Whitish Christmas and White New Year

The snow had started to melt for Christmas Day, but it was still mostly white. New Year's Day looks to be in better shape, as we got about an inch or so of new snow today. We just got in from a trip down south, so expect pictures soon. It was kind of a whirlwind trip, but it was nice to see everyone. It was especially nice to get Office Products for Christmas from everyone! I think Liz and I could open our own Office Max! (We would call it Mike Max though...) We've got to figure out a way to get our school system to have a couple of weeks off at Christmas...so that we can savor our Christmas moments a little better.

In other news...I don't know if I mentioned it before, but I've been nominated for a Disney Teacher Award. I'm working on the portfolio today to send out early next week. If I end up being one of the 40 honorees, Liz and I get to go to LA for a reception, then to DisneyWorld for a week next October, and I could also win $10,000! (American Express and Citibank would LOVE that!)

Christmas Eve with Dolly and Liz. 

Christmas Eve with Barb and Doug.  

The "BEFORE" picture! 

The "AFTER" picture! 

Come and listen to my story 'bout a man named Mike...he drove his family crazy playing banjo in the night! 

Liz gets a new Palm Pilot...(that she wasn't expecting!) 

Barb, Doug, and Liz in the midst of Christmas morning. 

We had supervised custody of the dogs for Christmas. 

Me and my new robot! 

Siobhan and Barb reading. 

Siobhan in her new Christmas hat. 

Siobhan's new facial expression! 

The baby is walking (and running AND climbing) all on her own now. This is Siobhan in her Christmas dress. 

Another of Siobhan's new faces...note the new tooth up top. 

MERRY CHRISTMAS!

Newsflash: I'm the first one awake.

I started the coffee and cinnamon rolls, and have watched two Discovery Channel presentations about Plastic Surgery and Weight Loss.

I'll post more later with pictures, but for now, I'm going to wake up the rest of the house!

SANTA'S BEEN HERE AND I CAN'T WAIT ANY LONGER!

Questionable Weather...

It's looking like our chances for a white Christmas are slowly diminishing. We've got rain and 40 degrees in the forecast and it is quickly melting the snow. It is supposed to snow again Christmas night, but I'm not getting my hopes up. Suffice to say, this sucks.

Also, if you will notice to the left, I've added a Weather Channel Box. You can see what the weather is in Buffalo every time you log on! Notice that currently the temperature is high and there are scattered showers...very unconducive to snow preservation!

King Krap.

Don't Bother.

We were excited about seeing this one and were pretty disappointed. The special effects were okay, but didn't help the over-the-top dialogue and weak story. Spend your money on the Narnia movie; it's much better.

Incredible!

YOU MUST GO SEE THIS MOVIE. IT IS INCREDIBLE!
It is one of the best movies I've ever seen. I loved the books when I was little and it stayed right with the action of the book! I was speechless when it was over. This would be a great Christmas present to give yourself! I can't wait to see the others in this series!

Modern Nativity...

So, I saw something today that I've never seen before: Mary, Joseph, and the baby Jesus, attended by the "modern" version of the Wise Men: Rudolph, Frosty, and Santa. However, the house that I observed this at normally has yard and porch decorations that include the entire Flintstone and Rubble Families, as well as Garfield and the Pink Panther. Thematically, I'm still trying to figure them out, but aesthetically, it's quite pleasing in a Southern sort of way. At least there are no pink flamingos!

Additionally, my father emailed pictures of his decorations, being sure to point out how much more superior they were to mine and Liz's. However, he has like 100 years more experience, so one would expect a certain higher level of accomplishment. I'll catch up eventually. Note the sunny landscape and green grasses...we won't be seeing that in Buffalo again until April. At least.

Mike Of All Trades...

I did something tonight that I've never done before: fixed a toilet by replacing the refill valve. It only took three hours to do what most people could probably finish in about 10 minutes, but now that it is done...the sense of accomplishment makes the overtime insignificant. I almost called Doug when I couldn't get the water reattached, but I finally got it. Did I mention that the toilet's been broken for over a week? I've just been turning the water on when it's time to flush, hoping the problem would fix itself. It didn't. Also, my repair was only $6.99, versus the $150 we would have paid if we had called someone. I feel empowered, but it won't last long...for now I've got to go and clean the kitchen. There's always something to do...

We took another picture of the dinosaur sculpture we pass every day on the way to work...this time, covered in snow! 

Merry Christ-"Moose"! The front of our house decorated for Christmas complete with new snow... 

Candy Canes stuck in 8 inches of new snow from yesterday! 

The inside of the house, decorated for Christmas. 

More decorations... 

The bookcase decorated... 

A Tip...

Making snow angels as an adult is much different than when you are a child:

A) The Angels end up looking more like someone had a seizure in the snow.
B) It is near impossible to get up without ruining what you did.
C) It is hardly cute, and those around you will laugh at you.
D) Finally, you end up covered in so much snow that you are completely wet and must change clothes immediately.

The picture of the snow angel did not come out, as it looked like I had a rolling seizure, but this is me immediately after I managed to get up.

What A Weekend!

What a weekend we had! We kept the baby this weekend and she was absolutely adorable! She didn't sleep, but we still enjoyed her. I have never seen anyone consume that many Cheerios! She left little trails of them all over the house! On Saturday night, Paula came over with her parents and her niece, Katie, who fell asleep on the couch with Aunt Paula. Luckily, I have photographic evidence to share with you!

Hope everyone is doing well...have a great week!

-Mike