Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

Well, the holiday season is over and we are all getting back into our routines I guess. I started the new year without any resolutions really. I've been hitting the gym pretty hard for the past 8-10 weeks and so I definitely want to keep to that. However, my only "resolution" ( I like using the word goal better) is to trim back the fat and sugar from my diet some and regulate more what I am eating to help me become more lean again. I also want to add some cardio in to the workout to get the cardiovascular system in better shape. All that being said though, I have set myself a goal for the year to try and push myself to not STOP working out like I usually do. I have set myself the goal of lifting 1 million pounds this year. Not at one time of course. I'm not THAT strong......hah. Anyway, I setup a blog to track log my workouts and I'm keeping up with the running total of weight lifted there: http://oneyearonemillion.blogspot.com

Okay, back to Christmas. We went to Madisonville and had a great visit. The boys had a wonderful Christmas and and enjoyed their gifts immensely. However, the time around all their family is what I see lights them up the most though. The boys did get some cool stuff and they had fun playing while we were at my parents' house. Christmas morning we had to wake them up to open presents and when they came in and saw the Santa gifts, we all had a good laugh. Conner received a cool cash register that talks and adds, and has play money in it, and has a scanner, credit card slider, etc.. it's very cool. Cool enough in fact, that Zach looked at his bike and then he went over and started playing with the cash register too. haha. For the next ten minutes, Zach played with the cash register and we couldn't get him to open other presents or even come sit on his new bike. Oh well, I'm sure he'll enjoy it in time. For the time being though, it looks like TWO cash registers would have been a hit :).

The boys receieved a present for the both of them from Anita and me - A Rescue Heroes Hyper Jet. This thing is massive. As if we needed another large toy in our small and very crowded house, but well, there you go. There is a funny story behind this gift though. Anita bought this thing back in the summer. She was in Toys 'R Us and found it on sale and then very sneakily since she had both boys with her went and found someone and asked them if they could ring it up and let her pay, but not bring it to where the boys could see it, and then load it in the car after she had the boys in the car. All of it went successfully and they were almost home, when just down the road from our house, she goes around a corner and the thing slides in the back and Conner hears it, turns around and says, "THE HYPER JET!" hahaha. Well, Anita came in the house just muttering curses under her breath. It was so funny. Figures. So, we had to diffuse Conner for a few days, and we hid the Hyper Jet in the attic. Fortunately, he actually forgot about it... which is...amazing quite frankly, and they were both excited about it. Conner especially. This thing seriously though... it's huge. I caught Zach trying to get on it. Probably to fly away.

One big present the boys got from Anita and me had a rather entertaining story behind it. We gave Conner a giant box of Star Wars figures, and Zach a smaller, but no less substantial smattering of Star Wars figures as well. They were really more for Conner, but we couldn't give them to just one without both getting them cause we knew how many problems that would cause down the road. This way, if Conner tries to get possessive, we just have to remind him that some of them are Zach's too, and since they don't know which are which now, they'll just have to share all of them. See, there are some tricks you learn as parents :). Back to the story though.... these particular Star Wars figures have a story behind them. I purchased them between 1995 and 1998! HAHAHA. Back when they rereleasd all the Star Wars movies to create hype for the much anticipated (sadly) new Star Wars movies (Episode 1, 2, 3) that would be coming out. I, like, apparently everyone else, could only think about how popular and valuable all those Star Wars figures were from the 70s and 80s and had the idea to buy up a bunch of the new release of figures as soon as they were released in hopes of saving them to be collectibles later. Well, obviously they made a LOT more of them this time because they haven't appreciated any in 10 years. In fact, I can find them all day long on Ebay easily for half what I paid for them 10 years ago... or even less usually. So, going on that depressing bit of news, I decided to pull out all the figures I had stored in the shed and give some away to two little boys we pulled off the Angel Tree at church. Then, we decided this would be a good year for Conner to receive some as gifts. So, after giving away 10 to the two little boys, 4 to a little boy for his birthday, and about 20 between Conner and Zach, I only have about 75 left! Guess what every little boy who has a birthday that Conner goes to is going to receive for the next 2 years!

I've got one last story and then I'll wrap up with just posting several pictures.

Sunday morning (Christmas Eve), we had all planned to go to church with mom and dad. Well, Zach had been intermittently throwing up since Thursday morning and had done so just after bedtime Saturday night. Given the circumstances, Anita decided she would just keep him at home. I said I'd go ahead and go with my parents to church though and that Conner was welcome to come with me if he liked. While I was in the shower, Anita had this conversation with him to ask him about going...

Anita said, "Conner, would you like to go to church with Daddy, Mama-T, and Papa-T?"
After thinking a bit, Conner said, "I think I'd really like to just stay here and play."
Anita trying to persuade him (since he loves music and Christmas songs) says, "You know, they are going to sing Christmas songs. They will probably sing some Christmas carols at church today."
Conner hesitates a moment then says, "Which ones are they going to sing?"
Not giving up just yet, Anita replies with his favorite song (as if she has any idea what they will sing), "They might sing Hark the Herald Angels Sing."
Conner looks at her and thinks about it, but quickly shoots back, "Well, we do have the book and we can sing that one here at the house."

:) The boy's sharp. I tell ya. Always keeping us on our toes.