promise. I will post my Christmas card letter tomorrow....Merry Christmas from our home to yours.