UPDATE TO ENTRY CALLED COMMUNICATION IS EVERYTHING

The kids at Dalton's school raised enough money to buy several goats, ducks, rabbits, dig some ponds and stock them and there was probably another animal or two that I missed but I can not find the information telling exactly what all they were able to purchase. I know it was a lot!!

DALTON'S FIRST SLED

It all started out when they started calling for snow late Christmas eve/early Christmas morning. So, Denny and I took off to town searching for Dalton his first sled. After picking out one that we thought would stand up to his boyish roughness we took it home and waited.....and waited....and waited. We barely got a dusting and the only thing the snow stuck to was the tops of the cars and our 16 ft. flat trailer. Being the creative child he is, and I think he gets this from being an only child, he decided he could just sled on the trailer.

After becoming bored with his sledding experience he decided he would see if he could float down the creek in it. It quickly started taking on water and he bailed out of it. As of today, Janurary 10th 2010, we still have yet to get any snow that Dalton could sled in.

MAKING GINGERBREAD WITH DALTON

I wanted to do something fun with Dalton this year. I knew it would have to be something that would not take a whole lot of time because the attention span of a 7 year old boy doesn't last long. So, I cheated and bought some already made gingerbread dough and already made tubes of coookie icing and we had a good time. And as I thought...by the time we were done he was bored with it and ready to go play with something else. I think they turned out pretty good and they gingerbread tasted good too. I was not all that fond of the icing and would recomend using less of it next year.

CHRISTMAS

We took many pictures this year, and they are all of Dalton opening his gifts. I have picked out a few of the funny ones. When Dalton took the paper off this gift he saw a box (that one of my new end tables came in) and said "look mom Santa brought me a table like yours." And he wasn't very excited about it either. lol I explained that it was a gift from meme and he needed to open the box to see what was inside of it. He got the stuffed dog that he wanted. And he really liked the box too as you can see from the top picture. That is where he opend the remaining gifts from. (inside the box)

DECORATING FOR CHRISTMAS

The star at the top of the tree

The living room side of the fireplace

The hearth room side of the fireplace

Dalton was a big help decorating the tree! Notice the nice band around the tree where there are no lights? There are lights there-I just could not get them to work. (so I left it that way)

This is the "redneck tree". We call it the redneck tree cause it is decorated with hunting and fishing ornaments, shot gun shell lights and a camo tree skirt. This used to be our basement tree in Tn. - it matched the outdoors theme in our basement and I couldn't bare the thought of getting rid of it so I gave it a place in this house too.

COMMUNICATION IS EVERYTHING

Let me just start by saying that I pick Dalton up from school every day and it is very routine all the way to our conversations. He can never remember what he did in school that day, but he will usually tell me if he had a good day or a bad day, and all he is really concerned about it what kind of snack I brought him for the very long, 15 minute or less, drive home. ha

But today was different. He was quite cheerful. He said he had a lot of fun in P.E. He was very enthusiastic of the snack that I brought him and he convinced me to take the long way home-which is the way he likes to go and I usually won't go that way. Along the way he turned and looked at me, with his heart wide open, he said "mom we are going to collect coins for people who don't have food or water so they can buy a goat?" WHAT? And yes this did make me start to giggle cause all I could think of was he wasn't paying full attention, big surprise, and they said the money would go for COATS. That makes sense right? He noticed right away that I apparently didn't get it. So he tried to explain it to me again this time saying that the goats would make milk for them. I AM SO SORRY TO SAY THAT I COMPLETELY LOST IT AND THOUGHT I WAS GOING TO HAVE TO PULL OVER CAUSE I COULDN'T SEE THROUGH THE TEARS ANY MORE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Poor Dalton looked at me with hurt in his eyes and shouted "IT'S NOT FUNNY!!!!!" To which I explained that no it was not a funny situation but it sounds funny to buy a goat. He almost had tears in his eyes and he was very furious at me and he said "you don't get it! We will take in change and fill a jar and after it gets full the school will go and buy the FREAKING GOAT!!!!" Yep that just added fuel to my fire and I laughed all the way home crying all the way! He turned away from me and would not talk to me for half an hour after we got home.

Ok, so now you are probably wandering about the goat...here's the scoop: They are participating in what is called COINS FOR COMPASSION. (there was a note in his backpack) It says the coins that they collect will allow them to show compassion and share the true spirit of Christmas to a child in need somewhere in the world. They are hoping to collect enough coins to give a goat to a needy family in the name of their school. The gift of a goat cost $75 and provides milk, yogurt and cheese to a needy family. It is done through World Vision. This makes sense and I think it is a wonderful thing for them to do and for the kids to participate in. As you see COMMUNICATION IS EVERYTHING!

LETTERS TO SANTA

Dear Santa, I want a big tan dog with fluffy ears and Sorry Sliders and a Big Cupcake maker. (which is that mold that looks like a cupcake but it makes a giant cake)

In our house we have a tradition where we write our letters to Santa and put them in this little red mailbox on our mantle where Santa gets them when we are sleeping. Recently, Dalton decided it was time to write letters and if you wouldn't write one then he would write it for you. I guess he was mad at me at the time-see for yourself. I also have a picture of the one he wrote for himself and I will decode them for you too. lol





Hi Santa My mom been very bad do not give my mom presents.


Seriously??? I think I will wait a few years before I get him for this! haha ;)