Blogger's Block

I'm sorry its been a while since my last post. I've been suffering through a case of blogger's block. Just because I haven't updated doesn't mean I've had nothing to report.

Last week we took a family trip to Target, where we bought Norah her "big girl" car seat. She absolutely loves it! This picture is from her first spin in the new seat. She was so funny. Each time I would turn around to check on her, she'd flash a huge grin, wave her little hand (she's totally into doing the backwards "wave at myself" wave--so cute) and say, "Hi!". It's easy to see that she's proud of herself for graduating up to a forward-facing carseat.


On the 23rd, we went went in for Norah's one-year check-up. I got her all dressed and ready to be there for our 9am appointment, then I sat down on the couch to check my email with a bottle of water beside me. I even thought to myself, "I ought to put this water away--its just the right height for Norah to grab". I quickly forgot, and before I knew it, I heard Norah shriek, followed by cries of disapproval. I didn't even have to look. It was too easy to guess. Sure enough, she had gone to grab the bottle of water and had drenched herself. Being the caring, loving, responsible adult that I am, I took a couple of photos of her looking dejected, and then changed her clothes.

1-year update:
Weight- 16 lbs. 15 oz. (just below the 5th%)
Height-27.5" (10th%)
Head Circumference- 45.3cm
# of Teeth- 9
She is taking more and more steps each day, but still prefers crawling when she's in a hurry. We can see a definite improvement in her balance that I think means she'll be running in no time.

A Birthday Party, in Review

Well, we made it. After more than a year of planning (I know, I seriously need to get a life), Norah's first birthday party has come and gone. The following is a photo-recap of Norah's big day. (And this is a fun picture of Norah making "monkey sounds")

This was her birthday party outfit (purchased from a super-sweet seller on E-bay)I sewed a little, red bow on the monkey's head to make it a little bit more girly. I loved that the back of the sweater had the back view of the monkey.

This cake was my inspiration for the entire party. I saw it on Martha Stewart.com while I was pregnant and fell in love.











Mom snapped a picture of me showing off Norah's freshly decorated smash cake around 3pm, Friday afternoon. I put the finishing touches on the big cake around 11pm that night. It was a LONG day! (But totally worth it!)














Monkey Cupcakes-These were my own creation after I started to panic that there wasn't enough cake for everyone (or enough chocolate for my chocoholic friends) The ears are halved Nilla Wafers, the eyes are chocolate chips, and the nostrils and mouth are made of licorice string.



















The "Spread"







My personal favorite project for the party was the favor bags for Norah's little buddies. Mom helped me sew the felt monkey faces that decorated the front each bag (I also sewed a safety pin on the back of each one, in case the kids wanted to keep them to pin to their backpack, bulletin board, shirt, or whatever).




Contents of the goody bags: monkey stickers, a flannel monkey sack with a ribbon drawstring, filled with a set of alphabet magnets for the fridge, a bag of banana runts (remember the 3 lbs. I bought?), and my personal favorite, a stuffed monkey with little magnets inside his hands and feet. (And yes, if you're observant, you've noticed that this bag went to AA & Trae, and no, they aren't kids, but Amanda asked me to bend the rules since she and Trae had to work and couldn't make the party, but came to town Saturday night to celebrate with us)

We actually used the stuffed monkeys to decorate the house before putting them in the goody bags. (Might as well get our money's worth out of them!) There were 15 of the little magnetic monkeys, so Jason hid them all around the livingroom, and we let the kids have a monkey scavenger hunt. The first kid (with adult help) to guess the correct number of hidden monkeys won a barrel of monkeys. (It was pretty funny watching all the adults scanning the room while the kids were playing)

We had a house-full! (Close to 40 between the adults and kids) We are so blessed to have so many friends and family members who love Norah. It was very humbling to know that our house was filled with people who deeply love Norah and pray for her on a regular basis. I hope she'll look back at these pictures some day and realize how much she is loved.

