We are not so sad to say good-bye to 2007, although it was Camden's year. We're looking forward to a new slate and lots of exciting new adventures in 2008. And some organization. Didn't I used to be an organizer? I mean, like psycho organized?

My favorite thing about our family photo is that it never happened. Tal was making a bad face and Camden was looking away, we were in our socks, the photo was off-center, the camera was on the wrong setting, and we all had horrible red-eye. My friend Ravi used some serious PhotoShop skillz and created a memory for us. AMAZING. Doesn't Reagan look like an angel? Their outfits were so big that I'm sure you'll be seeing them in the Christmas 2010 photos...

What a fun day! Our new relatives were in town. We spent Saturday at Sea World--21 of us!--and Monday at the zoo with just the Verdery gang. It is so much fun to get to know our new cousins/nieces/etc. I'm a Great Aunt. I almost fainted. The kids had a blast riding the stinky camels and I finally got a photo of Riley and the giraffe (from the birthday missing picture caper).

Okay, we'll admit it. We were dreading Sea World. We went in a group of 21 people, we were two hours behind our group, the park closed the gates due to overcrowding about five minutes after we walked in, and you could say we were just exhausted already. But we went for the company. Travis' new sister Debbie, her husband, their four grown children with their spouses and chilren (yes, that makes us Great Uncle Travis and Great Aunt Lisa--ICK), and Brenda and her niece Summer (Tal's Sugar Pal). Being a former Cast Member, I am always drawn to the Mouseland. But this was great. I hadn't been in at least fifteen years. The Christmas decorations were outstanding (you think that blue tree would look good in my great room?), and the company did not disappoint.

One other spectacular fact is that I was disappointed that we were going on 12/29, because our Florida Resident deal wouldn't be useful (you can usually go and get a pass for the rest of the year). I somehow battled Travis and stood two horrid lines, had a nice Spanish man feel sorry for me because of the idiot who cut in front of me (I don't understand him, but I think he gave me the kids' tickets for free to make up for it), and I somehow got passes for 2008 for $21, including tax. I say "including tax" every time I tell the story. I am amazed. We can't wait to go back.

I'll also note that I have successfully maintained this website for nearly two years without having my picture on it much, and I think I'm on this page three times.

It was about 95 degrees and so sunny they couldn't open their eyes. The cards are about three weeks too late. Their nice haircuts have grown shaggy. But Reagan's black eye is finally all better, so today is the day for the pictures. Not our best ever, but they're still great. And I have plenty of material for my "Bad Christmas Picture Album" that I lovingly bring out and add to every year.

The bikes were a big hit, and they stayed inside until RIley figured out how to skid. What a great time!

That is our Tal in the gold shirt, farthest to the right. He was darting around so fast it was tough to take a picture. I'm banking on some better shots taken by Idlewild. So we had practice daily for a week, and at least weekly for two months, and a busted head. ("No memory loss, Mommy. Test me.") We're still exhausted.

And we didn't know Southern Baptists could dance so well.

Every year, Idlewild has an Angel Breakfast for 3-5 year-olds to celebrate Jesus' birth. Last year only RIley got to go, but this year both Rs, Gramma, and Dylan went, too. And Riley actually dressed up! The kids are greeted by angels and shepherds, then they can dress up and get pictures (used later for crafts), then we have a big breakfast, then we traipze out (based on color-coded tags--very organized) to craft rooms and a puppet show, then back for a big navity presentation, singing and bells, and birthday cake for Jesus. Only He isn't there, so the kids get to dig into the cake. It really is a fantastic day.

Why isn't the Starbucks open during this event?

We surprised Travis with a micro-vacation to Disney's Polynesian Resort. It was too cold to do anything remotely Polynesian or even go to the parks...in fact, we had to stop on the way and get the only sweats left at the outlet store (hence, the matching green outfits!) so we wouldn't freeze to death. But we actually did relax and had a fantastic time with the kiddos. Maybe forty is the charm. Riley and I got up extremely early to wrap his surprise announcement. Is Daddy giving driving lessons already???

We had a FABULOUS day for Riley's fourth birthday. And then Reagan swiped the camera...and then the pictures were gone forever. We still have hope, but in the meantime, we're going to share some make-up pictures.
      
The theme, of course, was Mario, and the highlight was not the fabulous cake, or the trip to the zoo (my highlight), or the games--it was the ridiculous hats I threw together out of Travis' old hats and felt. These two are Mario and Luigi all the time, and Riley wanted to be called MARIO on his birthday. We had a great time at the zoo, where a giraffe licked Riley with his giant, gray tongue! Check back--with any luck we'll have a picture of the make-up Mario cake.

I was tagged for a meme.  I've been lousy at this NaBlaPomo thing...November is the worst month of the year for me to participate in anything.  I'd love to try it again in March.  I'm going to take all my tags and do Lisa's Christmas Meme:
1. I love fruitcake and eggnog, and I realize this is gross.
2. My grandma always invited us for a "tree-trimmin' partay," which meant she would make things like pimento cheese sandwiches in return for not having to decorate her own tree.
3. My grandpa hated the whole tree gimmick so much that he usually had it all put away by the time we were finished eating Christmas dinner.  One year he stuck the whole thing in a closet, completely decorated, and just pulled it out the next year.
4. All my lights were burned out this year. ALL of them. This must mean I have been married a long time. I am also so cheap that I attempted to repair them, with zero luck. Because of said cheapness, I had plenty of spare boxes ready to go at 75-cents each from the after-Christmas sale two years ago.
5. When we first got married, Travis gave me $35 to buy Christmas decorations. I went to now-defunct Frank's and bought things like ribbons for cinnamon sticks and bells, clear bulbs to stuff with potpourri, etc. Amazing all I got for that...my mom got me a small nativity set. Everything fit into four small under-bed boxes for several years. Now it will take two vanloads to get it to the storage unit.
6. When Tal was two, we went to the Christmas Eve candlelight service. They gave us the little cups to catch the wax drippings. These apparently looked like wine glasses to him, so he went to each person on our pew to "cheers" each glass.
7. On our first married Christmas Eve, I forgot to make plans. We didn't even have dinner. So we ended up at the Burger King drive-thru. They felt so sorry for us they gave us free dessert. So now this is funny to us and every Christmas Eve we stop through BK and split a Whopper.