December 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, and 24

 December 15, 16, 17, and 18 found our family finishing school obligations and packing for our trip to Anchorage.  We went to Anchorage in order to fully celebrate the birth of Marina.  H2Oasis and Japanese food was her desire.  We were lucky to get to stay at our friends Kari and Ryan's apartment.  Valda came with us and took these pictures while we were playing around on the watersides.

This is me and Vince dreaming that we were actually at the PIC water park in Saipan.

After fun was had by all we went shopping for Christmas items.  Read that to mean, "We took the kids to Toys-R-Us to spend their Christmas money Grandpa Larry and Grandma Kathy sent them."  Falcom has no problem finding delightful items to spend his money on in Toys-R-Us.  Marina on the other hand...well...she reminds me too much of me.  Nothing really interests her.  She really just wants some candy (or in my case coffee).  It all looks perfectly fine, but its just not right.  Anyway, Falcom left the store with enough money for a pack of gum and Marina spent just the cost of a pack of gum.

December 19

She is 9!  Marina celebrated her formal birthday with a dinner at the house with good friends.  There was much eating and playing around as well as cupcake devouring.  You can not see in this picture the plus that is between the one and the eight.

All Marina wanted for her birthday was a Lego Robotics kit.  Vince also got her a baseball glove and balls.  When time came for wrapping we decided to play a little joke on her and wrapped the ball glove in the Lego box.  She was so excited to open it and when she found the ball and glove she was crest fallen, but amazingly gracious!  I couldn't believe how kind she was about it!  Then she unwrapped the next gift and started laughing!  It was the Lego kit she had been dreaming of!  She fell asleep that night with robot dreams.

December 20

I think I was in a state of shock on this day because I have no recall of what I did...OH!  This was the day that Vince told me that all he really wanted for Christmas was a clean house.

December 21

Uncle Jason is here living with us for a bit.  He helped clean the house for a while and then told us that AJ's Steakhouse (formerly Waterfront Bar, formerly Duggan's Bar) is having a kids karaoke night and would I mind him taking the kids to sing a bit.  Heck No!  Take me too!  So we all went, had some soda and listened to kids sing. 

 What a blast!  The old guy told Jason, usually the kids have to have their parents onstage with them.  Jason said, "I don't think these two will have that problem."  Sure enough, after some kids sang wheels on the bus, and bingo, Falcom got up and sang 9 to 5 and blew minds.  He is unreal...  Marina was timid and then I got up and did N'sync with her.  Kids from the whole bar got up and danced.  Very funny.

It was also fun seeing our friends Mac and Aunia there.  They all rocked the house!

December 22 and 23 were also not documented...what was going on?  Cleaning, cooking, and scolding children I guess.  Vince did ask for a housewife for Christmas....

December 24

Marina got this new dress from Grandpa and Grandma for her birthday, just in time for the Christmas Eve activities.  On Christmas Eve we ran errands, made food, and went to Valda's for a party.  We left Valda's for church.  Falcom sang a solo of Angels We Have Heard on High at the service.  He was amazing!  We then left church and went back to Valda's. 

We had been there for about an hour when Vince discovered that Valda had bought herself a new flat screen TV and it was sitting in a box upstairs at her house.  He waited for her to be distracted and then hid the TV in her shower.  Once she was distracted again he passed the TV off to Jason and Jason took it to our house.  He then wrapped it and put it under our tree with a   To:  Valda sticker on it.

Stay tuned...