Okay so I lied, I will post one Christmas video up here... from 1991! Yes, I have been a science nerd for almost 20 years :) I am really excited to use my new Christmas gift to transfer our old VHS tapes to digital files via the AVerMedia DVD EZMaker. And don't worry, this will probably be the only one I do post, unless I find something really good with Katie in it, then it is for sure going up!

Good News/Bad News

Bad news first:  My computer broke.  On December 26th.  I opened it up and it would turn on but my screen was blank.  Everything has been backed up on the external hard drive (which is locked away in a fireproof safe because I am neurotic), but still, I was not so happy thinking about the possibility of buying a new laptop (MacBook Pro to be specific) since I just spent a pretty penny buying a new iPad for someone special the day before.

Now the good news:  My local Apple Genius told me this morning that my video card has gone out, and would need to be replaced.  Also my battery was a fire hazard and should be replaced as well (everything is 3 years old).  The total price = over $1000.  What's the good news?  My specific video card had a problem with it, and after a claim by Apple against the manufacture, all of the failed video cards will be replaced free of charge!  What about the battery?  The guy just said he was being nice and threw a new one in for free as well.

So more Christmas pictures and videos will have to wait 2-3 days while the computer is being fixed.  Happy day!  Hope everyone is having some good luck today, too!

Merry Christmas!

Merry Christmas!  We had a wonderful and relaxing holiday at home this year.  Lots of photos to share, but here is Tessa's gift from Santa:

Last year, Santa gave her something to help her learn to walk, and this year she is riding a bike (or learning to).  Go Tessa!

Cherry Lane

We visited Cherry Lane last night with Taylor, Talon and Jerry.  It is fun to see Tessa and Talon interact with each other.  They are best of friends, but I never get to see it! We need to do more outings together.

Cherry Lane is a cul-de-sac that decorates for Christmas like the Griswolds do!  I wasn't able to get photos of the houses because so many people come, you can't get a clear shot.

This driveway was neat, they put rope lights in the breaks of the concrete.

Talon and Tessa enamoured with something.

Toddler Love!

18 Month Stats (now with growth charts)

Scott brought T into the clinic today during my Saturday work so we could get some stats on our growing girl (I choose not to give any immunizations at 18 months, and obviously she is thriving, so I see no need to do the "official" visit).  Anyway, in between seeing my 17th and 18th "sore throat, runny nose, cough" visit, we managed to find out that Miss Tessa is:

23 pounds 2 ounces

33.5 inches

I guess the past 3 months were more focused on growing in height than in weight!  We are off to see Santa tonight, and decided to give Tessa her first taste of Candy Cane.  Ho ho ho, Merry Christmas!

Randoms from this week -

After an early cold spell (my plants are frozen) we have had record breaking heat this week... and it has been HOT!  T and I went to Superstition Farms for their winter hayride and hot chocolate day, and we were informed that they would be serving ice cream instead (either way it was good).  Tessa got to see lots and lots of cows (it is a working dairy farm) and her favorite animals - GOATS!  (The bunny she was able to brush came in a close second.)  My least favorite animal was the calf who licked Tessa's hair, although she did not seem to mind it.

So we have seen Tessa's bad hair days, so today I tried to straighten it (it is 100% percent curly right now).  Here is the result:

So long!

 But, we had a cool front come through today (in the 50's an 60's) so that qualifies as winter hat weather! Even if it isn't cold enough for a coat.

Scott and Tessa want to remind you that there are only 10 days until Christmas! 

Happy shopping!

This is where we live -

This is where we live.  Phoenix.  Well, I mean Queen Creek... but not the Maricopa side, the Pinal side... but not in San Tan Valley.  Understand?

Okay then -  Here is a pic of the real Queen Creek, in which I work, at a very rural clinic... right across the street from Target.

And here is our house:

Okay, I kid.  But it could be.  It is for sale.

This is our neighborhood.  Both the McMillan's (us) and McClure's now live here full time. (The other McMillan's live up the road about 10 minutes)

 We live really close.

