Our New Year's Eve: 1 possum, 2 muddy dogs

This evening Travis and I decided to stay in and relax...we were sitting on the couch. I was reading a magazine...he was playing Wii. The dogs were out in the backyard when we heard an awful commotion. Both dogs were frantically barking...the kind of bark that signaled that either they were hurt or we were being attacked or invaded. We jumped up to check it out. Both dogs were standing along our fence line (which is currently a mud pit) barking up at a possum that was tettering on the top of the fence. We know this possum, he's been here before. So Travis tries to go out to scare it away but it's not budging. So we know we have to get the dogs inside before he can really scare it away. In runs Maggie...straight to the bed (which has just been washed, of course). Travis had to capture Tucker in order to get him indoors...he went straight to the tub. I gave them both a bath so now we now have one muddy bathtub, one muddy and wet bed, and one eventful New Years! By the way, Travis threw one piece of plywood, two dog toys, two charcoal pieces at the fence and the possum was still not budging. Finally Travis grabbed a supersoaker watergun and ran it off. That was one stubborn little possum!

The House Family Christmas

We just got home today from Pine Bluff. We went down there to celebrate Christmas with Travis' family. His brother, Tim and family came down from Rogers and his sister came in from Little Rock. She brought her new little puppy, GiGi, with her. So we were excited to meet the new little cousin...Maggie played great with her, but Tucker was a little more territorial. He growled at her several times. It was very nice getting to visit with everyone and see our niece and nephew. We don't get to spend enough time with them. I got a great set of pots and pans from Travis' parents and Travis got some Wii games and a digital photo frame. We had a great time but are glad to be home so that we can relax a little and start taking down our Christmas decorations!

Four years ago today...

Four years ago today, Travis and I walked down the aisle. We have had a great four years together and I can say that I love him more today than I did when I married him. He is an amazing husband...incredibly supportive and understanding. He is amazing. Everyone told us that we would regret getting married so close to Christmas. But we were blind in love and could never imagine regretting our wedding date. Well...everyone was right. It's tough for us to find the time or the money to go all out and celebrate. Besides, it seems that during this time of year either one or both of us end up sick. I had bronchitis on my wedding day and here I am four years later sick again. So today we are going to celebrate at home with take-out and a movie. But that sounds great to me...all I need is my hubbie to be happy!

Learning to Skate

One of the things Haley asked Santa for was a pair of roller skates. She was so pumped to actually get her first pair of Dora skates (complete with elbow and knee pads). She tried so hard to learn to skate. I was so proud of her that every time she fell down she would get right back up and try again!

The Altom Family Christmas

We just got home today from our long weekend in Batesville. We celebrated Christmas with my parents and family this weekend. We had a wonderful time. On Sunday afternoon we had my aunt and her family, my grandpa, and cousins all over for lunch. Travis and I got to meet the newest little addition to the family, little Rocky. It was so nice to have a baby around! Then on Christmas Eve night we had our big dinner. Ryan, Nichole, and Haley all stayed the night so Santa could visit us all at the same time at mom and dad's house. Dad read the night before Christmas to Haley and we tried to get her to go to sleep. Poor little thing was so excited that she just couldn't go to sleep! Then this morning we all got up and opened presents. My favorite gift was a Dyson vacuum (love it!), Travis' was a tool set, Maggie's was an orange squeaky ball, and Tucker's was a toy squirrel! We had a blast and really enjoyed our visit with family.

Our Christmas!

Tonight Travis and I celebrated our Christmas together since we will be leaving town. Travis brought me some flowers which was unexpected and very sweet. We grilled some steaks and had a nice dinner. The dogs had a nice meal as well they ate some wet dog food for once and loved it! The also each got a chew bone in their stockings. Maggie was so excited to open presents...she dove right in. Tucker was much more laid back about the whole thing. He got a toy fish and bobber. She got a guitar and a reindeer. Her favorite was the guitar...it plays a Christmas song when she pushes it. He liked the reindeer best I think. Travis got some shirts, shoes, automatic tie rack :), office desk calendar, and Wii stuff. He liked the Wii stuff the best of course. I got Adobe Photoshop (yay!), a Tyler candle, some really cool bath stuff, a Wii cooking game, and some make-up brushes. Of course my favorite is the Adobe program...I can't wait to start using it! What a nice Christmas we had together! We will head to Batesville tomorrow to do Christmas there!

Tacky Christmas Sweater Day!

Today was tacky Christmas sweater day at work. We had a lot of fun making/finding some of those tacky sweaters us teachers are supposed to wear. So we dressed head to toe in the tackiest stuff we could find and had a competition to see who could deck out the most. I made mine a Rebecca's shirts (see the picture with the Rudolph). It was also Christmas party day...that'll really take it out of ya. I 'm so glad that tomorrow is my last day of work for two weeks....I am so ready for a break!

