The Christmas that wasn't really was...

We had quite the interesting Christmas at the Laffoon household. One of Torrey's gifts didn't arrive. Many of Grace's gifts didn't fit (she's grown an inch and a half in 2 months). One of Grace's gifts we bought off eBay arrived broken. Some of Jay's gifts didn't fit...NO COMMENT! And last but not least a gift Jay ordered for Laura in November, was made December 10th still (as of the writing of this blog) hasn't SHIPP#D! And N@ these &rn't typ*'s if you get my dr!ft!!!!

We've spent the weekend returning gifts (I have a Mall HANGOVER). Emailing eBay, and various others to see where the gifts are in the shipping process. Spent much energy undoing all the done wrong gifts...again you get the drift.

Anyway, in spite of all the Christmas blunders, this past weekend was filled with laughter, family, friends and the love that Christmas brings. So in fact it was a fantastic Christmas...Christmas as it is meant to be. Here's to a Happy New Year!


J&L

A "Dread"-Filled Day!

It's 10am on Saturday morning here at the Laffoon house and in an hour and a half we are going to host a "Dread head" party. A good number of friends and family will descend on our house for Pizza, movies and about 4 hours of turning Torrey into a "Bob Marley" wanna-be. (Minus the Marijuana of course)

Torrey has been growing his hair out for about 6 months now all in anticipation of turning his beautiful head of hair into a glorified house mop! However if there is one thing I've learned in my years as a parent it is to pick my battles wisely.

Would I prefer him to "dread" his hair? NO, but that really isn't a battle I feel needs to be waged. He's a good kid, no, he's a great kid and the battles I'll look to fight are: when he is not respecting his sister or his mom, when he treats people with injustice, or when he fails to confront things that are just plain wrong! So today I'll live with the hair and in 30 years (Lord willing) we'll all look back with a grin!

And here's the finished product! By the way...that 4 hour project turned out to be 8!


"Hair's" to YOU!

Jay

IT IS FINISHED!

Do you know how you feel at the beginning of a large project? Overwhelmed, daunted by the task, wondering how you'll ever get it all done?

Then the feelings of ELATION when the project is finished? Well today Laura and I are doing a "Happy Dance" as we sent the final chapter of our latest book to our copy editor. She'll clean it up and make it read like a "proper English book" then January 1st it's off to the Publisher!

45,000 words of "wisdom"...OK maybe "wisdom" is a stretch but none the less Powerful Words Your Spouse Needs to Hear is DONE!

For now that is...after the editorial staff a Baker Publishing gets a hold of it we'll have revisions and revisions and revisions...but a year from now, that's right, I said a YEAR (Welcome to the publishing world!) you'll be able to read for yourself the book we just finished!

As for now we'll just keep doing the "Happy Dance"

Blessings~

J&L

so it has been a week....but still it was the best and worst birthday!

So last Wednesday was my 46th birthday! I love birthdays and christmas and any opportunity to celebrate! Celebrations are huge around our house! so here is what happened.....

Jay told the kids the night before that we were waking them up early so we could celebrate my birthday before school. They were given fair warning! So, Grace gets up at 6:30 am and Torrey drags himself down the stairs and 6:45 and promptly plops his body on the couch and goes back to sleep! Jay being Jay starts singing, "Happy birthday to you..." The kids start screaming for him to stop! "It is too early" Torrey yells, " I am still sleeping!" Jay continues to sing...Grace then yells are her dad for irritating her brother! I am watching the whole thing in disbelief! It is my birthday and my kids are yelling because they do not want to sing to me! Needless to say I was hurt, but kept my mouth shut...for a few minutes.

After a while, Jay began to discuss with the kids the err of their ways and they got mad at us for being mad at them for not wanting to sing to me for my birthday! They left for school mad at Jay and I and never once said Happy Birthday mom! Ungrateful kids! I was beginning to wonder who raised these children
Well, this is where it gets good....At 3:00 p.m. my children stroll into my house bearing flowers and apologies for their morning behavior! I got great big long hugs and love and kisses! I knew we had raised them right!!?



It was the worst/best birthday ever!

Tis the Season

Most of you know that Laura is a Christmas FREAK! We have to put up the decorations the day after Thanksgiving...yada yada yada...Well this year I had enough...saying "We" have to put up decorations is like the little kid who says "WE killed a bear and Pa shot it!" If WE put up the decorations why am I the one doing all the work, while Laura decides what goes where!!??!!

So I took matters in my own hands and put up decorations as I saw fit...here is a picture!


Merry Christmas!