New Cookware

A couple of weeks ago, Ms. Linda came over to our house to watch the kids. While she was here, she tried to make them lunch. Well, I guess the state of my cooking pots and pans horrified her because yesterday she donated a new set to us! It is a beautiful set of stainless steel pots and pans that are GUARANTEED to last--Thanks, Ms. Linda! I hope I don't ruin them!

What a season!

We sure did have a great season, but as the saying goes, "All good things have to end." I think Chad took it especially hard. This is how I found my Saints Fan Hubby --and YES, he's sleeping. (A.K.A. passed out!)

GO SAINTS!

Ladies' Night

Over the holidays, I had the chance to meet with some friends that I haven't seen in a while. Jenny, Elaine, and Christy all came into town so we decided to have a girls night out. We started with dinner and drinks at Lucy's in Mandeville then headed to Daiquiris and Creams to listen to some good ol' 80's music! It was so good to get the "gang" together again. CONGRATS to Natalie who announced she is expectiong another baby! Special thanks to Julie for being my Designated Driver(who, by the way, didn't know a lot of the songs because she's TOO YOUNG--UGH!)

Great Guys

On Friday the boys brought home their second quarter report cards and we are VERY proud to announce that BOTH Mace and Jake received straight A's - - - They also had EXCELLENCE in conduct (we're not sure where they get that!) The boys had been asking for Saints jerseys so we bought them their favorite jerseys today for their reward. Way to go, guys! We are so proud of you!

HAPPY NEW YEAR!

10th Wedding Anniversary

On December 27th, Chad and I celebrated our tenth wedding anniversary. We took a trip to Destin, Florida, where I surprised Chad with a fishing charter in the Gulf. Well, without giving too many gruesome details, the 12 foot seas didn't exactly cooperate with my stomach!
It was a very LONG 6 hour boat ride! The rest of the trip was wonderful! At our dinner at Ruth's Steak House, Chad had a beautiful bouquet of tulips delivered to our table. We had a very nice time and MANY thanks to Julie, Tory, Mom and Dad for watching our "crew" for us! (Now you know why we needed the vacation so badly!)

Christmas Fun

Christmas 2006

We had a wonderful Christmas this year. We started out by spending Christmas Eve at Mrs. Linda's with all of Chad's family. The kids got a massive amount of presents! Emma was especially excited about the big piles of presents--so kept sitting on top of all of them! We were all very thankful that Nana could spend Christmas in her remodeled house this year and not a FEMA trailer! Christmas morning with the kids was awesome! The boys were so excited to get Heelys, Nintendo DS, DVD's, a Karaoke Machine, and the big gift----CELL PHONES! (We will give out their numbers soon.) Callie's big gift was a kitchen for her room and a scooter. Then my parents, MawMaw and sisters came over for lunch. We fried turkeys and baked ham. All of the food was delicious (minus my stuffing---it was awful!) Chase and Rylie seemed to enjoy their first Christmas, too! I hope everyone enjoyed their Christmas. Happy Birthday, Jesus!

Playing with the Pups

I truly believe that if it were up to Chad we would keep ALL of these puppies! I must admit they are really cute!

Rockin' Around the Christmas Tree

After the boys' basketball game (they only lost by 2 points this time!), we decided to decorate the Christmas Tree. We listened to Christmas music, strung lights and garland, fought over ornaments, etc---it was a typical tree lighting ceremony!

Puppy Pictures

Here are some more pictures of the puppies--they are getting HUGE!

Puppy Love

Today marks the pups tenth day here at the Straughans. The vet said that the pups should open their eyes any day now. Things are sure getting exciting around here. The little home we made them doesn't seem to have high enough walls--a few pups are trying to go AWOL!

Callie's SIck Day

Yesterday, Callie's daycare called me because she had 103* fever. Of course today I had a field trip with my sixth grade class and Chad had scheduled meetings. Julie offered to watch Callie for us. It actually worked out well because Julie was taking her little one (little in age NOT size---see Gandy blog) to the pediatrician for a check up. The doctor was kind enough to check Callie, too. Come to find out, Callie-Girl has strep throat! Chad also came home with a stomach bug and is running a low temp as well. Needless to say, all visitors might want to stay clear of the Straughan House for awhile. THANK YOU SO MUCH, BOOBOO for taking care of my little germ.

Next Game

If anyone is interested, Mace and Jake have a basketball game this Saturday, Dec. 2nd at 11:00 am. The game will be played at Florida Avenue Elementary in Slidell. GO, BULLS!

Best Buds

Today we went to Slidell to visit the Goodnights who were in town from Houston for the holidays. Callie was very excited to see her buddy, Megan. Tammie's parents, Mr. Wayne and Mrs. Yola, let the kids feed the ducks, roast marshmallows, and take tractor rides. As you can tell from the pictures, Megan continues to hit growth spurts. You would never believe that Callie is actually a month older than Meg. Actually, little Michelle is the same height as Callie---Michelle is two!

Getting Ready for Christmas

Today we went to Nana's house to eat leftovers and get her house ready for Christmas. The kids spent the day playing with Nathan, Sadie, and Emma. Chad spent the day putting lights on Nana's house and the girls decorated the Christmas Tree. It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas. . . .

Gobble! Gobble!

HAPPY TURKEY DAY!
We hope everyone had a great Thanksgiving. We spent the day at my mom and dad's with Michele, Shane, Chase, Lindsey, Uncle Tony and Donna. We did spend most of the day eating at CARBFEST 2006--but the weather was so nice, that we actually stopped eating long enough to play horseshoes, darts, and rode the golf cart. It was a great day!!!