New Haircuts

The pups also had a busy day with an all day grooming...they looked so cute with their new Christmas outfits!

Our first official purchase for the house...

Today we bought two of our first official purchases for the house. We had found a great deal on some clearance marble tile at Home Depot last night. So we spent today shopping around to compare. Everything we found was much more expensive so we decided to go ahead and buy the tile. So we purchased over a 1000 pounds of marble tile for our bathroom (for our shower and then to go behind the tub). Which we loaded into our car and then into our storage building. Heavy!!! Then we decided to stop by a furniture outlet store to check out dining room tables. We ended up buying a dining table set for a great price. Plus they are going to store it for us until our house is finished! It's a marble top table and it's absolutely beautiful! We love it but I'm sure it's not everone's cup of tea. Here are a few pics of the tile we purchased and our table. We are beginning to get excited!

It's officially ours!

We closed on our lot this afternoon! After we signed a stack of papers the lot was officially ours. Our house plans came in yesterday and we are so ready to get started!

House Update

Well we showed our house for the third time today. We also had a lady look at it on Thursday night. She seemed very interested and even asked how to go about making an offer. So hopefully we will be moving out soon! That thought makes Travis groan. He really doesn't want to move twice and have to deal with a rental property. But we gotta do what we gotta do! I am pumped about selling this place. We've put so much work into it and it's nice to know that someone else will get to enjoy it.
I've also been busy making four batches of toffee today for Travis' current office and his old office. One of the things his old co-workers were upset about was that they would not get the toffee at Christmas like always. So he promised to uphold the tradition even after he left! I'm about to begin working on making my "Tacky" Christmas sweater. Next week at work we our having a "Tacky Christmas Holiday Wear" day. It's a competition to see who can wear the most hideous holiday wear (aka "teacher clothes") from head to toe that day. I'm excited...it's going to be so fun. I'll definitely post pics as soon as I can!

and I've been nice.

There seems to be a role reversal in our house these days. Tucker is usually very mischievous and barky. But here lately he is being more and more lovable. He has not left my side since I got injured. He constantly sniffs my arm and cuddles with me. Maggie couldn't care less. She's to busy barking at random sounds and scouting for food!

Dear Santa, I've been naughty...

I knew something was up. Maggie had been outside far too long as was far too quiet. That's when I heard the wimper. I went to the door and there she was standing outside the doggie door (she hates to use it so she usually wants us to let her in). She had something in her mouth from ear to ear. I couldn't tell what is was until she came into the house. As soon as I let her in she ran over to her toy basket to hide it. It was a sub roll. It was in the trash bag I had set outside the back door. She had been naughty and was now trying to hide it. So I ran to get my camera...laughing all the way...to snap a pic before she swallowed the thing hole. I need proof to show Santa how naughty she has been.

A New Adventure

We are about to embark upon a new adventure in our lives. Our house is for sale...we're closing on our lot the end of this week, and we'll begin building our house very soon. We are both very excited. We've just about decided on our house plan (there are a few we are stuck on). Once we make our final decision we can break ground. We've got so many plans and ideas that we cannot wait to get started. Since we worked so much on this house we are going to do a large amount of the work ourselves. Hopefully we can work well together and we won't let the stress get to us where we become that bickering couple you see on Flip that house or something! :)

wooo...weee I'm sore

The doctor warned that I might be really sore today since I had such a hard fall. Boy howdy he was right. I woke up this morning barely able to move my upper body. Every muscle in my arms, chest, neck, and back are so sore! I know part of it is from the tetannus shot..it's supposed to make you sore. But wow! I've spent the whole day hugging a heating pad and laying around. Hopefully tomorrow I will feel better so I can teach!

Well...it's not broken!

Well I thought I had broken my elbow/forearm today. Travis and I were walking our lot this morning and when we were leaving I was stepping off our lot (it sits up high). My foot got caught in the silt fence and I fell hard onto the asphalt down below. I wasn't able to catch myself (I was holding my new camera) so all my weight went onto my forearms and my left elbow. (The camera is okay) It knocked the air out of me and scared me and Trav half to death! So we rushed home to look at it...I decided it was probably necessary to get it looked at. So off to the doctor for xrays. It's not broken...just bruised and raw. So they bandaged me up and gave me a tetannus shot. Yuck!

But on the other hand we did meet our soon-to-be new neighbors. They are our age...no kids...but they do have dogs. (Maggie and Tucker will love that!) She is...get this...a first grade teacher as well! We realized we know alot of the same people. We seem like we're going to be getting along just fine...I've always wanted neighbors that we could hang with! So now we are super dooper excited!

