Party like it's 2008

New Year's Eve

We've never really made a point to have plans on New Year's Eve-mostly hangin' at a house with some friends and a bottle of champagne. If not, we count in the new year at home with the kiddos...plus, there's a lot of pressure on this holiday for superfun too-poor Dec. 31.

But this year we are invited to an official party-cocktail dress and everything. It's been like prom finding a dress and the perfect earrings. Now I'm just waiting to ditch the kids so I can get ready. I'm sure pictures will follow...

Hopefully the night will measure up to my expectations! The pressure is on Dec. 31!

Edit: Pictures as promised...totally fun evening!

Happy New Year!

Gingerbread Mania

Today the kids and I went on a field trip to Denton for a little shopping. I know you think I'm crazy for thinking this would be pleasant, but I just have to take the moment to brag that it actually was! Our first stop was DSW, which admittedly was a little frantic, but our second stop to Target was almost lovely. We had a gift certificate, so free money always adds a little spunk to the day, and we cruised around the store picking up a few things for everyone. We ended the spree with ring pops all around, and a nap on the way home for Grady.

To reward the kids for the lovely day, I thought I would finally make good on my promise to finish up the gingerbread house. I don't know who invented the Gingerbread House tradition, but I'm not so good at it. Even the pre-made-all-you-have-to-do-is-mix-the-icing-kind. That icing is part glue if you ask me. In any case, all THREE kids shared in making ONE gingerbread house-not the best decision on my part. I may invest in more than one next year. It worked out in the end though, and the kids had a blast making their "own design different than the box"...
The Gingerbread Train in the background is a project we did last week; you'd think with 2 Ginger Crafts under my belt in less than a week I'd be a little better at all this! I'll blame it on my lack of pastry tools. :)

my main squeeze...

He's too sexy for Tanner's shirt...Apparently, I misfiled some of the boys' clothing, and Todd had to prove a point. :)

all in the name of charity...and such

We collect can tabs for the Ronald McDonald House Charities; we recycle, and we teach graphing skills whenever possible.

That's just how we roll around here.

Band of Brothers

I was again reminded of the greatness of the mini series "Band of Brothers" this afternoon into tonight. Definitely a top 3 movies of all time for me. It was on the History Channel, and like always, I was sucked in and spent the rest of my evening watching every remaining episode that came on. It is a 10 hour mini series mind you. I even got Danielle to stop down tonight. I remember when I forced her to watch the DVDs after I got them for Christmas in 2002. I had seen it when it came on HBO in November 2001. I could never give the movie justice with a review, but know that you will be moved beyond words about how the men from Easy Company (101st Airborne Division) bonded in their experiences together during World War II as they marched from Normady to the Crows Nest. It is a "Must See" for all Americans! And just in case you don't know, it is a depiction of true events as told by these great men; albeit they would never say so, who served this great country with valour, honor and distinction.

I'm spoiled.

Per group effort, I received my very own digital SLR camera this Christmas. I'm so freakin' excited about it. We have an old Cannon FILM (so 20th century) SLR camera, and I was super pumped when I realized my 300mm lens was compatible with the new fangled fancy digital SLR cameras. So, after shopping around, I went with the Cannon Rebel-again. I'm a Cannon girl.

Just look at my awesome pictures from the Christmas Festivities. It's ok-you can be awed. :)

thank you. thank you. :) Merry Christmas to ME! :)

God Bless Us Every One.

a snapshot of our crazy little family Christmas..

Jason Can Dance...Who Knew?

Click Here

Merry Christmas from the Family*

Todd's Family Christmas was this past Saturday. Every year we settle before the Tree, set up our camera timers and hope for the best. We have about 10 years of pictures like this. Good times.

*And yes, that was a Robert Earl reference. I guess you could say it our own Scroggins Christmas Carol. Just give Papa the guitar, and we all sing along.

Death and Mayhem of Local Wildlife

I am truly an animal lover and have been fortunate to not hit many animals with my vehicle in my 17 years of driving. Mostly, I have been a bird killer, it seems birds fly in front of my vehicle all of the time. I have never hit a dog or a cat. I know that would absolutely kill me. I actually stradled a skunk two nights ago to save his life. Lucky for him I am a nascar driver and he lived to talk about it.

