Merry Chrima! Some families go to church on Christmas Eve, some go caroling, some feed the hungry. The Olivers go to Fast Lanes and ride go-karts and earn tickets. I'm sure Mary and Joe would have stopped off at Fast Lanes if there was one near the manger.



We got home in time to make cookies for Santa. Talk about a believer!

Shaun is big on Christmas display. He plans for a while, and make sure everything coordinates. I'm uberimpressed with the goal post, and so was Ethan. Nana and PawPaw showed up in time to share the magic. We put our believer to bed and hoped he would wait until daylight.

I was so excited I was up at 7, and OF COURSE, Ethan slept until 8. Why do I do this to myself?! I will not have another opportunity to sleep until 8 until 2015, and I didn't take advantage of it. Anyway, at 8:01, when I couldn't stand it anymore, Ethan rounded the corner to our room with excellent news "Santa Claus came!!!!"

He was a little miffed that his Saints uniform didn't have stripes on the pants, but Nana Elf rectified it as soon as she could.


We opened too many present, Rach and Matt joined us mid-afternoon to bring more excess to the holiday, and we introduced Mom and Dad to the Wii. Catching up the 50s crowd with current technology is fun in itself.

We finished our night with an amazing dinner prepared by Chez Bubba Shaun of Prime Rib, Lobster Mac and Cheese {[yeah, its like Tuna Casserole on Heroine (I only assume, of course)], and I wonder if parentheses and bracket laws extend from algebra to literature?} and green bean bacon bundles. It was AMAZING.

Full bellies, full hearts, full toy boxes... all filled up to the tip tip top.
Looking forward to 09 and all it will bring: new baby, new brother in law- and that just gets us to May.
:) E

Have you ever read the If You Give a Pig a Pancake series? I lived it. If you give Ethan a bag of trash to take out to the garage, he'll probably think it looks like Santa's toy bag. Then he'll go to his room and change into something red, and that will remind him of the Santa hat that is in the car, so he'll go to the car and get the santa hat, he'll ask you to make it fit better. While you're getting the velcro out of the closet, Ethan sees the fiberfill. That will make him think that he needs a Santa beard. So... chances are, if you give Ethan a bag of trash to take to the garage, it will never ever happen...

I'm also strangely facinated about how kids learn things. Ethan is finally focusing on his fine-motor needs.
Get the paper, draw a line on the paper, cut the line. Over and over and over.

And HOLD YOUR HORSES! I've figured out how to post video. It's taken me a while, but I've been recently inspired by my ability to configure a wireless router and wireless printer at the office (took me 10 days). I can do anything. Joey from India said it was "eempossible do helb me" after the third time I called him, so I had to dig into that old self-reliance. EAT IT JOEY!


For caring less about football, I am surrounded at all times, on all days, in every every way. I really am trying to diversify his interests.

A little preview of baby Elliot! He was facing my spine, and generally uncooperative with his arms over his face, but we caught one little smirk.
Ethan's worried that he's gonna be gray.

Yeah, I posted 17 pictures. It's birthday day.... We celebrated on Sunday for the obvious convenience over Monday. He woke up and knew it was his birthday, as he asked for cake and juice for breakfast.


When you live far away from your Shreveport cousins, your Shreveport Momo, and your Vegas Aunt and Uncle, you get lots of presents in the mail, so you might as well start early- before breakfast early.


We comprimised with fruity french toast and took a break with the new monkey puzzle. Then it was back to business.



Good Lord, its a fly-boat. He could barely stand it. Many people sent and gave many presents, and if I posted them all, it would be inappropriate. Being that Ethan is a snow baby, he gets presents from the day after Thanksgiving to the beginning of the new year. We have to spread them out so he doesn't become blase' about things. So, just because your present being opened does not appear on the blog, it does not represent its value, its worth, or the love it was shown...

Unless, of course, you showed up with a new uniform. Rachel and Matt win a prize. We had a casual football party. Shaun was coach, I was a pregnant cheerleader (just in theory, 'cause all that would fit me was one of Shaun's big Saints tshirts). Guests were encouraged to dress up, but I don't think we realize that other people don't have the football acoutrama that we do here. Anyway...


Ethan shared his helmets, and made sure everyone had a ball (ah ha, get it? I'm halarious.) They just roll off my fingers, really. Then came the manna.

He gets SO serious at the prospect of another uniform. He couldn't believe it first of all, then he couldn't get to it fast enough. He got the helmet out and was all "Where's the pants and the jersey?"

The strip tease began, and the transformation was complete. He now IS a Miami Dolphin, but is still hoping for a Saints helmet and Chiefs helmet for christmas. I need a helmet shelf.


We've had to really crack down on the no uniforms at school rule. I told him the other day that real football guys don't wear their jerseys to school. Here's how it went:
"Real football guys wear real clothes to school."
"May you call Reggie Bush for me?"
"He's very busy, maybe we could write him a letter. What do you need to ask him?"
"If he wears his wristbands to school."
We haven't had to write the letter yet... he's trusting my word so far.



He doesn't care that real football guys don't sleep in their uniforms, as this football guy does.

Happy Birthday Ethan! Lots can happen in 3 years.

THese pics are a little out of order, but its the best I could do. You see our new football grass... it's astroturfalous, it makes a horrible green plastic and black backing residuous mess. It was intended for its OUTDOOR living capability, but now it has started to snow. And once Ethan saw it, he drags it in from wherever he can find it, rolls it out, and goes to town.
That's his Saint's uniform... excuse me, practice uniform. I had to talk him into a practice helmet and practice pants. Those are gold wrapping paper fleur de li on his hat. I do admit some sort of sick pleasure out of being able to make WHATEVER he asks me to.



My tree hunters brought home a loverly balsam piney smell good tree. Ethan could actually manipulate the hooks on the ornaments this year, and was fiercely inedependent in his design. So, we have a large blob of elmo, big bird, and all things sporty about 3 feet up. He's watching for deviations in his design, so it has stayed put.

We had the first annual showing of the Polar Express in 3-D, which was almost miserable... the 3D part, not the movie. Myabe it was the glasses, maybe it was me, but I didn't like it.

Our final display... and the most timely I've ever gotten all this stuff up! Please note Dudley Sparkle, the Elf on the Shelf, to the immediate left of the tree. He is this craze that Momo let us in on... he goes to the North Pole every night, we can talk to him, we CANNOT touch him, and he reports to Santa on how we've been behaving. Dudley returns while we are sleeping and hides in a different spot every night. He was sitting on top of the microwave this morning, and when Shaun said "Ethan! Dudley moved out of your stocking! How did he get up there?" Ethan's response was simply "Mama moved him."

I have an ultrasound next week, so I'll hopefully be able to post an Elliot picture.
Til then, E