Pesky

On January 7, 1985 my parents gifted me with a very dubious present--a pesky little brother who would go on to spend years of his life pestering me while convincing our parents of his general awesomeness.  They only see the fact that he is slightly taller than me (a foot is nothing in the grand scheme of things if you ask me) and slightly more athletic than me (the trophy case in my parent's house has exactly one trophy that does not boast of his glories, and I'm pretty sure that mine was one of those given to everyone who participated).  Then, take into consideration the facts that he is not only younger than me but also male, and you cannot be surprised that he always got away with everything I didn't.  Don't mention to me TVs in bedrooms because I've never gotten over him getting one when I was never, ever allowed to even consider that idea.  Curfews are also a sore subject.  ...10 years later....

Now, Curtis just finds new ways to pester me, like beating up my husband:

Buying my daughter Christmas presents with literally 17 twist ties that have to be individually undone in order to extricate the pieces from the box:

Teaching my son to sing "I Saw Mommy Kissing Santa Clause" and then to immediately become grossed out by the very idea:

Using my son as a basketball and attempting to throw him into the hoop after Aunt Jenna's ball game:

And, while there is no photographic evidence of the rest of this tragic tale, I can only promise its veracity--single handedly causing me to lose two consecutive games of Ticket to Ride followed by a dastardly and soul-crushing defeat in Royal Hearts.

Luckily, I managed to come back and own him in our last game of the season.  Years from now, looking back on the Christmas season 2010, only one pertinent fact will remain: I came out on top.  Where I belong, naturally ;)

My Favorite Kind of Christmas Wrapping

Has a bow and adorns one of my favorite people on this Earth...

Robby's Attempt at Decorating for the Holidays

Dear Santa,

My son drew a picture for me for Christmas . . . . all over the kitchen . . . . in permanent marker. Next year, could you let him know that a hug or even a half eaten cookie would be a better surprise?

I think I might need some therapy for Post Traumatic Stress Disorder at this point. So much for a laid back afternoon of watching some good football and maybe sneaking in a nap.

Ode to the DumDum

Dear DumDum,

I want to apologize to you for never appreciating your amazing qualities before. As a child and even up to very recently, if offered one of your kind I would turn up my nose and politely decline. Little did I know that at only 25 calories a pop and no fat that you actually have magical powers.

I had the good fortune to stumble onto your powers at Halloween when well intentioned people put you into my son's Elmo candy carrier. Then, I felicitously decided to offer you as a reward for good potty behavior on the day after Halloween. To my surprise and delight, my son was immediately enamored. Now that you are the regular treat on offer, we are more than one month accident free. A magical Christmas present to be sure. I promise to never underestimate your goodness again.

Points for Creativity

So, as many of you know, we have been trying to sell our house for over six months now. Obviously, it is not the greatest time, but well, we need some more space--especially once June hits. This weekend, we had a second showing on the house, and we could not help but let our hopes get up just a bit.

Today though, we got the feedback. Great location! Great curb appeal! Clients love the living room and dining room area. However, my clients are very tall, and they just don't feel that the layout of the house will work for them as a result.

Too tall. There you go. So, if you know of any shorties who are looking for a great house in a great location for a great price in Fort Worth, send them our way. But, if your friends who are house hunting are tall, please let them know that our house may just not be the one for them.

This has been a public service announcement courtesy of Hobbits Unlimited.

Very Christmassy

Juliet loves to put on her reindeer antler headband and then to walk to the nearest adult for the inevitable coos of how cute she is.

And I always comply. I mean, look at her.