On the way home! Home, sweet home...about 4 hours down the road Pat wondered aloud why he didn't marry someone from Houston.

I was right

Well, apparently, my post just after Thanksgiving was appropriate because I hardly had time to even open my computer except to check e-mails and order things on Amazon. I wish I could bottle that excitement that happens in the kids during Christmas and keep it around all of the time or maybe we could harness it and cure the energy crisis. Whatever stress the holidays put on us I can see the pay-off in their little eyes. However, my hurry and scurry must not have gone unnoticed by everyone in the house.

On Christmas Eve I was barking orders and had the kids running around picking up their things. Rainey came in with one of her envelopes and it was sealed. She said that it was for me. So I sat down and opened it expecting to find something that she colored.

It was a $5 bill.

She looked at me and said, "It's from my piggy bank, I just want you to be happy."

Oh dagger to my heart. Well, I realized every little thing didn't have to be perfect and I needed to relax and enjoy Christmas...and just be happy.

The Christmas Story

My mother-in-law loves to give us nativity scenes and one of them is a set of stuffed animals that are all of the typical characters. We have Joseph, Mary, baby Jesus and all the accompanying characters. Rainey asks if she can play with them and I tell her that she can. Then she goes on about her business and so do I...then I start to eavesdrop.

She was taking Mary and Joseph to different posts around our living room and keeps saying, "Come on Mary, we are going to a different hotel."

Then in a very grumpy, serious tone (I am not sure where in the world she has heard this tone...oh wait, I can hear the voice...it's me!) she says, "BABY JESUS, BABY JESUS, COME ON!"

Well, I think she picked up part of the story.