You can bank on it!

The comic relief that my kids provide! Today I was driving my son to his school when we stopped at a red light. Out Natalie's window there was a crew busy working on constructing a bank. This is how the conversation went:

Natalie: "What's that?"

Mommy: "They're building a new bank."

William: "Is that a bank we can go to?"

Mommy: "No. We go to a different bank."

Natalie: "Different bank?"

William: "Yes, Natalie. We go to a Mormon Bank. That is a Catholic Bank."

National Champions!!!...of Choking!!!

Ugh!!! Two years in a row now I've watched the beginning of the National Championship Football Game and really felt Ohio State would run away with it. And two years in a row now I've been horribly dissappointed!

However, last year when they choked for the first time, I wasn't a resident of Florida, so the ribbing wasn't that bad. Of course there were the comments about how dominant the SEC is, blah, blah, blah...but no Louisiana resident really had much to say...

This year is completely different! We live in Louisiana, so there was alot riding on this game: our Ohio Pride! The kids at William's school were aloud to wear LSU stuff instead of their uniform tops, and William proudly wore his OSU football jersey. (This did result in some confusion...he couldn't understand why all his friends didn't want Ohio to win!)

Alas, we lost. The result: alot of harrassment! We woke up to LSU signs all over our front yard and a life-size Santa Clause dressed all in LSU gear. The text messages, emails, and phone calls won't stop. I think I will crawl into a cave today and wait till their drunken buzzes have worn off! But, wait till next year! Third time's a charm...am I right!?! GO BUCKEYES!!!

Christmas 2007

I have finally found some time to sit down and blog again! We have been so busy with Christmas, and then my family came down for a few days after Christmas...we have been swamped! But, we did have a great Christmas! It all started with William's Christmas Program for his school. Since it is a private school (meaning we pay his tuition) they are allowed to sing songs about Jesus. I heard some of the more interesting songs I've ever heard leading up to his program! My favorite was when they sang "Happy Birthday" to Jesus in not only English, but also in French! I don't suppose I ever thought to sing "Happy birthday" on Christmas. How rude of me! (That's William, top row third from left)

This is William and his friend Izabella. Don't let the camera tricks fool you...William really is like a foot taller than her!

(**As I'm typing this, the kids are playing nicely in Natalie's room...or, of course, so I thought...until I just heard a giant crash. It seems William decided he wanted something from the top of Natalie's closet, and rather than asking me, he thought he could just pull himself up on the rod that holds all her clothes on their hangers. Well, that obviously wasn't meant to hold his weight and he just ripped the whole thing out of the wall. Just add that as one more thing for me to do today! But, on with the blog! If I don't do it now, it will never get done.**)

Moving on then! Ok, Christmas Eve we have the tradition that the kids are allowed to open one present. That present is the Christmas pajamas that Nonna and Papa get for them every year. However, when I saw the matching bathrobes that came with the jammies this year, I had to get them! So, this is the kids on Christmas Eve in their new jammies and bathrobes.

Christmas Morning! William did an awesome job of not waking up his parents! We told him could open his stocking, and he did just that...getting into the candy too, of course! When Natalie finally woke up, it was present time! The highlight of Natalie's morning was her new Princess Castle with "glittery walls that shimmer and sparkle." It came with all the princess, too. Her favorites are Ariel and Cinderella. As I sit and watch her play with her princesses, I am blown away that any daughter of mine would ever prefer princesses to, say, basketball or a new baseball mitt. Oh, well.

Ah, yes...the Buzz Lightyear costume! My son just loves to dress up, even if Halloween is months away. Santa found this in his size at the after-Halloween sale at the Disney store, paying about $7.99. Santa is such a bargain shopper! Anyway, he loves his new costume, and this was the first present he pulled out of the package to take a closer look.

So, we had a good Christmas. We tried to help the kids remember the true meaning of Christmas by giving to our friends and others as well as helping those less fortunate. It's been an interesting year and a half for us here in Louisiana and we hope to simply be able to teach our kids what is right. (And here's hoping we'll be writing a Christmas blog from a new city next year :). Merry Christmas!!