Well, after months of bugging Joey to let us get his hair cut, he finally gave in! I took him today, and spent some time letting him look through the books of different hairstyles. At first he wanted to look at the girls and tell me which ones were cute, but eventually he chose a style that he liked. It looks exactly like it did before - only a bit shorter and not as crazy long in the back. He's still super handsome, and he's happy because its not short & spiky.

This is the last official business day of the year, so technically its my last day off before going back to work. I know I still have till Tuesday, but weekends and stat holidays don't count :) So what did I do on my last Friday off??? Went to Walmart only to find that they had none of the Friends dvds left (2 seasons for $30! Its usually that price for 1!), and to get our groceries. Food Basics was crazy, and I still hate shopping at any time between Christmas & New Year. And of course, we got Joey's hair cut. Chris still has his long hair :)

We still don't have plans for New Years. It just doesn't feel like the holiday season because we have no snow. I guess if it was snowy I might feel like partying a little more. There's still a few days to go, so maybe something will come up!

That's it for today... and maybe for this year. If I don't post before Monday, then have a very happy new year, and don't forget to drink lots on New Years Eve ;)

And its done. Christmas is now over till next year. I hope everyone had a really great Christmas and Boxing Day... if you went out to the malls today to find a bargain, you're a braver person than me! This is the one day of the year that I will NOT ever venture into a mall/store/shopping centre because people are crazy! I'll find a deal another day :)

Here are a few of the pictures from the last few days. Surprisingly enough, I didn't take too many. I wanted to enjoy the time with my kids and my family, and being behind the camera all the time takes away from it. I love to have pictures, but it means so much more to the kids for mommy to watch instead of taking pictures all the time. I learned to put the camera down, and just enjoy the moment.

Here is Joey on Christmas Eve, just before going to bed. He fed the Reindeer special reindeer food and read a Christmas book, then he hung a special magic Santa key on the door so that Santa could get in. We left cookies and iced tea, because that is what Santa loves the most ;)

This is our tree.... duh. I guess thats obvious. This is before the whirlwind hit and toys and wrapping paper flew all over the living room and various other rooms in the house!

And here's my little man opening his gifts! He loves the play centre, and its almost like he was posing for the camera. My little ham - just like his big brother.

I absolutely LOVE this picture of Joey! The look on his face is just so perfect, and he looks gorgeous! But of course thats just me being a proud mom! Anyways... he wanted to play with the box that his pirate ship came in, so this is it. Pretty cool!

Another pirate ship picture... so cute!

Here's Taylor, Mathew, Joey & Chris at Grandma Barb's and Grandpa Al's place. Every year they each get some kind of favourite food - Taylor and Mathew love pickles and Joey loves ketchup! Chris just likes everything, so it didn't matter what he got... see how he's eyeing up everything else?!?!?

This is what the grandkids got from Grandma & Grandpa Braniff! Lets just say that they were a bit excited!

Here's Joey with his most favourite person in the whole wide world! He loves his aunt Kim, and I think she loves him back :)

This is the pirate ship that Joey loves so much! Its huge, has tons of pieces
and came with a treasure box that plays "A Pirate's Life For Me", so I'll
probably hate the toy in a few days when pieces are missing, or I step on
something, or when he plays the song too much!

The boys were really spoiled again, as you can see. But we had a great day. We had an amazing dinner at my mommy's, and really loved being with our special visitors for the day. And I say special in a good way people, not the way you're thinking, so don't hit me when you see me :) Today was dinner at the Leatham's place with Jason's side of the family, and that was another lovely day. The kids got to take out the 4 wheeler, so they were happy! I didn't get to see it, but I was told that Joey went over a bump and went flying! He loved it!

And what did Santa leave for me, you ask??? How about a few books that I wanted, a nice blue jacket (which Chris puked on!), a coconut bath set, a Suduko game, some pickled onion Monster Munch (mmmmm, good, and they're all gone already!), a few Macintosh things, and much more. I also received a pretty special gift from my aunt Mo - a koala bear just like the one that we all used to fight over when we were little. Now I can scratch my chin just like Kevie used to do with his!

