Even though it’s already 2009, my class from Savannah Christian c/o 1988 met this weekend for a 20 year reunion. We met up Friday night downtown at the Bull St Chop House and Saturday at the Savannah Yacht Club on Wilmington Island. Both nights were wonderful, tons of good food at both places, including oysters on Saturday (yum,) and lots of good conversation. Kriss was able to come with me Friday night and already knows a few of my friends but she had won tickets to see Rascal Flatts and Jessica Simpson in Charleston back in December and didn’t realize it was for this weekend so she and her mom went to that.

We all talk on Facebook a lot now and are already thinking we should be doing this more often, several times a year even, instead of waiting another 10 years. Some of my classmates even live near us so we can go out or visit each others house in Richmond Hill. There are a lot more pictures on my Facebook page if you’re friends with me.

Back in December Kriss won tickets to see Rascal Flatts in Charleston at the North Charleston Coliseum this past Saturday night. She originally thought they weren’t great seats when she looked online but she said they ended up being fairly decent. I only wish she had take a good camera, this pic was taken with her camera phone. Unfortunately she missed the second night of my class reunion with her new friends, you would think they had gone to school together, but they both said this was probably the best concert they had been to.

Marc has gotten in to a lot of activities over recent years, I don’t know how he even keeps up with them all and his school work sometimes, but one that he seems to really enjoy so far is acting in plays. He’s done a few plays for his school (last spring he was the lead role as the prince in The Prince and the Pea) and church. This Christmas he was in a short play at his local community theatre called The Elves Impersonator, you’ll get the name when you watch it. Dad and Lynn were going to Nashville and stopped in to see it on the way up and he filmed it.

A joke I have heard my whole life that continues today about Disney is how you wait in line for 60 minutes to ride a ride that’s all over in 60 seconds. Disney can’t hold a candle to Christmas. For weeks and months (maybe only days for a few husbands) we shop, and cook, and drive, and agonize over what to get our family and friends for Christmas. Then in the blink of an eye, three little Tasmanian devils tear through their packages like a tornado through a trailer park. The kids were all pleased with their gifts that Santa brought as well as what Kriss and I got them. I was advised that the two older girls were up at 3:00AM with the tree turned on as well as every light in the living room looking to see what Santa brought. He brought Erin and Kellie bicycles and Alyssa a Vera Bradley bag. I think Erin likes her bike most of all but Kellie really hasn’t ridden hers yet. Alyssa got a stack of books she is in to now, all the Wicked, Twilight, and other vampire craze that’s going around now. Read more

Every Christmas eve we spend the evening at my grandmother’s house having dinner and exchanging family gifts with her and mom. However many kids we have that year come along so we load up 5-6 of us in the car and drive to Windsor Forrest. We usually have some type of non-traditional Christmas meal like chicken from KFC and last year I made BBQ, this year was no exception with spaghetti although there was a ham since Kellie doesn’t eat pasta or noodles of any kind and Erin just prefers ham. It was a quieter year since there were fewer of us, only Kriss and I with the three girls along with mom and granny and the kids are all getting older. Cathy, Tommy, and Gabe couldn’t make it.

Afterward we exchanged gifts and the highlight was mom opening our family portraits we had done. This is the first year we’ve had Marc Jr available to get all 6 of us. The girls all got purses with money which they LOVED Kriss caught this photo at the best time when mom realized what she was opening. I wish it had been with a better camera but I don’t think we could have captured the moment if we had planned it.

This year our new tradition of the kids making gingerbread houses is carried on. This started last year when Auntie Dawna (aunt Donna is from Boston) came down for Thanksgiving and on the weekend after she bought a gingerbread house kit for Kellie to decorate while the other two were off for the weekend. So this year nana bought three kits for each of them to decorate on their own. From L-R; Erin’s, Alyssa’s, and Kellie’s. I’m not certain if all of the royal icing is going to come up off the floor, carpet, counter, tv remote, or cordless phone, but we have three lovely gingerbread houses to show for it so thats a pretty fair trade off. Click pic for full size view.

Today was the last day of school for all of the kids here in Bryan co. They were all excited but Kellie was very excited to have her first Christmas party, especially since she missed the Halloween party since she was sick. Kriss and I went up to the school to take treat bags and help out. Another parent brought these tree hat kits, that’s what she is decorating in the picture. You glue ornaments to it and then roll it up and it looks like an elf hat. They all had fun and were surprisingly good the whole time, not once did they get rowdy. We were trying to hurry though because Erin’s class was having a party too and her school is right next door within walking distance so I ran and put Kellie’s stuff in the car while she and Kriss went to Erin’s class. We should have gone there first because they had pizza. It also looked a little rowdier there but she was smiling and having fun.

Every year Santa comes through our neighborhood on a fire truck with lights flashing and siren blaring. We always run out to meet him and take pictures and get some candy. When we first moved here he would come down our street and turn around in the cul-de-sac. Then 2 years ago he faked us out and stopped up the road at a fork and turned around so we went up to meet him this year. I’m not certain but I think Santa has been in the egg nog a little too much before this ride, click on the pic and check him out up close.

It did help get the kids to bed early though. We told them that Santa was still in the area so he was able to keep an eye on them. “He sees you when you’re sleeping, He knows when you’re awake …..”

Yep, this is the first year that we’ve had all four kids, or Marc at all, on Halloween for Trick or Treating. I drove up Friday afternoon to get him and try to get back in time before the other 3 ripped the door down at dark, we barely made it right after dark. Kellie was Princess Aurora, or Sleeping Beauty as you probably know her. I’m not sure what Erin was, I guess a dead, scary, witchy, something or another. Marc was a cowboy, at least that’s what he said he was, there was a hat. Alyssa was scariest of them all, she was an ugly, mean looking witch ! We walked a good bit through the neighborhood though there were some skipped houses along the way, I think the older kids hit more but they always get ahead of Kellie since they don’t need adults holding their hand. We worked our way around to where the Pirate’s of the Caribbean show will be the next weekend, at one of our neighbor’s houses. He does a big production that gets bigger each year with costumes, sets, smoke, etc, and it’s free although they will take charitable donations to benefit SMA, Spinal Muscular Atrophy. This was in front of the Flying Dutchman set. Click on the image to see the full size version. The extra girl beside Erin is her friend down the street Ashley.

I then walked Erin over to a friend’s house that was having a party ’til late, their house was all made up cool with crystal balls with floating heads inside them and lighting effects, while the rest of us went to get something to eat and then we all came back home to divy up the treasure and enjoy a sugar rush.

Today is Lyssa’s 13′th B’day, finally a teenager. I wasn’t certain she was going to make it but alas, her mother did not kill her so she has made it to her next milestone in life.

Tonight she is having a few friends over and a party at her favorite place, Maurice’s. Yeah I know, a party at a clothing store, go figure. Then a few of the little, um, I mean her friends, are coming back here for a sleepover, parents come get them by noon!

Happy Birthday Lyssa!