But we like it that way.  We got these amazing (and stalker-like) pictures by climbing "our mountain" behind our houses.

Yea for us!

Tessa and Mom stayed back because one of them doesn't like heights and needed the other's company.

(Incase anyone wonders where Scott works, it is behind the mountains behind me in the above picture.  I have a 10 minute drive to work, he has a 50 minute drive.  Seems fair.)

Have a good weekend everyone!

18 Months

Growing girl, you are a year and a half (plus a few days).  You have been walking for half your life.  You learn new words by the hour, which include:

airplane, bus, cat, dog, rabbit, hi, hello, bye bye, poop, owie, football, touchdown, up, down, please, thank you, broken, uh oh, all done, horse, baa, maa, bop (milk), ba ba (pacifier), bath, bubbles, wa wa (water), outside, bike, moon, star, sun, helicopter, cheese, book, car, more, again, spin, swing, slide, climb, open, wet, pants, shirt, shoes, socks, hat, dress, table, wash, Honey, Papa, Riley, Chloe, Tally (Talon) Grandma, Grandpa, Mama, Dada, house, light, bright, kiss, hug, yes Mama, tree, flower, bird, pasta, baby, orange, apple, that... and many many more! (underlined words are your favorites and we here these over and over, specifically airplane).  And we have noticed you are putting two and three words together at a time, too! (like go lay down!)

Your favorite things are books, and you can sit and read all day long.  You have learned to walk on the side walk and to stay out of the street.  You yell out Honey whenever we drive by her house (you will learn to associate this with Papa, too).  You are still sleeping great, and I am wondering if I should change you into a big girl bed soon.  You love animals and shout them out when we pass by in the car (along with buses).  You are definitely turning into a big girl, and I love every minute of it!

18 months

Months 1-12

Bed Head Part 2

Sorry Tessa; with your hair and my hair-styling skills, there is no hope.

Happy Thanksgiving

Happy Thanksgiving to all!  I was reminded today that this blog has been quite for a little while (due to a nasty bug that went through the house), so what better day to post about my family than Thanksgiving!  Here is a little peak into our Thanksgiving day:

It consisted of wearing animal masks and a lot of cooking (by Scott)

Dancing along with the Rockettes

Lots of Turkeys!

And waiting to eat

And lots and lots of food!  Our main dish was closer to a traditional Thanksgiving than years past, but if you know us, we had to mix it up somehow!  For Thanksgiving 2010, we feasted on Turducken (a chicken, inside a duck, inside of a turkey.)  It was yummy!  (The kiddo's thought so).  We were joined by the James Family and the ZoBell family this year, and were happy to have such a full household.

Hope everyone had a great Thanksgiving, too!

Goodbyes - Part Two

So what do you do with 22+ years of furniture/stuff?  Give the good stuff away to family members!

Our "good stuff" (aka a couch) has been on a moving truck for the past 6 days, and we still have 3 more days until we get it.  Bad news is we sold our couch on Saturday.  So this is what our living room looked like -

And this is what it looks like now (minus a bean bag that Scott and I flip a coin over each night) - 

I am pretty excited though, because we have had the same paint color, prints, furniture etc since we moved in (almost 5 years ago!) and now I get to change it.  Hooray for decorating!

And since no post would be complete without Tessa, she has been loving all the space with her wheely bug.

goodbyes

It's done.  My childhood home is sold.  This house is getting a new family.  And my parents will be with me in Arizona.  So thanks old house.  You were great.

Say Cheese!

These are cheesy smiles.  Literally.  I am trying to teach her how to smile, and this is using the age old trick of saying cheese.  I don't think I'll try it ever again.

This smile is from me tickling her knee.

And then her foot (obviously the knee is the way to go)

Here is is grabbing the camera strap, and she actually believes she is going to pull it out of my hands.  I'm a mean Mom for deceiving her.

And this smile is from me stepping on her.  It is not mean, because she likes it!

That's my daughter?

No, it's Scott, circa 1979

That's my daughter!  (Well, at least we know it's Scott's daughter)