Report Card Time!

Caitlin got her report card today. It was excellent! She made A/B Honor Roll just like last nine weeks' reporting period! She tries really, really hard in school which is all that we have ever asked of her. We are so proud of her and her excellent grades! As you can see, she is very proud of herself too. We asked her what reward she wanted for her good grades. (In the past she has picked a trip to Krispy Kreme Doughnuts the following Saturday morning or a trip to Bruster's Ice Cream Shop after supper). This time she surprised us and said that she wanted to go to eat at PF Chang's! I guess she's growing up and getting more expensive tastes.

Favorite Present

Harrison's favorite present that he really didn't get for Christmas but found in the laundry room is this little flashlight. He carries it with him everywhere he goes--in the car, at the table, in the bathroom, etc. If we had known how much fun he was going to have with this "free" present, we surely would not have gone out and spent as much as we did!

Out to Eat

We have very special friends, Donna and Charlton, who happen to live in Gadsden which sometimes seems like a world away. We try to get together with them a few times a year. We have even been on vacation with them to Gulf Shores which is a LOT of fun. They have two girls who are great friends with Caitlin and Harrison. They all play well together and have so much fun wherever we are! One of our favorite places to meet is Top 'o the River in Guntersville because that is halfway between Madison and Gadsden. It also helps that they serve delicious seafood! We met up with them tonight and almost ended up closing the restaurant down, we stayed there so long! It's always nice to take time out of our busy schedules to visit with people that mean a lot to us.

Katie, Harrison, Caitlin, and Anna Beth strike a pose!

Anna Beth and Caitlin stop their silliness for a second to pose

for the camera!

Southerland Train Station

As we were tucking Harrison into bed last night, he said he wanted to go eat Chinese food for lunch today and go see the trains which means at Southerland Train Station. We haven't been there in quite some time, and we do have fun when we go, so we decided to make that one of our last hurrahs before school starts next week. After I got back from taking my dad to his doctor's appointment (praise God for good news!), we loaded up in the car and went to the Chinese restaurant right down from our house. The kids always eat well when we go there. Then we were off to Southerland's! We had so much fun playing with the trains and all the other toys they have there! And we even got some birthday presents bought for our friends Katie and Anna Beth while we were there.

Chester

My parents' miniature poodle, Chester, was put to sleep this afternoon. He has been very, very sick with cancer, and my parents really didn't know what path to take with him. We all loved him very much. We have always had a dog. When I was born, my parents had an old, old Pekingnese, Shane, that tried to bite me so he had to be put to sleep when I was four years old. We then got a white Peek-a-Poo, Candy, when I was five, but she turned out to be a biter as well so we had to give her away. We got Pepper when I was in the third grade. He was the best dog ever! He finally died of old age after Randy and I got married. I think Pepper was 17 years old. My parents went without a dog for awhile, saying that they just didn't need one. So finally my sister and I went out one Christmas and bought them the cutest little black poodle! He looked just like Pepper. We bought him from a breeder out on Winchester Road, so Randy suggested we name him Winchester. That obviously got shortened to Chester pretty quick. It's been very emotional lately at my parents' house, and several tears have been shed. We will miss poor little Chester!

Congratulations!!

One of Randy's oldest and dearest friends, Joe, has asked his lovely girlfriend, Lauren, to be his wife! We are so excited for them! Of course, when we told Caitlin that Joe and Lauren were getting married, the first thing she asks is, "Do they have a flower girl?" Congratulations Joe and Lauren! We know you will have a long and happy life together!

Happy New Year!

Playing Phase-10 with Todd, Laura, and Todd's mom

Cheers with grape juice for Taylor and Caitlin! Caitlin said,

"This is like what we have at church!"

Alex and Harrison, the two newest Rust-eze race car drivers

We continued our yearly tradition of ringing in the New Year with our good friends, the Aronsons. Todd and Laura have two children that are perfect playmates for our children. Taylor is a year younger than Caitlin and is one of her best friends. Alex is a year older than Harrison, but it seems as if they were twins separated at birth! We had a lot of fun playing cards and wishing each other a happy and safe New Year. We hope and pray that each of you have a joyous New Year!