Christmas Pictures

On Christmas Eve we went to MawMaw and PawPaw's house to open gifts. One of the gifts was a candy Santa sleigh (sort of like a candy house). Fletcher's approach was "one piece of candy for the sleigh and one for my mouth". Luke learned to say "candy" too and eat a few pieces in the process. The finished product.

After we decorated the sleigh, we went to look at Christmas lights. The mosquitoes were really bad for some reason and I promise you in the car it sounded like Luke said "mosquito". I have 3 other adult witnesses to back me up! He also said "pretty" when he would see the Christmas lights.

Luke's shirt says "This is my time out shirt. I wear it all day long."

Yes, that is the frosting for Santa's sleigh and yes, he is squirting it directly into his mouth. Ehh, it's Christmas, right? Christmas morning with our matching pajamas. They have penguins and snow on them. I bought them dirt cheap last year after Christmas. Fletcher thought it was the greatest thing EVER that we all had matching pjs. Kevin - not so much. But he was a good sport about it.
Santa brought a Star Wars transformer. So did Aunt Dee. Great minds think alike!

Luke got a few new books and some toys.
Santa also brought a Jedi robe.

Aunt Dee and Uncle Dee gave Luke a very LOUD instrument set. Gee, thanks.

Hanging out with our new baby cousin Bear. He is so cute!

I suppose I should have something profound to say since this is New Year's Eve, but I'm still playing catch up from Christmas so that will have to wait until tomorrow.

First Class

On our trip out to TX/LA we were not able to sit together - that's a post for a separate day. Yesterday we were in the back of the plane in seats 19 C, D and E or maybe it was F. Anyway, as we were boarding we had to wait in the aisle for passengers to get seated. Fletcher who was tired of waiting plops down in the nice big comfy blue seat in first class and says, "Mom, can I just sit right here?"

Of course, that got a big laugh from everyone already seated in first class.

Thankfully Luke slept most of the flight.

Headed Home

What a fun week! We've eaten delicious food. Visited with lots of family. Met our sweet new great nephew. And most importantly, created some wonderful memories. We leave this morning at 10 am to fly home. I'll post a few pics later on this week.

P.S. Christmas Day was a balmy 77 degrees in southwest Louisiana. Fletcher was thrilled that he got to wear shorts several times during the week.

Christmas Questions

I've received this list several times via email so I decided to post my answers on the blog instead.


1. Wrapping paper or gift bags? depends on the gift and what I have - usually it is gift bag

2. Real tree or Artificial? artificial

3. When do you put up the tree? I try to do it by early December or when Kevin says "let's put up the tree today." He doesn't like to decorate the tree so I have to seize the opportunity when it presents itself.

4. When do you take the tree down? between Christmas and New Year

5. Do you like eggnog? No

6.. Favorite gift received as a child? Barbie camper, Donny and Marie Osmond dolls, Charlies Angels dolls, Fisher Price Little People stuff

7. Hardest person to buy for? Kevin

8. Easiest person to buy for? Luke

9. Do you have a nativity scene? Yes - three of them

10. Mail or email Christmas cards? Mail. Finally got to them this year. I think I missed 2006 and 2007.

11. Worst Christmas gift you ever received? underwear that I had to open in front of alot of family members. I was probably 11 years old and sooooo embarassed.

12. Favorite Christmas Movie? National Lampoons Christmas Vacation

13. When do you start shopping for Christmas? Novemberish

14. Have you ever recycled a Christmas present? Yes

15. Favorite thing to eat at Christmas? peppermint bark

16. Lights on the tree? Yes

17. Favorite Christmas song? O Holy Night

18. Travel at Christmas or stay home? we've done both. This year it is travel

19. Can you name all of Santa's reindeer's? yes

20. Angel on the tree top or a star? star

21. Open the presents Christmas Eve or morning? Christmas morning

22. Most annoying thing about this time of the year? not sure - maybe that song Christmas Shoes.

23. Favorite ornament theme or color? I have several ornaments I brought back from Bethlehem. They are made of olive wood. I also love the stuff the kids make.