One of Jason's groomsmen even surprised us by coming into town. (Here he is visiting with Grandad Shelby in the kitchen) We really enjoyed getting to catch up with Brett and share the weekend with him. He was an ideal house guest--very low-mantainance, cleaned up after himself, and most importantly, he and Norah played very well together!


Here we are goofing around with Jenny and the twins, who came to the party in their adoreable monkey tees. Patti was so funny--she went all over the living room pointing out each of the little magnetic monkeys, beckoning the nearest adult to hand them to her. She gathered quite an impressive collection!

Finally, it was time for the cake! Norah beamed with pride when we presented her with her own monkey smash cake.
Jason and I helped with blowing out her candle---but if mental concentration could have extinguished the flame, she wouldn't have needed any assistance.

She stared at the cake for the longest time before digging in (she was probably wondering if it were a mistake that we set it within her reach or some sort of mean trick).









She got over her timidity pretty fast... and I'm not sure, but I think she liked it.












Mom R video-ed the mometous occassion, while a nervous uncle Grant mused whether or not Norah would survive the amount of chocolate she injested, unscathed. (Don't worry, she did--we took it away before she made herself sick)

After the cake, we opened gifts. Jason and I were completely overwhelmed by the thoughtfulness and generosity of our friends and family. (And Norah loves everything she received!)


It was a memorable day (well, Norah probably wont remember any of it...but we have lots of pictures, so at least she'll know we tried to make it special). I'd say I can't wait til next year's party... but I think in the mean time, I'll just enjoy Norah while she's still 1 and hope she doesn't grow up too fast!

Happy Birthday, Norah!

We officially have a 1-year old in our midst! Norah's celebrated her first birthday today. Jason even remembered to call and wish her happy birthday at exactly 11:21am. (Way to go, Daddy!) While she'll have to wait until her party tomorrow, to open most of her gifts, she did receive a few special gifts from some of her great grandparents, today.

The first gifts arrived via personal delivery. Gramps and Grandad Shelby (Norah's great grandparents--my mom's folks) dropped by around 3pm for a spot of tea, each with their gift for the birthday girl.

Grandad's gift had been somewhat of an illusive mystery for the past year. When he came to the hospital to see Norah last year, he informed us that he had already purchased her first birthday gift. My brother (who was there when Grandad told me about his purchase) and I have been racking our brains for the past year trying to guess what the secret gift could be. Gramps made things even more interesting by giving us tricky clues now and then. In the end, no one could guess what Grandad up his sleeve. And finally, we have the answer!! Grandad, who is known for showering my Gramps-much to her dismay--with TONS of uniquely shaped candles that he finds all over town, had found a special birthday candle for his first great grandchild. This candle (pictured to the right) is numbered from 1-21 and says, "Happy Birthday" at the bottom. It is meant to be burnt down each year, to reach the birthday girl's new age. (We think it may take a whole day to burn it down one number though, cause we burned it for over 4 hours and it barely put a dent in the top of the candle! We plan to burn it again tomorrow during the party)


Gramps' gift was a hand-sewn sock monkey, complete with flirtatious eyelashes, a flannel night gown, tiny bunny slippers, and a floppy hat (all of which Norah delights in removing from the monkey's body, and attempting to wear, herself!) Norah loves her new monkey buddy. She's carried it all over the house, and even cried until I put it in the car with her when we left the house tonight! (Guess we chose an appropriate theme for her birthday party!) Another special feature: it came with adoption papers! We havent named monkey yet (I think I'd rather let Norah name her), so for now, she'll remain "Monkey".





The third (and final) present that Norah opened today, arrived via UPS. Memaw Gilmore (my dad's mom) had a gift sent from Toys-R-Us, specially gift wrapped for our birthday girl. Norah really enjoyed tearing the paper! (She takes her dear, sweet time...but its pretty fun to watch!)








After some time, all the paper was torn away, to reveal...a See-N- Say! I hadn't even thought about a See-N-Say in years! Jason gave Norah a quick lesson in how to pull the lever, while she watched the dial spin and point to a cow, quickly followed by a loud, "Moo!". She squealed with delight and quickly brushed Daddy away so she could play with her toy, unaided. She loves it...especially when it plays "Old MacDonald", as song, she's quite familiar with.

