Today was....

our Citizen of the Month award ceremony at school. Ellie got the award for her class....

and Jacob got his for PE. He was EXTREMELY embarrassed that I took this picture. His poor little face got beet red. Before he went on stage to receive his award he was begging me not to get up from my seat and take a picture. My initial plan was to take one secretly from my chair, but then Ms. Scurry (the Asst Principal) saw me and made Jacob stop, so I got one anyways. You'll have to double click on the picture to zoom in and get a good look...

Just for proof, I took one of Ellie too, but I couldn't get it quick enough and it turned out blurry.

and then I took a few quick shots of the monthly bulletin board....

We were the only proud Mommy and Daddy in that cafeteria sitting next to not only one, but two Citizens of the Month. How lucky are we?

December birthdays...there are many!

We have many December birthdays in this family and, bless her heart, Jackie anxiously prepares a month ahead of time, but yet so patiently awaits her special day. Here are just a few pictures of our December birthday celebration.

Can't break the tradition, so Todd got his usual underwear and socks from his parents.



Here is our special birthday girl opening her presents:





Here are the birthday cake toppers....aren't they cute?



Cake time....



and then Ellie decorated Grandma's tree all by herself with the exception of a few ornaments that Jacob put on. I wished I got a picture of the finished product....



Oh, and Grandpa Bruce decided to shave his head...



Until next year....

"All I Want for Christmas is my...

Bottom Tooth." Okay, so it doesn't quite have the same rhythmic tune as "All I Want for Christmas is my Two Front Teeth", but you get my point. Can you believe that Todd has never heard of that song, or at least he doesn't remember it. So...as I'm sure you can guess, little Miss Ellie Belly lost her first tooth last Sunday, 11/30. She was eating a Kit-Kat at Bubbe's baseball game when she felt something hard in her candybar. As she searched around, she happened to find a tooth in it. She was pretty excited and got her first visit from the generous tooth fairy. Here is a picture of our toothless little one. I'm sure there are many more teeth that will soon follow...



She's becoming such a big girl....sigh!

"We are the Champions...We are the Champions!"

Go ahead and sing the tune above....anyone wish to serenade the rest of it for Todd and I? That's right, people, Todd and Julie are the new UNDEFEATED badmitton champions.

Sorry, I didn't get a picture of us actually playing the game, so the above picture is all I have.

We had a wonderful Thanksgiving Day spent with all of our loved ones creating many more lasting memories....here are just a few pictures to share from our day.

First, here are the name plates Ellie and I made for everyone:



Unfortunately, Ellie's got a little to close to her candle....



Here's a nice picture of our "Jack":



A cute picture of Ellie:



and her Aunt's trying to be like her:





There is just something about this house that tends to make people very sleepy...I can't figure it out. Surprisingly, it's not my Dad this time....don't kill me Uncle Mike and Aunt Irma:

To give them credit, though, they were snoozing for maybe 5-10 minutes. Here....are these pictures better?

Just a few nice shots....











And we always have to end with a picture of the entire gang:

This picture is blurry, but too funny not to share. Everyone was suppose to be making a funny face, although not everyone participated....

Ellie and I were just laughing at Daddy's long tongue above, and what's with the redneck barefeet....hehehe.

Oh wait, I lied....just found the proof I needed:



Shall I say it again...."the UNDEFEATED badmitton champs." Anyone ready for another challenge?

Seriously, it wouldn't of been the same without everyone here....it was a fun day!

XOXO,

J