Check out Dylan (aka puppy) on the back row in the red/black Christmas sweater and the ear-to-ear grin. All the children were dressed in their holiday best. It seemed odd to see little girls in their pretty dresses and snow boots! Definitely not a sight we would see in Georgia.

Anderson Elementary School's second grade classes performing their Christmas Program

Last Saturday Kelly and I went to the Open House at the Wyoming Governor's home. Their chef provided delicious refreshments, we toured the home, listened to holiday music played by a string ensemble and chatted with the First Lady. They open their home for holiday events, including trick-or-treating. Next year we would like to attned the candlelight tour of the historic Governor's mansion in downtown Cheyenne. Afterwards Kelly and I had a dinner date at Cheyenne's brand new Olive Garden restaurant.

Dylan was enjoying a weekend with his Dad in Nebraska.

As I reviewed the pictures from the previous posts, I realized the snow is still on the ground. It has warmed up just enough this week to melt the snow during the day and re-freeze into sheets of ice at night. One of the many reasons I have not let Kelly drive since his shoulder surgery two weeks ago!



He is doing better each day. We had hoped the surgery in September would be successful, but his bicep tendon continued to pop out of its groove creating a great deal of discomfort. Since his earlier surgery, he has regained a lot of mobility. He's arm will be in a sling until mid-January. We are hoping 2008 will be surgery free and we can continue with our home improvement projects. He has assured me it will not hinder unwrapping presents on Christmas Day!



Dylan is excited about Christmas and is counting down each day. Wednesday was his all-day party at school which included crafts, movies, and refreshments. Thursday Kelly and I attended his Christmas program. He was a puppy dog when they sang the song "All Critters have a Place in the Choir". He has really enjoyed singing Christmas carols this season. I laugh every time he sings "We wish you a Merry Christmas!" when he says, "Now bring us some fishy pudding". Friday they had a pajama party and movie before they were released for the holiday. Dylan is equally excited about keeping secrets this year. When asked if he has been good this year, he responds, "A little bit good and a little bit bad." At least he is honest (some of the time!)



Personally, the holidays have been a bit difficult. I have been more homesick than usual, which I guess is to be expected. Twice I have heard the song "Christmas Makes Me Cry" on KLOVE and felt the tears roll down my cheeks. I have found myself reminiscing more than usual this year. Oddly enough, I even wondered "What ever happened to kumquats?" As a child I remember the many gift baskets and boxes my family would receive during the holiday season including fruit baskets. I recall the tart lttle fruits that would make your insides pucker. I also recall the ribbon candy that only Grandmothers had. As I type this I remember the Georgia-made fruitcakes in the red and white striped boxes. I do not remember eating them--just their attendance at every holiday season. (My Mom makes the best fruit cake--minimal fruit with LOTS of nuts!) My mind has been wandering in places that have until now been a distant memory.



It looks like we may really have a white Christmas this year, which has only happened I believe 14 times in the last 100+. --We are more apt to have snow on Easter than Christmas! We are enjoying our time off together and are still in our pajamas at mid-day. It is a cold 20 degrees with a wind-chill near zero. We received a wonderful gift basket from family in North Carolina that included English muffins, crumpets, a cinnamon toffee torte, and apple spice conserve. We enjoyed the tasty delight with coffee in front on the fire.



We are looking forward to sharing soup and chili with our friends Kathy and Terry and their girls tonight and playing games at their house. We are avoiding the last minute Christmas rush and choosing to spend it with family and friends. Weather permitting, we will travel "over the river and through the woods" (or in this area of the country "over the prairie and through the snow") to Grandma and Pappa Priests' home in Ft. Collins to celebrate Christmas with Kelly's parents, three siblings and spouses, and nieces and nephews. Sounds like fun! We will return to work for two days before we travel home for the remainder of the holidays. Please keep us in your prayers as we travel south on December 28th. At this time snow is predicted for Thursday, December 27th. Since our flight leaves at a too-early 5:30 am, we have reservations near the airport on Thursday night. Kelly is looking forward to the balmy temperatures. I am looking forward to Christmas lunch at my Mom's house the following Saturday. Mostly, we are looking forward to being home for Christmas.

This is what a Georgia Peach and her little Georgia Peanut look like in the Wyoming Snow.
These pictures were taken at Holliday Park, next to the YMCA, after Dylan's basketball game.

Glad we have a kid who is a great photographer. When I was his age, the results would have been less than desirable--with blurred images, chopped off heads, or fingers on the photo.

Boy + Snow = Snowball Fight

I guess birds of a feather really do flock together. We were surprised by a flock of geese. (check out the one-legged one---they stand on one leg, while warming the other in their feathers.) There were more than 100 geese on the frozen lake. They quickly came to us, probably with hopes of being fed.

Holliday Park transformed into a winter wonderland.

If we had not had a basketball game today, we probably would not have left the house. Last week's game was canceled due to an ice storm. This morning we awoke to about 6" of snow with a temperature of 14 degrees with a wind-chill of 2 degrees. At first, Dylan put on his snow boots instead of his tennis shoes. Kelly convinced him to change shoes for basketball. It is neat to see him really begin to grasp the game and work with his teammates.

Last night, when we got home, he took of his snow boots and damp jeans to put on soccer shorts with his turtleneck and hooded sweatshirt. It was quite a fashion statement. Then he was cold and wanted to warm up beside the fireplace. Sometimes Kelly just shakes his head in disbelief.

I love Christmas trees! Kelly was challenged to find a place for each of my Santa ornaments. He thought we were almost done when I opened up yet another box filled with my holiday treasures. Dylan was a huge help putting the tree together. He prefers to play with the ornaments, incorporating Santa into his action figure fantasies instead of finding their proper place on the Christmas tree. He was mostly intrigued by the bubble wrap used to package my fragile ornaments. (Remind me--why we are buying more toys for Christmas, when bubble wrap will do??!!) It was fun decorating together. Dylan helped separate the Christmas presents between our two trees--one upstairs and one downstairs. I wonder if he will shake and arrange the presents as much as Angie and I did. As an only child, he probably isn't compelled to check "How many?" as much as we were.

Dylan has discovered games, so almost every night we are challenged. Thankfully, he is finally understanding the rules (and the consequences if you don't follow them!), so it is a fun time. We are playing Trouble and an occasional round of Candy Land. Although he prefers video/computer games (just like Kelly), he loves playing games with us. Kelly and I have rediscovered Scrabble and play it each night after Dylan goes to bed. Other than re-runs of Jay Leno, the writer's strike really hasn't affected us.

Being goofy!

Getting into the holiday spirit

We ushered in December with a winter storm that brought slick roads and freezing rain into Wyoming. The occasional snow made it feel a lot like Christmas. It was a perfect weekend to stay home and decorate for Christmas. We did venture out for the Annual Breakfast with Santa at Cheyenne Regional Medical Center Saturday morning. It was a fun morning with clowns, balloons, and therapy dogs. Dylan's favorite was the "invisible" dog a clown was walking on a leash. We enjoyed Santa face pancakes and sausage. Dylan got extra points with me and Kelly for standing patiently in the endlessly long line awaiting his turn with Santa. (I am sure Santa was contemplating some kid's ranking on the Naughty/Good List!) He and Kelly wrote his list. Santa put it in his big, red bag to take back to the North Pole after reading it with Dylan. It was a magical morning.

Do I have to clean my plate before I can see Santa????

Proudly displaying "The List"

Presenting "The List"

Conversations with Santa

Photo op with Santa

My guys

The Happy Family

Mom and her Little Elf