All-in-all, I'd have to say its been a great birthday. More updates on the party, coming soon!

13 Photo Memories of Norah's First Year

Our sweet baby girl will be one tomorrow, so what better topic for this week's T-13 than a photo tribute to 13 memories we've made over the past year. We thank God every day for this rich blessing in our lives.

1. Love at first sight. Yes, I am massive in this picture...but it still makes me smile. The moment the doctor handed us the baby we had been waiting so anxiously to meet was one of the most incredible moments of my life. She was so much more beautiful than we expected her to be (I mean, you hear all these horror stories about what newborns look like---but she was so pretty!) I couldn't believe she was really ours!

2. Cuddling. All 9 months of my pregnancy I prayed for a cuddler, and God blessed us with one. From birth, Norah loved to snuggle. This is one of my favorite first memories of her. I wrapped my arms around her, and she "hugged" my arm. I was so thankful Jason got a picture of it!







3. Becoming parents. I know most people probably think that "becoming a parent" happens in the delivery room with the arrival of the baby, but for us, I think it really happened when we got home from the hospital (which we were still a little in shock that they were gonna let a couple of inexperienced know-nothing "kids" leave the hospital with a perfect baby, with no instruction manual or adult supervision) I will never forget the overwhelming feeling of "fearfulness of the unknown" I felt when we entered our house for the first time, alone, with Norah. It was an eerie calm that seemed to tell us that life would be different from this point on---and it has been, but in a good way. It has been amazing watching Jason become a dad. He is so naturally good at this, and inspires me to be better each day.



4. Gotta love the boppy! Norah was a great sleeper, from the very beginning. Granted, she slept a lot more then than she does now...I'm still thankful for the 1.5-2 naps a day she still takes, and the full night's sleep she usually affords us!










5. First Easter! Here she is in the sweet Easter dress that Grammy made for her (covered in slobber...go figure), and her sweet, little white shoes, that believe it or not, still fit!














6. The toe-sucking phase. Ahhhh...I miss those days. This photo was taken at Wings-N-More. And no, we didn't take her into the restaurant barefoot, she de-socked herself and went to sucking on her toes right in front of everyone!













7. First Father's Day! Jason looked so dashing in the special tie that Norah helped make. (We inked up her little feet and stamped "Norah loves Daddy" on it) He wore it with pride, and didn't even complain that it was pink. I told him I think he should wear it to her rehearsal dinner, someday. He replied, "I don't want to talk about it." Implying, he's not even close to ready to thinking of letting her go.











8. Norah's first taste of pears. She didn't make it through the whole jar before she fell into a deep slumber...this gave birth to one of my personal favorite blog entries, "The Princess and the Pear". She still falls asleep mid-meal from time to time.






9. This is one of my favorite pictures from our year. We have it blown up and framed in our bedroom. Norah was supposed to be taking a nap, but Jason and I could hear her singing and playing, so we crawled into her room on our hands and knees with the camera...apparently we weren't as stealthy as we gave ourselves credit for, because Norah intercepted our ambush tactics!








10. First ride in a shopping cart. We just happened to have the camera in the diaper bag, so we decided to photo document. I'm so glad we did because this is another of my favorite photos (also framed in my bedroom). Doesn't she look like she's about to ride a roller coaster?















11. All Hail the Jumperoo! First toy to ever make Norah fall asleep, standing up! She still loves the Jumperoo, to this day, and has fallen asleep in it several times since this picture was taken.











12. First Halloween! Gramps and I made Norah an original costume with no patterns, whatsoever. We had so much fun showing off our little mermaid! Norah loved her costume, too. She flapped her little tail for everyone we met. I can't wait til next Halloween!









13. First Christmas! After the numerous family Christmas gatherings we took Norah to, she should be a seasoned pro at opening presents. Good thing, since her birthday is tomorrow!

