Momma said that I should tell you about some of the things that I can do know, that I am getting big and strong. I helped get ready for Christmas, I tried to put balls on the tree, but they wouldn't stay on. Britt and I also undecorated the tree almost every morning. We just thought the ornaments should be moved... and moved often.
I can get Daddy to do almost anything for me these days. I just cry a little and lift my hands in the air and he comes swooping in to the rescue. I don't have to say a word, and I don't. When I want to go to be rocked to sleep I go and find Momma, but Daddy is who I go to when I want to play or I'm hurt.
Momma says it's hard to get a good picture of me these days because I'm getting so fast. I can almost keep up with Britt. They make fun of my little waddly walk, but I'm short and sash-shay when I walk. I'm running a little bit now, especially when I'm trying to catch up to someone or go to fetch a toy that I want.
I can understand most everything that I'm told. If Momma asks me if I'm ready to go to bed, I waddle to our room, and I pull my blanket out of the crib and sit there or lay there and wait for her to come and put me in bed. I can put up almost all of my toys, and I know where my shoes and diapers are and can fetch them and bring them to Momma when she asks for them.
I can climb up on the couch and back down. I can climb most steps, though I'm still very cautious. It's increasingly difficult for Momma and Daddy to keep things out of my reach. I still like to climb up on the hearth to the fireplace, but my favorite place to sit is in the little rocker. However, everytime Momma comes over with the camera I get out of the rocker, and try to steal her camera.
Grandmother and Ahna have remarked about how much my hair has grown. Momma tries to stay on top of my hair more and more these days, my bangs are in my eyes now when ever she doesn't have a bow or headband in there. It's also starting to get kinda curly in the back, so Momma doesn't plan to cut it any time soon.
I'm a real pro at upwrapping presents, I'm even faster than Britt. Daddy says if you don't watch me I can shred anything in a matter of seconds. I love to swing and slide, and I'm loving our new play set. As busy as I stay I still have my cute little rolls.
While I haven't figured out how to push my riding car around, I still spend all my time awake with my favorite brother. Sometimes he's still too rough, and he's all the time stealing my toys from me. But I love to go where ever he goes and try to do whatever he does. I love him.

When I went to bed I didn't see anything outside, and when I woke up it was a normal day, and we went to Church. When I got back Momma told me I had a Christmas surprise. I got to play for an hour and a half that day, and Ruth and I played for over 3 hours yesterday, but we couldn't play today because it rained all day. I'll just show you the video now.

This 200 lb-8 foot box was very solidly packed, and supposedly carried everything to build the fort and swing set. We wondered how they got the slide in there until we openned it up and saw that we would have to assemble the slide too. It wasn't a solid, single piece.
On the afternoon of the 21st Dad came over. The laid out all the pieces and hardware, and accounted for everything before they began working. The put together the swing beam, the ladder, and the walls to the fort. They worked nearly 4 hours. During this time I shut all the blinds on the backside of the house and deadbolted the door. Britt in Ruth in totally ignorance played with Lilli and watched moves.
On the 22nd, Gary worked alittle more, but we didn't work in earnest until the 24th. Before dark, while the kids napped, we managed to assemble the fort before heading to Memaw and Mister's house to celebrate Christmas with them. After we got back, Gary took the chicken brooder lamp to use to work by, and I snapped a picture of our progress.
Around 11 with the kids finally to bed we resumed work. We had to finish the beams that held the tarps and attach them, build and attach the slide, attach the ladder, and attach the swing beam. We managed to complete it in a remarkable good time. About half asleep, we completed it just after 4 am. I guess this means we had our first Christmas Eve where we stay up all night to assemble a present.
While I staggered inside to get a shower and collapse in bed, Gary went ahead and took some pictures of the completed project. It turned out great and very sturdy. We had two cracked boards in the wall that will need to be replaced (Gary submitted a defective board request and they will be sending replacements). But I was really pleased with how well it turned out.
Above is the slide, and below is the back side of the fort. By the time Gary got done taking pictures and came in and locked up, I had already fallen asleep. We decided to wait until after Church to let the kids see it. I was afraid that it would turn into an all out battle to get Britt back in, dressed, and off to Church. It was a big hit when we took them out Sunday afternoon. But I'll let Britt tell you all about it tomorrow, when he blogs.

