For all the Blog Junkies..

Okay, ya'll can get off my back!! I just posted a boatload of pictures from Christmas all the way through our adventures in the snow earlier today.

For those that don't know what is going on... I have two bulging discs in my neck. This is causing my hands to be numb most of the time which makes typing a real challenge! (It also makes changing diapers a joy! All those little snaps on Ian's clothing are a nightmare to connect when you can't feel your fingers.) I also have an incredible amount of pain in my right hand from the pressure on my spinal cord column from the disc. This evening things were a little better, so I decided to get the blogging done while I could type. (I have an appointment with a Neuro Surgeon this coming week to determine what can be done to relieve the pain.)

Christmas flew by with a whirlwind of presents, visits from friends and too much food. Mark's family celebrates Christmas on Christmas Eve and everyone comes to our house. We eat, Santa visits, we open presents and we go to church. I will tell you all about our adventures at church in my next post. Christmas morning is spent with my family. This year everyone came to our house. We had breakfast, visited and opened presents. Then, later that day we went to Nanny and Pops (Sam's parents) to open presents with them, Sam, Andy, Cullen and Kieren.

New Years Eve found me making gumbo for about 20 people. Mark and I don't like to go out for New Year's Eve. We stay home and have friends stop by to eat and play games. This year we played cards until about 1:30AM!! We had a great time and really enjoyed seeing everyone that stopped by. I had several requests to make the gumbo a yearly tradition. I think I will be able to accomodate those requests especially since it came out so good this year. (Now, if I can just remember how I did it for next year!!)

On top of all that, Ian took his first plane ride on January 11th to Miami, Florida. He slept through the first leg and flirted with the Flight Attendants during the second leg! Mark's company has their Christmas party in January in Miami. And for the past few years, I have had to opportunity to go to the warmth of FL for a few days. I say that sarcastically because until this year, it has not been that warm when I have been there. This year, it stayed in the low 80's during the day. Last year, I had to buy a pair of pants while I was there because it was so cool! So, it was really nice to leave Ohio for the warmth this time!

While in Miami, Ian took his first boat ride in the Port of Miami. He, Beth and Alex saw the homes of the stars while Mark and I went to the Christmas Party. Ian got to take a ride in the 747 simulator. We visited with friends for a day. We met Beth's Aunt and Uncle. We took everyone to the Everglades for an air boat ride. We went to the beach and stuck our toes in the Atlantic Ocean. We visited Daddy's work to flirt with all his co-workers. We hung out at the pool but not in the pool because it was too cold. We went to the zoo and rode the Safari Bikes to see all the animals. We had a very busy week!

We came home on the 17th and Ian got to experience his first snow today. He was not impressed. He likes to move. He moves constantly even in his sleep. So, being bundled up and not being able to move was not his idea of fun. But, I am sure that next year will be a much better snow experience for him. I can hardly wait!