**Happy Gilmore's**: AN UPDATE...

WOW!!! Life has been so busy, I just haven't had time to keep my blog going...so thankfully the snowdays came and I can catch up a little!

The events go something like this...

Thanksgiving came and went and was one of the best Thanksgiving's ever! The food was great, the company amazing, and the weekend very relaxing. After Thanksgiving it was back to work for another three weeks of chaos. The three weeks leading up to Christmas Break at an Elementary School are insane. The kids (and teachers) are all ready for break, not to mention the hectic schedules of parties, programs, and crafts that take place in between. During those chaotic weeks, our little family made time over a weekend to go get our Christmas tree. This is our third year of cutting our own tree. We usually head up

around our camping spot in Greenspeak but due to the recent snow we had received, getting up their was near impossible. So, we decided to take another route, one we had traveled plenty. While making our excursion across the terrain...I made a comment that the snow looked pretty deep up ahead, to which my darling husband responds, "It will be fine, this is the Gilmore's going on unchartered territory!" That is for sure, we ended up so stuck in the snow it took over and hour and a half to dig the truck out.

One of the back tire had gone into a bar ditch and the more we tried the worse it got. Finally I made the comment that we should just keep going forward rather than try to back up, as dirt was visable about 50 yards away. So we gave it a shot and out we were. Within another 20 minutes we had the perfect tree and we were heading home. It was an experience to jot down and the kids will remember that one for a while. We will call it the year of Dad and his Unchartered Territory!!

The next weekend, Toby and I were blessed with a "get-away" weekend, thanks to my parents. We went to Phoenix for one of my most dear friends weddings and to finish up some Christmas Shopping. It was so much fun! We got down there on a Friday night and just enjoyed the quiet. The comfortable married couple that we are now, we laid on the bed and watched late night shows,

lame to most, but a great thing for us, there were no interruptions or crying babies. It was nice. The next morning we slept in until around ten o'clock (amazing!!). We got up and headed off to finish our Christmas shopping. Hundreds of dollars later, we were done. After that we went to lunch and then got ready for the wedding. It was a beautiful wedding and Heather, of course, looked gorgeous!! After the wedding we headed off and went to dinner together, it isn't very often that we get just "Toby/Jess" time so we took advantage of it. After dinner we walked back to our room and after debating a little about the moral issues of it, we opened the kids "Santa" gift (their Wii) and played it in the hotel room. It was so much fun!! We tried ever sport and played until midnight. It was a great evening and we laughed a lot. I am so grateful to have a husband that is my best friend in the whole world. I enjoy his company so much!!

The next week was Christmas. We spent Christmas Eve with Toby's family and it was so fun.

The kids all got to play together while the adults visited. Most of Toby's siblings were there, 2 of his brothers and 1 sister. It was nice for him to be surrounded by his family. The kids opened their presents and we feasted on soups in bread bowls and chocolate cheesecake. It was a nice evening. After we got home, the kids were able to open one present (which is always pajamas), they looked so adorable. Then Toby and I surprised them with a kitten. About 6 months ago, their cat disappeared and they were heartbroken. Whether Toby wants to admit it or not, so was he.

This kitten was all his idea, he put the word out to the animal control officers he works with and they got a set of kittens, Toby went and picked one out and gave it to the kids as a surprise. They were so excited!! They named him Murphy...the baby however, just calls him "diddy."

The next morning was Christmas morning and it was such a great Christmas. The kids were surprised with their Wii. Brady got a new bike and a homemade blanket from his sister, along with some books, movies, and some Star Wars shirts. Kiley got a digital camera, clothes, books, and a picture frame. Chase got a rocking horse (dog), a homemade blanket from his sister, some t-shirts, and slippers. I was given a really nice jacket, a necklace and ring from

my kids and some books I have been wanting. Then for Toby, we got him an Antrim, Ireland hoodie that he has wanted for a while and Kiley made him a homemade blanket as well. After gifts I made pumpkin spice scones, sausage, and fruit salad and we played the Wii.

The next stop was Mom and Dad's. We opened gifts there and then watched a hilarious movie and took naps. It was so nice. After naps, we decided to have my mom, dad, and brother play the Wii. Mom got a little aggressive and decided to hit if she wasn't doing well...that is my mom for you, I just love her!! Then while Toby was playing tennis, the tennis racket attachment came off and went straight through one of Mom's lamp shades (a nice one at that). He just turned it around and told her it was fixed, thank goodness Mom has a sense of humor because it was far from fixed!! After visiting at Mom's for the day, we all headed over to my Grandma's for Christmas dinner. My Aunt Karen, cousin, Grandma, and her husband were all their. It was a wonderful evening. All in all, Christmas was a huge success and everyone enjoyed themselves. I love the holiday season.

Five days after Christmas is my birthday. I woke up to my sweet husband and my boys making me breakfast in bed (of course, my little Brady decided to climb in with me and eat his). We then ventured out to pick up Kiley from her dad's house for the day and then went to my Mom's for a lunch of delicious Pasoli (my favorite!!). We visited for a couple hours and then headed home. Toby was so excited, the moment he stepped into the house he made me sit down on the couch and they all gave me my birthday present. It was a Mother's ring, it is so beautiful. I cried, of course, because that is what I do. It was so neat to have all of my babies stones on this ring. It was a wonderful surprise and I was so grateful for it. We then had a wonderful steak dinner,

made by my family, and we relaxed. It was a wonderful day. That weekend, Toby took me out to celebrate my birthday with just the two of us. We went to Red Devil for dinner and then went to see "Did you hear about the Morgans?" It was a great evening and a nice date night with my hubby.

Of course, lets not forget about New Years. We have a family tradition in our family, since their are maniacs on the road on New Years Eve night. I always make a nice Surf and Turf dinner with a dessert and fancy drinks. We make a big bed on the floor in the living room and watch movies until about quarter to midnight. Then we switch on the T.V. and watch the countdown and the ball drop, give each other kisses and go to bed. This year, I made Filet Mignons, Snow crab with drawn butter, steamed sugar snap peas, roasted red potatoes with rosemary,

olive oil, and thyme, mini cherry cheesecakes and sparkling cider with a twist!! We then watched both Transformers movies (the kids got them for Christmas and our family is obsessed with them) and then watched the countdown. It was a great evening and such a fun family tradition. I know the kids look forward to it but so do I. It is a neat way to spend New Years and have fun with the kids.

That should be all that I need to catch up on. We are now over half way through January and coming up on our 7th anniversary. The snow is falling like crazy and we have been out of school since Tuesday.

The snowdays have been a blast. We took the kids sledding on Thursday and it was coming down like crazy. You can barely see our fence now, it is almost completely buried. I love this!! I haven't hated being off work and still getting paid for it either.

I feel very blessed to have the job and family that I do. I am grateful for the time I am able to spend with them and for the moments that I get to see my children grow. They are so wonderful and I love each one of them so much and for such different reasons. They are so unique and individually amazing. I can't imagine a world without my little ones. They are the true meaning of life. I am so happy to have a husband that is my best friend and who continues to make me laugh. He is fun to be around

and such a wonderful father to his children. He is a hard worker and provides a great life for us. It is the beginning of the year that you tend to reflect on the wonderful parts of your life. These are mine, in this order:

1) My family

2) My friends

3)My health

4) My job

5) Everything else in my life (except bills, I can do without those!)