Tagged!

I've been tagged by Sarah! Man! Totally caught me off guard! Oh well, I'll be a good sport and play along...besides, its cold outside and I'm bored in here, and this way I get to tag a couple of unsuspecting victims. (rubbing hands together with diabolical scheming delight)

Here are the directions:
1)Grab the book closest to you
2)Open to page 123, go down to the fourth sentence
3)Post the text of the following 3 sentences on your blog
4)Name the author and book title
5)Tag three people to do the same

Let me preface this by saying that I had to go all the way to the back of the house before I found a book with more than 123 pages. (Yeah, we read really deep stuff in the living room of Robinson County--like "Animal Hide & Seek" and "Puppies") So thanks, Sarah, for helping me get a little excercise this morning.

"Most of us remember the time of our innocence as a Haunting. I mean innocence not as being sinless but as that time before our experience with the Arrows crystallized into a way of handling life which is the false self. The Haunting calls to us unexpectedly in the melody and words of certain songs that have become our "life music": the crooked smile of a friend; the laughter of our children (or their tears); the calling to mind of a mischievous face that still believed in joy; the smell of a perfume; the reading of a poem; or the hearing of a story."

The Sacred Romance: Drawing Closer to the Heart of God
Brent Curtis & John Elderedge

And now, on to the business of tagging my next unsuspecting victims...Karen, Localgirl, and Lyneil you're up!

The Icing on the Cake

Well, if you've been watching the news, or live anywhere closeby, you know that we're in the midst of the "Great Ice Storm of 2007". I write this, a little bit tongue in cheek, as it always amazes me how we manage to get so nervous every time it freezes here. Maybe that's because it happens so seldom, and deep down, our inner child really wants to jump up and down, shouting, "No School! No School!" with wild abandon. Norah wasn't too sure what to make of the icesicles hanging from our house as she looked out the garage window.

At any rate, we haven't left home since Sunday afternoon. Where, praytelll, was our last family outting? Well, since you asked so politely, I'll devulge...but not without adequate back-story. Jason woke up with stomach cramps, but we went to church as usual. About 2 minutes into the sermon he left to "take care of some business" (ie--in the men's room) and never came back. Long story short, we made it home and by 3pm, he had lost count of how many times he'd been sick. Thankfully, Scott & White has a 7-day clinic that is open from 8-5pm, so around 4 we headed in. After being diagnosed with a "highly contageous" stomach virus, a shot of anti-nasea medicine, and a perscription for more anti-nasea pills, we headed home.

Jason managed to fight through the bug by around mid-day Monday, but not in time for me to leave him to go grocery shopping (ok, he's a grown man, and I'm sure he didn't need me to stay with him, but I just didn't want to leave until I knew he was better). So I missed grocery day. Enter "Ice Storm '07". Brooke called (from Jason's work) to let us know that they would be closed Tuesday...and not open until 10am Wednesday. So, Jason did what any caring husband would do when facing a 2-day stint of cabin fever...he hot-footed it to Blockbuster before it iced over, and rented 2 more discs of "24". (I know, we're pathetic)

So here we are. It's Wednesday and Jason's back at work. Norah and I have still managed (by the grace of God and an answer to many prayers) to avoid the "highly contagious" stomach virus...but we're ready to get out of the house! I've busied myself with working on party stuff for Norah's big b-day bash this Saturday, but I've about reached the end of my "To Do" list. We are critically low on 2 vital Robinson County necessities: Milk and TP. Will we brave the ice? Probably not. But you can bet your life we'll bundle up and go out the moment we hear word its above freezing and the roads are all clear. (Nevermind the fact that we live less than 5 minutes from Walmart...you never can be too careful when crazy Texans, unconditioned to driving on ice are involved! And by the way, I group myself into this category, as well)

Confessions of a Serial Vacuumer

Who knew the profession of my vacuuming fetish would stir such a buzz in blogland? I've seen several other blogs make reference to yesterday's T-13, in addition to a few comments left here. I'd like to apologize if I've made anyone feel inadequate in the area of carpet suction cleanliness, and offer today's blog entry as an explanation for my compulsion. Please note that I do not feel it is either normal or necessary to vacuum 5 times per week. In fact, if you don't, chances are, you probably don't need to, and more power to you! So without further ado, here is my "Friday Five" for this week.

