All over for another....

Its all over for another year. We have been busy ever since Friday. We have had parties every day and today is our first day of being home all day!
We had Gregs family party on Friday. My family on Saturday and then our party on Christmas. We are all partied out. We had lots of food every time we had a party too. So I have probably gained about 20 lbs. over the holidays. Well... not that much!
Alanna got lots of toys. She loved every one of them too. She would play and then get to wondering for something else and we would let her open another one. She was most enjoyable. She got a hippo to walk behind that picks up blocks and helps her to learn to walk and she did well with it. Her Aunt wanted to knock her down so she wouldn't learn to walk. Of course she was only kidding but she doesn't want her to grow up. She got a dino. that you put balls in and he roars and makes music she loved him too. She was just a jamming to it. She got enough stuff yesterday that she didn't even get to open her stocking stuff so she still has just a few things to open.
Although its been a tough year for our family, she has been the best part of it and the best Christmas present we could have ever asked for. Each day she brings us a smile on our face no matter what the day has given to us.
Everyone got pictures from Alanna this year as their presents from her. They all loved them. Its funny to me how each person picks out a picture they like that is different from everyone else as their favorite. They had many poses to choose from. Daddy doesn't stop at just one. If shes smiling he snaps pictures until she is spent and ready for more exploring.
I hope you all had a Merry Christmas and I hope you all have a Happy New Year!!!!

Ho! HO! HO!!!

We took Alanna to see Santa. She just stared at him. She really looked him over good and gave him her look! If you know Alanna very well she has a look and she gave it to him. He thought she was adorable. He even asked if he could hold her a little longer, of course I said yes. Plus it gave daddy time to get better pictures. Here are a couple. She smiled for her picture that we bought. We only bought the minimal, seeing Santa is expensive these days! Thats ok he brings great gifts! ;)

Finally!

Finally the weekend! Training on the new job is tiring. Alot of standing around telling you what you will be doing. Next week I will do alot more stuff though.

We are taking Alanna to see Santa this weekend. And maybe put up the tree. We haven't done that yet -- and I am not so sure we will get to it. It seems useless to put one up now with only a week to have it up. I am one of those people who put one up and take it down the day after Christmas. I don't like it up with no presents under it. Plus I don't want to try to keep her out of it. We are having our family pictures done too. And we HAVE to finish Christmas shopping this weekend. We are so late this year. Oh well. Alannas is done and thats really all I care about.

Next year, I hope, is gonna be a better year. And I should be in "the mood" more by next year. We will be in the new house, me with a better job, and more money to boot. We have been strapped this year and I am looking forward to a nicer year.

Pictures are coming soon of the little one.

One full week!

I have almost completed one full week at my new position. Its very different but something I am not at all sorry for. It has snowed some more this week and every time that I see the snow I am thrilled that I got the job. The baby is either cutting teeth or getting sick Yippee!! And I have sooooo much to do. Our little doggie is sick too isn't life Grand!!

Tired Me!!

I am sooooo tired! I am having to get up earlier than I use to and boy its getting to me. I will be ok though once I get use to it. We took Alanna' Christmas pictures and they turned out so cute!! She smiled just right in almost everyone of them. She's precious. She must be going through a growth spurt. She ate everything I gave her tonight at the Country Buffet. I couldn't believe it. I hope she doesn't have a tummy ache tonight. When we put her in the car she went almost right to sleep. She did go to bed early tonight.

Fun day!

We had a fun day yesterday. We met for our sisters Christmas and Alanna got a Weebles train set from my mom. She loved tearing off the paper. She was really good and loved all the attention she recieved. She got choked at one point on something I gave her I moved quickly and got her out of her chair as fast as I could. She was fine. She got to play with her train set after we got home and she really had fun!!! She tried to take the little man out of his seat while he was going around the track it was funny to watch! She didn't get her usual nap and I tried So about 5:30 she was a crank!! I put her down which would make a late night for her and finally she crashed again at around 10:00. We had a full day but a fun day!! I am so thankful for her she's so much fun.

