At long last...the holiday pictures

We started off the holiday season with some caroling with Cade's cub scout pack at a few nursing homes.

The crazy Christmas party at Cade's school.
Get a load of those walls. It's like that all the time!

Lydia enjoyed getting to have all the big kid snacks at the party as well.

Training to be a Jedi at a friend's birthday party.
Much he learned. Strong the force was with this one.

Shining bright at a Christmas get together.

Spreading a little Christmas cheer.

Present time!

Yep. That's The Edge, sitting right in the living room at our Christmas get together!
Even better than the real thing...
(you're singing it now, too, aren't you?)

Marshmallows for the marshmallow shooter. Pretty sure we left more than half of them under and in all their couches.

Lydia was giving him all kinds of hints and tricks on how to get a better score.

'Ooohhhhmmmmm.'
Let the Christmas present opening begin!

'It's George the Monkey, Mommy!!!!'

Dry erase markers. You have NO IDEA how much he digs these.
No idea.

Santa's gifts for the kids.

Cade's eagle eyes spotted the stuffed stockings immediately.

More evidence that Santa was here.
Note the hodge-podge assortment of Christmas-themed items left for
Santa's perusal. Not exactly sure how the fake thumb qualified.

'Santa left presents, Daddy! Did he leave you a hat?'

WU pom poms. Just like the ones I had. I can't tell you how excited I was
for her to open these!

'Go KU!'

'Piggy bank for coins!'

Ooohh yeah!

I tell you, I nearly shed a tear.
{sniff}

'Zhu Zhu pets!!!!!'

Yes, those are the decorations from Lydia's birthday party. She was adamant that they stay up. Really. When they finally came down (and yes, they are down now), she was NOT happy.

ANOTHER Christmas!

'Why, yes. As a matter of fact, I DO walk around the house everyday in my princess apron. Don't you?'

MORE Christmas!!

Cool tunes!

Opening the very last of the Christmas presents.

We left Topeka the Wednesday before Christmas to avoid the predicted snow fall that had all the weatherman in the area abuzz. Salina got just an inch or so compared to what awaited us back here in T-town. We couldn't believe the amount of snow that was still on the main streets in town and could only imagine what our neighborhood streets look liked. Our doubts were confirmed the moment we turned into Knollwood. I don't think I've ever seen so much snow since I moved to Topeka more than 15 years ago! We got stuck in our own driveway, people. We couldn't even get up to our house. With a car nearly bulging at the seams with presents, food and personal belongings thrown haphazardly into the car where ever it would fit. Not a good situation. It was dark, cold and none of us were wearing boots. Cade didn't even have socks on! What a great parenting moment that was for me. {eye roll} Rusty managed to get the car unstuck and shoveled a single shovel wide path to our front door. Rusty must have made thirty trips from the bottom of our driveway to our front door unpacking all the stuff we had. It was a crazy sight. Rusty would bring a load up to the front door. I would take it so he wouldn't track in snow, then I would hand it to Cade to take somewhere down the hall so we wouldn't block ourselves out with all the stuff. Sheesh! I'm tired all over again just re-telling it.

This was the snow drift by the front door that welcomed us home.

Can you see that? It looked like the Banzai Pipeline made its way to completely landlocked, middle America in December.

And this. I don't know how this happened. It looks like a quilt made out of snow.
Must have been caused by the wind blowing the snow over it, I guess. Just weird how it looked.

This puppy was frozen solid. It could hold Cade without him so much as leaving but a footprint in it.

I had to post this one. It's shows just how far Rusty was only willing to shovel the night before in order to get the car out of the street. And much of that snow is still here with us today, on January 19.