Merry Christmas...

...and His name shall be called "Wonderful - Counselor - The Mighty God - The Everlasting Father - The Prince of Peace"

May peace, love and joy attend you and your families...this Christmas time and throughout the coming New Year...

Love from all of us here at "Happy Acres"

I'm dreaming of a white Christmas...

...and it looks like dreams really DO come true...

It began last week with a couple of inches...

...and the girls being released early from school due to the storm...(thank goodness for snow-suits and warm clothes)

Nanook of the north and his faithful sidekick, Chinook, fought the brave fight and cleared the driveway and sidewalks... Ah, such manly-men...

Even Grandma ventured out to see what all the fuss was about... Tinkerbell (the dog we're babysitting) was having NONE of it and made Grandma take her back inside... *smart puppy and smart Grandma - it was cold!!!*

That was LAST week...Today, three days before Christmas, this is what we woke up to... in the front yard...

...And the back...

Maybe that White Christmas isn't just a dream, after all...

Amanda's turn...

While Jackie's been busy with basketball, Amanda's been busy with cheer and choir. Here are a few highlights.

They cheered at Jackie's first home-game...here, she's just finished the first part of their halftime dance.

...her first stunt...

...they call this one "Swedish Falls"...don't know why, they just do... (Mandy's on the right)

Hamming it up with her cheer pals, Haley (left) and Britney (right)

...and last but not least, this is the choir solo she performed for the Christmas concert they presented to the elementary school...

Basketball Star...indeed...

I haven't posted in awhile... There is a very reasonable explanation for that... I have been busy with the girls' new activities which have given me plenty of material for blogging, but very little time. That being said, today we have what could be called perfect timing. When I took the girls to school, it was snowing. It had been snowing all night. It snowed all morning so that when I got an email from the school telling me they were closing early, it was no surprise. Now I have the girls safely home and getting ready for some fun in the snow (more fodder for blogging); but I also have a few uninterrupted minutes to update the blog. Since we're pretty much snow bound and nothing could entice me to brave these roads again (unless Kevin gets stuck coming home)...I'm in blogging heaven.

So, let's start with Jackie. Basketball season started for the charter school-league last week. We are not going to mention scores other than to say that we haven't won a game yet (or even come close). The best thing we can say is that the girls are having fun, learning the game quickly, and improving all the time. Most importantly, they are having fun. Without further ado, here is Jackie's debut into the wide world of sports...

First game...

First home game...warming up

Going in for a lay-up during warm-ups!

High fives, she made the basket!!!

Then she notices the flashing camera and says: "NO - MOM!!!! Don't take my picture!!!"

Too late...*FLASH* She really is a basketball star!!!