A Very Merry Christmas!

The guests are all gone, the food has been eaten, the trash has been taken out, and the dishes are clean. The kids have spent an entire day doing nothing but playing with their loot. Christmas is over (even my returns are finished!) and a VERY merry Christmas was had by all here at the Kuck cabin.

The weekend started off with the Kuck family Christmas on Saturday. Everyone was here by 12:30 for lunch and then, of course presents. The kids really made out like bandits, let me tell ya! But, as is always the case, the moment they wait all day for goes really fast...and everything is opened within 3o minutes! After we got the mess cleaned up, we just sat back and watched the kids play until our guests started filing out the door.

Then on Saturday, Mom & Joe and Jess & Luke showed up for dinner. The food was great, and there was PLENTY OF IT. We were all sitting around afterward lamenting how much we had eaten and why on earth we couldn't have been stopped! But, of course, that didn't stop us from having ice cream a little later! HeeeeHEEEEE! Kendall could barely wait to start opening her gifts again...I'll tell you what - that kid was on a roll! And of course, she is feeling pretty spoiled because she got just about everything she asked for! Noah really could have cared less about Christmas this year. He's been sick with a cold and it really caught up with him this weekend with all the excitement...he was a super snotty mess. Snot rockets every 15 minutes, a yucky phlegmy cough, red eyes...the works, you know? He just didn't feel good at all. Then after we did gifts, he started burning up while sitting on the couch with good 'ol Aunt Jess. During the night, his fever broke, but not until he finally fell asleep at 5:30-6:00 am. Yeah, you heard that right. IT'S NO JOKE, BELIEVE ME!!!! We were up all night. UGH. Merry Christmas to us!

Of course, Kendall got up at 8:00 or so, ready and willing to go. So we went ahead and let her open her gifts and decided to let the little one sleep. We knew he'd be just as happy to open his gifts after getting some rest. Kendall went crazy when she saw the Radio Flyer spring horse Santa brought for her and Noah! She and Grandma Cindy quickly found a suitable moniker for him...SHADOW. So now Kendall and Shadow are fast friends. She can hardly walk through the room without jumping up on him and taking a ride. She was even watching TV while riding him earlier today! Noah is not too interested up close yet. He has been checking out how that horse works exactly...you know, checking the springs, the hooves, even the mouth. But he is not too keen on jumping up there just yet. You see, that would require him to let go of me for 30 seconds...and THAT is not about to happen! My adorable little son will not let me out of his reach, especially now, while he is under the weather. So, give it a few days, and I'm sure he'll be fighting his big sis for a turn to ride the range with Shadow. Some other highlights of the kids' gifts....

The Shake 'n Go Racetrack...great fun for both the kids (and Daddy too!)

The 2 in 1 Saxophone-Trumpet that plays very festive songs. Kendall picked it out for Noah, and it too is a favorite for both kiddos.

The Colorforms set Kendall got. I guess it shows that kids always like the simple stuff.

All of Noah's toys that involve cars. That little boy is totally into cars right now. All we hear is "VOOM, VOOM!" as he is pushing them across the floor...

Easy Bake Oven...need I say more?

The dolls that talk on the phone and jump rope, and the light up dinosaur that roars while walking across the floor. The kids love them, and I just want to steal their batteries.

Those are just a few off the top of my head. If your gift isn't listed, it's not because the kids don't like it, it's just that I'm too fried right now to remember all of them...or because in this great room full of toys, they just haven't made their way to it yet. No worries, folks, we'll get there by the weekend! We have LOTS of playing to do!

So anyway, Mom & Joe and Luke all left on Christmas Day and then Dad & Taffy rolled in. We had more yummy food and more great gifts, and MORE playing! And, after quite a struggle with little man, some sleeping. Sleep is GOOD. REAL GOOD. We stayed up late, watched The DaVinci Code, and then we all crashed. After breakfast this morning, Dad & Taffy headed out (it IS hunting season, you know!) and Jess and I took the kids to Wal-Mart to take care of the returns/exchanges. So it's all done! And Christmas was a success! Now I am looking forward to maybe a glass of wine and getting my butt to bed. Hope your Christmas was full of family, fun, and food too!

Now it's time to get to work on that New Year's Resolution!!!

Preparations have begun!

Yep, that 's right, the holiday preparations have officially begun! I have wrapped all of my gifts, done my grocery shopping, cleaned my bathrooms, and have my list made for tomorrow. We have family coming in on Saturday, Sunday, and Monday...so it's a good thing to have a plan of action! Tomorrow I will finish my cleaning, get a couple of things made and into the fridge/freezer, and make another batch of cookies. Snack food is important at any gathering!

Then, I will turn on the tree and sit with my honey on the couch, sipping a glass of wine and enjoying the last moments of peace that will exist in this house for the next couple of days. I DO love the holidays and all the preparations...but a peaceful moment to enjoy and reflect upon the season is always nice too, and I am really looking forward to it.

Merry Christmas to you and yours this holiday season! May you have a special moment of peace as well...

I Must Have Been Really REALLY GOOD!

So I must have been really, really good this year! Today when I got home from work, Barry announced that he knew it would ruin the surprise, but he had to give me my Christmas present right then...because it was going to become obvious real quick what it was.

AND GUESS WHAT???

I got the only thing I asked for! All I wanted this year was some wireless high-speed service (actually, I would have settled just for high-speed...no wireless). And unfortunately, out here in BFE, that was proving to be a little more difficult than we thought! You see, there is no cable out here, and no broadband. Basically, no nothin'! But being the diligent little worker that he is, Barry found Sprint PCS and their wireless service. Now, it's not HIGH-SPEED, per se...but it IS about 15 times faster than the dial-up crap that I had until today!

I am in heaven! Here I sit, in the great room with Barry and Kendall, just typing away! This is toooooo cooool! And I don't have to wait 5 minutes for each page to load! You see, the dial-up was getting me down, BIG TIME. At our old house we had roadrunner, and to go back to dial-up was heartbreaking! My online Christmas shopping took forever this year...and was making me crazy! Not to mention tying up my phone line! But no more!

As usual, my sweet hubby came through...and made my Christmas FANTASTIC!!!! Isn't he the best??? All girls should be as lucky as me!

In the Christmas Spirit!

The holidays are right around the corner, and we are definitely in the Christmas Spirit. Although this picture of Kendall finishing up the tree is from a week ago, it is just one part of the festivities going on around here. Presents are being wrapped, last minute shopping is being finished up, Christmas cards are almost done, and the decorating is finished. And Christmas carols are being sung all day long!

On the agenda this weekend is cookie making and getting food into the freezer for when all of our family is here over Christmas weekend. Maybe we'll even hit the lights at the zoo! We can't miss that...it's a yearly tradition! We are so excited that all of our family celebrations will be at our house again this year. We love having people in our home!

Here's hoping that all of your holiday preparations are going well and you are able to take a moment to enjoy your family and the joy that comes with Christmas....if you let it!