I Miss My Family

Let me just say that it SUCKS not being with your family.  I have been in Albuquerque now for about a month, and besides the wonderful surprise visit from Emily last weekend, I have not seen (not counting Skype) my family in that time period.  Not only that, but I will not see them until March probably!  We are purchasing a home that we got at a great price, so we are waiting for that to close before I get my family back.  I am currently living at my realtor's house...how many of you can say that?  I live on one side of the house and they live on the other. It has been a good situation though.  Anyway, I just wanted everyone to know that I miss my beautiful wife, and my 3 rambunxious kiddos.  I love you Emily!  I am so looking forward to getting you back to me!

our house

An Escape

We escaped!  Not for long...and not very far (>2 hrs)...but 

we escaped to Lake Arrowhead.

But first we went to Tellus Museum in Cartersville.  

I'm not a huge fan of dinosaurs but you can't help

but enjoy a dead T Rex.  Can you?

 Look at them jawrs! 

 Digging for treasure (fossils) was definitely the fave part.

Then we went to Lake Arrowhead.  So much fun!  We had 17 of us in a 4 bedroom cabin/house...oh, and some scorpions kept us company.

Looks like fun, huh?
It really was.  Especially for the guys who spent the only free day we had there GOLFING!  All stinkin' day long while the womanfolk watched the chillens.   
Happy New Year's!

The next day it rained all day so we took a 45 min drive to find a playland.  That's desperation.  But the real amazing thing is that this is the first McDonald-made hamburger that Jason Allred has ever partaken of!  He's got germ issues.  We are all so proud of you, Jason.

L O V E

This is what love looks like to me:

Isn't it beautiful?

Santa is one fat dude...and dudette

 Our Christmas started out as they have all of my life.  We read and re-enacted the Christmas story.  I don't know if it would be Christmas without bringing out the old bath robes and finding our Arab headdresses.  I love it and I especially love Luke's enraptured look here. 

 And that is why Santa is one fat dude and dudette...because he (and she) ate all the cookies!  Seriously, that's one tradition I could do away with in the upcoming years. 

 Since Mom and Dad flew to Colorado we had to make do with our very own Allred sleepover!  It was great to have some family with us to make the day crazier! 

On a serious note, the best part of Christmas for us this year was our TOTAL surprising Secret Santa.  Some family "somewhere out there" took us in!  They totally surprised us by leaving a HUGE package on our front door on Christmas Eve night.  It contained 2 outfits, a nice jacket, and a toy for each of the boys.  Then it had a very generous gift card.  It's a humbling experience being on the other end of the Secret Santa stick--but much appreciated.  It definitely made me want to change the way we go about our future Christmases.  Secret Santa--wherever and whomever you are--we are grateful.  Thank you.

Him, Him, and Him

Jake had a birthday...and we love him.
Baby had a birthday...and we love him.  Maybe now that he's 2 we should stop calling him "baby".  Or maybe not.

Lukey had a birthday...and we love him.

I would list all of the wonderful things about each of my boys, but let's be honest, getting a post up is a big enough accomplishment.  I don't want to set up any expectations for myself.

Just know that I love them all, dearly.

Today

Today I woke up and had a mysterious pain in my left knee.  I must have torqued it yesterday.  I had a wee limp.

Then I twisted my right ankle.  I had a wee bit more of a limp.

Then I got a shot in my booty (don't ask--and no, it's not in vitro) and it hurt like a bee sting for about 2 hours.  I had a wee bit more of a limp.

I looked ridunkulous.

Today, I would have qualified for a handicapped sticker in my front window....and trust me, those are hard to come by.