All in all, another incredible Christmas. I'm just tired now! So its off to bed for me, and maybe I'll post tomorrow, maybe not. We'll see what the family wants to do :)

We went to my moms this evening to visit with our family from Scotland - yep, they got here safe and sound. This is what Christmas is all about... being with family. It is our most favourite time of the year, and I can't wait for when our kids are older and appreciate it for what it is, instead of the presents. Don't get me wrong, I LOVE this whole "Santa's coming" thing, and seeing the kids being excited! But one day they'll know what its all about. The presents don't matter, because you can get those any time of the year. But Christmas day is the one day when everyone can be happy and you don't have to worry about anything. Its a magic day.

With that said.... when we got home tonight, our neighbour came over with some cookies and Christmas gifts for everyone! Joey got the coolest dragon, which Connie painted herself. I'll have to take a picture and post it, it looks like something you'd see in a store. Chris received cool little cars which I know he's gonna love when they're out of the box! For us, Connie made the greatest gift basket filled with stuff from her garden and homemade things - rosemary oil, peppermint tea bags, lemon balm, lavender sachet, a jar of homemade bread & butter pickles (they won't last long, Jason's eating them now!), honey, and more! Its the most thoughtful and wonderful thing ever. I love it!

I just had to share this little piece of information. I'm starting to feel a little Christmas-y, even though there's no snow! Tomorrow is cookie day again, and getting ready for Santa! The stockings have to go up, Santa's dishes have to come out, and the Reindeer food has to get ready. I can't wait!

So I might not be able to write tomorrow - we've got a busy Christmas Eve planned. Besides, its the most magical day and night for kids and I want to enjoy it with mine. I hope you do too.

I have nothing to say today except...

2 more sleeps!

Let's talk about mall Santas. To me, they are a very important part of Christmas. They are what every little kid looks forward to at Christmas time - seeing that all important person who knows if they have been naughty or nice through the year. Santa is the person who is always nice to you, even if he's going to leave coal in your stocking :)

When Joey finished school on Wednesday, I decided that we would run to the mall to see Santa. The last time we went it was just too busy, so I figured that right after school shouldn't be too bad. I was right! We went up and decided what picture package we were going to get and then waited for a minute to see the Big Guy. When we got up there, he didn't want to see the kids. Joey didn't want to go near him, and Santa didn't want to hold Chris. I finally got Joey to sit on his lap, although he wouldn't smile, and told Santa that I needed him to hold Chris so I could have a pic. When they were both sitting there, looking miserable, Santa looked at me and said "has this one been good?", talking about Joey. That was it. No "what do you want for Christmas, little boy?" or "Hohoho". Talk about disappointment. The picture was taken, and it probably sucked, then Santa had a coughing fit. He pushed Joey off his lap, good thing I had already taken Chris, shoved a candy cane at him and that was it. Afterwards, Joey asked me why Santa was so mean to him since he had been such a good boy. I had to explain to him that sometimes the real Santa is just too busy getting ready for Christmas that he has to send a helper Santa to see the kids. This helper Santa just didn't have any Christmas spirit and didn't want to be there. I'll say it like it is - he REALLY SUCKED!!!!!

Anyways, you all know me and how I like to complain if I get crappy service. So what did I do? I came home and emailed the mall to tell them what happened, and how I was extremely unhappy with this Santa. The next day I got a call from the people who run the Santa Shack (as I call it!) saying how disappointed they were that I had a bad experience and that they wanted me to come back for retakes. I said only if there's a better Santa - and was told that there would be! The Santa that we saw was gone! GOOD!!! It made me wonder how many other people had complained, and how many other kids really questioned Santa.

So last night we wandered out to the mall again to have the pictures retaken. This time, Santa was wonderful! He talked away to Joey and Joey even smiled for the picture! The photographer remembered me and was really great! She asked if I wanted to see the picture so I knew what I was getting, then decided it wasn't good enough (I didn't notice Santa had closed his eyes!), and apologized about the last time we were in. So now I get to go to the mall again to pick up the pictures.... and this time I can't wait! I just know that this time it will be great :)

What have we learned today - that it pays to complain. If you don't let people know that you're not happy, how are they supposed to know that they suck? I have absolutely no problem letting people know, and I've come to understand that companies like to hear when things are crappy. It helps them to provide service for other customers, and provides me with some little extra benefits along the way! This year we've had free diapers from Pampers because a box that I bought leaked, family pricing on furniture, free dinners, and now - free Santa pics! It definetly pays to complain. Remember - these companies want you back because you'll spend more money :)

And that's it for today boys and girls. Remember to be good because those creepy little elves are apparently always watching you... so don't pick your nose :)

3 more sleeps!

