Kids Love Presents

And they also love the boxes and bags they come in!

Joe and Debbie stopped by to celebrate Christmas with us today, and the boys really enjoyed their visit!!!

Hi Mr. Heron

If you're observant when you're out driving, and you have your camera in the car with you, you just might get a picture like this:-) I took this today off Hwy. 42 coming out of Fuquay near a water spot.

Santa's Helpers

Who can resist a couple of cute boys in Santa hats? Not their mom, that's for sure! They drove with me to get the Christmas tree tonight. Then, I wrestled it into the stand and into the house. Lights are next of course. It's a lot of work, but it's worth it:-) We have a bunch of Hallmark Star Wars ornaments from past years and this year, and afterall, it is the year of Star Wars for this next generation of kids. We can't NOT put up a tree this year Rick hurt or not!

Why the Silence?

Wow, it's been since 11/25/08 since I put a post on my blog. Thanksgiving has past. Christmas prep is well underway. Problem is, life threw the Goldman family a curve ball on 11/26/08. Rick got home from work early. Dad was on his way up to spend Thanksgiving day with us and eat turkey. The kids and I had been shopping and were in a good mood. Rick decided to clean the gutters on our house in prep for putting up holiday lights. I was super excited about Black Friday shopping.

Rick finished the front gutters, and I thought he was stopping. We don't put lights on the back of the house! Next thing I knew, he was around back...and he fell. I was in my office on the back of the house, and he was cleaning the gutter on the non window wall of the office. I heard a thud and the ladder crashing and another thud. He fell and hit the deck rail and then the ground. He was awake and told me to call the ambulance. Really? That serious?!? I called. They came. Unbelievable...it was the same spot he fell from on May, 14 2004 when I was 7 months pregnant with Johnny no less.

Hours later at the hospital after all the tests, they confirmed that he had 4-5 broken ribs and a broken scapula on the left side and a broken sternum. Bruised lungs too. He would be OK, but he was being admitted.

6 days later, he came home moving slower than usual but moving and home. Pictured is Johnny doctoring him. Rick has a smile from Johnny's good attention and from good pain meds:-)

Work is treating me well as I try to do for the kids what Rick usually does while still trying to work. With the help from some friends, it is going reasonably well. Consider me having tied a knot in my rope until my year end vacation starts on 12/17! Was the Christmas season not hectic enough without this happening?!?

Rick is already walking a lot and restless, so hopefully he'll continue a positive recovery and not be down for the count too long.

Just Me and Johnny

Today was one of those rare days when Joey was in school, and Johnny and I were both off. Rick was working, so Johnny and I just had the day to ourselves.

After we got Joey on the bus, we headed to Cary via a short stop at Lake Wheeler.. Simpkins pond was shaded and cold, so we didn't stay too long. The ducks weren't super hungry either.

Our main mission was to pick up the Santa Paws pictures at Cameron Village. We checked out The Bargain Box thrift store while we were there too. (Guardian Angel wins hands down in my opinion.)

I also thought a trip to the mall would be nice. Let me tell you, it was great just having one child to keep up with, no refereeing, no loud play acting, no fidgets, etc. Johnny and I had a GREAT time. I could have had an equally nice time with just Joey too I'm sure.

I let Johnny get his pic with Santa. We had our usual soft pretzels and Icee lunch (oops, did I admit that?!?). I let him go on the new kiddie rides. Can you believe they are 75 cents each now?!? I even found a gift I was having trouble finding anywhere else. Great time!

The rest of the pics are here.

Another Sneak Peek

I'm just not good with secrets... I'm trying to choose between great smiles but not the greatest pose in the vertical shot and a better pose but J&J not smiling as nice in the horizontal shot. Decisions... Decisions... For our Christmas card.

The rest of the album is here.

Photography Show at Coffee & Crepes

I hung some of my photographs at Coffee & Crepes tonight. C&C, as I love to call it with friends, allows various artists to hang their work for one month intervals. So, my stuff will be up until 12/23/08.

I'm really thrilled to have some of my pics at C&C again. The purple wall has abstract glass shots, and half of the orange wall has nature shots including butterflies and daisies. I had plenty more to hang! Maybe in the spring...

If you get a chance to stop in while you're out holiday shopping, let me know what you think.