24. Favorite for Christmas dinner? Fried turkey. But I can also go non-traditional like gumbo or beef tenderloin.

25. What do you want for Christmas this year? a new purse that I already purchased for myself. I couldn't think of anything else.

Merry Christmas!

From our family to yours, we hope you have a very merry Christmas.

All I Want For Christmas

I realize there are a ton of these on youtube. These people have way too much time on their hands. But I wish they lived close by. But not on my street. Can you imagine having to hear that all season? At the 59 second mark it gets really creative.

I really like this song too.

Christmas Lights

We have four different attitudes when it comes to looking at Christmas lights.

Rachel: Loves driving around looking at lights. Now that gas prices have come down, it is a cheap form of entertainment. Since we don't have lights on our house, I am thankful for people who take the time to really go all out. After a few neighborhoods, I'm ready to go home.

Fletcher: He could look at lights all night. "Let's go to another neighborhood." "Oh, look another inflatable snowman." "I love the blue lights."

Luke: Doesn't get it yet. As long as there are snacks available he is good to go.

Kevin: Reminds me of the video below. The speed of the car is about the speed he drives when we look at lights. Even in heavily populated neighborhoods.

Retooning Christmas

They showed this at our church last Sunday.

Decking the Halls

Thought you might like to see what Christmas decorations look like when you have a 5 yr old and a 1 yr old.


This is our front door. The candy cane is new. I was tired of the wreath we normally put up.


This is our skinny tree. It is fake. We bought it when we were living in the townhouse waiting for this house to be built. We didn't have much room in the townhouse so we picked a skinny one. We debated about getting a real tree this year. However, we are traveling (but our vicious killer attack dog will be here); we are trying to sell the house (hello wood floor damage when the real tree stand leaks water); we have a 1 yr old (no additional commentary needed. We put up nonbreakable ornaments with no hooks. Please note the severe lack of ornaments on the lower third of the tree. Someone keeps pulling them off. Someone's older brother keeps asking me to put his precious ornaments like the handprint he made three years ago in preschool up higher so they won't get damaged. The tree skirt is not so much a skirt. It is a round tablecloth. I keep saying that I am going to buy a real tree skirt at an after Christmas sale. But it just doesn't happen.




This is our mantel. We couldn't put the stockings on it because the stocking holders are made of heavy ceramic (purchased pre-children). If Someone were to pull on a stocking the holder would knock him out cold. I do love this nativity set. Although a few years back Sadie had a run in with two of the wise men and their robes and beards have never been the same since. There are also Christmas storybooks that we are trying to keep out of Someone's little hands.



This is our coffee table. This Fisher Price nativity set has more pieces but we only got out Mary, Joseph, Baby Jesus and the angel. Joseph is currently MIA but Santa is filling in for him. And then there's the Star Wars toy. These books are the board books that Luke can look at without tearing them up.



Here is where we decided to put the stockings. It actually works well.



This is the kitchen counter. I won the moose at our neighborhood white elephant party. It was the only decent thing to steal. Fletcher has been having fun counting down the days on the little chalkboard. The basket has our Christmas cards, Fletcher's birthday cards and maybe even the electric bill. The little tree thing is a countdown calendar from Starbucks that some friends gave to us. There are chocolate truffles behind each door. Yum. The nightlight is from Grandma and Papa Charlie.



The only thing we didn't get to do this year was our Jesse Tree. We did it last year. Maybe we will try again next year.

We leave Monday for Louisiana. I will set up some posts to magically appear while I am away. Be prepared for a few fun videos. Most of the Christmas photos will have to wait until we return.

Throwback Thursday

The date: Christmas 2005

The place: Tallahassee, FL

The mood: Nothing says Christmas in Florida like wearing cowboy hats and boots and Christmas pjs outside in December.

It Starts Early

I grew up with two brothers. And I taught high school for 8 years. College ministry too for five more years. So I know the fascination that guys seem to have with bodily functions. Flatulence, especially.

Ever since Fletcher was small, if he passed gas (our family calls it "tooting"), I would ask him, "Did you just sit on a duck?" I don't know where that question came from, but that's what we ask.

Recently, Luke tooted and I asked him, "Did you just sit on a duck?" Well, being the literal 15 month old, he started looking all around behind him and underneath him for a duck. Too cute, right?