From our house to yours Merry Christmas! We appreciate each and everyone of you, from those we see each week, to those we only get to see a time or two a year. We are so thankful for our family and our friends!

If you don't know you can track Santa across the night sky with a little help from Norad. They've been doing this since 1955, when a misprint in a Sear's ad gave out the number to that little red phone. (You know they one the pentagon uses to issue the orders to nuke the old Soviet Union.) Colonel Harry Shoup quickly caught on and he and his fellow elves gave phone updates to children and radio stations. Today you can track Santa online and by phone. Colonel Shoup has since passed away, but below he tells the story of that first call.

Momma and Daddy carried us to this very fun park last week. My favorite part was the slide. Momma insisted that I wasn't using it correctly, but Daddy encouraged me to persevere and so I climbed it. I was rather put out when after all that work they made me go down it again. I don't know why anyone would want to go down a slide after all that work to get up it. I thought I should be allowed to sit at the top and cheer for myself, but about the time I got ready to clap real good, down I went.
Another part that is alot of fun, is the tunnels under the mountain. Momma says these pictures remind her of the last time we went. She says Britt was about my size, and she was pregnant, but we hadn't shared the news quiet yet. She says that Daddy took one almost just like the one below of Britt. And it's funny how much we look alike, and yet different. I don't know about all of that, but I do think the tunnels were fun. I didn't like them as much as Britt did though, boy, he was a little crazy running around in there and yelling.
I really liked... ok, so I really liked everything at the park. Britt wanted to ride the tetter-totter, and so Momma helped him up and Daddy went to the other side to bounce him. I've never ridden one, but I decided to follow Daddy and reach to be picked up. He helped me up and what a rough ride! It was fun though, I laughed alot, and then cried when they took me off to move over to the swings.
Daddy swung with us, and that was funny. Momma swung some too. I swung until I was about to fall asleep, and it didn't take me any time to go to sleep in the car seat. And that was despite Britt having an epic meltdown for having to leave the park because it started raining. That boy has issues. If he just listened like me we'd all be happier.

Momma says I should share some of the memorable things I've said over the last few weeks, so I here it goes...

I spend 75% of my day yelling, "Come on, baby Ruth. Come on, Ruth. Come oooonnnnn, baby Ruffie!!!" I drag Ruth every where with me. She's a good wingman.

Every time we get into the car I am convince that we are going to either "church, e-maw's house, or to town." When we go to town I know it means that "Alright! We are going to Brudder Chris's house" or we are going to the "ocery store for a cookie!" Every time we get back home and start pulling down our dirt road, I'm convinced we are finally at "emaw and Mister's house!"

For over a month I've been insisting to anyone who asks that it's "Joey the Snowman". Then while we were looking at Christmas lights last week Momma pointed and said, there's Joey. I laughed and her and said, "No, that Fwosty tha Snowman."

Momma says I only have two answer to everything. I either say "ohhhhh, okay" (to which Momma somehow always seems to know, I don't have a clue what she means) or I say "Or not" (Momma says it's smartalecky but sometimes I catch her grinning).

Daddy says it's even more annoying the way I randomly insert into every conversations "sisteenmoredays". Which they finally figured out was me saying sixteen more days. I've been saying this ever since before Thanksgiving when Momma told it was sixteen more days until we go to Alabama. She's been counting down the days with me until Christmas, but I'm still insisting it's "sisteenmoredays".

Today Momma got upset and was crying and I climbed up in her lap, and brushed her hair with my comb, and asked her "What's wrong, Momma. Why you cryin?" She gave me a big hug and laughed. She's so confusing, but Daddy says all women are.

