one year ago...

We were visiting my folks in Shanghai, and they took us up to Beijing. December 26, 2008 we climbed the Great Wall! It was amazing and definitely a favorite part of our trip. 

Our little hole-in-the-wall "hotel" where we stayed the night had this bed.  The "BED" had a mattress.  Or rather it had a little teeny pad that covered the box spring.  No movement to the bed, no "give" to the mattress and it was hard as a rock.

If we weren't so stinking tired from all that climbing and walking, there's no WAY that we could have slept on it! Good thing we were exhausted. 

To see and hear about more China adventures, click HERE!!

It all went by too quickly, we want to go back!

ow ow ow ow ow

I know there are too many shots of my poor toe here, but you HAVE to get the idea! You can't tell in these pictures, but the swelling is all the way down my foot and the bruising takes up half my foot also. 

I slipped and kicked our dining room chairs when I was sitting down to dinner and hurt my toe so badly that 2 weeks later I still can't bend my toe! I guess I fractured it and hopefully it'll go back to normal.  I have a dent in the side of my toe that hasn't gone away yet either!

Not to mention the other day I was dodging a DIRTY DIAPER that was being hurled towards my head and I ran into the door....I have a BLACK and BLUE and PURPLE bruise on my right arm.  It's 7 inches long and 4 1/2 inches wide.  Yup, that's just me, folks!

My name is Angie and I'm CLUMSY!

randomness

These are just some random pictures that I felt like posting. No rhyme or reason to it! Enjoy the sides of us that you never see...

Whaaaaaaaaaaat? Ryan's tongue...that's disgusting.

Rrrrrrrrrrrg! Pirate Dawson. 

Carter being SO ANGELIC! Don't be decieved. *He totally posed like this, I didn't prompt him or anything!

He put on Dawson's shoes and then wanted to go outside to play.  He looks like a little man-child! I love it.

This picture CRACKED ME UP!!! It looks like a bobblehead of Carter or something because his head is GIGANTIC!!

Holy Circles, Batman! Look how tired we look. 

The other night when Ryan was gone and I sooooooo didn't want to make dinner, we had Hot Cocoa and TOAST! (Kari, you've inspired me!)

The kids LOVED it!

Ryanna ALWAYS has a book in her hands, even when she's NOT SUPPOSED to have one during mealtime...but since Ryan was gone I let her.  Shhhh! Don't tell.

yes they're from scratch, thank you very much!

My Mom's FAMOUS HUGE Sugar Cookies!!!

Guess who loves your cookie recipe, Mom?

Ladies...introducing Zac Efron.  Just kidding, it's only my handsome baby brother, Aaron! He's a fan of cookies too, it's a good thing.  I've been bossing him around today and rewarded him with a cookie. 

He's SO like his Daddy, look at that tongue! Only in deep concentration does the tongue-waving start!

When I gave Carter his knife to frost his cookie with, he looked at me like I had two heads.  In his mind I'm sure he was thinking, "WHAT MOM? You want me to touch this messy, sugary goodness and use a knife to do it? But don't I usually get in trouble for this? And you're telling me it's okay now? I'm SO CONFUSED!"

But he got the hang of it.

Nice Ryanna! She was loving the frosting as much as Carter was.

Still loving the frosting...

"WE LOVE SUGAR COOKIES!"

Dawson loves his Uncle Aaron!

And we're still licking...and licking....

Sprinkles! All we need is MORE SUGAR!

Look at THAT determination!!

He could hardly grip the bottle of sprinkles, let alone actually lifting it over his cookie multiple times to shake out those darn things! I had to help him after he clogged the spout with frosting.

"Oh my goodness! This is absolutely DELICIOUS!" I think he's thinking that.  He finally gave up licking the knife and went for his fingers instead!!

Now onto the DETOX session of the night before they retire for bed.....

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P.S. HAPPY ANNIVERSARIES to the following indivuals:

*Ashley and Donny as they celebrate their 2nd Anniversary

*Grandmother Velta and Papa Moe as they celebrate their um...50somethingth!

Hope your Day is as WONDERFUL as YOU are!!!! Love you!!!

christmas parting goes a loooooooong way

Ryanna's class had their annual Christmas party and we joined up with her! It was fun, but WEIRD because it's my OLD ELEMENTARY SCHOOL.  It still SMELLS the exact same way as it did 19 years ago when I was there! Talk about a blast from my past.  The boys enjoyed seeing all the other kids too. 

Playing BINGO...and winning!!!

As Carter screamed and Dawson threw fits because he wanted to join another party for their Holiday Festivities, I think it was time to leave! They both fell asleep on the way home, so I think it was a total successful outting! WHEW!

gingerbread houses...a very loose term

We decorated the Gingerbread Houses that my mom made from scratch and made the house smelled SO DELICIOUS!

We had frosting all over our faces, hands, clothes and after the night was over.  It's such a fun tradition and it helped me get in the mood for Christmas!!

This is our "CREATION." Ryan and I tried to make two houses and attach them together, but since I was a frost-hog the frosting wouldn't dry! The walls started buckling and the roofs never stayed on so we just threw pieces where they could go and decorated it as much as we could.  It was a BLAST! It's our "Mansion/Church/LeanTo/Hostel/Whatever" and I think it turned out well.  It is HUGE!

This is Ryan's truck.  He was very proud of it!

Carter was everywhere, licking, biting, eating, snitching, etc.  He was such a good helper!

And we're holding....and we're holding...and we're holding...

Dawson and his yummy house!

Dawson is happy...Ryanna not so much.  She was mad that we had to keep the houses at Grammie and Grandaddy's house so it could try.

He was being a STINKER and he DESERVED IT! I totally frosted his neck!

Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaand we're done!

It was FUN! Thanks for all the hard work, Mom, that you put into the night for us.  Next year, I'll help clean up! It was a blast, can't wait for next year's!!