Catching Up

Well it has been a while since I have been able to get on here hasn't it?

We haven't been up to much - just a bit of this and a bit of that.

We celebrated New Year's

(here are the kids throwing their streamers over David)

Not much to it this year. David had some sort of SNAFU at work and got home late and exhausted so our grand dinner ended up being glorified snacking. The kids had their sparkling grape juice but our champagne is still in the refrigerator. Perhaps we'll use it to toast the Longhorns being named #1 in the AP poll???? Audrey actually stayed up until midnite this year. I "allow" them to stay up every year but they never make it all the way. Amy made it until 10:34, David was about the same - but Audrey and I were up the whole time. We did wake David so he could see the ball drop so the three of us rang the new year in together.

On Saturday, the 3rd, we took the kids the Newport Aquarium. It's just over the river so technically it's in Kentucky but everyone here considers it a part of Cincinnati. Sort of like how the Ohio Airport is in Kentucky - these people are so strange .... The kids had a great time at the aquarium and I think we will probably try to go again this summer. I had thought Allison might be frightened by some of it but she pretty much loved all of it. The only thing she didn't like was of course - the Scuba Santa. She was most definitely NOT a fan of the man in red this year. But she loved all the fish - even the sharks. At one point she turns to me, hand out and says "I need money, you give me money? So I can buy some fish. I want one shark and some wittle fishies, a daddy fish, a mommy fish and a wittle baby fish. You give me some money mom?" Where did she get the idea these fish were for sale????

Monday the older two started back to school and Monday night was the much anticipated Fiesta Bowl .... YEA! The Longhorns WON!!!! Man-oh-man! What a tense game! The oddest thing is how downplayed it has been here. We are 2 hours south of Columbus, Ohio which is where Ohio State is located. Yet no mention of the game in the news, not even during the Sunday Sports Extra the day before the game, not even in the news broadcast that came on immediately following the game. And there were very few flags flying. Every house in our neighborhood has a lamp post at the end of the driveway. We don't have city street lights because we aren't technically a city so our lampposts are how we light our neighborhood streets. Almost everyone's lamppost has a flag holder on it and during football season there are easily 10 Ohio State flags out there blowing in the wind on Game Day. But this time??? ONLY ONE person flew their flag. ONE! My UT flag was out 3-4 days before the game and is still out there now. Fairweather fans? BCS haters? who knows ...... like I said before - Ohio people are weird.

Tuesday the schools were on a 2 hour delay due to icy road conditions. I was up late watching the game and then stayed up even later chatting with Elizabeth (Hi Elizabeth!) so I was so happy to have that 2 hour delay. It was good for Audrey too. The older two got to watch the start of the game so they were in bed around 9. With Monday being their first day back and being an American Heritage Girl meeting night as well - they were BEAT.

Wednesday we had snow falling off and on allllllll day but not enough to effect the roads or cause any traffic issues so no school delay or cancellation. Wednesday we also started back to Bible Study. I didn't attend the study that ran from Sept - Nov. It was James McDonald and I wasn't real thrilled with the study of his we did last Spring. Plus, at the time of sign ups, we were still dealing with the whole mess with David's job and I wasn't real sure what was going to happen and I didn't want to spend any money that I didn't have too. But this one is Priscilla Shirer and I am looking forward to it. I have not done one of her studies but she is a Texas girl and I liked what she had to say when I saw her speak at a conference with Beth Moore and Kay Arthur so I figure it can't be bad.

Today is Thursday and it is COLD!!!! It was 20 degrees when I went to the grocery store today and that was at 11:00 am. BRRRRRR!!!!! It is supposed to get to 17 tonight but then get all the way to 39 tomorrow. Wooo ... 39 ...... a veritable heat wave! Audrey and Amy just got home from school and are suited up in the snow gear and playing in the back yard while Allison is whining as she looks out on them with envy. But she is fighting a cold as am I so inside we shall stay.

Gotta go figure out dinner and then get ready to watch the Gators hopefully smack down those annoying Sooners ......