Today as I was driving to work, three squirels came bantering across Bramlet road all at once,just as I made the turn toward 380 off of Preskitt. I feared to stop and look but decided I had to know...I was hoping none were hit as I felt I had taken pretty evasive action. I could handle one not making it, but when I opened the door to look (windows were foggy) all three had been hit and were doing what I like to call the "jerk of death". As they lay on the road squirming...dying...I could not help but wonder what they might be saying to one another. One minute they are having fun enjoying what might be the last beautiful day of Fall and the next moment dying! It really does bother me and I will think about it the rest of the day. If you pass by them over the next few days, wish them good thoughts in squirel heaven!

Miracles on State Street

Miracle #1: Our darling angel (ha!) Grady was miraculously marvelous at tonights Lion Club Christmas dinner. He literally sat still for 2 hours while a bunch of men sat around talking about how long they have lived on earth. I don't think I have seen that ball of energy sit still for 2 minutes before tonight. Given the circumstances I think all of the children attending, including the Bowker's and Klose's children, behaved most excellently. And to top it off, Santa Claus was coming up the street in the Decatur Fire Truck just as we walked out of the door to leave. Given the kids angelic behavior, how appropriate.

Miracle #2: We were asked to speak about ourselves, our families, and possibly a favorite holiday memory. One of the elder member's most vivid memory was about the time he learned the "truth" about Santa. Keep in mind the age of the children attending ranged from 2 to 11. I think I saw 3 mom's jaws dropped to the floor in unison as he spoke fairly candid about the memory. Luckily, I think all of the children had the life force sucked out of them by this point in the night and were day dreaming. So hopefully, "No Harm, No Foul". Right Julie?

Today

Monday morning Stephen Blaylock was driving on HWY380, was hit by another car, and never made it home. The news spread across town, and many were saddened by his loss and the loss for his five children-especially so close to Christmas. Teachers rushed to their sides, community members set up memorial funds, and everyone prayed. Everyone is still praying.

I did not know Stephen well, but he was in our graduating class, and there is a certain bond you have with those whom shared that walk across the stage, or in our case the Decatur High School Football Field. It's not a daily bond-or even a yearly bond, but it is a lasting one. Hearing his name and the details of Monday morning overwhelmed me with sadness-as a classmate, a friend, a wife, and a mom. My heart breaks for his family, and I ache for his children.

Everyday we get up, get dressed, go to work, take the kids to school...pick the kids up, take them to soccer practice, cook dinner...everyday we go through the motions of our life. Sometimes we rejoice in those motions, or take comfort in their familiarity. Other times we are beat down by those motions-the marathon that we run each day. I've said this before, but it's times like these that I try to stop down, look around and realize I'm living my life. I'm living my life right now. Today. It sounds trite, but it's so easy to wish time away, to look for the next event, next vacation, or next thing on your to do list. It can be very difficult to cherish each minute. Each Second. Each second of daily chaos of kids, work, family, and friends.

But it can be gone in that second.

Christmas Yummies

'Tis the Season. :)

"but MOM, I'm doing my HOMEWORK!"

Vietnam Memorial

Last week Madison's class took a walking field trip to visit the The Moving Wall Vietnam Memorial. She was excited about the "once in a lifetime opportunity", but I don't think really understood the magnitude of the Memorial. Before her field trip, we discussed what the Wall was, and why the names were engraved on it. We talked about all the soldiers who have served our Country, including my Dad, her great grandfathers, and her cousin Colin.

When her class arrived at the Wall, a Veteran gave a brief history of how this wall was "healing" to so many people who could not travel to the permenant memorial in Washington, D.C. He discussed the Vietnam Conflict, and the structure of the Wall. He noted the crosses and diamonds next to each soldier's name. He talked about the soldiers that were still lost, and how this Memorial was our only link to them. When Madison felt those crosses and diamonds on the wall with her fingers, I think the idea of sacrifice became a little real to her. I know it did for me the first time I walked this Wall.

they call this a phase, right?

I've heard people-other parents-talk about their kids going through this or that phase. I've also wondered what that meant really. How did they know the kid would just grow out of it. How did they not just freak out because the kid was acting so terrible all the time? Is there a list of these so-called phases I can refer to? Because, man, Madison is wearing me out.