Speaking of Daddy, he likes our Netflicks. He'll pick a show and watch all the episodes from every season, before he picks a new show. I can tell by the music when he's watching "Daddy's music". He was watching "Deep Space 9," now the music changed, and Momma says it's called "How I Met Your Mother".

Maybe Daddy's favorite story though is how I sing at the top of my lungs. Momma says it's made up words, but she just doesn't understand me. Daddy says I'm a note behind him, and sometimes it throws him off. But I know that they laugh because they are so happy that I like to sing with them at Church. After every song I always tell Momma "That's a GREAT song, Momma. Great song!"

Momma says her favorite thing I say is that I randomly come up, crawl up in the chair by her, snuggle up against her, throw my arms around her and say, "Momma. I wuv you! I wuv you, Momma." Then when she hugs me back, and says "I love you, Britt." Then I whisper, "I wuv you, too Momma."

While we were at Grandmother and Granddaddy's for Thanksgiving, they pulled out the singing fish. It's something they do pretty much every trip up. I'm told that it started because Britt was scared to death, but fascinated with the thing. I don't know what he thinks is so scary about it. I like it, it's fun to dance with the fish. Of course, Momma tells me that I like to dance with anything that sings or makes music. I guess she's probably right.

The only thing I'm not sure that I like about that fish, is that one time, he kissed me. I was sitting there dancing and bouncing around just like usual, and that impetuous fish, just swung his face around and kissed me on the head. I stayed a little further away from him after that. He's a slippery fellow, not to be trusted.

I love to go to the park. We don't go anywhere near enough. I like the swings, and the slides. I especially like it when Momma goes down the slide with me. I like to run in circles and dig in the mulch. I like everything about the park. While we were at Grumps and Ahna's house, we went to Wilson-Morgan Park. It's a great park, with lots of tunnels, slides, stuff to climb on, and swings. It even had a swing with a recliner! I had a great time playing. Ruth liked it too, until she got too sleepy.

We are in full swing for Christmas here at our house. The morning after arriving home from Texas, we headed down to Home Depot with Memaw and Mister, to pick out a tree on the first. Britt wanted to take almost every single tree home from the store. Gary and I found a GREAT tree our first pick. I like the Douglas firs better than the Fraiser firs because they have longer needles. While Memaw and Mister picked them out one, Britt and Ruth ran around the tent playing with the twine they cut off of the trees.

So a week or so ago, a friend on facebook posted a blog she had happened across where they talked about doing a handwritten blog, and I thought, well that's a neat idea. While, we were traveling back from Texas, I had alot of time and no internet connection, so I thought I'll write a blog. So pardon any messiness, misspellings, etc...

Dani - This weekend five years ago, I met my ever so wonderful love of my life. He drove the 750 plus miles from South Florida and showed up at Wendy's where I was working at the time. I didn't know what to expect, after all I had only meet him online. To top it off, he only had 2 pictures up online and both were taken 50 feet away of him, a sister, a cousin, and a friend in the Bahama's all wearing glasses. I will confess I was wondering what I had gotten myself into. After all, I could have meet a crazy ax murderer online. So as we prearranged, he walked up to my register and ordered 200 chicken nuggets. I knew instantly it was him and took my break.

Brother Sonny, recently posted on Facebook about the concept of Un-Thanksgiving from a daily devotional. It suggested that you make a list of things you are not thankful for. He wrote, "As I meditated on this principle the following thoughts occured to me. My Thanksgiving (Blessings) list is alot longer than my Un-Thanksgiving list. Also For everything on My Un-thanksgiving list there are many things related that I am Thankful for. As an example at the top of my Un-Thanksgiving List I have. I am Un-Thankful for Cancer: But I am Thankful for a God that Heals. I am thankful for God giving us Dr. Dupont and her great staff for taking such good care of my dearest precious wife which by the way God blessed me with and who I am also Thankful for. And I am Thankful for such wonderful caring and supporting children. And I am Thankful for our caring and supporting Brothers and Sisters in the church. etc.etc. I think this is a good exercise in seeing that we have more things to be thankful for than things to be Un-thankful for." Well, that got me thinking.