Christmas

This year we went to our friend's Paul and Melinda's parents house for Christmas dinner. Melinda's parents actually go to our church, so it was nice to get to know them better. We were invited last minute and it was awesome. Melinda called me the day before and invited me, since it was my birthday and Christmas...that way I didn't have to cook. We had ham, stuffing, corn bread, green beans, potatoes, pumpkin pie, and apple crisp. It was delicious. After dinner and dessert we played a game of Balderdash. We had a great time! In fact, we had such a great time we are getting together for New Years.

Winter Wonderland

Can you believe this is the Las Vegas area?! I got so excited when it started to snow. It makes me feel like I'm home. It's so pretty and peaceful. The last big storm here was in 1979. I'm so glad we lived here during this very rare occurrence. I had to share pictures so people could see this amazing site. We have roughly 3" so far at our house and a few more to come. Now it feels like Christmas!

Christmas Wall

So we didn't get a tree this year, I didn't want to keep Isabel out of it all day or to get the needles out of her mouth. She eats everything!! So I decided to do a Christmas wall. I might do it other years too. I bought a real wreath and then decorated the wall with silver snowflakes made from vinyl. Beneath the wreath is a faux fireplace made also from vinyl. I think it looks pretty clever.

Early Birthday

Isn't this the cutest chair ever?! Jerry's mom and dad always buy a rocking chair for the grandchildren's 2nd birthday. I didn't want to risk it not being available then, so we ordered it early. She loves it. It rocks and has the cutest foot stool to go with.

Our visitors

So Jerry's sister and brother in law came last weekend to see us. They came to run the 1/2 marathon in Las Vegas.(They did well by the way). When they come they always treat us to a nice dinner out. Since Jim was a medical student(now has a busy Dermatology practice), he understands how it is to be students. We went to the Eiffel Tower restaurant in Paris hotel. It was awesome. The view was gorgeous. It felt like we were in New York City.

Here we are at The District. It's my favorite place in Henderson. It's decorated so pretty this time of year. I think this will be on our Christmas cards this year.

Sick Child

I always feel so bad for Isabel when she gets a cold. I mean I know what a baby I am when I get one. I had to take some pics of how cute she was, even though I'm sure If she could talk she would tell me to leave her alone. She carried her giant frog around one day. Another she passed out holding her juice cup. I also have the before healthy pics to go with, see if you can guess the day she was herself. Just kidding!

Crazy Isabel

This is Isabel's favorite new spot to watch T.V. She just started this last week. For those of you who might not be familar with our house, it's between the chair and ottoman by the patio. She seems content laying between the furniture. It's funny because the bottom half of her body is on the tile from the dining room. Brrr cold flooring!

Thanksgiving Day

So I'm super disappointed that we didn't get any pictures of Thanksgiving. I had this huge plan to take pictures and then post them on our blog. Once I got the food ready and we ate, it just escaped us. So,this is what we ate. I cooked 2 turkeys(1 was compliments of our friend Brittany) both had a rosemary/basil marinade. We cooked Jerry's grandmother's famous stuffing. This is super good, it has pork sausage in it. Brittany's sister made a cornbread stuffing that was really great. It had a sweet taste to it. Then we had Jerry's yummy whipped potatoes. We had steamed veggies with a brown butter on them. I also made a home made cranberry relish. Then last but not least a pumpkin cake. We cooked for other medical students who were not going home for the Holiday. All in all I think we had 12 for dinner. I was surprisingly relaxed. If you know how I get when I'm cooking for a large group then you will all be shocked. I hope you all had a great Holiday! I know we did.

Holiday Mail for Heroes
From the front lines to the home front, the American Red Cross provides service members, their families and veterans with the care and assistance they need. The Red Cross is partnering with Pitney Bowes this holiday season for the Holiday Mail for Heroes campaign. For the second year in a row, we’re collecting holiday cards to distribute to American service members, veterans and their families in the United States and around the world. Pitney Bowes is generously donating technology, resources and postage to make this holiday card program possible. Our goal is to collect and distribute one million holiday cards to spread holiday cheer and facilitate thanks to these brave individuals and families. Please send cards to this address, following the guidelines listed below:
Holiday Mail for Heroes
PO Box 5456
Capitol Heights, MD 20791-5456
Card GuidelinesPlease follow these guidelines when mailing a card to ensure that your card will quickly reach service members, veterans and their families. Every card received will first be screened for hazardous materials by Pitney Bowes and then reviewed by Red Cross volunteers working in one of 16 sorting stations around the country.
All cards must be postmarked no later than Wednesday, December 10, 2008. Cards sent after this date will be returned to sender.
Participants are encouraged to limit the number of cards they submit to 25 from any one person or 50 from any one class or group. If you are mailing a larger quantity, please bundle the cards and place them in large mailing envelopes. Each card does not need its own envelope or postage.
Please ensure that all cards are signed.
Please use generic salutations such as “Dear Service Member.” Cards addressed to specific individuals can not be delivered through this program.
Please send cards as opposed to long letters which delay a quick review process.
Please do not include email or home addresses on the cards, as the program is not meant to foster pen pal relationships.
Please do not include inserts of any kind, including photos, as these items will be removed during the reviewing process.
All cards received may be used in program publicity efforts, including appearing in broadcast, print or online mediums.
Where to Send Phone Cards, Gift Cards and Care Packages:
Phone cards or gift cards will not be accepted with the holiday cards. Those wishing to send calling cards or gift cards/certificates should go to http://www.aafes.com/, scroll down to "AAFES Community Connection" and click on "Help Our Troops Call Home" or "Gift Cards/Certificates for Our Troops" in order to send such items.
No 'Care Packages' will be accepted at this address. Those wishing to send care packages should go to http://www.americasupportsyou.com/ and click under "Homefront Groups" to find out how to send care packages

Yes, that is her PJ top around her waist. She's so silly. Hopefully she'll figure out the right way to put her shirt on. At least for now it's a start!

So the last few days, Isabel has been dressing herself. She puts her shirts on feet first. I know, very funny. Then she can't figure out how to get it all the way up or get it off. She's such a character.

I found this picture to show how sweaty she was on Halloween after a short time in her costume.

So, I'm getting the hang of this blogging. Isabel had her pretty dress on from Aunt Nikki. She wouldn't sit still for me to put her hair band in nice. She looks like she stepped out of the 80's.

This is Isabel eating her 1st pumpkin chocolate chip cookie. She loved it,and so do we. They are so good, it's easy to eat a few at a time.

Here is a quote I saw the other day, and It's so true!" I have learned that being with those I love... is enough"

Halloween

Isabel was a skunk for Halloween this year. Her left cheek said "Little Stinker" haha! She had lots of fun chasing kids and dogs around the neighborhood. She doesn't get out much! Since we live in such a warm climate, she was literally a ball of sweat after 45 minutes! We gave away all of Isabel's candy we didn't want because we ran out of our candy we bought! Apparently we had the best candy on the block! We had repeat Trick-or-Treaters.