For the past 2 or 3 weeks, she has learned some sassy and perfected its usage. From the moment the alarm goes off in the morning, she is on a mission to see just how far she can push her limits. We pick out clothes; they aren't sloppy enough. I tell her to make her bed; she wallows on it in protest. We make breakfast; she doesn't like it. I tell her to put on a coat; she hates coats...and that's just in the first 30 minutes of the day. When she gets home she protests doing homework (which is usually just reading-only her FAVORITE THING TO DO EVER.). She changes clothes, throws them on the floor, and within minutes her room is a disaster area. Every night we clear the chaos, and every night she's writhing in fit that she "has to do so much". "So much" like putting her laundry away, bathing, and cleaning up her barbies.

The attitude spilled into school this last week, and she pulled her card 3 times-each for something different, but the underlying theme was not listening. Today in church she reverted to 2 year old behavior literally crawling on the floor, and the cherry on the Sunday of the day was her behavior in Bealls. According to Todd, she demanded some horse toy, stating that "she wasn't leaving until he bought it for her," and when he wouldn't, that "he was the worst daddy ever."

Believe me, during all of this sassy crap there have been MAJOR consequences, but I have to wonder if it is getting through. I was expecting this kind of irrational hormonal behavior in about 5 years-not in second grade. To top it off-I have a hard time relating because I was not this kind of kid. At all. I was the quiet-always-wanting-to-please kid. Not the wheels-off-this-is-my-life-kind-of-kid. I can't help but question my own parenting skills, and hope that I'm somehow handling this the right way.

On the flip side, in one of our many discussions on this topic, Todd mentioned that though they have their (many) faults, all our kids seem to have their own voice and to be comfortable in their own skin-a quality I still haven't mastered. So, I'll keep that in mind as we work through this phase and hope we all come out of it saner, closer, and maybe even a little more comfortable. In the words of my mom, "this too shall pass." Right?

Injustices of Middle School

Some friends and I were discussing the paddlings we received in middle school. All of us were from Decatur so we had similar stories dealing with similar teachers and coaches. I remember in my eighth grade year looking back and counting how many I had and it was like 20 spankings during that 3 years of my life. I don't think I was a bad kid, but gesh, that is a lot of spankings. I do remember a few I deserved, but I remember a few I did not as well. Here is a list of a few of them with the stories behind them. I truly believe teachers would get jail time these days if they did this. Why did society change so much in the last 20 years on corporal punishment. I think kids were better when corporal punishment was a possibility. Especially when they were dealing with trigger happy coaches like Owen and Neighbors. Then again they are probably the reason teacher's no longer can do this at a whim! Here we go:

1. Shannon Hesteande and I were walking back into the gym at the end of PE and we were "horse playing". Not for long...Coach Owen saw us and that is when I heard the dreaded words for the first time "thats going to cost you one". I think we touched one another barely. But that is my recollection. My ass was on fire after that one. I saw Shannon get his "lick" before me and he start crying and believe me...Shannon was one of the toughest guys I knew. I knew I was in for a world of trouble. Gone were the days of the paddle that did not hurt. I was in the big leagues now. I did not want a piece of him again. Unfortunately I would not get my wish.

2. Mr. McBride was a trigger happy history teacher in the 6th grade. He loved to give kids a paddle. He was from the old school and was probably in his fifties at the time. My desk was next to the door. I had my back against the wall sideways in my chair and was watching him paddle some kids for who knows what reason (probably talking in class...can you imagine getting one for that today)and he noticed I was watching...mind you I was in my seat and not saying a word. He said to me "Since you think this is so interesting, Mr. Scroggins, you will need to come join us!" I was like what the hell! Well I did get it and his hurt too!

3. Mr. Henson was an ex coach who loved to lay one on anyone he could. I remember he especially liked to paddle girls. He was my eighth grade math teacher. We were having board races and I was not paying attention. I noticed my turn was up and he was starting the problem without me. I just said "wait dude" as I was running to the board. He simply said "no one calls me dude...you will need to go to the hall." Yep got one for that too.