Celebrating Christmas a little early

Alanna and I are heading out to lunch in a bit to meet my mom, sisters, and niece. We have done this little tradition for a very long time and will hopefully continue for many more. Alanna is our new addition to the fun. Everyone wanted her to come this year. I was going to leave her with her Daddy this year but they all wanted her to be there. So..... get the baby bag ready, Alanna all ready, all the gifts to exchange ready, last but not the least me ready, and here we come. I can't believe how much stuff one little person requires. You have to be ready for any event that may take place. Its not like it use to be when I could just hop in the car and go. Shes very good in a resturant and for that I am thankful. Before we had her when we would go into a resturant we would sometimes ask for an area with no smoking and no kids. Most people don't make theri children behave in public places and I see no reason not too. Take something for them to do. Its a little more packing but everyone is happier in the long run!

Woo Hoo!!!!

I am done with meter reading. Yesterday was my last official day. I took off today as my last personal day of the year and I start my new job on Monday. Just in time I might add --we got 6-7 inches of snow last night and I don't have to walk in it now!! I am so excited.
I am off tonight to celebrate my promotion to Mongolian Barbeque. Maybe a little shopping and then back home to get the baby.

Its official!

I got the job. Yippee Hooray!!!!!! If everything works out ok I will begin my promotion on Monday-- Yep this coming Monday!! I am so happy. I can't believe I will no longer be reading meters in snow up to my butt. I kept reading today, after I found out, and saying to myself I will never have to read this house again. I can't believe it!!! This winter is my 4th winter and each year I would say this will be my last winter... finally its come true.

We got all our Christmas shopping done for Alanna last weekend and she will do good for her first. We did good -not overboard like so many people do- but good. I would say she will have fun opening her presents and playing with the papers more than the actual gifts. She really likes paper right now she pulls it till she can break it, almost like shredding it. We should have fun though. I think we will be taking her to see Santa this weekend. I hope Santa loves children who pull hair. Thats another stage shes in and she really enjoys pulling my hair because its long. Look out Santa-- here comes Alanna.

We still have shopping to do for each other and family so we will be busy the next couple of weeks. My mom, sisters, one niece, and now Alanna all get together each year for "girls luncheon and Christmas gift exchange" we have done this tradition for a while now and we are scheduled to do it again this Saturday. Alanna gets to be involved too now.

We are also going to go out an celebrate my new job. I already told my hubby that when I found out for sure we were going to go to my favorite resturant. That would be Mongolian Barbeque. Yummy. I haven't been there in a very long time and so it will be fun. I took off Friday so maybe Friday night we will go.

No word yet!

No word on the interview yet. It went well-- I think. Hopefully I will hear something tomorrow for sure. They aren't as anxious as I am. They did mention they wanted someone before Christmas Yeah!! That will be nice. I will be washing meters, to start with and then you move on. As long as I am not in the snow I don't care if I am washing toilets. No I guess I would rather be in the snow than to scrub a toilet. Especially if it's not my own toilets. Anyway the interviewer said I was pleasant to interview. Whatever that might mean.

Family Christmas Sunday!!

Today is family Christmas Sunday at our church. We were to ask our family to come to church with us to celebrate the birth of Jesus. Its a happy day for the reason we celebrate Christmas. But a sad day too.... some of our family will not be with us today. Some family has just lost all interest in church-they have a zillion excuses-I wonder if the phone rang yesterday and on the other end was an unfamiliar voice asking them to go to church today and they said NO if they would bother to ask who it was. Could it be the Lord?? He shouldn't HAVE to ask us to go. It should be something we look forward to every week. Someday we will hang our head in shame when we look on HIS face and try to tell HIM why we didn't get up and go. Some of our family have already gone on they celebrate everday with HIM face to face. And although we hurt lots they wouldn't come back for this special day for anything. We sure do miss you. I hope we teach Alanna to always enjoy going to church. And to love the LORD with all her heart.

Good News Today!

I got a call today from my boss at work and I have an interview on Monday. Yippee Hooray!! I could be doing a different job by one week from Monday. I will keep you all posted. I am so excited --when its offical I am going out to one of my favorite resturants to eat. I can hardly stand it. Its practically mine but nothing is for sure I suppose. Its a union job and I am next in line. Unless, something is major wrong with me it will be my job. I guess they could say no because they don't like me or something. Yeah right. I am not real concerned with that. If you know me you know that that can't BE the case. =)
We have no big plans for the weekend just hanging out I suppose. We have to get some Christmas shopping done at some point but.... I am not in the spirit of things this year. I am not even sure I am putting up a tree. Its not been the greatest year. And so we'll see. Alanna will never know the difference this year. So I can get away with it. Next year we will be in our bigger house and hopefully next year will be better--never the same but a little better.