Party of Five

One Rockin' Dog :)

In our house, even our dog rocks!

Merry Christmas!

I hope everyone has a wonderful Christmas!  The kids are done opening presents and I am getting ready to cook  :)  It was a wonderful morning, very relaxing.  The kids were just THRILLED with everything they got.  Cameron said it was his "best Christmas in his whole 6 years".  He kept saying over and over "This is the best Christmas".    His Santa gift was a Nintendo DS and he nearly flipped when he opened it. 

Kaelin got her pet mouse...she named him Rex.  She totally loves him already.  Little did she know that Rex had a partner, but we found the poor little guy dead last night...half eaten by Rex.  So Rex is meant to be alone apparently.  She also got some really cool puppets from Grammy that she loved.  Animals galore.

Lauren got yet another Guitar Hero.  Guitar Hero World Tour for the Wii.  She also got an Iron Maiden t-shirt which she has been wanting for a long time. 

Naturally Santa could not leave Bella out.  She got a really cool AC/DC dress (that is tad too small but she looks so cute in it).  Santa also brought her a tug of war toy.

I'll upload some pics later today ... after we watch the Celtics kick the Lakers butts.  For now though I am putting this video of the kids getting the wii.  If you click on "watch in HD" it will be a lot clearer.  If you want to see the HD version click on this link HERE.  The embedded version below does not have the HD option.

Cub Scouts popcorn sale

I have been meaning to post these pictures. Back in October Dave had to run a popcorn booth for his cub scout troop.  His friend Barry let him do it in front of his store.  They ended doing really well there!!  Another friend of Dave's made him this really giant sign at work, which worked out great.  He'll be able to use it for a few more years.  The only "error" on the sign is that it should say Pack 235 not Troop 235.

Cameron was the 3rd highest seller in his pack.  He ended up selling $650 worth of popcorn.  His goal was $800 because he wanted to earn a scooter ~ he came close though!  He ended up getting a Tasco telescope and microscope.  It is pretty cool.

Girl Scout party

Lauren and Kaelin had their Girl Scout Christmas party. Cameron had to come with me because Dave had to work late....Cam was NOT happy about this. He had his Cub Scout Christmas party on Tuesday and it is very family oriented. He was expecting this party to be the same way. The girl scout party is really just a party for the girls. They tried to include him in things but he was very shy and just stuck to me like glue. He did enjoy eating the cookies and brownies though. I wish I had a penny though for everytime he said "I don't like girl scouts" LOL. I guess that is a good thing :) They had a swap among the girls and Lauren got a cute denim bag with a skull on it. She really liked it ~ it was perfect for her. Kaelin got a really cute monkey that she named Bo-Bo. Just what we need another stuffed animal....but she LOVED it. Kaelin's Christmas list mostly consists of plush toys (Pokemon, beanie babies, Webkinz etc.) so this gift was perfect for her. The pictures didn't come out great because I didn't use a flash (except for the picure of Cameron). This camera does not take good pics without the flash :( I miss my camera!

Christmas Tree

We have a really small tree.  We got it a few years ago and every year it seems to get smaller.  Next year we will probably retire the tree and get a bigger one.

The kids had fun putting the ornaments on.  Kaelin was upset because she didn't think she had as many homemade ornaments as Lauren and Cameron. 

Here are a few pictures.

Kaelin with "The Girls".  These are special ornaments that used to go on my in-laws' tree.  Kaelin loves these things and every year it is her job to put them on.

 

Cam showing off his ornaments

Lauren ~ as you can see her hair was a little crazy :)

These decorations are really special since my grandparents used to put them out every Christmas.  (Mr & Mrs. Claus)  They are falling apart but I have to put them out anyway, they hold lots of memories.

Finally the tree :)

Here we go again

Winter storm warning now in effect until 1 pm est Friday.

The winter storm warning is now in effect until 1 pm est Friday. Expect 6 to 12 inches of snow and sleet with some freezing rain. A half and one inch of ice accretion is expected.

High Honor Roll

Lauren got straight A's this quarter :) For some reason at this school they only give out honor roll
to 7th and 8th graders.  Kaelin would have received High Honors (all A's and one B).

 

November books

I can't believe it is already December.  November was a slowish month for reading. I only finished 4 books.

Case Histories by Kate Atkinson. 
After You'd Gone by Maggie O'Farrell
Testimony by Anita Shreve
Heretic's Daughter by Kathleen Kent

The best book by far was After You'd Gone by O'Farrell.  Heretic's Daughter was interesting because the book takes place near my hometown (Haverhill) and it mentions Haverhill a few times :)  If I had to pick a least favorite I would say Case Histories...I found the "cases" very interesting...I just didn't think the parts with Jackson were that great.