Today at the mall Luke was in his stroller and I was bending down in front of him at eye level. He really let one rip. Loud. Smelly. Almost knocked me over. Made my eyes water. He looked at me with those big brown eyes and smiled the biggest smile and said, "Quack, Quack."

Oh, the preteen years will be so fun around here.

Happy Birthday, Fletcher!

I used to think it was corny when older people would says, "I can't believe you are ___ years old. Time goes by so fast. It seems like just yesterday that you were only this tall. . ."

But now I understand. I can't believe Fletcher is five years old today.

Fletcher, you make us laugh harder, think more, live better and love bigger. You have a heart for God and a heart for people. You are an awesome big brother. We love being your mom and dad. And just like we've always told you, if we could pick any little boy in the whole wide world to be our firstborn son, we would pick you. Every. Single. Time.

We love you,
Mom and Dad

Here We Go Again

Fletcher is really enjoying the whole concept of Christmas music this year. Our Christian radio station here in town started playing Christmas music nonstop the day after Thanksgiving. So every time we get in the car, we hear various Christmas songs. Most of them I like, but the Christmas Shoes song annoys me to no end. But that's not my point.

Fletcher has also been really trying to figure out what is true and what is not true. We've told him that what he reads in the Bible is true. But then he heard the song "The Little Drummer Boy" and wanted to know if there really was one. So we launched into the discussion that the Bible doesn't specifically record any drummer boy, but that the writer of the song made it up in his head. The point of the song is that the boy gave what he had to Jesus. This is how the writer thought it could have happened. Sometimes I seriously can't believe I'm having these conversations with a four year old.

So ----
"Silent Night" comes on the radio.
Fletcher: Mom, what does this song mean?
Mom (thinking "here we go again"): Well, it is talking about the night that Jesus was born being a quiet, holy night.
Fletcher: I don't think that song is true.
Mom: Why is that?
Fletcher: They were in a stable with animals. I think the animals were noisy, not silent.
Mom: That's a good point. It might have been a little noisy.
Fletcher: It probably smelled pretty bad in there too.

Maybe he should write his own Christmas songs.

Ahh, Those Wonderful Christmas Carols

Have a great weekend. Yes, I am jealous of everyone in Louisiana and Texas who got to play in the snow yesterday. Hope it was fun.

Throwback Thursday

The date: The first pic was in the 70's. The others were in the late 80's

The place: Sulphur, Louisiana

The mood: Nothing says "Norman Rockwell" Christmas like a silver aluminum tree with blue metallic balls on it. Seriously, my earliest Christmas memories are not of the piney smell of a fresh cut Christmas tree. They are of this tree. Each branch had its own paper sleeve and had to be put on the "trunk" (see last picture). The blue balls were made of some freakish material that shattered easily. We broke several every year by accident. We didn't have to worry about putting ornaments we made at school or church. They would mess up the blue/silver theme.

We couldn't put lights on it. Hello, fire hazard. So instead we had this lamp with a multicolored disk that shone on the tree. You can see it at the base of the tree in the first picture. When we turned the lamp on the disk would rotate and give the tree a greenish hue, a yellowish hue, a bluish hue and a reddish hue. We would spend hours with the lights off in our living room sitting in front of the tree ooohing and aaahing over our tree and trying to guess what color came next. We were high class.

We decided it would be fun for the grandkids to see if we put it up every five years or so. That's my dad, my sister and my niece and nephew in the other pics. Why yes, my sister is wearing a vintage Coca- Cola shirt in the second picture. My brother-in-law would probably say she still has it in her closet. A few years back these trees made a comeback. Some sell on ebay for $200-300. Lucky for us -- we still have that tree up in the attic at my parents house. Christmas 2010 here we come!

As I was doing research for this post (nothing but the best for the readers of Snickelfritz Lane), I ran across this website dedicated to these aluminum trees first created in 1959. http://www.aluminumchristmastrees.net/. I think my favorite part is the reprint of the pamphlet entitled "How To Decorate Your New Aluminum Christmas Tree" under the Decorating tab. Good reading.

