Happy 2008!

Happy 2008! I was wandering around today burning off some photos for the heck of it. I hope you all party like rockstars in the new year! Enjoy!

The white elephant party!

I've heard stories of the white elephant party Katie's family has every year....but this year I was honored to witness it first hand. Of course the first thing you have to do is eat. duh. I've already pledged marriage to the maker of the carmel rice krispie treats with chocolate on top.


Eric and Luke cheesing it up for the camera (apparently Luke refers to me as "that darn chacha"...how can you not love a little boy like that.)


More horsing around with Chris and his sweet boy Griffin.


And then come the presents...Lisa was lucky enough to walk away with a vacuum cleaner cover that will turn your vacuum "into a conversation piece". Oddly enough, I know two small boys that would like to own that.


I was unlucky enough to have an early number...but not as unlucky to have Eric's number and receive the ever-popular-staple-of-your-wardrobe cheeseburger hat.


I started with a fancy tin of Budweiser, then on to a photo box, and finally, FINALLY, ended up with an item that I can't believe I made it this long in life without...the beer belt, replete with a six pack of Milwaukee's Best. The Budweiser hat was a donation from a prior gift. It's photos like this that are hard evidence that, indeed, I am a man magnet.


Alas, when you check out early, you get the present everyone else is reeeeeeaaaallly sorry they didn't get....the thug shirt. I'm almost afraid to know where these people shop.

Work? What work?

Every year the DU staff get to volunteer at the Santa House in Midland. Hey, it's tough but someone has to do it. Part of the fun is that the kids usually leave their list for Santa there and we get to read a few of them. Here are some of the samples Kim found that gave us a good chuckle....



Love the P.S.


I'll take the new cell phone, flat screen TV and room makeover too, please. (what happened to asking for Barbies n' stuff?)



Again, love the PS and the PSS...


Jenny, Nana, Ethan and Carter showed up in the middle and I tried to get some fun pictures of them together. But throw in 30 spare people, trains, elves playing the piano, snow from the ceiling, and lots and lots of moving things and you get two boys that don't sit still for very long. Carter could not keep his eyes off all the trains and kept pointing over and over saying "Trains! Trains! Trains, Mama! Trains!"

Weekend O' Fun

The weekend started out with some Christmas entertainment via some cute boys. Kid concerts crack me up and Levi and Luke's proved to be just as fun. If only I had sound with these photos - that would be Levi right in the middle singing loud and proud (takes after ChaCha no doubt). My personal favorite is his little brother Luke, very adeptly picking his nose. And that's why I love little kids.



I think my favorite in this picture is the little boy in the blue shirt in the lower right corner...I can do that look rather well...mostly in meetings at work. :)


After the concert we had an even better evening of good wine and fun! Then it was on to a great parade in Coleman but you'll have to go visit Ryan's link at right because I don't like the pictures I took. :)

The big 0-3 for Ella

Ella and I were enjoying cake at the kids table during her very fun birthday party. She gets more adorable every day and her love of the color pink and great shoes has already bloomed (she got a pair of silver shoes with purple feathers and cowboy boots...I mean c'mon who doesn't need purple feathered shoes!).


Ella's little sister Layla was lounging around with cousin Henry...speaking of adorable.

A hot date.

When you can't rustle up a hot single man on a Tuesday night, sometimes you come across an even better date. This one happened to be a whole 2.5 feet tall, blonde, hulky and cute as heck. I was the paparazzi for Carter during his Honeybee session at GymJester's.


I wish I had the abs of this kid. Carter and his hulk hogan-ness is rather impressive, he LOVES the rings and could swing there all day if you let him.



A mama and her boy...still being cute



Here are some old pics from a random game night. Are these not the best party cups ever? I highly recommend getting a new nose every now and then.



After a rousing game of Celebrity and a rather entertaining round of pictionary there was a tie so we resorted to really scientific ways of breaking it. Turns out married couples suck at rock-paper-scissors because they always do the same thing. Dorks. After about 10 rounds we had to give another couple a try...



...and then Sarah and Jerry started in on it...let me tell you now...Sarah is a butt kicker when it comes to competition and she ended up putting the smack down on old Jerry. Don't let her fool you, if she tries to tell you she stinks at charades and the celebrity game..she lies. :)

Halloween 2007

Well this Halloween held some interesting events...here was the party that had quite the interesting costumes (I was a quarter pouder with cheese...it's classic just ask and I'll show you). :)

Where else can you get a picture with Al and Peg Bundy, Thug Raggedy Ann and Andy, and Jack Tripper and Chrissy Snow?!


Lou should know better than to do that stuff near a photographer. :)


Jack Tripper changed into a Three Amigo and tried to convert Darth himself.


These kids are actually my real nieces and nephews that live in North Carolina. Michael made quite the waves as a girl...and scored up some extra candy for being brave enough to wear that costume. Jenna is wearing the same cat that my sister and I wore when we were that age (my mom made it - give or take - 25 years ago!). James, ah James, just remember he's in the first grade and reads at the seventh grade level...he was a molecule of course...a hydrogen one at that. If you dig around in the archives you'll find him at the Center for the Arts excited about his favorite elements. Who? James? Like science...nooooo. And then there is Christina as Hermione...how did she get to be that tall? Are 10-year-olds supposed to be that old looking?! (Photo from my sister)


For those of you that don't know Ethan and Carter, they are OBSESSED with vacuum cleaners. So of course Jenny just whipped them up two ShopVac costumes (she's nerdy like that). They had hoses and everything...and you could put the candy down the hose to a bag on the inside. Now that's hard core craziness. (Photo by neighbor Pam)