Here are a few pics of my elbow pre and post doctor appointment and the site of the accident. I fell right next to the sod rolls and the gas can. :)

The Nutcracker!

Today all of first grade went on a field trip to see the nutcracker. It was my first time seeing it and I absolutely loved it! I really enjoyed watching my kiddos' reaction to the performance. Most of my students have never been to the ballet and will probably never go again. So this was a once in a lifetime thing for them. Their faces were priceless...they were mesmerized! We also took all eight (yes eight) classes to eat at Cici's Pizza for lunch. What an experience that was! They were totally pumped about it. It's neat to see them outside the classroom environment...to just hang out. It was a great way to spend an otherwise dull Tuesday. Only 3 weeks until Christmas Break!

Our Thanksgiving!

We had an insanely busy Thanksgiving. We got to Batesville Wednesday night and visited for awhile with my parents. Then Thursday we had the traditional Thanksgiving meal. That night me, Travis, mom, and Tammy went to play Bingo. We had a blast! I won $100 and mom won $20. I also ran into my best friend from high school Linda Le. We had such a nice visit. It had been almost eight years since we actually visited with each other. I've missed her so much! Friday morning we got up before 4:00 am to do Black Friday shopping (which is totally against all that I believe in). But we ended up having a great time. We got home around 10:00 that morning insanely exhausted. After a short nap we headed to Little Rock to visit with Travis' family. We went shopping down there some more and had a nice meal with his parents, sister, brother, niece & nephew. We had planned to head home Saturday afternoon but time slipped by so we ended up staying that night as well. Besides, the kiddos wanted to play Wii some more before they had to leave. So we headed home today. We had planned for a nice relaxing evening. However, when we got home we had a message from some guy wanting to tour our house. So we had to rush around get the house in "showing" condition. We've cleaned out the closets, cabinets, pantry, etc. We're still not through so I've got to get busy. So hopefully we'll have a successful house showing tomorrow! Here are a few pics of our busy Thanksgiving break!

My "day off"

Well...I had hoped to have a lazy day for my day off-play some Wii, relax, watch some t.v. However, that's not exactly how it's been. I got up, ran to the bank to deposit what was left of our yard sale money (some ones & $41.00 in change to be exact). Then I had to go to my least favorite place in the world...the DMV to get my tags renewed. Got there, take a number, and have a seat please. 25 minutes later 103...Oh! That's me! Go to the window-got all my stuff ready. The assessor's office was supposed to fax over my receipt this morning and of course it's not there. Call the assessor's office AGAIN. Wait another 10 minutes. Finally the fax arrives and I'm out the door. Then off to Old Navy to exchange a shirt. Then I met Travis at Tropical Smoothie for lunch-YUM! Back home to clean and pack us for our Thanksgiving traveling. So I have been putting away mountains of laundry, packing, and cleaning for the last few hours. I'm taking a break now so hopefully I can finish up and play a game or two of Wii before Travis gets home and we hit the road! Love that Wii! :) Here's a picture of Tucker helping me fold laundry and pack!

Ahhh...Thanksgiving Break!

Well...it's finally here! Thanksgiving Break ! I am off work for the next three days...Travis is off Thursday and Friday. We're heading to Batesville tomorrow night to spend time with my folks. Then we're off to Little Rock Friday night to spend time with Travis' parents. The joy of having parents in two different towns...we spend the majority of our time traveling between the two during holidays. Oh well...I am excited to see everyone and have some time off!

Christmas Spirit

Well, we're finally getting in the Christmas spirit. We've almost completed all our shopping, we've wrapped the presents, put up the tree, and are going to be working on the yard tonight. I love, love, love, our tree this year. We went with a black and white theme. I found this great black and white plaid paper at Hobby Lobby and that inspired me for my color scheme. I added a few red ornaments for some color...it reminds me of our wedding! Today at school my kiddos were completing a few Thanksgiving art projects so I put on a Christmas CD. They were so pumped! So tomorrow I'm putting up my tree in my classroom! Yay, Christmas!

Our Weekend!

What a great weekend! Travis went hunting with his dad in Dewitt so mom, Tammy, and Haley came down to spend the weekend with me. We did a ton of Christmas shopping, went to Build a Bear and Chuck E. Cheese and had a great time. Haley is so pumped about Christmas coming up-she says it's "her birthday" because she knows she is getting presents. I guess anytime she gets gifts is her birthday. She was such a help wrapping presents. She "wrote" Travis' name on all his tags for me. She was able to write the T and then hoho. Very cute kid!