4. Now for one I thought I did not deserve, but on further review probably did. Backgroud: Remember lick number one above. Well that one left a bruise in the same shape of a paddle on my arse. I was getting into the shower one morning and my sainted mother happened to see my butt and asked me what that bruise was from. I told her and she was a little pissed. Mind you my mom was the wife of a coach and she knew Coach Owen very well. He was one of the younger coaches that the older coaches' wives like my Mom took care of. I could not believe it (she never had a problem beating me when I deserved it), but she said he was not to give me licks ever again if he was going to leave bruises. Now the story: We were playing a cruel game that Coach Owen called turtle and rabbit. He sent the fat kids running from the middle school parking lot toward the football field. When the fat kids got far enough he would send the faster kids after them. Yes...I was apparently one of the faster kids believe it or not. If the faster kids did not catch the fat kids they had to run again. Being that I was a coaches son, Coach Owen loved to pick on me. He sent one of the biggest kids (Tony Balogna) running and waited for him to be on his way back before he let me go. I did not have a chance, as Tony literally had a 300 yard jump on me. I almost caught him, but fell gassed at the finish line. The rest of the class were laughing at me, including Jason Wren, who happens to love this story. All I could come up with at that time was "Shut up you assholes!". And that is when I heard the dreaded words again. "Scroggins, that is going to cost you one!" In front of the class mind you, I explained that I was not going to get a paddle and that my mommy said so. I kind of hate that part. He actually told me we would wait a day and see who prevailed in regards to this matter. I guess he was scared of my mom. Her reason was simple...she did not think he needed to hit kids as hard as he did. She was on my side and I felt good about the situation until my dad came home from work that night after football practice or whatever was going on and explained to me that a man has to do what a man has to do. I chose to say what I said and now I would have to pay the piper. I was like a dead man walking into the locker room that next day. Coach Owen had that silly grin he always had and yep he walloped my ass good...again! I was prepared this time. I think only one tear came out on my walk from his office to the band hall. He could really knock the snot out of you.

On a side note...when I explained to him it was not fair during class, he went into a tirade of how life is not fair and that it was not fair to be bald when your only 28 years old...as he spiked a football in the pavement in anger. He did this in front of the whole class. I still get a giggle when I think about it. I guess it was all worth it.

Junior Achievement

I just completed my first semester volunteering with Jr. Achievement. Normally I would say no to this sort of thing, but before I said "No", I remembered one of the main reasons I longed to be back in my hometown. I wanted the opportunity to give back. Opportunity was knocking and I decided to answer the call. For some reason this always seemed difficult in the big city. Not sure why. But it just seems more meaningful when you are giving back in the community where you grew up. I was assigned to Mrs. Terrell's 2nd grade class at Carson. It included several memorable kids whose faces seemed to light up when I walked in the room every Friday morning. That alone made it worth my while. We spent five weeks learning about communities, government, jobs, production types, money, voting, etc. Luckily the topics were things I could handle and hopefully the kids learned something along the way. Friday was my last day and it was a little sad. It went by so fast. A special thanks goes out to Mrs. Terrell who kept the kids in line when I was getting run over like a freight train. She has a good "teacher" voice!

Tickets Please!

According to Grady, last Saturday we went to the North Pole. He heard Rudolph's Bells and everything. Check out the look on his face as the 'conductor' punches his ticket.
Really we were just in Grapevine, but we BELIEVE we went on the Polar Express. Our friends Jason and Jenn went on the adventure with us. Jenn was a lifesaver and sent me these pics, since I thought it would be a grand idea to leave my memory card at home. Thank you!!! We tried to snap some good family pics, but that is an adventure all its own. Is that a beating for anyone else? Good Grief!! This is the best one-although looking at it, I do see each personality in living color.

There were a few cuddly moments on the way back from the North Pole. Looking at these pics, I don't think you can argue the direction of our genes. Wow are Madison and Todd twins!!!

Super fun field trip with some super fun friends. :) Grady is still talking about riding the Train to see Santa, and how Isaac sat on the seat with him the WHOLE RIDE. There's just something wonderful about that excitement. Something really wonderful.

