Snow and Presents Galore

It may not be nearly as much

as some other places, but still, we had a semi blizzard on Christmas Eve, and there are still patches of snow on the ground today. It even snowed again a couple of days ago on top of the snow we already had. That NEVER happens here. At least it hasn't in a long while, I'm guessing.

It was quite a strange feeling to wake up day after day to see the snow still hanging around. Usually, it would have melted by the next day or even on the same day. Anyway, as someone who isn't from the northern states, or countries which are perpetually covered in snow, this was quite a new thing for me, a person from the tropics. We tried to get as much out of it as we could. We made some snow ice cream - 3 tubs remaining in the freezer, and brought Jaxon out to get as much out of the experience as we could. With the air being relatively calm and no wind, it was not as cold as I might have thought.

Here are my photogenic boys in their snowy splendour.











MINE, ALL MINE!!





Thank you Aunt Joanna, Uncle CY, Glendon and Evangeline for the helicopter!












We got him a Pooh 4 in 1 Rock and Ride, and will post pics of that later...

Christmas 2009

This year was extra special

because it was Jaxon's first Christmas. So, of course it was "spare no expense" time, and we got him his own little first Christmas shirt, hat and bib. Hehehehe..

I accidentally ended up dressing Jaxon like a lumberjack in his hat and flannel shirt, but he was still as cute as a bug.

( I love that absolutely perfectly round head )

We had to be really careful on the road going to my FIL's house because the roads were still covered with snow/ice and as David says, we have "precious cargo" on board.

The grub was good and the company even better.

I still can't believe we had a White Christmas after all. David jokingly said that it only happened because I had been complaining about not feeling the Christmas spirit this year, and so I was to blame for the blizzard and snow. :P

Ah, this pic melts my heart :)

I didn't make anything fancy for our Christmas lunch with the family. We got croissants from Sam's, and I baked some Christmas cookies ( thank you, Pillsbury ), did the Cranberry sauce/relish/salad and decorated a Gingerbread House! The icicles were a killer! I had never piped any icing of any sort before, and I was doing ICICLES?? David's comment? "What's piping??"

Cookies

Cranberry Sauce/Relish/Salad

Gingerbread House

Christmas Eve Snowstorm

A Blizzard Warning was issued for our area today,

which was pretty phenomenal considering where we are. According to the National Weather Service office in San Angelo, this was the first blizzard warning it has issued for our area since the office opened in 1947.

Looking outside all this morning, into the afternoon, I would have thought we were actually in a blizzard ( blowing or falling snow is accompanied by sustained winds above 35 miles per hour ). We had winds gusting over 35 miles an hour with sideways snow coming down almost all day.

I figure we got about 7 or 8 inches of snow, but with all that blowing, who knows... Plus, there were snowdrifts out here that were about 2 feet tall.

How is this any different from anywhere else that gets snow? Well, for one thing, snow seldom falls in Central Texas. Snow in December is rarer still. A White Christmas with a blizzard warning? Fuggedaboutit...

I took some pictures of the cattery from my study window. The cat toys that are usually dangling about a foot or so off the ground are kinda embedded in the snow..

We still made our way carefully over to my FIL's for Letti Thursday, which might have not been the best choice, but Thank God we made it there and back safely. We saw cars stranded by the side of the road, covered in snow, on the way there.

Oh, and Merry Christmas, one and all, and have safe blessed and glorious year ahead.

More Shots

We got our seasonal flu shots a couple of months ago

and went in to the Health Department to get our H1N1 shots yesterday.

David asked if they had the "preservative free" ones, and a nurse in another room who had popped in at that moment said, "oo, I think I have like 9 more of those". And voila, just like that, my assertive husband got us the preservative-free shots. Yay! It reminds me of my mom and older sister. They can be fiends at bargaining/ haggling, whereas I'm the shy one. I wish I was a little more like them that way, but I guess I find my bargains in other ways. Or I could always get David to do the talking for me. Mwahahahahaha.

At least the worst is over

It's hard enough to keep house and home together

when you're feeling at the top of your game, but when one comes down with a racking cough and raging cold, it gets a little bit harder. I can only hope that with all that coughing and sneezing into the crooks of my arms, and washing my hands as well as using the hand sanitizer religiously, that I don't have to end up taking care of a sick husband and child as well!

And guess what I found while I was looking cruising the net... a super mom action figure. About time.

Finally!

We went to the post office today

to pick up my Malaysian passport. It took about 2 months to get it renewed, which was way less than the estimated 3 - 6 months, due to having to be sent off to Malaysia, and being a "biometric passport".

We immediately went over to the Social Security Office to apply for a social security number/card. If all goes well, we'll be getting that in the mail in a couple of weeks. Phew. I know it's been a long time coming, but we had problems with the green card etc etc. Praise the Lord, everything's falling into place now. Yay!!!!!!

Christmas Card Photo Op

We had "Breakfast with Santa"

at church last Saturday, and brought Jaxon for his first "encounter" with Santa. Everyone had a grand time.. until it was time to take pictures with Santa.

Poor Jaxon looked like he went into major panic attack mode. Right now he's in pretty heavy duty separation anxiety mode, as well as some stranger anxiety. Put both of those together, and you have quite a classic distressed-baby-on-santa's-lap situation....Mama Clause tried to help, but Jaxon was determined NOT to be appeased.

We tried to take some family photos for our Christmas card this year. THIS one did NOT make the cut.

Our poor exhausted baby after the whole traumatic experience. Heheh..

Bible Class Brunch

We had our Bible Class Christmas Party

last Friday, and everyone brought lotsa yummy food. My contribution? I made the coffee. Mwahahahaha.

Doctors, Ducks and Darlings

Thursdays are always a little busier

just because I have to start cooking much earlier in the day ( while tending to everything else ) to make the 5.15pm dinner time over at my FIL's for Letti Thursday. Yesterday I had to start cooking way earlier so that I could finish by 1pm. Jaxon had an appointment at the pediatrician's for his second H1N1 shot and we had some stale duck bread that was just calling out to be fed to the ducks. I forgot to take some pics of the food, but here's the rest of the day.

Jaxon the co-chef playing with some of my cooking utensils and trying to watch Daddy make his morning coffee




Nestled in mummy's jacket, waiting for daddy




Waiting for the nurse to come give him his shot ( eekus ) He cried for only a couple of seconds, but was a little bit cranky the rest of the afternoon. Thank God by night time, he was back to his normal self




Watching Daddy toss bread to the ducks




"Look Mummy, DUCKS!"