Merry Christmas x 2

Merry Christmas! I know I am a few days late, but it has been extremely busy.

We loaded the car to drive to Grandma's house on Christmas Eve. Mommy and Daddy decided to leave early to try and beat bad weather they thought they might run into. I thought all was going well. I got to ride on Mommy's lap for a little bit. But, then I wanted to ride in the back seat on my blanket (and with Clancy).





Good thing I decided to do that. Daddy had to concentrate really hard on driving. The weather turned bad and Mommy got really nervous. We saw lots of cars in the ditch (and a few with some serious injuries). Mommy told Daddy to take his time. And, he did.





We pulled off at one point to put some gas in the car and get some lunch. I was excited about that. Mommy and Daddy went to McDonald's. And, I love their fries. So, Mommy let me have some. Then, I rode on Mommy's lap for the rest of the drive (the road conditions were much better after lunch).

But, I was relieved (and so was Mommy) when we got to Grandma and Grandpa's house. I was really excited to see them (and I had to go to the bathroom really bad). I love Grandma and Grandpa. They always love to cuddle with me - and play with me. Grandpa even gets on the floor and plays with me (that is pretty cool). He also likes to chase me around the house (and I love it).

Anyways, I was so worn out that I curled up on the couch to watch Mommy, Daddy, Aunt Kristin and Uncle Eugene's annual Trivial Pursuit game (or should I say Marathon). Mommy and Aunt Kristin are extremley competitive...so they can say some not so nice things while playing against each other. Daddy and Uncle Eugene...well, they are calm, cool and collected. Aunt Kristin and Uncle Eugene won one game and Mommy and Uncle Eugene won a game. That made Daddy the only loser.

Anyways, we went off to bed to await Santa. And boy, did he leave some really nice things for everyone. Daddy got really cool cuff links (watch movement) from Grandma and Grandpa, Mommy gave Grandma and Grandpa digital photo frames with old pictures of Mommy and Aunt Kristin, Uncle Eugene got some really cool Star Wars stuff including a Star Wars cookbook, and Aunt Kristin got some really cool chocolate pearls from Mommy. Oh, Mommy got stuff to.

And me, I got peanut butter bones from Grandma and Grandpa (and a cat toy...which Grandma didn't realize was a cat toy until she got home from purchasing it) and I got a halloween costume from Jackson for next year (and a tire/rope toy). It is a cowboy. Can you see it? I have the hat on and the cowboy is strapped around my tummy.



But, most of all, I enjoyed opening all of the presents with Daddy. I really like wrapping paper, boxes and tissue paper. That is the best part of Christmas (besides hanging out with my family).







It was great to see everyone, but Daddy was worried about the weather on the day after Christmas. So, we drove home on Christmas day. But, it was great to see everyone.















But wait, there's more. Mommy and Daddy celebrated Christmas with Daddy's family today. But, I was bummed. They didn't take me with. Daddy said he forgot to ask Aunt Angie if I could come. But, when they arrived at Aunt Angie's house the first thing they all asked was is Cosmo here. Daddy said no, but Aunt Angie said he didn't have to ask if I could come. I could come any time. I would have loved to play with Clyde and all of the kids.

Daddy said they had lots of fun. Natalie and Ellie got a WiFit for Christmas. So, Daddy got to figure out what his WiFit age was. It was 65 (kinda old). The boys got a Wi as too. So, I think Daddy enjoyed it so much that he might have to get one for himself (and Mommy too).

Great Grandma was there too. Her birthday is on Monday. She will be 87 years old. Can you believe it. Aunt Angie got a cake and all of the kids sang happy birthday to her. GG was very excited.



At least Mommy and Daddy took pictures so I could see everyone (and share them with you).

















I hope all of you had a very Merry Christmas! I know I did. But, before I sign-off, Daddy wanted me to let Matthew know that he really liked the book you sent him. And, I want to thank Ellie for giving me a new blanket. It is really cool (and I like the design).

Let it Snow!