Christmas Cards

I've been trying to finish my Christmas Cards for the past week. It's a process around here, but a process I really do enjoy. I'm dorky like that. :) I'm one of those "letter writers" that sends out a sampling of our year in one page or less. I've written these letters since our First Christmas, and it's superfun to go back and read through them. I have them all in a Christmas Scrapbook, and flipping through so many years in one book with those letters as commentary-well, it's just neat. We've done a lot of stuff in the last 13 years. In our first letter, I wrote about the "wedding catastrophe" as our leftover wedding napkins flew out of Todd's pickup on the way home. Fast forward to this year, and I wrote about our 3 kids with their many quirks and milestones. Funny how life gives you a ride. That couple that laughed so hard at the irony of a wedding catastrophe happening post-wedding, also laughed at the look in their kids' eyes when Santa called tonight. I guess our sense of humor has aged along with us. :)

It seems redundant to summarize our year, pick a picture, and mass mail it to everyone when I update our life almost daily on this here blog. In theory, I guess I could just post my letter and get on with it. That just doesn't seem as fun though. Or as Christmasy.

Now I just need to carve out the few hours it takes to address, stuff, and stamp everything. That time is proving very difficult to find as the years wear on, but I will find it-as I do every year, and will for every year to come. Just think when I have a book of 40 or so letters to read through-what a story that will be!

baby it's cold outside

It's like 32 degrees or something like that right now in dear old Decatur. The wind is gusting, the Christmas lights are twinkling, and the Christmas music is giving me Holiday Goosebumps.

Baby it's Cold Outside-great goosebumpy cold weather Christmas Song. :) Love it.

Viva la Vida Out!

I am officially tired of this bit and so is my wife. So just to let all of my fans know...I am hanging up the towel on being Coldplay's forever faithful listener. The masses have spoken and like a good politician, I blow wherever the winds of change take me. Plus Jarhead said it was the worse crap he had ever listened to.

Lady and the Tramp

I'm very very sad.

During my spastic day, I restorted to the SuperMom technique of TV babysitting. I hate when it happens, but sometimes the shower necessity wins above all else. In any case, I pulled down my trusty VHS version of Lady and the Tramp. I was recently reminded how much I love this movie, and it seemed the perfect filler for today. I slipped the tape into the VCR, and it spat out at me-over and over and over. I'm pretty sure the dang thing was mocking me...I could practically hear the VCR saying "Dude, I'm old-I'm tired. Heard of DVDs?"

It never worked. It's broken. My Lady and the Tramp is broken, and for some reason I don't own the DVD. I'm sure it's not coming out until 2050 or something per Disney rules, so now I will never ever get to watch it.

I'm very very sad.

Appendicitis

My sister called this morning from the Methodist Hospital in Houston. She was admitted at 5AM with an appendicitis. She told me to hold off calling the masses until she knew her diagnosis for certain, but I set the balls in motion despite her request. I called my mom, told her the news, and we made the plan for her to drive to Houston this afternoon. 2 hours later, I met my mom with a packed suitcase and GPS ready to go. She arrived in Houston just as Patti was in surgery recovery. Patti's resting now-despite an absent appendix.

The kids heard me talking to Todd, Mom, and Tony-Patti's boyfriend. Madison was most worried when she heard Aunt Patti was having surgery. I explained one of Patti's organs wasn't working, so the doctors were taking it out. That satisfied her, and she explained such to Tanner. These are the benefits of having a science nerd for a mom. :)

I'm sending good thoughts Patti's way-and wish Houston were closer so that I too could read her a bedtime story as she sleeps off the morphine. Lots of Love...

Deck the Halls

I finally finished putting up all our Christmas Decorations on Friday. It took most of the day, sacrificing getting out of our pjs as April witnessed to my embarrassment! Really-we do normally get dressed on a daily basis!

Since this is our first Christmas in the new house, it was a challenge finding the perfect spot for all our favorite things-but Grady and I were successful. Finding a place for the tree was the hardest part. Our living room doesn't really have a corner, so we just stuck the tree right in the middle. O well-it's sparkly. :) Todd peer pressured us into a real tree this year, so I've been watering it all day everyday in fear of fire. Todd has a history you know. For all the watering, I don't really smell the "wonderful real tree smell." Baa Humbug on me I guess. Now that everything is all up and festive, I'm cozying up with my Christmas Music and hot chocolate. We are freaks like that, and listen to Christmas Music 24/7 for the entire Season. We've bought a new cd every year that we've been married, and now with IPOD Todd you can imagine the selection we have. My favorite is Jimmy Buffett singing Christmas Island. :) If you haven't heard it, you should look it up. Very fun. We've watched the Grinch a few dozen times, and with each time our hearts grow 3 times their normal size when we see him have the strength of ten Grinches PLUS TWO! :)No Scroggins Christmas would be complete without a kitty sleeping under the tree. Chrissy curled up on cue just as I put the last stocking on the mantle. I love this time of year.

