kids and dogs

Hi,

Hope everyone had a nice Christmas--if that's what you celebrate.

We had 21 here on Christmas Day--that included two babies--one 6 months old and the other was a mere week old. They were spoiled rotten, of course.

Our 6 month old couldn't resist grabbing the cookie out of her cousin's hand and sticking it into her mouth. She ended up with green icing all over her face!

After dinner, I passed out the presents to everyone. My youngest daughter used to do the Christmas pageant at her church. So I found this book about the worse Christmas Pageant ever. It's a kid's book, but it is really funny. Then I got her a jar that read "Ashes of mouthy teenagers."

My oldest daughter and I were on the phone a few months ago and I told her about this shoe sale. So I tried describing them to her and she said yes, get them for her for Christmas. I did. I asked her what she thought of them. Her reply, "Well, my sister said they were certainly grandmotherly shoes. But I'll wear them around the house."

Then my used to be youngest granddaughter--just dawned on me she no longer is the youngest--almost got forgotten. Why? In the middle of passing out presents I had to use the bathroom. So the little boys were handing me the presents to pass out and they said there were no more under the tree.

I rushed to the bathroom--well as rushed as you could be when you have to squeeze your way into the bedroom past three dogs trying to squeeze past you so they could escape--and when I came out granddaughter #3 said, "Gammy, I thought you forgot me. But my mom said of course you wouldn't forget me. I was coming to get you when I saw this bag under the tree with a book sticking out of it. I knew it had to be mine."

Thank God the child found her present. I felt really bad for missing it, so I'll blame it on those rotten little 7 and 8 year old boys! At least my granddaughters like to read books. I mean, Gammy IS a writer. The boys get books, too, and I'm sure they groan each time they get one. "Not another book!"

So while everyone was here, a tornado hit Deland, but not our side of town. Christmas tornadoes aren't all that common in Florida. Three trailer parks got really torn apart. What is it about trailers that attrack tornadoes?

The dogs got presents as well as the kids. Icarus, our 15 lb brat, took the other dogs toys and made a pile and sat on top of it! He's such a alpha male! And he's the smallest of them. He managed to get out of the fenced-in back yard again today. We have no clue how he's doing it.

I bought him a collar with his name and telephone number and he's chipped. Same with the other dogs.

On Christmas Eve when my brother and sis in law arrived, the two smaller dogs manages to run out the door and it's always fun chasing them. I told my bro to stay out there and I'd go back to the house and get their leashes. I mean, lard butt Zeus is too heavy to carry back. Meanwhile, they listen to strangers more than Mom and my bro was close enough to that that the dogs ran to him--once I was out of sight. He held onto them until I got out there to hook them up. I told them Santa wasn't bringing them anything, but he did!

So here it is two days after Christmas and I probably gained tons of weight. Tomorrow I'll head to the gym. I don't want to have my dogs referring to me as lard butt!

dg