5 reasons Why I Vacuum So Much

1. Jason. I love my husband, but he reaks havock on our floors. Between bed-liner material (from work), sawdust (from the previously mentioned carpentry project in our garage) and grass (from practicing his disc golf putting the the back yard), he is almost reason enough to vacuum daily. But don't worry, he's worth it!
   
2. Resident Rookie Cheerio Chomper. Norah's aim still isn't that great. Her highchair needs special attention with the crevice attachment anyway, so I'd just as soon vacuum up the piles of "goodies" under her chair while I've got the vacuum out. And as long as I have to pass through the living room to put it back in the hall closet, I might as well leave it on and clean as I go. (Oh, not to mention, the aforementioned Cheerio Chomper LOVES the vacuum too! She chases it all over the house and gets very excited when I pull it out to "play" with her.)
   
3. I hate to sweep/mop. I'd much rather vacuum my tile floors than sweep them. Its faster, and don't have to deal with that annoying residual dust-pan line (you know the one that makes you have to keep moving the dustpan back and sweeping again?). Plus, I can go straight from the tile to the carpet and never switch cleaning implements.
   
4. I love my vacuum. After my long, ever-shedding locks killed our first vacuum, Jason and I invested in a Dyson. (Maybe my compulsive vacuuming has more to do with justifying how much we spent on our vacuum cleaner than it does my necessity for clean floors. ) Its easy to use, cleans like a charm, and is stored in a very convenient, accessible closet in our house.
   
5. It makes me feel like my house is clean...even when it really isn't. Vacuum lines on the carpet are one of the things Jason associates with a clean house. (Don't worry, he doesn't look for them when we go visiting...he just notices when I vacuum at home) I can spend an entire day mopping, scrubbing toilets, and cleaning ceiling fans and it might go unnoticed, but he can always tells me "the house looks great, babe!" when he knows I've been vacuuming.
   

So in closing, don't hate me because I vacuum. Trust me...there are a lot of other jobs in Robinson County that go un-done for a LONG, long time. (There is a reason I keep my ceiling fans on when company is coming, if you get my drift)

13 Random Number Facts

As part of one of my New Year's resolutions (to "get over" some of the things I dislike), here is my T-13 tribute to numbers... one of my least favorite things! (Any of you who know me well, know that I'm not the person to come to if your 5th grader needs help with his math)

1. 42--number of eggs purchased with this week's groceries (also, the name of Gilmore favorite get-together game, involving dominos)
2. 3--average number of times per week we go to the A&M church building. (Also the number of pounds of bananarama-- aka banana runts-- I ordered for Norah's monkey birthday party...it was an online bargain, cheaper than buying 10 oz. from the candy store...anybody need some banana runts?)
   
3. 5.5--number of pieces of furniture Jason has built for our house. (china cupboard, entertainment center, guest room bookcase, storage case for our dvd collection, changing table/chest of drawers, and he's currently working on a beautiful bookcase for Norah's bedroom--I'll post pictures as soon as its completed). What a blessing to be married to such a talented handy man!
4. 45--approximate number of minutes from the time I rise, until the time I make the bed. (Cut me some slack, I have to wait until Jason's out of it, for one, and I have a lot of other things going on in the morning--like packing J's lunch, changing/feeding Norah, etc.)
5. 2--number of Christmas decorations I forgot to take-down before we had post-holiday company (I forgot to take down the holly vines over our 2 living room windows and realized it halfway through the party we gave last Friday night....oh well, at least I got my money's worth on our new decor--they're safely stored away as of today)
6. 5--average number of times per week I vacuum the house.
7. .25--average number of times per week I mop the house. (Did I mention I hate to mop? Guess that's another thing I'll have to "get over" this year)
8. 8pm--time we typically put Nordstrom (Amanda's catchy new nickname for Norah) to bed.
9. 6--number of 2-layer cakes I have baked/decorated this week (and the reason for the purchase of 36 of my 42 eggs)
10. 0--number of times this week Norah has eaten baby food. (She is LOVING table food! For lunch, she's eats a half-sandwich and a whole banana! She eats whatever we have for dinner, plus cereal for breakfast, and an afternoon snack)
11. 17--average number of times I call my mom each week.
12. 27---number of years I will have spent on this earth, as of next Monday. (January 15)
    