Here's some pictures from Joey's birthday yesterday.... He had a lot of fun, as you can see! His best friend Griffen came over to hang out and have some cake with us, and it was great having him here. The two of them play awesome together - 10 minutes after Griffen got here, the boys took off to Joey's room and that was it till dinner time! All I heard was lots of laughing and the occasional crash! But I know they had a great time together, and I can't wait to do it again (minus the cake and sugar rush!)!


As you can see from the last picture, Joey got the Cars game that he wanted for Playstation! The boys were really excited, and they played really well and took turns without fighting! Now all we have to do is get another controller so that they can race together :)

Still can't believe that he's 5! Or that its only 1 more day till Aunt Laney, Aunt Mo and Uncle Brian get here for the holidays! And I still can't believe that its only 4 more sleeps till Christmas! Its just gonna get crazier and crazier over the next week - and I love it :)

Oh yeah, I start back to work on January 2. Yuck.

It's Joey's Birthday Today!

Happy 5th Birthday Buddy!

Can you believe that this was Joey at 1 year old...

And this is Joey now!

Its so hard to believe that he's 5 already! FIVE!!! I have no idea where the last 5 years have gone. Someone told me years ago that once you have kids, time goes faster than ever. Now I know exactly what they were talking about! When I woke him up this morning, he was upset because I made his dream disappear! He was dreaming that he was playing the Cars Playstation game! What a kid - what a dream!

Joey is really special to us. We went through a lot to have him, and we're lucky that he's such a great kid. Joey was born a month early and he weighed in at 5lbs 8oz. He was such a tiny little thing. He was so small, yet he looked like a little old man. His skin was like tissue paper and it was all red, and if you rubbed his back, his skin would just crinkle up. For the first few days he had to be fed with a tube. He was finally released from the hospital at 3pm on Christmas Eve. He was my favourite Christmas present that year :)

I won't say that the past 5 years have been easy... I mean, he's a good kid, but being a parent has lots of ups and downs. Its been a lot of fun, and he's made every day even more special to me. He has a way of making me smile when I'm upset, making me laugh at the most innocent questions that he asks (when can I be a dad was yesterdays question!), and making me see life in a whole new way. He's just an awesome person, and I love him soooooo much!!!!!!

So Happy Birthday Joey - WE LOVE YOU BIG GUY!!!

And you're getting a big surprise this afternoon :)

Only 1 more day till Joey's birthday and 6 more days till Christmas...are we excited yet??? I know Joey is, and Chris just has no clue whats going on - all he knows is that he got presents last week and he's loving the new stuff :) I'm still bugging Joey about his birthday present, but he'll find out soon enough!

I got some crappy news yesterday, news that I was not expecting at all. I got mail from the wonderful people at EI telling me that my claim is done. DONE! I had no idea what they were talking about, and was wondering why the cheque they sent was for way less than what I expected. When I called them, they were so marvelously helpful in reading word for word what their stupid policies are instead of being human and telling me whats going on. You may remember that I was supposed to start back to work last week but because I had surgery the mat leave was extended to January 15. Seems that they don't like to do that - but they don't feel like they should tell people. I sent in all the required paperwork in June. No one there ever thought that it would be a good idea to call and let me know that it wasn't approved. My problem is that the people at my local HR office told me it would be extended... she even looked up on her calendar my return to work date and everything! I'm just so mad and frustrated right now. There is absolutely nothing that I can do - an appeal takes a while and you have to get representation, so I can't do that. Now we have to somehow scramble to get childcare arranged for an earlier date so I can get back to work. It really sucks - if they had just called and explained this back in the summer, I wouldn't have had a problem. Instead they wait till days before Christmas to screw me over. So to you wonderful EI people - thanks for wrecking Christmas - happy holidays to you. To the family that I can't get Christmas presents for now, ask the EI people why.

