Happy Birthday, Momma

For most today is just New Year's Eve, but today was also my Momma's birthday. Born in 1950 today she would have been 60 years old. A milestone she would have complained about a bit, but taken gracefully. She loved having her Birthday on New Year's Eve. She always had a party to go to. So, have a great time to night and say a Happy Birthday for my Mom.

I miss you bunches, Momma. Happy Birthday!

Ani's turn

 
She has got the hang of it already! Now Daddy just has to buy some bb's since Santa forget to bring them with the bb gun!

Learning a new toy

 
Ruston learning his new bow!

It is Really snowing!

 
Wow, for a forecast of no snow, ummmm. . ..

Smiles all around

 
A happy couple of kids. We didn't need presents, we just needed snow!

A white Christmas

 
What do you get when you add a Christmas morning, lots of unexpected snow, a four wheeler, a knee board, ski rope, and two little ones - lots of smiles!! Thanks Uncle Bob for the knee board. We still can't get on this thing in the water, but more than once has it been pulled behind this four wheeler!

yahooooooo

 
She was having a BLAST!!! It didn't matter that her hands were totally red!

Throwing snowballs

 
He thought it was too funny to throw snowballs at Mommy!

Ani and Gabbie!

 
Ani can skate. It was Gabbie's birthday party. Ani and Gabbie are really good friends. She is over the house a lot. They were in 1st grade together and are in 2nd grade together. Yep, they are the same age!

Ruston skating?

 
Well, Mom pushes him along! He doesn't skate so much! My arms were so sore after a couple of hours of this!

Mrs. Brenda

 
Ruson's teacher. He loves her. She is great with the kids.

Best buds!

 
This is Ruston's best friend, Keith. They are always playing together. Ruston asks for him all weekend long and can't wait for Monday when he can go to school to play with Keith!

Smiles

 
Captured a smile, when he wasn't paying attention!

The shy one. . . .

 
Was soooo shy! We did get him to very quietly say that he wanted a zhu zhu pet and a monster truck. Short and to the point. That's my boy.

SANTA!

 
I want a princess crown, a flute, a guitar, a doll, a zhu zhu pet, and, and, and. . . gheez! Oh yeah, WHERE did the flute thing come from!?

My boys

 
Ruston was just not going to smile. This little guys plays by HIS rules!

My girl. . .

 
She is Momma's girl!

Waiting for our train

 
The kids were so excited to go on the train to see Santa!

Day 2

 
Day 2 and finishing up. It takes a while to finish our tree every year. 1500 lights and I have no idea how many ornaments. I keep thinking I will count, I still haven't. There are 100 beaded icicles that were from my Mom that go on every year. I have bought more ornaments every year, with our original tree being 13 feet tall I needed a lot! Now that it is 8 feet tall, the ornaments fill the tree much faster. They still all go on and I still buy more. Keeping the tradition my Mom started of buying the kids an ornament each year. I can tell you where they came from or who gave them to us. There is no theme to our tree. Our tree is a hodge podge of all types of ornaments they have meaning and memories. Maybe I will take pictures of them and make a scrapbook of them!? At least the most favorites, like the one I made when I was three that is still on the tree, or the glass ball that has a magnolia on it that was given to me by a very good friend in Mississippi, or the hand blown Santa that I brought home from the Supper Club Christmas dinner. The icicles are the most precious. I remember making these, and the other beaded ornaments, with Mom as a little girl each Christmas. She would make soooo many of them. She gave them away, sold them, and kept some. There are so few left, they are the last to go on the tree each year, the final touch, the moment to say Mom is still here with us to celebrate her favorite time of the year, so many many years later. This picture is the three of us, for the first time putting the icicles on together. We talked about how they were handmade by their Grandma. Hopefully, it will carry on with them.

Merry Christmas everyone.

Busy at Play

 
Ruston is steady and deliberate at everything he does, including playing! You can see it in his face.

Ruston's Turn

 
Can't leave Ruston out. It was his turn to learn how to hang the ornaments.

Got to be careful!

 
Showing Ani how to hang them and make sure they don't fall off!

Working together.

 
They did a really good job this year.

Our Tree, 2010

 
After 1500 lights are put on, the kids really helped me decorate this year. They did a great job. Ruston liked the ones that didn't break. He even proved it on a few, "Hey look, this one bounces, Mom!"

Snowmen

 
Ani's nails after her first manicure! She loved it.

MY House

 
I know I sold this house five years ago, and I am happy where we are, but this is MY HOUSE. I don't know why. Maybe because it is the longest I lived in a house. Maybe because it was my first house, maybe because I became a mother in this house, maybe because Virgel and I remodeled most of the house, including the amazing paint job - by hand. It told me it was the right house for me the moment I walked in it, and it feels like home the moment I put my put on the steps. It is hard to see it being neglected and unlived in. Essentially, the same as we left it, including my curtains still hanging. She has stood for over 150 years, and the last five are the only ones that have not had a family living there. Hopefully, that will change, she will get another lease on life and someone will love her as much as I do and sit on my porch swing and rock their babies to sleep.