Let's Examine the Evidence

You be the judge of the latest lawsuit which alleges Coldplay's hit "Viva La Vida" is a rip off of Joe Satriani's "If I Could Fly". I'm obviously not an expert on this sort of thing, but while there are similarities it is not just a complete rip off of Joe's song. Songs with this few of chords can sometimes sound a lot like other songs. Hello...do you not remember Bowie's "Under Pressure" and Vanilla Ice's or was it Rip Van Winkle's (both funny names) "Ice Ice Baby". Admit it, you liked that song. Anyway, I don't think anything ever came of the lawsuit filed by Bowie and those two songs were definitely similar at the beginning. If you researched it you would probably find many songs written through time that sound like other songs, etc.






EDIT AFTER FURTHER RESEARCH:


This is not the first time Coldplay has been accussed of using another band's song to create Viva La Vida. This song obviously has some similar tendencies of a lot of other 3 to 4 chord songs with a similar chord progression. I bet it is very common. Great minds think alike I say. Difference in this case is that Coldplay is making million's off of it and Joe is not. Plus how are they going to prove that Coldplay ever heard this song by Joe. Joe is a "has been" and is obviously not played on the radio a lot, much less in London. The fact is, it is possible for one song to sound like another. Here is the other plagiarism claim...gotta love the mustache...reminded me of Mr. Bowker Five from when he was a lady's man.


And yet another song that someone says sounds like Viva. If you don't watch any of the other ones...watch this as it is really funny watching the girls in th video do the robot.

Raggies

We have a "raggie issue" at our house. For all our babies, I used cloth diapers as "burp rags". All 3 kids turned them into their security item-and it looks like Grady is feeling a little insecure today.

Book Club Widower (for Bowker Five)

This is a shout out to all of the other "Book Club" widowers busy getting their little ones to bed! How long do you think they talk about the book? The picture above says it all!

O Happy Day!!!

Today I FINALLY got my phone back in working order after almost 4 WEEKS! Just imagine not having a cell phone for a month. Try. Now I triple dog dare you to actually go without your phone for one day-just one day. You'll be amazed. Truly.

I won't go into the nitty gritty of the drama between the Palm Warranty people and the Sprint Store-but you can imagine-4 weeks, no phone, extreme drama. Grrr. I'm letting it roll of my back though. Totally letting it roll...Big Breaths.

In any case, it was a serious handicap in my daily life not having my cell phone. I normally make all my phone calls in the car while driving kids to and fro. I had to actually sit at my house and make time to make phone calls! Plus, there was nothing to do while I waited in the parent pick up line at school-major bummer. One evening, I followed a friend to downtown Fort Worth and got separated. I felt like the ant that got separated from the rest of the ant trail. I was ON MY OWN wandering around downtown hoping I was on the right road. Very scary feeling being "lost" from your people.

Making plans turned into a major ordeal. I had to plan and coordinate everything from home-no changing anything the spur of the moment. Noone could get in touch with me-ever. I was only in contact with the outside world from home base, and in reality-I'm not here that much. Quote of the Year, "How does one get a hold of Danielle anyway?" Another major issue-my calendar was only in my head-not the most trustworthy place. I almost missed Madison's first basketball practice last night because of no beeping reminder. A random phone call from Gran got her there on time.

So, now I have my phone back. I have my contacts, my email, my calendar, my texting...o happy happy day. I'm connected and interconnected. Feel free to text me about it. :)

Betty Crocker Watch Out!!

"Mommy, why do you have that book?"

"So I can learn to cook yummy dinners."

"You can go ahead and get rid of it now. You know everything already."

If this doesn't make you laugh...your broken!

Or you don't appreciate dogs the way I do. And who doesn't like a little Christmas music by Harry Connick Jr.?

http://maniacworld.com/dog-having-a-blast-in-the-snow.html


Copy and paste because I am still blog illiterate when it comes to posting hyperlinks.