Enough of my rant. I'll figure it out, I usually do. It just sucks that it worked out this way.

Well, I did it. Today I pulled out the trusty old Kitchenaid and dusted it off and BAKED!!! I found a recipe for mincemeat cookies and decided to bake those. They are good! Definetly something that I'd make again, and will since I have a half jar of mincemeat left! This afternoon I'm making shortbread, and we still have to make chocolate chip cookies. I'm not allowed to make those ones till Joey is home because he likes to eat the choccie chips while I'm cooking. Its so much fun to bake with him! Why do kids make everything way more fun?!?!

Joey's birthday is on Wednesday.... and he wants to have a party, but this close to Christmas is just too crazy to try to get a bunch of kids together for a birthday party. I know its not fair to him, but people have Christmas parties and family get-togethers going on now, so its hard. Maybe next year I'll do it at the beginning of December, just so he gets a party. Anyways, he's been dying to see his friend Griffen, so I'm hoping to surprise Joey and have Griffen here for dinner & to play for the night - and to help Joey open his birthday present! He's gonna love it, and you'll have to wait to find out what it is! Here's a picture of the two of them from June when we went to the circus...

They kind of look alike, and there is only a week or two difference in age. When Joey was in the hospital at 6 weeks old, Griffen was his roommate - only we didn't know it till last Christmas! Talk about small world! They are both great boys, and best friends. I think this is a friendship that will last a loooooooong time :)

That's it - gotta go try to bake something else!

Its now only 8 days till Christmas, and I can't believe how much I still have to do. I haven't even finished shopping yet! I'll be able to get that stuff done hopefully by the end of this week. Its Joey's birthday on Wednesday, so that's another crazy day to look forward too! How I love the holiday season!

Here's some pics of Chris enjoying his birthday cake on Friday....

It was a fun day! He was so messy when it was all over - somehow he even had cake in his diaper and in his underarm! I have no idea how he did it because he had a diaper shirt, sweatshirt and pants on, so its a mystery that I really don't think I want to solve :) When he was finished, I just stripped him down and threw him right in the tub - he loved it! I bet he wishes it was his birthday everyday!

I was reading on Melissa's blog today that she's going to be baking this week... maybe I'll try that too! Any good (and easy) recipes that you'd like to share with me, let me know! I found one today for mincemeat cookies, and I'd like to try those. Maybe I'll be adventurous and try to make them! I'll let you know how it goes :)

We went to my work Christmas party last night - yeah, I know I haven't been there for over a year, but they invited me anyways! How nice of them, I guess they miss me and the abuse that I give them! I'll be honest and say that I wasn't really looking forward to it much, but I have to admit that it was a GREAT night! We couldn't stay late because we had to pick up the kids, but the food was yummy and the entertainment was very interesting... it started with dessert. The party was at the Portuguese club, and the servers brought out the desserts while dancing and waving sparklers and having really loud music. When they were done, and the desserts had just been handed out, we heard more music, this time BAGPIPES! Yep, 2 pipers came from the back of the hall and made their way around the tables to the front of the room and up onto the stage. Once up there - they started to ROCK! I've never seen anything like these two guys - they were awesome! They are 2 biker brothers from Toronto, and they can play incredibly, they even do AC/DC covers on the bagpipes! I would have loved to hear that :) I googled them and found out that they are in the band Mudmen, so check them out if you want! All in all, a very good night!

So thats my interesting story for today. And I'm not even hung over :)

Today is Christophers 1st birthday!

Happy Birthday Little Man!

Its so hard to believe that he's gone from this....

To this!

Now I'm going to gush like a proud mom - so don't read anymore if you can't stand mushy stuff!

When Christopher was born, I had no idea how much my life would change again... for the better. My kids are my world, as you can probably tell if you keep up with this blog! Anyways, Chris came into this world at 7:37am on his due date, one year ago today. He weighed in at 6lbs, 15oz. I found out it was a boy when Jason said "Mommy's gonna be disappointed!" during the c-section! (Yes, I wanted a girl - Caitlyn!) As soon as he said that, I just knew that we had another son! At that point, it didn't matter anymore! I was just so happy, proud and lucky to have my 2 boys!

