Holiday Magic

 Everything feels magical at Storybook Island when its decked out with tons of Christmas lights.  We went this weekend, and it was very nice for the three of us to be there together this year.  

 We got hot chocolate, Nate rode the train, and we just enjoyed walking around listening to Christmas music and enjoying the sights.  

Animal House

 I had a very adventurous morning on Monday.  I was cleaning the bird cage, and when I went to get the perches to scrub the poo off Sunnibird flew right out!  Jukibird is tame-ish.  He will sit on your finger  and doesn't flap around when you reach in the cage.  Sunnibird... not so much.  He hadn't flown in the house yet because we wanted to wait until he would sit on our finger a little so we'd have a chance of catching him.  

 Thank goodness the dogs were outside!  We have a bird dog you know!  A bird dog who has tasted a bird in her mouth... and likes it alot!  A bird dog that almost caught a flying owl the other day!  

Sunni flew gently into the windows a few times.  Landing on the floor.  I didn't know what the hell I was going to do.  Finally after he ran into a window and seemed a tiny bit stunned he was willing to step on the perch and I was able to put him back in the cage. 

 Then both birds spend thirty minutes grooming and kissing.  My heart settled down sometime afterwards.  For a while there I thought I was going to have to call Dave at work!  And if the dogs had been inside Sunni would have been a goner.  

 Both dogs had been outside doing their morning sniff around see if that rabbit spent the night in our yard routine.... but the minute Sunni was flying somehow they knew and they were at the back door crying(Anna) and jumping(Bonnie) to be let in.  Whew thank goodness we don't have the doggie door in!  

 Isn't she sweet?  Dave has started taking her to doggie lessons.  We have a few things we need help with.  Like LISTENING!  Like stop eating toilet paper rolls.  Last weekend I went into the upstairs bathroom and found a HUGE pile of unused toilet paper on the floor.  Then I noticed the cardboard roll was missing.... then I went into my room and under my bed was a torn up cardboard roll!  Can you imagine?!  She took the TP off the roll so she could chew up the roll!!!  I can't figure out if she is really dumb or really smart. Who does that?!  But she doesn't eat the cardboard... she just leaves a thousand little pieces under the bed for me to clean up.

And would you look at this monster!

Sometimes its wild around here! 

Baking

Its that time of year... the eight sticks of butter baking extravaganza!  That's right I said EIGHT. I mixed my sour cream cookie dough on Saturday night.  Then spent ALL DAY Sunday baking and decorating.   

Nate got to help a lot more this year.... He really enjoys everything about Christmas this year.  

 Cutting out kid size cookies....

 Rolling out the dough

 Proudly displaying his messy hands....

 I am proudly displaying my kitchen island.... It was the cookie rolling spot.  I had such an easy time of it this year.  Plenty of room on the other counter to cool cookies... another counter to stack dishes.... a counter to cool the cookie sheets.  I was very happy.... The island was a wonderful workplace. 

 Our double batch yielded a lot of cookies ..... Trees, stars, penguins, ornaments, santas, gingerbread men, and lots of mini cookie shapes.  

 Decorating was a family affair... Nate decorated most of the mini cookies....

 Dave decorated a large lot...

 After we decorated these I made 2 1/2 dozen gingerbread cookies......Then we ate dinner at Qdoba because I couldn't make myself start cooking after all of this baking!

Our 2012 cookies..... 

SO it begins...

 We have really awesome neighbors.  I'm pretty sure I've mentioned it before.  Our neighbor Gary across the street is kinda like our homeowner role model.  Since our homes are similar in floor-plan and such we are going to kind of follow his example.  Other houses on the street are bi-levels and have all been replacing their roofs.... Gary's house and our house dont need one yet... But Gary replaced his front window a few weeks ago, and we put that right on our list, ours needs to be replaced too.  

Anyhow, Gary started putting out Christmas decorations Thanksgiving weekend.  There is a full manger set on his side yard and a landing strip for Santa and his reindeer in his front yard.  Dave decided to put up a few lights in our yard.  We didn't have a lot of lights..... but I think it has Dave thinking about next year.  

He has mentioned a few times about hunting for after Christmas sales on LED lights...

I have a feeling Dave is going to work every year to up his game..... I'm sure Gary will keep raising the bar as well..... 

This time of year...

This time of year is exciting right?  

I was so excited about the festival of lights that I didn't mention Thanksgiving or our new tradition that we started this year.  So a little recap for you.

 Doesn't this make you thankful?....Me too...

We had a very relaxed Thanksgiving this year.  The couple we invited over cancelled at the last minute so it was just the three of us.  It was fine with me since I'm still taking everything in this year and enjoying our first holiday season as a family in South Dakota.

The Friday after Thanksgiving we bummed around, no Black Friday rushing around for us.  We did have a special breakfast though.

Our Elf on the Shelf moved in.  We had a special morning with a tissue paper 'snowball' fight, mini candy canes and 'snow donuts'.  We read the story of the Elf on the Shelf.  

We named our elf.....Nathan picked the name.  

After the exciting morning Dave went down to the basement to get our Christmas decorations.  We spent the afternoon putting up the tree and decking the halls.  It was really exciting to find places for my Christmas things in this new house.  

Bonnie has been handling the tree well.  

Our tree this year.

 I was playing around with my shutter speed and took this photo of Nathan jumping in-front of the tree.... talk about creepy eh?  He's fading into the tree..... eeeek

 While going through our Christmas decorations we unearthed our old village!  I thought we got rid of it when we left Phoenix.  I have not seen it since 2004!!  It spent four years in storage while we were in Misawa.  Then in New Mexico the first Christmas we spent apart as Dave was TDY, the second Christmas there we hardly decorated because the movers were coming three days later.  Last year Dave was gone again so I barely decorated since I was treading single parenthood waters just trying to get by. So four years after their four years in storage they have finally been discovered! Its a Christmas Miracle!  

   

This is our family TOGETHER this year.

We have a lot of really fun things planned this month!  

Its Been Awhile

I dont know when I last posted a whole post of puppy shots... since she just turned one on Monday I thought it was appropriate!  Buckle up.... or click off....

She likes watching TV like this...

and she watches me eat cheese like this....

and when you're hogging the sofa she looks at you like this...

and when you've been gone for two days she must touch you when you return  

shes a good flusher... and she will retrieve the bird too... its not to icky for her to carry in her trap....

Dave is her favorite.... 

BFFs

She likes to 'cuddle' with Nate

and she reads FB updates over my shoulder... just like her BFF

she digs a nap....

No matter who is on....

or all alone.... she is wierd eh?

She is good at diving

and loves to swim

and cuddle some more

she has a Mohawk

and she likes to quilt

she looks naked shaved

and loves the sprinkler and slide

and smiles with three inches of tongue showing...

and likes a cold floor on a hot day

and wants to nap while touching me so I dont leave her like Dad....

or nap ON me so I cant slip away... "where's dad?"

She is a happy girl

and she is weird

and she likes to keep an eye on things...

and you!  

and she is weird

and she likes to play with Nate

and annoy Anna

and she used to be this little fuzzball....

She's part of the family now.