Well now that it's the Monday after Thanksgiving, we can officially start talking about and celebrating Christmas! I did a really bad thing last week, before Thanksgiving... since we were working on Britt's closet, and the attic space is through the ceiling in there I had Gary get down the tree and all the Christmas stuff. Then because it was just sitting in my floor getting in my way, I thought I needed to clear out a spot for it and go ahead and put it up. But I thought we wouldn't decorate it till Friday after Thanksgiving... but then it looked so lonely and wrong, so we just had to decorate it.

Britt helped out a little, and since then surprisingly enough, he hasn't terrorized it. He just sits and looks at the one little ornament that hangs so low, and flips it back and forth. No pulling up on or pulling over the tree, and no pulling off, rolling around, or eating ornaments. So far I've been really surprised. So enjoy the Christmas season with us...

There isn't much new to report on the prayer list.

Bro. Charles has been moved to a nursing home/rehabilation center. He continues to have several good days, and then bad days again. Please keep him in your prayers at this time.

As for our job situation, there seems to be very little to apply for right now. However, there is a job opening (same thing one in Walchula and one in Bartow) that seem to be a very good fit, which Gary has applied for. They will begin setting up interviews this week, and we really hope that they will call Gary back. Please keep us in your prayers.

Ok, so I don't normally do these sorts of things. But take a look at this a moment won't you?
Over here, they are doing a contest in which they are going to be giving away a $30 gift certificate for the Brass Hussy. I thought it was a little bit different, and very cool. I don't wear alot of jewelry, but this is definately something I might like, so go and take a look.

Today for Thanksgiving we went over to Grandmaw Bea and Poppa J's house. We had a really good lunch and then while the kiddos played together (14 mons, 10 mons, and 6 mons), us big kids played several rounds of Scattagories. We had a load of fun, then several of us sat around and talked about Church, politics, and raising families. We vented frustrations and solved all the problems just hashing them out around that big round table. We all had a wonderful time.

Hope you and yours had just as good of time gathered with family and friends. And most of all I hope you all remember to thank our Heavenly Father from whom all good and perfect gifts come. We have so much to be thankful for, even in these difficult times.

Britt,

It's so hard to believe how much you have grown and how fast this year has been passing. I can't imagine how we made it without you.

You have always been a personable little man, but you have really decided what it is that you like and that you don't in the last month. You don't like veggies of any sort now, unless they we are eatting them and then you'll eat all the green beans I'll feed you. Daddy wants to hold off on table food till Christmas time, but I got news for him... you aren't going to wait that long. We've had to double your cereal in the morning because you are still hungry when we are done. On that note, my adventuresome eater has decided to boycott all cereal except oatmeal with real bananas or rice with apple flavoring. You are a real pro with your cup these days. You lounge off to the side and hold it with one hand so that you can see what I'm doing off to the other side.

I'm not sure that there is anything that you don't like to play with. Balls and my coasters are at the top of your list of favorites, and you are always dragging around either your prayer bear or the little on that Grandmother gave you. You had a real ball at Sis. Andy's the other day playing with an old barbie car and the tractor that came on Kelsey's b'day cake. I think for your b'day we are just going to ask for clothes since you have no 12 month clothes, and tell them that you like cars and tractors.

You are all but walking, I'm sure you'll be following Lilli around by Christmas. Just yesterday morning while you were standing at the tv, I called you and you took a step without holding on with anything, kept your balance, and then realized you weren't touching anything, promptly sat down and crawled to me. Rotten child. We are going to need to move things around some more soon! You love crawling on the boxes that I have to keep you from going out the front door, you lay on the shortest on your stomache and crane that neck to see Mara when she's on the far end of the porch. Anytime she walks by you grab her fur and pat her (entirely too hard in my opinion). She lets you do that a time or two, before heading off for some peace and quiet. Then you look around to see if I'm watching and pull those knees up on that box to climb out. I tell you "No, Britt" and you look around and grin and get off - at least till you think I'm not watching again. You are going to ask Santa for a screen door for Christmas.

Speaking of things you aren't suppose to be doing. You love to go over to the boxes that I have blocking you from the kitchen and dinning room, and pull out all my yarn. Every day this week I go and wash dishes for about 15 to 20 mins, and come back to yarn strung out all over the house, rolled under all the beds, wrapped around chair legs, and you sitting there with the biggest grin on your face. Rotten, I tell you.

I had a dream a few nights ago that you grinned at me, got up, and ran in the other direction, and looked all grown up. I woke up, and went to check on you, just to be sure that I hadn't been asleep for 10 years. So, when you trash my very neat house, I try very hard to remember that you will only be little so long. And laugh with you instead of beating you to death. But seriously little dude, you are going to have to start learning to pick up your messes soon. Do I look like your servant?

We all love you so much, me and Daddy, your whole family, and our Church family. The girls can't get enough of your laugh, and we hope you will always be able to find such joy and peace in life even when things are difficult.

Love,
Momma

So guess what me, Daddy, and Momma did yesterday! We went over to Cape Canaveral to see the Shuttle launch. It was a surprise for Momma since Daddy knew she has always wanted to see a shuttle launch. We didn't realize how busy it would be silly Momma and Daddy, and since it was last minute, you had to have a ticket to get into the view station at the Kennedy Space Center. We couldn't go see all the stuff over there, Momma said maybe another time. Instead we sat next to the water in Titusville, and got to watch it take off across from us. There was so much to see there, lots of trees and waves splashing, and stuff. Before Atlantis took off, I had to eat lunch, and I really didn't want to since there was so much to see. When it got ready to take off it glowed really bright red, and then off it went. It took us nearly 40 secs to hear it, so it must have been about 14 miles away from us. Momma really liked and was amazed, but I liked the water best, it's so fascinating. It was over so fast and then I had my cup of milk and we loaded back up. It took just under 2 hours to get there, but 4 to get back, there were so many people there. It took one hour just to go 7 miles to get out of Titusville. Then we hit Orlando at rush hour and lost another hour, and I really wanted out of my carseat, I yelled but no one listened to me. Momma was really excited, and said maybe we can go again next year and take Grumps with us, cause he would really like that, and he would be fun to go with, cause he could tell me all about all the space stuff. Well it's supper time, so I have to go, but watch our movie.

You must forgive me for abandoning you all this month, but in my defense it has been rather crazy as of late. There was the fair, and then I sold some scarves, and then there was Church clean up day on Saturday before our meeting, and then I sold some toboggans, and then I temped for a few days at this little shipping business, and then I sold some slippers, and then there was our big weekend meeting. My time, when I've been home has been filled with trying to get this house clean, laundry done, chicken coop built, talk Gary into letting me have some sheep (I know it's not going to happen), and oh yeah we do have a nine month old. Wheew! Tiring just thinking about it. Well, lunch is going off in the microwave, and Britt is insisting that it isn't fair to not let him blog again this week, and I really need to finish mopping. So I will bid you adiou and promise you a blog from Britt this week.