Let it snow, because I really don't have a choice. Yes, that's right. It has been snowing here since early this morning. In fact, Mommy and Daddy were to be having a holiday party at the house tonight, but the weather was so bad, none of their guests were able to make it. I am bummed, but I know that Mommy and Daddy didn't want anyone risking life and limb to get here. So, they told me that they will have a "make-up" holiday party. Daddy thought it would be cute if everyone brought make-up. Get it, make-up?!!!

Anyways, while Mommy prepared food for tonight (which they ended up eating for themselves), Daddy took care of clearing the snow from the driveway.



This was Daddy earlier this evening. This was his second time out clearing the snow today. But, this time it was different. The temperature was 0 degrees. So, I told him that he needed to bundle-up. Here I am looking at Mommy. I was trying to tell Mommy how silly I thought Daddy looked.



Anyways, just in case, Mommy got into the holiday spirit. Now, for those who don't know Mommy, she always wears these silly headbands during the holiday season.



Maybe this could be on our holiday card next year. But, it doesn't have Daddy in it. But, I bet Mommy could work some Photoshop magic and alter the photo to ensure it included Daddy.



I think she has a little more work to do. I want Mommy and Daddy both to be in the photo.

Anyways, I hope all of you are safe at home this evening. I leave you with a little holiday cheer. I get to see this house every night. Our neighbors work on setting this up several weeks before Thanksgiving. Then, Thanksgiving night, they turn all of the lights on. I thought I would share it with you.

The Holidays are in Full Swing

Yes, the holidays are in full swing at our house. Mommy has been busy cooking this weekend. It all smells soooooooooooooooo good, but Mommy says I can't have any because it will hurt my tummy. I will take her word for it, but I still want some.

They finally finished putting the new siding on the house. Thank goodness. It was so loud. But, the house looks nice and Mommy was able to get everything back on the walls. Oh, and she was able to clean all of the dust the pounding had created.

I spent a lot of the week at day camp. I had a great time. Everyone was there...Baxter and Lacey.

Speaking of Lacey...Mommy and Daddy ventured out into the bad weather today to get my picture taken with Santa. But, to my surprise, Lacey and her sister's were there getting their picture taken as well. Mommy and Daddy, and Lacey's Mommy, wanted Lacey and I have to have our picture taken with Santa. We just wanted to play with each other. But, we did sit long enough to make our parents happy. Isn't Lacey soo cute! She even gave me a holiday card. One of her and one with her sisters. That is now three cards I have received this holiday. Auntie Vicki sent me one too!









Keep warm. I hear it is going to be very cold over the next few days!

Happy Birthday, Daddy!

It's a little early, but we celebrated Daddy's birthday yesterday (his birthday is on Monday). Daddy said that Mommy couldn't buy him any gifts, but he didn't say I couldn't. So, I told Mommy to go out and buy Daddy something really nice.



She did and it was in the box you see Daddy holding. All I will tell you was that Daddy was shocked, but that he really loved his gift from me!

Mommy took Daddy to his favorite place to eat, Manny's. And, then they came home so I could take birthday photos with Mommy and Daddy.







Oh, you might notice all of the walls in our house are bare. Well, that is because we are having all of the siding replaced right now. Our siding had a lot of holes in it after a bad hail storm in May. Now, everyone is finally getting around to getting the house done. Daddy describes the outside as a scene from the movie "Money Pit." I would agree it looks like a pit! And, with allof the snow, they haven't been able to come and finish the work. This is really getting on Mommy's nerves. She likes it when everything is nice, neat and clean.

Needless to say, it isn't like that now. Pictures are off the walls and they are laying around the house. Hopefully they will finish this week and all will be right with the world (at least from Mommy's point of view).

Until then, check out these cute picture of me!

Christmas & Thanksgiving in the Same Week

You might be a little confused by the title of the blog today...I was too. I came home last Sunday from day camp and my house had been transformed into scene right out of the Pottery Barn Christmas Catalog (OK - not really - but you must admit it sounds pretty good). Anyways, it was at that point I realized why Mom and Dad had sent me to play with my friends that day. It had given them time to get the house in order for the Christmas season.