He had lots of hair, and one long crazy hair at the back of his head! To this day, that crazy stray hair is still there, and super long! I think I may have to pull it out before he loses it, put it in his baby book or something :)

He wasn't supposed to be named Christopher. He was supposed to be Ethan or Scott. But after he was born and Jason brought him to me, he told me that he really wasn't too sure about those names, that he had just agreed with any name that I liked because I was pregnant and hormonal at the time. Everyone knows that you don't argue with a pregnant woman! So after a day of being called "Baby B", we finally decided on Chris. Its just right for him.

Thanks Chris, just for being you. You're a cool little person, and make me smile every day. I know you can't read this, but I hope you know how much you are loved. You are absolutely perfect the way you are... except for the whole sleep thing - that could do with being changed!

So have a happy day little buddy! You're a number now, not a zero anymore!!!

WE LOVE YOU!!!

Thursday... that means its Survivor, CSI and ER night. Its pretty sad how much I look forward to certain nights because of whats on tv. Its a good thing they're on after the boys go to bed (ok, they're not always in bed!), otherwise they'd have to watch that crap with me! Not that Joey would complain, he watches anything.

We met up with Melissa and her kids yesterday, and the boys had a blast at McDonalds! They didn't really care about their food, but were more interested in going into Playland. Before we knew it, 2 hours had passed and it was time to go! When we got to the mall, the lineup for Santa was HUGE!!! I mean, really HUGE! There was no way that I was waiting for an hour or two with both kids, so we decided to do some shopping instead. That made Joey a very happy boy! I had originally told him that he couldn't spend his money till after Christmas, just in case he bought something that Santa was already planning on getting him. But he ended up choosing a Bionicle and some Cars undies! Good choice Joey!

So now I have to pick another time to take him to see Santa. Maybe after school we'll go... maybe! Only if it doesn't rain!

That's it for today folks. Tomorrow I'll have a good post, I promise :)

Just a quick post today, with an adorable picture to go with it. Here's Chris with one of Joey's hats... normally Chris hates hats and won't keep it on for more than 2 seconds, but he kept this one on long enough for me to grab the camera and get a picture! Its almost like this is exactly what he wanted!

Last night was date night - Barnyard and Talladega Nights. Both good movies, but Talladega Nights just wasn't what I thought it would be. It was still funny, but just not typical Will Ferrell funny. The extras on the dvd also leave a lot to be desired, only the public service announcements and commercials were really funny! But still, not a bad movie to watch.

Joey has a p.a. day today.... again. So we're meeting a friend and her kids at McDonalds for lunch. Joey and Carson will get to play in Playland, and we'll get to sit and talk for a bit. Hopefully the babies will sleep! After that, we're off to the mall to visit SANTA!!! Joey is sooo excited, and he just can't wait! I'm sure that I'll have a story to tell you tomorrow!

Take care, and Happy Wednesday!

2 Weeks Till Christmas!

Here's the 2 best presents that I've ever received.

Here's my little Chris... so cute under the Christmas tree! He's clapping his hands and was singing "If You're Happy and You Know It"! It really was the cutest thing... then he decided that the lights on the tree were oh so pretty and that he should eat them. The blue light looked cool, wonder if I should show him what happens when you put the red light up your nose?!?!

And here's my big guy, also under the tree! I didn't realize that he still had ketchup on his face until I put the pictures on the computer. Since I don't have software to fix this little problem, you get to see Joey as he really is - a ketchup loving little boy who doesn't care if he's messy and looks gorgeous no matter what!

Today was originally supposed to be my first day back to work, but thanks to the removal of my gall bladder, it was extended for another few weeks! I woke up this morning and was soooo thankful for those few extra weeks. I can't imagine being back at work right now - I'd miss both boys birthdays, and there's so much to get done before Christmas. How could I get all of it done if I was back at work??? Maybe I'll just keep getting surgery so my mat leave keeps getting extended... how many body parts can I spare and have removed?!?!