Step Right Up

Fletcher is taking a bath. Kevin is helping him finish up. He is really into doing math these days (which makes both of his math geek parents very proud).

Fletcher: Zero plus zero is zero. One plus one is two. Two plus two is four. Four plus four is eight. Five plus five is ten. Ten plus ten is twenty. Do you know what twenty plus twenty is?

Dad: Yes, it is forty.

Fletcher: Do you know anyone who is forty?

Dad: Why yes, I do. You do too. You know someone who is forty. Who is it?

Fletcher (giggling): PawPaw**

**For the record, my dad is seventy-four. Let's just say Fletcher probably won't be hired as the "Guess Your Age" guy at the fair any time soon.

A Letter From My 40 year old self to my 20 year old self

Dear 20 year old Rachel,

I know you are having the time of your life in college. You and your big hair. I'm writing to you from the future (cue the Back to the Future theme song). Here are a few things you need to know in order to make it to 40. And yes, I know, right now to you, forty sounds ancient so no old person jokes, okay?

First, wear sunscreen. Lots and lots of sunscreen. Especially on your face. Daily. Otherwise, you will get these unsightly brown patches that really look bad. You will spend hours in your thirties looking in the mirror wondering how to get rid of them or cover them up. Lose the baby oil and aluminum foil. Cancel the membership to the tanning bed. You might be frying your ovaries.

Second, when _________ and __________ and _________ break up with you, try not to take it too hard. I know, I know. You will be devastated and spend hours crying your eyes out. You'll wonder how you can continue living. You'll wonder what is wrong with you. You'll wonder why everyone else is getting married except you. But God has this amazing guy that He is currently working on for you. You won't meet him for a few more years. But trust me, this is the guy you want to be married to. He is far and away better than _______ and _________ and ________ in more ways than you can imagine. When you realize what marriage is all about, you will be thankful that they broke up with you. Over and over, you will see that there's good. . . and then there's God's best. Hold out for God's best. Oh, and you'll have to be a bridesmaid ten times before it is your turn to get married. Start saving now for the dresses and shoes.

Third, you'll be teaching school when you get out of college. High school math to be exact. Most days you'll wonder what the heck you are doing and wonder when the students are going to figure out that they are smarter than you. You will go on to have other cool and fun jobs. You'll even get to travel to Hawaii! But the job you will love the most is being a mom. It will take you awhile to become a mom and the road God takes you down isn't the one you are expecting, but there are two little boys who will make it all worthwhile.

Fourth, you think you are hip and cool because AOL sent you a CD in the mail so you could have your own email account. The trouble is you don't have a computer. When you finally get a computer, it will take forever to dial up and connect and make a really odd noise. Trust me, the technology you will see in the next 20 years will blow you away. Oh, and if someone suggests that you invest in Microsoft or Google, do it.

Fifth, make time for your family. You don't know it yet, but you'll end up miles and miles away from them after you get married and the relationship you build now will carry you when you are so far away. It will be hard. You will miss them terribly, but refer back to my fourth point about technology and you'll find ways to keep up.

Sixth, just like family, make time for your friends. You are forming friendships in college that you will still have when you are 40. Some of your fondest memories of your life will be the ones you are making right now in college. You'll make friends in Houston when you graduate who will walk with you through all of life's ups and downs. Again, it will be hard to keep up, but things like Christmas cards, email, and Facebook will make it easier. You will be amazed at who ends up married to whom and how some of your friends who can't keep up with their car keys right now will end up with 4 kids! When you end up in new places (and you'll be moving alot), invest in new friendships. By the time you are 40, you will have friends all over the world - literally.

Seventh, go ahead and just get rid of The Plan. I know, The Plan is that you will meet The Guy in your junior year of college which by your calculations should be next year. You will date and get engaged your senior year. You'll get married when you graduated. You'll be 22. You want to start having kids at 25 and be done by the time you are 28. Well, little do you know that you'll get married at 29 1/2. Your first baby will be born 7 days after your 35th birthday because God has a sense of humor. At 40 you'll be chasing after a 1 year old. Yeah, I said it, a 1 year old. So you better start working out. Or at least lay off the late night Domino's pizza.

