Dallas Arboretum

The weather was just beautiful today - 74 degrees and sunny - so we all felt like it would be wrong to stay inside. We took a little trip to the Dallas Arboretum. There weren't many flowers in bloom - maybe because it is January and it should be freezing - but it was pretty anyway. We had a quick picnic and spent a few hours walking the grounds, soaking up the warm sun. It brought back some good memories of Maggie's childhood, when she & I bought an annual Arboretum membership and would go several times a week for lunch. I always intended to do a lot of walking for exercise, but we mostly ended up laying on the ground watching clouds or feeding the squirrels! It was her favorite place to be back then! This time, she showed Tim her best spot - Monster Hill, as she calls it. She even showed him how to roll down it real fast! We took Maggie's friend Haley with us and of'course I snapped a few pictures...

You can call me Maddie!

OK - I have a new favorite thing! This does not by any means replace my Cupcake pj's, as those are evening wear and this is outerwear - 2 totally different categories!

It is my new coat.

It is red. I look like Madeline in it. It has black buttons. For those who don't feel comfortable calling me Cupcake - you can call me Maddie! I will wear it always and NEVER take it off!

Cheap Entertainment

So, Christmas is over, the kids are at home - the stores are still too crowded to shop and we are SO DONE watching movies. What should we do to entertain ourselves? I know - let's make pizza! I didn't really want it to be a big deal or a big mess, so we just opted for good old Chef Boyardee! Surprisingly, it tasted pretty good! Tim mixing the dough

Maggie & BFF Haley making the crust

Such good pizza, that when Haley got up for seconds Shae decided to take her place and ask Maggie for a bite! Tommy would not be happy to see this!

Christmas 2008

I have a few minutes while everyone is playing with their new toys, so I thought I would do a little bit of blogging! This year was a pretty traditional Christmas for us - we had some friends (the Flaishans) over for a nice Christmas Eve dinner. Stefanie brought some treats, including my favorite pumpkin roll! SO yummy! I have been missing Donelle's pumpkin roll since they moved to Utah. Now I know where I can get hooked up!(Taylor, Amber, Maggie, Jacob

Hunter and Tim)

Then the four of us nestled in for our Christmas Eve routine. We began with the usual opening of the Christmas pajamas, then the reading of the two stories - the Saviors birth from the Bible and The Night Before Christmas. Then we varied a bit and Tommy started a wonderful discussion. He asked Tim what stood out to him most when he thought of the Saviors birth. We all really got into talking about it and we each took something different from the story. Maggie spoke about some things that she learned and the new perspective she had after having a great lesson at a young women activity a few weeks ago. I was THRILLED to hear that she had taken from that lesson! I also was thinking of that lesson, and of'course I cried when it was my turn to share my thoughts. What a spiritual way to wrap up our evening. Then the stockings were hung and we all went to bed.

This morning, Tim was the first to crawl out of bed and get everyone up. The kids were very happy with what Santa had left for them (Rockband for Tim and a giant Edward Cullen for Maggie!)and they were grateful for all of the fun gifts from family and friends.After a yummy breakfast, we have all gone our separate ways to try out our new presents. We agreed to watch movies together on Tommy's new t.v. later this afternoon. That brings me here!
I love that I have my family home for a few days - that is what I am most thankful for this year. I wish that I could be with the rest of my family, but I will think of them and all of my wonderful memories of Christmases past often today.
Merry Christmas Everyone!
P.S. We finally decorated our tree! Check out the slide for some of our pre-Christmas baking and decorating!

Make a Smilebox postcard

Cupcake!

You know how Oprah has a "favorite things" list? Well, these are at the top of mine this year. These are my CUPCAKE pajamas. I love them so much that I bought 4 pair of them! One in hot pink, one in black and two in the best color - turquoise!

Let me explain the cupcake part - that isn't the brand or the style name, that is just what I feel like when I wear them - a great big CUPCAKE! So, the cupcake thing has caught on, and Maggie says that when she has children - she will not have them call me Grandma or Granny or any Grandmother-ly name... they will call me CUPCAKE!!

Nana & Pa

I may be wrong, but I don't know that - other than wedding photos - I have ever seen any pictures of my parents together. Weird - they have been married for over 40 years - you would think I would find at least one! We never even took family photos until I demanded it as an adult, and even then, we have only done that twice! So, when they came to visit, I insisted that they let me snap a few shots. My father wasn't very excited about it, but he did cooperate and I am so pleased that I have some nice photos to pass along to my kids now!

These are my parents, Steve & Margie Akin.

Married August 8, 1964

Maggie jumping in the photos - at this point I had lost all control and they were playing "America's Next Top Model"! Who is the grown up here?