I've been trying to get things cleared out before Santa arrives with "stuff". We've got a bunch of baby stuff to get rid of, so if you happen to know of anyone who needs "stuff", let me know. Otherwise, all this stuff is going to Once Upon a Child this weekend! Why do babies and kids need so much stuff anyways?

Oh yeah, anyone need an aquarium??? We're getting rid of one of those too :)

Yep, that's right.

As promised, here are the pictures from Saturday's Christmas Candyland!

It was a lot of fun, even if it was too cold for Chris to come along.

Joey & I were brave, so we bundled up off we went. We really enjoyed ourselves, especially in the snow pile.
Hope you like the pictures as much as I enjoyed taking them.

And yes, once again, the pics are mainly of Joey!

Here's my Joey, enjoying the snow!

My little ham... again :)

Me and my little man!

He's thinking stop taking my picture already, I wanna play!

He wanted to make an igloo, but lost interest after a few blocks!

Styrofoam candy.... how yummy!

How I wish this was a real place!

Retro candy... what's your favourite?!

Can't eat this gingerbread man... sorry little buddy!

Ice carving with a chainsaw - that's Canadian!

Kids entertainment - He was just about to have a dance contest so Joey went up. When the guy said that everyone had to start by sitting down, Joey turned around and walked away saying "yeah, I'm not gonna do that mom"! Whatever, we had fun - even though Joey wouldn't go see Santa because he wants to see him at a Christmas Party!

.......................................................................

Here's a few of the yummy creations that they had in the gingerbread house contest. These people were creative... If I made a gingerbread house, it wouldn't last long enough to be in a contest :)

........................................................

All in all, a very good day. Can't wait for next year when I can take both boys! I just hope that its not as cold then!

Today was cookie baking day again.... and both the little guys got in on the action this time!

Both Joey and Chris had fun licking the bowl and the spoons, then Joey had fun trying to get the spoon to stay on his nose! I wasn't too surprised when it worked for him, but Chris couldn't keep the spoon away from his mouth long enough to try it! So cute :)

Anyways, not a long post today - I've got to go make dinner so I can eat some of these goodies!!!

Good night!

P.S. Come back tomorrow to see pictures from Christmas Candyland!!!

SSSSHHHHH - HE SLEEPS!!!

Chris decided to have a nap while we were out this morning. He has actually slept for over an hour now, yep - over an HOUR!!! For those of you who know Chris, you know how rare this is, and how much I look forward to it :) So I thought I'd take a picture of this rare occurance and share it with everyone! I know its blurry, but I didn't want to wake him up!

Joey has a p.a. day today, so he's watching cartoons right because he thinks he never gets to watch them in the afternoon. Its actually kind of nice out today, just snowy, so maybe later we'll get out for a bit to play - have a snowball fight. The weather is crazy right now. Yesterday was -19 with the windchill, today is -4, and its supposed to be 7 & sunny on Sunday. Go figure. Anyways, I'm not gonna complain cause we can't change the weather so we just have to deal with it :)

Thats it. I'm hungry & I want lunch now. Bye!

What's in a name? Have you ever looked up the meaning of your name??? Here's what I got when I googled my name:

Melanie is Greek, and it means black,
darkskinned. Religion: Saint Melanie was a wealthy
heiress and philantrophist of the 4th and 5th century
who freed thousands of slaves and engaged in lifelong good
works. The name was uncommon until the novel "Gone
With the Wind" and its character Melanie Wilkes.

Not really me, is it??? I mean, I'm so pale that I make white milk look like chocolate milk, and my hair is so red that I blend in when I stand next to a fire truck. Wealthy heiress and philantrophist... that's funny! Now the lifelong good works - thats me. I'm a perfect person, so at least that part of the definition was right! And I do remember my mom telling me that I was named after a character in Gone With the Wind, but didn't believe it until I read this definition! Guess maybe one day I'll sit down and watch it, since I'm in it :) Google your name and see what you can find out - that's your homework for today!

When I was little, my papa used to call me Mac. That was my initials, but he just called me that anyways. And every little thing that he could name after me, he did! I remember that he even named one of his plants after me! Silly, I know, but to a little girl who adored her grandfather, it meant the world. Their dog was even named Mac, and she bit me all the time. I guess she didn't like being named after me.