Cool Thing Yahoo is Doing

These Nissan Live Sets are pretty interesting. Especially if you like the band. And guess who was playing last night...don't worry, if you missed it you can watch a couple songs right here.

I think it is cool how they come out on stage while Life in Technicolor is already playing. Seemed like a really neat venue to watch a concert as well.



And this is still one of my favorites no matter how many times I have heard it.

Substitute Proposal**

"Mrs. Scroggins, are you married?"

"Yes, hence the MRS. in Mrs. Scroggins."

"Awwww, man!"

"Dude! She's like WAY older than you."


**It was like I stepped into a pre-adolescent Bill and Ted's Excellent Adventure. Funny Stuff.

70%

There didn't seem to be a mandate against Coldplay-duo blogging will continue.

The Kite Runner

Don't ask me why, but this was possibly one of the most powerful movies I have ever seen. The DVD Daniella rented from Blockbuster after hijacking my Queue stayed on top of the TV for about a month. I had a feeling it was going to be one of those boring movies with subtitles that everyone says is really good, but at the "end of the day" really sucks. Yes, I was right..it had many subtitles, but I was wrong as well because it hit me like a ton of bricks and moved me beyond words. Very good (albeit sad) story.

Traumatically Tanner

Tanner is me. He wears his heart on his sleeve, and is hopelessly clumsy.

Example #1: During one of our Thanksgiving Dinners, I thought I saw Tanner wiggle a tooth-so I asked him about it. Big mistake on my part-He replied with, "No, I'm never going to lose a tooth. Madison already lost one by this age." The look on his face says it all. I of course assured him that he would indeed lose all his teeth one day, and the tooth fairy would visit him as well. Poor Guy.

Example #2: I noticed a bug bite on Tanner's arm Thursday morning-you can see a little dot near his wrist in the picture above. It seemed a little larger than normal, but nothing to cause me great concern. Friday, there was a red circle around this bug bite, and by Saturday morning his arm was swollen and hot to the touch. I freaked a bit at the hot to the touch part, and took him to the nearest Medical Clinic. While we were there, I noticed an intense red rash taking over his entire body-looking more like hives than anything else. Suppressing my further freaked-outedness, I explained all these symptoms to the Doc. She diagnosed Tanner with a spider bite turned skin infection, and a secondary allergic reaction to "something." The treatment involved 2 shots-cortizone and an antibiotic. He took them like a man, and didn't start losing it for about 10 minutes as the antibiotic shot continued to work its way through his leg. Big steps for my Little Man. We swung by Sonic for a celebratory chocolate shake, and he spent the rest of the day limping around on that leg. The bite looks a thousand times better today, and he's still pretty proud of his battle wounds. He's a tough little softie. :)

In Case Anyone Was Wondering...

What I need for Christmas. That is right..."need". My current Ipod's battery is tittering on the edge of 4 to 5 hours and that is just not long enough. This new 32 GB Ipod Touch sure would come in handy. I'm just saying.

Giving Thanks for Friends

Not only were we able to spend time with each part of our family over the holidays, but we also had the chance to hang with friends throughout the week.

Todd already gave a shout out to the Wrens for their Annual Turkey Tango-but here are some fun pics from the evening. The food, fun, and games were a great way to kick off the Thanksgiving Marathon.

To finish up the Thanksgiving Marathon on Friday, a bunch of us met up for a little dinner party in honor of Sean and Carter-in from California. The newlyweds filled us in on more details of their recent wedding in Maui, and of course-we prodded them for upcoming details on our favorite show GREEK. They didn't give anything away, but it was fun to feel "in the know".

On a sidenote, some of us were talked into some kind of fancy shmancy margarita-Chile's style. I don't remember the name of it, but I suggest sticking with El Presidente and it's shaker in the future-Just FYI.

Bgirl and her family were also in from Oklahoma, so the reunion was a double bonus. I had a bit of a flashback looking around the table at so many high school friends-all grown up. We're a pretty lucky group to still be so much in touch after all these years.

After dinner, we headed to our house for an after party. We reminisced a few stories from ol' DHS Class of 1993, cracked open a few bottles of wine, and let the good times roll. Gobble Gobble!