And a few more pictures to get us all caught up!

Here is the whole family after the play that Kate and Abby were in last weekend.Over Thanksgiving, Luke's whole family came to celebrate, including Seamus, the dog. Nobody had more fun than Seamus and Trixie, our dog!
Here are Kate and Abby after the play, The Sound of Music and Cinderella.
Here are the girls on Christmas Eve, 2010.
** Can you tell we have been out of school (and I have been off of work) for the last 3 days?? I have finally had time to catch up on pictures!!!)

A review of the past few months in pictures...

...baby goats have been born on the farm.
And we got to see family at Thanksgiving at Christmas!
Luke took me on the best vacation EVER.

Grace lost her first tooth.
Kate killed her first deer with her bow.
Basketball has started. We spend a lot of time waiting on one girl or another at one gym or another.
Get to spend some wonderful time with some sweet babies. like baby Tayte!!!
Happy 12th birthday Kate!
Grace's fabulous rainbow cake.
Happy 6th birthday Grace!

And because it is the "WEEK 'O THE BIRTHDAY"...

... at Casa de Killian, we celebrated another one today.

My Gracie turned six today, and my heart cracked just a little bit deeper.

I do not want her to get any older. It is just going too damn fast (excuse me, but no other word seemed quite right.)

She had a day that was typical of her - complete with a Chinese food for dinner, and a birthday cake that was a rainbow. (Which, but the way, I TOTALLY copied from my friend, Amy, whose blog you can find on my side bar... her daughter, Kenna Mae, just turned six, and Amy made her a rainbow cake. When Grace saw it on Amy's blog, she HAD to have it. It was a royal pain to make, but it turned out really, really cute.)

When we put her to bed tonight, she said it was the best birthday "ever".

I'm glad, because she's the best Gracie "ever".

Happy birthday, Baby. Please stay my baby, please, just a little while longer.

I'm too young...

... to have a TWELVE YEAR OLD CHILD, but I guess I do, because Miss Kate had a birthday today!

It was a crazy, busy day, full of four different basketball games and a performance of the Sound of Music play for Kate and Abby... We were barely home long enough to blow out the candles and open a few presents, but we got it all done!

Her cast mates in the play surprised her tonight by singing happy birthday to her tonight after the play. It was pretty cute!

Happy Birthday to my sweet Kate. I hope your day was as SPECIAL as you are!!

Ken/Edward Update

So, yesterday we go to Wally-World, and Grace convinces me to buy a pair of pants for her Ken (Edward) doll. (If you don't know what I'm talking about, read my last post! ha ha)

I agree to buy Ken/Edward some pants, because, really, no dude should hang around wearing a skirt (not even if you're Scottish! ha!)

When we get home, Grace IMMEDIATELY runs off upstairs and changes the doll out of the skirt and puts on his pants.

And promptly changes his name to James.
Guess he's not Scottish anymore.

I just LOVE that kid!

Ummm...

... I confess. I am a "bloggy-loser". I can't find time to get it done anymore! I try, really I do, but when it comes down to having clean socks for everybody in my house or writing a blog... the socks win every time. I hate stinky feet. And, it's not exactly flip flop season anymore. :-)

So much has happened since I last blogged. So much that I don't even know where to begin! So, I'm not going to try to catch up. Maybe if I don't try, it will just happen. Because, let's be real honest here, "trying" hasn't gotten me very far.

SO... in an effort to not TRY too hard, I thought I'd share a "Gracie" story (just for old time's sake!)

Tonight I'm up stairs with Grace, trying to get her ready for bed. We're picking up the Barbies in her room, when all of a sudden I notice that Ken isn't wearing any pants. In fact, not only is he not wearing pants, he's actually wearing a skirt. So, I say, "Grace, why is Ken wearing a skirt?" She looks at me like I am a TOTAL MORON, and says, "Mom... he's Scottish! And, his name is not Ken. It's Edward."

Oh. I didn't know that. Thanks for correcting me, Grace.

I love that kid!

Adios, 2010...

...and welcome 2011!

And she gave birth to her first born son and she wrapped him in swaddling clothes and laid him in a manger because there was no room for them in the inn. And in that same region there were shepherds abiding in the fields, keeping watch over their flocks by night. And, lo, the angel of the Lord came before them and the glory of the Lord shone round about them, and they were sore afraid. But the angel said to them, "Fear not! For, behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy which shall be to all people. For unto you is born this day in the city of David, a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord. And this shall be a sign unto you: Ye shall find the babe wrapped in swaddling clothes and lying in a manger." And suddenly there were with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host, praising God and saying, "Glory to God in the highest, and on earth, Peace, good will to men." -Luke 2:6-14

Peace to you and your families during this blessed Christmas season!

THE RECAP...

... of our lives the past few weeks will be brief, my friends.

It has been CRAZY.

Luke surprised me with a wonderful surprise vacation to Isla de Mujeres, Mexico, the weekend before Thanksgiving. It was crazy beautiful, fantastic, relaxing, and about the most beautiful place I've ever seen. We stayed at a resort that DID. NOT. ALLOW. CHILDREN. Let me say that again, in case you missed it: NO CHILDREN ALLOWED AT THE RESORT. Now, friends, I love my children, but sometimes it is NECESSARY to get away from them. We had a wonderful time.

When we got home, it was back to school for a couple of days, and then the craziness of Thanksgiving began. Luke's entire family was able to come, and it was REALLY special. We had the big Thanksgiving feast here at our house, and (I hope you are sitting down!), I COOKED, and it was all fantastic! Of course, all the sisters and sisters-in-law also helped and made their special dishes. But, it was really memorable and special. I hope it becomes a tradition!! My children were overjoyed, because ALL 9 of the grandkids on Luke's side were under one roof, like a giant sleep-over, for several days. It was kid-heaven! :-)

I DO have pictures of Mexico and of Thanksgiving, but am not taking the time to upload them right now... Maybe later. Maybe not at all. Time is valuable, and my internet is SLOW.

Happy Thanksgiving. I hope yours was as special as ours!

Country Livin'

There are SOOOO many things I love about living in the country...

Great views, beautiful sunsets, wide-open spaces, no neighbors, happy kids, happy animals... the list goes on and on!

But, today, I discovered something that I am NOT so fond of.

A snake.

On my front porch.

Crawled INTO MY HOUSE, internet friends!!!!

I had to somehow get it out of my house, and kill it, all without letting it attack my children.

It might have been only 6 inches long, but it was ready to attack, people. I could see it in those beady little snake eyes!!!

OH, how I hate snakes!!!!

My eldest child ran (or walked, if the truth be known), to get the hoe. I chopped it up, screaming the whole time.

But I killed it.

I'm moving to town, people. ;-)