13. 1--number of years Norah will have spent on this earth, as of next Friday. (January 19--which, is also the date of her great Grandad's birthday)
    

Laundry Day, New Tricks, and Something Truly Amazing

No, it's not what it looks like. Our little angel hasn't crossed over to the "Dark Side". Norah simply decided that Mommy needed some help (or at least a little entertainment) while I folded the laundry today. Anyone who's spent much time with Norah (or reading this blog, for that matter) knows how much she loves a good game of peek-a-boo (aka "Where's Norah?") Jason and I used to cover her face with blankets, or our hands, or anything that was close-by, and ask, "Where's Norah?". Lately, Norah has taken it upon herself to initiate the game, at will. Her most recent (and laughable) exploit was with Mommy's bathrobe. After playing a few rounds, she decided to dive way down deep into that bathrobe...maybe a little too deep, because I heard her whipmer, as she couldn't find her way out to "surprise" me. After a good bit of struggling, she finally emerged--through the sleeve of the robe! She was confused at the tight fit, but clearly proud of herself for finding an alternate exit.

Norah still loves riding in the laundry basket. I dont know what I'll do when she gets too big to fit. (Maybe invest in a little red wagon?) I think its safe to say she looks forward to laundry day more than I do. (Ok, who am I kidding...every day is laundry day...and I dont relish it!)

In addition to perfecting her peek-a-boo game, Norah has several new "tricks". She covers her ears, puts her arms up, touches her nose, and claps on command. AA gave her a Little People Noah's Ark for Christmas and Norah loves it. Noah is her favorite character, by far. In fact, she can be all the way across the room and if we ask her "Where's Noah?" she'll drop what she's doing and scower the room until she finds him. (She can also correctly identify the elephant and the zebra!)

She's been taking steps here and there for about a month now, but only when she's in the mood to, and only when Mommy and Daddy are close-by. She's getting really good at standing in place, and has even started to figure out how to correct her balance when she starts to loose it.

One final accomplishment I have to note (cause let's face it, this blog might as well be titled "The Chronicles of Norah") is that Norah has started to recognize written words! I know this sounds totally far-fetched, but let me explain. The company that I sell books through (Usborne) recently released a dvd series called "Your Baby Can Read", and this was one of Mom R's Christmas gifts to Norah. We started her on the first dvd about a week before Christmas, and she's already learned to read (or at least memorize) 5 words.

The video shows a written word, then pauses for a second, and then reads the word aloud. Then it shows a video clip that corresponds with the word. Well, last week, Norah began responding to the words, "hi", "clap", "nose", "arms up", and "dog" before the word was read aloud. She simply saw the word (no pictures, just the word) and did what it said. She's continuously done this for the past week, so even though I was a little skeptical and thought it was just a coincidence at first, I really think she's memorized at least these words. It's the craziest thing I've ever seen!

Well, I guess that's enough "That's my girl"-ing for one night. Have a great day!

13 Recipes That Made the Cut

I've already started filling up the cool "Favorite Recipes" cookbook that mom gave me for Christmas. Here are 13 recipes that have made "the cut" so far...I've decided that only the best of the best (and only things I've actually successfully made) will be put into this cookbook!

