finally. get that incessant jingling out of my head!

the family CHRISTMAS CAKE - special surprise inside!

my mom got these as a present last christmas and uses them alongside our stocking holder thingeys. they make me smile.

me and cousin maggie amidst holiday feast #4,462.

i was not a good picture taker this christmas... which is unfortunate b/c we had a great time with family and friends and everyone looked great and i FAILED to capture any of it on camera. sometimes i guess you forget because you are too caught up with visiting and laughing and being LOUD. i almost - not quite - forgot how loud and large and laughey my family is - both sides. i also almost - not quite - forgot how much everyone loves the F & the GD & the S word(s) in my family - both sides - grandparents included, nay, grandparents worse than us "kids" in some instances...in case you were wondering where my potty mouth was trained. i keep it pretty PG on the blog since you never know who is reading, but those of you who know me, well.. then you know what i am talking about... it's that irish in us - we love potatoes and cursing. just be glad you never had to play next to me or my cousin bridget on the soccer field! this was the first year i felt like THE OUT OF TOWNER for real - even though i have lived in AR for three christmases now and tulsa the four christmases before that (school never counts though). i wouldn't change all the bits that led up to meeting my husband and all my wonderful friends but i hate being so far away from my family... especially being at the starting our own little family juncture in life. it was so nice to grow up with my sister and so many first cousins all in my same age range (10 or so - from both the cronin and the horan side - all within about six years). it is kind of depresso that my kiddos won't have the same experience and makes me want to have AND adopt a gazillion babies to start my own "big" family. now please. ::wink:: the holidays give me the FEVAH (more commonly known as baby fever) hmmm... maybe i should work on taking care of myself and karl a little more first! what do you guys think? ::more winks::