Finally, some things never change. The God you love and serve right now at 20 is the same yesterday, today and forever. You'll get to know Him even better as He walks with you through various events over the next 20 years. You will be reminded again and again how much He loves you and has an amazing plan for your life. He'll use you to teach the Bible to singles. He'll use you to minister to college students when you are older and wiser. Just continue to be available.

Happy Birthday, kiddo. Make the most of the next 20 years. Live fully. Love deeply. Take lots of pictures because your kids won't believe you when you tell them you rode a camel. You'll need proof. No worries and no regrets. But definitely wear sunscreen.

Love,
The 40 year old Rachel

P.S. When your friends convince you that you should buy a mountain bike at the age of 25, don't do it. Just don't. The huge scar on my knee will thank you.

P.S.S. There probably should have been ten points, but this 40 year old is tired and ready for bed - at 9 pm. I know. Don't even say it. My Geritol awaits.

Dear Santa (Part 2)

Dear Santa,
We also prefer packing peanuts, empty boxes, old tennis shoes and furniture.
Love,
Fletcher and Luke

Dear Santa

Dear Santa,
Toys are overrated. We'd rather play with the bubble wrap.
Love,
Fletcher and Luke

P.S. (from Fletcher) No, Santa I don't need winter clothes. I just choose to wear shorts and a tshirt year round. It drives my mom crazy.

Throwback Thursday

The date: Christmas 2004

The place: Tallahassee, FL

The mood: Fletcher had just turned a year old. These were some of the photos that didn't make the Christmas card that year. We probably took 50 pictures trying to find the best one. He still loves that little Fisher Price Nativity set.

Lump In My Throat

Our realtor and friend Gina came over today to take a few pictures of the house and drop off some paperwork. I looked out the front window and she was putting the For Sale sign in our yard.

I got a little lump in my throat and teared up. I guess when the sign goes up, reality sets in. Fletcher wanted to know why there was a lock box on our front door.

I made myself feel better by doing some online Christmas shopping.

Let's pray we get a buyer soon!

Early Birthday Celebration

While we were in Florida for Thanksgiving, we decided to celebrate Fletcher's birthday a little early because he REALLY wanted to celebrate with his cousins. We had hotdogs and cake at the park with the pirate ship playground. I figured with the holidays, Publix might not have time to do an appropriate cake so we went the Betty Crocker route. He wanted a Star Wars theme. I am not a crafty person so when Fletcher and Anna said they wanted to decorate the cake, I let them.

They spent a large portion of the morning experimenting with frosting and food coloring to get the colors just right. Then for added effect they used some of Kevin's Star Wars action figures from when he was a kid. The cake itself was about 1 inch tall and the frosting was about 2 inches tall. It was a sugar induced coma waiting to happen. Yes, the action figures are knee deep in the cake. Fletcher thought it was absolutely awesome.

We didn't get many pictures. Someone decided to build the playground/park/pavilion right next to an open retention pond and Luke spent the entire party either trying to get into the pond or eat the mulch on the playground.

Fletcher and Graham in the pirate ship/Millennium Falcon.

He wore this outfit before we knew the outcome of the game.

Anna on the balance beam.

To Do List

My To Do List for the next few weeks is ridiculously long.

We've decided to go ahead and list our house for sale. So in addition to the regular stuff like putting away laundry from our trip and sorting through mail, I need to organize closets and box up a few items.

Plus there are the Christmas gifts I need to buy and have shipped to various locations (Can I get an Amen for internet shopping?!W).

Oh, and there's Fletcher's birthday party and the cupcakes I need to bring to his class.

Somewhere in there I need to put up Christmas decorations including our Jesse Tree ornaments.

Write Christmas cards. But first I have to find an appropriate picture.

Organize coupons. Lots of coupons expire at the end of the month so I have to take them out of my binder.

Kevin's work party and our neighborhood party.

Then there's Stitches Boy who I can't take my eyes off for a second without him getting into something. I wish he still fit in my baby sling.

I really try to be low key during the holidays. We try not to rush around or overextend ourselves so we can really remember what this season is all about. But this year it is only December 1 and I'm already tired, but a nap is not on my To Do List. Maybe I'll have to pencil one in.