1. Breaded Chicken Fetticine Alfredo (as in, what I made for dinner tonight)
   
2. Oatmeal Pie (the non-burnt pot holder version)
   
3. Taco Soup
4. Down-Home Chili (my own creation--the first recipe I ever made up from my head)
   
5. Chocolate Chip Cookie Cheesecake
6. Mongolian Chicken with fried rice
   
7. Lemon Meringue Icebox Pie
8. Cajun Fried Turkey Marinade (Jason's Thanksgiving specialty...but we always loose the recipe, so now its in a very safe place!)
   
9. Pork Tenderloin Rub (via Vickie Young...delish!)
   
10. Chocolate Sheet Cake with Fudge Icing
    
11. Plum Sauce with Rice (I think I could eat this every day for the rest of my life)
    
12. Quick & Easy Chicken Spaghetti (from Juanita, our church secretary--I actually met her because of that recipe! I found it in the church cookbook and loved it, then I met her one day at church and said, 'Oh! You're Juanita Pixley! I make your chicken spaghetti all the time!" I think she thought I was a little crazy...but we're buddies now)
    
13. Lucious Banana Caramel Pie (from the Southern Living Cookbook)
    

Norah's First Christmas (Part II)

We have a new family photo! Jason set up the tri-pod and put the timer on the camera (thanks, Mom R) Sunday before church so we could get a family Christmas photo to commemorate Norah's first Christmas. We only took 2 photos (Norah wasn't looking at the camera in the first one--its pretty tricky getting an 11-month-old to smile at an un-manned camera!), but I think this one turned out pretty well! I especially love the way Norah is reaching for Daddy's hand.

And now...the rest of the story. After opening Norah's presents at our house (and combating the soon-to-be-legendary, "Pot-Holder Fire Fiasco"), we headed out to Grant and Paige's house to "crack 'em open". We had a great day!



We arrived to find Uncle Grant, wearing a festive hat, which he'd dubbed "The Landry". (Not everybody would be able to pull-off a hat this cool, but Grant made it look easy). Since he'd already had to wait until TEN THIRTY to crack 'em open, Santa Landry, quickly set to work distributing packages to everyone.

Uncle Grant even let Norah try "The Landry" on for size. (Guess she shares her uncle's ability to look good in super-cool head gear)

Mom R took handled video documentation for the day, while Santa Landry continued passing out gifts. (Grandmother gazed, hopefully up at "The Landry", wondering if Grant would bestow the honor of wearing it upon her, but alas, only Norah was found worthy)

Finally, Jason opened a package with a note inside. It said that he would have to follow some clues to find his gift, and if he failed to find it's location...then Grant would get to keep it! Those cluse were hidden in some pretty crazy places!

All of his super sleuthing paid off. The final clue led Jason to a "safe place" (Grant's gun safe), where Santa Landry awarded him with a beautiful new rifle.


Grant gave Grandmother an awesome set of bear furniture. Grant designed and made them himself--isn't he talented!? Grandmother loved them, and so did the rest of us.

Mom R got an amazing surprise, too...real diamond earrings from Grant & Paige. She was shocked, but very appreciative. Jason's and my gifts to her weren't nearly as exciting, but Grant said it was ok since we delivered the prized "first grandchild".

After all the paper was cleared away and about a million heartfelt "thank you"s and "I love you"s, the guys went outside to try out the new gun. Mom R and Grandmother went over to their house to prepare Christmas dinner, and Paige, Norah, and I went for a long country drive (that aided us in helping Norah settle down and take a nap after morning filled with Christmas excitment) It also helped us work up a good appetite.

Dinner was delicous! We had chicken and dressing, salad, chicken fried deer steak, brown & serve rolls, green bean casserole, and baked beans with sausage. And for dessert, German chocolate cake (Grandmother even left the coconut off of half, just for Jason!), a double-crusted cherry pie (Paige cookie-cut Christmas tree-shaped pie vents in the top!), and of course, my (slightly burnt pot-holder flavored) oatmeal pie.

Somewhere amid the shuffle, Norah developed a bad case of "Bow Bottom", so we decided it was time to call it a day. It was a wonderful Christmas day, that reminded me just how thankful I am to have so much loving family living so close to us.