Everyone else seems to call me Mel. Its just a name that I've gotten used to but never really cared for. Not everyone can call me that. There have been a few people who have called me Mel and I've just wanted to scream at them. Instead, I've politely told them that my name is Melanie, so please call me that. If I never correct you when you call me Mel, then you know that you're good in my books :)

I've had other names that people call me, some that I can't write here, but only one has ever really been original. I've mentioned it before, and now is the time to tell the story.

My name is Alf. Not Alfonso, not Alfred or Alfreda, just plain old Alf. Its after the 80's-90's show Alf, about an A.lien L.ife F.orm. (How obvious is that?!) So why am I called Alf, and how did this name come about??? It happened about 12 years ago, when I met Jason. His Uncle Tom started to call me Alf, because I am an alien. We immigrated to Canada when I was 12, so I guess that makes me an alien. Because of my red hair and the alien thing, the name Alf has just kind of stuck. Or maybe its because he couldn't remember my name way back then, and this is all he could think of!

I guess looking back to when I was younger, I've always been Alf. I mean, being called Mel, my initials being Mac... put them together and you get Melmac. Where did Alf come from??? Melmac! So I am Alf, and I'm proud of it.

Here's a pic of the family back on the home planet.....


Now I think I should be locked up in a padded room, and someone should throw the key away. I've completely lost it, writing about aliens! Maybe they'll come for me tonight.............

It's cold today. Chilly cold... the kind of cold that gets into your bones and you just can't warm up no matter what. Brrr. My fingers are pretty much frozen still from taking Joey to school, even though I cranked up the heat when I got home. Oh well, I guess sitting at the computer typing my tales doesn't help either. If I got up and vaccuumed, did the dishes, the laundry or any other miscellaneous household chore, I'm sure I'd warm up in no time. I'll freeze for today :)

This was a busy weekend for us, and it went by so fast. Saturday was Christmas cookie baking day with Grandma Reynolds. That's always a fun day, and we all look forward to it. Chris decided to be his mischevious little self and try to get into stuff, but all in all, it was a good day. Joey had fun and got to lick the spoons and sample the dough for all the cookies. Out of all the cookies we made, the peppernuts are my favourite. But once we get them home, they seem to disappear really fast... not sure why! I think we have elves or gremlins here who nibble on them all the time! But thats ok. We're going back this Saturday to make some more!!!

I'm lost today. I have no clue what to do with myself tonight since Prison Break is done. There's nothing else to watch, so maybe we'll have a movie night and watch an old Christmas movie. Or maybe we'll put up the tree. Or maybe we'll do nothing. Just don't know what to do. I'll figure something out.

Jason is back to work tomorrow. Its gonna be weird around here... quiet! I have to admit, its kind of nice to have him home, but at the same time I'll be glad to see him get back to work. I think he's looking forward to it as well, now that he's seen what its like to be home with 2 kids. Its not all tv & bonbons like he thought it was!!!

That's it today. Chris is acting up again, so gotta go get him settled down. Have a good day and stay warm :)

In the spirit of the season....

Its December already! Where has this year gone??? I can't believe that its only a little more than 3 weeks till Christmas. After showing Joey this picture, I tried to convince him that Santa got hurt while out on a practice run... he started laughing and said "no way, mom! That's not the real Santa! Its only a picture of him on that plane!" He's excited, and just can't wait for the big jolly fat guy to make his way here... if he makes it here! He knows that he has to be on his best behaviour, or else he'll get a big lump of coal in his stocking and thats it!

Tomorrow is Taylors birthday... I can't believe that she's going to be 9 already!!! Time flies, and its sad to think of her so grown up already. I still remember her as a little baby, blowing bubbles with me on grandma's front porch. And to top it all off... she's almost taller than me.

We're doing our Christmas baking with Grandma Reynolds tomorrow. Its been a tradition for Jason ever since he was little, and looks forward to it all year. I love the peppernut cookies that we make, those are the best! Joey is excited too, but I think its because he knows that he gets to lick the bowls and spoons when we're done!

Have a great December 1st! Only 24 days to go!