Mommy and Daddy purchased a new tree last year after Christmas. I was excited to see it. I think it turned out beautiful. What do you think?





Then, later this week we went to Grandma and Grandpa's house for Thanksgiving. You see, I was confused as I thought Mommy and Daddy had their holidays mixed-up this year. But, they didn't. It was Mommy (I know it wasn't Daddy) being as efficient as possible.

It was really great to see Grandma and Grandpa. The last time I saw Grandma, she was unable to put any weight on her leg. She had surgery to remove the cancer in her bone and she was still recovering. But, this time, Grandma was crusing around just like I remember. And, she and Grandpa played with me a ton. Grandpa even got on the floor with me and played! That was pretty cool.



I did get to take a long nap with Grandma. I like taking naps with her! It was good that Grandma and Grandpa were around to take care of me. Mommy and Aunt Kristin left the house at 3:30 a.m. to head out shopping on "Black Friday." I have absolutely no idea why they would do such silly things, but they came back home claiming to have been successful! Daddy, Grandpa, Grandma and Uncle Eugene just looked at them like they were crazy. Honestly, I think they really were, but whatever floats your boat, right?

Thanks for letting me come and see you! I had a ton of fun and can't wait to come see you at Christmas. Oh, and you better have my treats lined-up for me (I know you will).

A Long Week

It has been a long week. Mommy was out of town this week. She was in Boston for work. I heard her tell Daddy that she was going to work at a show called "Greenbuild." I did a little research and the show was about "green" building products. Pretty cool.



But, I missed Mommy terribly. I would wake up in the middle of the night and look for her. I couldn't understand why she wasn't home. Daddy did his best to distract me (sending me to day camp, getting up at midnight and chasing me around the house) but it really didn't work. But, I was super excited when Mommy came to pick me up from day camp on Friday.

This week is Thanksgiving. That means that I will get to see Grandma and Grandpa. I can't wait to see them. Mommy told me that Grandma is now done with her Chemo. And, I can't wait for Grandpa to take me on walks around the neighborhood.

Election Night

To make a long story short, I was so excited on election night, I could hardly contain myself. But, "Mr. Donkey" helped me put it all into perspective.



I can certainly say that I am glad that the election is over, but I will miss the talks Mommy and Daddy would have with me about the pros and cons of each candidate. But, in the end, I was left to make my own decision.

Obama! Yes We Can!

Last Day at Sea

The overnight had been rough. We experienced gale force winds and 13-20 ft. seas. We were near a Hurricane on our last cruise, but we can safely say, we had never experienced weather like this.

The morning started out with a facial. I had won this during the art auction for answering some art question - but I can't tell you what the question was. I simply don't remember.

After returning from my facial, I needed to rest a bit. My tummy wasn't feeling so great (not sick, but little unstable - just like the sea). Joel went and had breakfast. He said it was cold and windy on deck.

So, I got dressed, and we headed out for the day's activities. We made contact with Aunt Angie to see how Cosmo was getting along and we went to the dining room for lunch. This was our first time in the dining room for lunch, as we normally would eat at the buffet. Like dinner, you are seated with others on the ship.

The dining room was located at the back of the ship. And, it was very rough. The seas were still turning.

After lunch, we headed to the art auction. Again, we had no intention of buying art, but we came away with 5 more pieces. And, we won another piece in the raffle. Oh well, each piece already has a home and we know we will enjoy it for years to come.

After the auction, we headed back to our room to pack. We had learned during the presentation in the morning that we could walk off the ship with all of our bags (even if they weren't carry-on size). We decided that would be the best route, eliminating the frustration of finding our bags in the terminal (a not so positive memory from our last cruise).

We dressed and headed for dinner. We didn't have pictures taken, as my face began to peel after my facial in the morning. Guess that sunburn really had taken its toll.

But, we did have pictures taken with our table mates and with our dining room staff.





The staff sang to us - as a farewell. I was able to capture the whole thing on video.
Enjoy!



And, I can't forget the towel animal...a bunny!



We had a great trip, but were looking forward to heading home and seeing Cosmo. We really missed him. But, we knew he was having a ball at Aunt Angie's.