best and worst of 2007

It’s that  time again. I know everyone is waiting to hear what was the best and worst of 2007 here under the Big Top as perceived by the individual member of this circus act. I know I am. It’s always interesting for me to see through the eyes of my family the good and the bad. So without further adieu here you go…

Daniel:

• best- Disneyland and meeting his very best friend Mickey Mouse, getting his very own (not pink like his sister’s) Nintendo DS
• worst- the pooping in the potty thing

Jodie:

• best- making the Dance Stars Competition team
• worst- none

Abby:

• best- Arizona Mission trip, the whole summer

• worst- fighting with friends, graduating from 8th grade

Zoë:

• best- this family vacation and that one too, making new friends
• getting caught in her teenage rebellion and being grounded

Holly:

• best- family vacations (again), buying (with mom and dad’s help) a new car
• worst- Boston, moving back home into parents’ house

Bill:

• going green( sort of) and buying his Lexxus
• finding out we will be grandparents before we are 50 (at least she isn’t 16?)

Laura

• best- those family vacations, the Wine and Roses
• worst- juggling my role as Vampira the night shift nurse because honestly sometimes it is all about the sleep, laundry in spite of this shiny, new toy

All in all I can honestly say that it has been a very good year here under the Big Top. We were blessed. Here’s to 2008!

backseat theology

Overheard conversation between Jodie and Daniel

Daniel: What am I going to do at Sunday School today?

Jodie: I bet you are going to sing songs and listen to stories about how much Jesus loves Daniel.

Daniel: I know that. Everyone loves Daniel!

Jodie: (giggling) Well, you are right about that.

non-productive

It is cold, wet, windy and dreary around these parts today so I faced the day by:

• staying in my jammies all day
• napping
• watching movies
• napping
• playing Super Mario Galaxy on our Wii
• napping
• completing 18 pages for the family photo scrapbook
• making tortilla soup for dinner tonight

Sometimes non-productivity is a very good thing.

three years old

Happy birthday to you

Happy Birthday to you

Happy Birthday dear blo-og

Happy Birthday to you!

Hard to believe this all started three years ago.

which twin has the “toni”

It’s great to get just about everything on your Christmas wish list. The only problem is when more than one person gets you what was on your Christmas wish list.

Yeah, one of these (sweatshirts) will be returned. My little tree-hugger tells me she only needs one.

Do you have anything to return?

the final Monday Photo Shoot: say buh-bye!

John Scalzi writes:

Well, here it is: The very last Photo Shoot I’ll be doing here at By The Way. This makes it simple to come up with a subject:

Your Final Photo Shoot: Wave goodbye! Because all good things must come to an end, but I think we can leave on a high note.

Here’s goodbye from this end:Time has passed, although ironically I have more hair in the later picture than in the earlier one (I’m in desperate need of a haircut, I have to say). But Athena, you can tell, has grown during the interim. Time passes. What can you say.

Thank you all for playing along with these Photo shoots over the last couple of years. I’ve seen a lot of great pictures here, and I’m delighted that you’ve posted them up at my bidding. I’ll miss doing them here.

So: Take a picture of you saying “so long”! Post it on your blog or journal, and then come back here — one last time – to leave a link.

Well, at the risk of frightening small children and people with weak hearts, I will throw a kiss bye-bye your way to the Monday Photo Shoot. It has been a lot of fun playing along even if I played rather sporadically. I will miss this featur (and the rest of By The Way) a lot.

Thanks for the memories and the blog entries.

another angel

Another blog goes dark. Kim of I Shaved My Legs for This? , lost her fight with breast cancer this week. Go read her blog and see for yourself what an amazing, inspiring lady she was.

what goes around comes around

Someday my beloved grand-spawn will make a face like this and she will utter that oh-so-often-repeated momily: “If you don’t stop making that face it will freeze that way!”

christmas wishes come true

Well, most of them and for that we are truly thankful here under the Big Top.

I hope that yours was merry and bright too.

all I want for Christmas….

• World Peace
• A Greener Planet
• Good Health
• Prosperity
• Kindness
• Honesty
• the joy of watching my children’s excitement, joy and genuine, honest surprise as they see their gifts for the first time
• and bright, shiny, sparkly bling

That’s all. I’m not too greedy am I?

What do you want?