Tis the season!

This holiday season flew by for us! I can't believe Christmas is over...it seems like we just put up the old christmas tree yesterday! It's kinda sad to think that all of the fun we had been anticipating for so long has passed - there's always next year though! That being said we definitely had a blast this year and it will be hard to top it! So many great things took place - family gatherings with family members we rarely see, a new puppy, an excited little girl and let's not forget the unexpected snow! Having a yard blanketed in white powder made the lights and decorations on our house all the more festive! We had a blast playing outside with Gracie in the snow and it was such a treat to wake up Christmas morning with big fat snowflakes falling - it was almost magical! It's been a long time (at least 10 years) since we've had a white christmas here! We thoroughly enjoyed our time with family and friends and we wish moments like the ones we just shared could happen more often! As Christmas day approached I started to reflect upon all of the goodness that is in my life and I couldn't believe how blessed I truly am! I have a WONDERFUL family! Over the years Mark and I have grown to be the very best of friends - we have so much in common that the little things that irritate and annoy us seem to dissapear rather easily with a look, a kiss or a good old fashion 'goose'! I count the strong marriage that I have as one of my biggest blessings from God. Another one of my big blessings is my beautiful baby girl - Ms. Gracie Lynn. She is a riot!! Those of you who get to see her often know exactly what I'm talking about - she's spunk and sass and a little bit of silly... I just love her to pieces - some times I want to squeeze her so tight that I think I might brake her! I love this season for all that it represents and for the sweet spirit that seems to hover over all of us like a wisp of air. We had so much fun and we're now looking for ways to keep Christmas in our home all year long - I think we'll keep the mistltoe up - we are trying to have another baby after all!:)
Oh! Below you'll find a video of Gracie with her new gifts... a puppy and a stroller - need I say more?:)

Merry Christmas!!!

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Puppy update

We asked the dog breeder whom we're purchasing our puppy from to send us some updated photos of our little guy - he's 5 weeks old now and in 1 more week he will be coming home for the first time - we're very excited - I think Gracie is even catching on to the fact that we are getting a puppy (It will still be a surprise come Christmas morning though) I guess it doesn't help that her daddy is far more excited than any adult should be!:) We allotted a portion of our christmas money towards things we need for him - A Carrier, chew toys, leash, collar, I.D. tag, etc. and it was fun shopping for him - Gracie loved going to the pet store! We have agreed upon a name for him and it is "Parker". When Mark was growing up his family would often call him 'Parker Joe'... we dropped the "Joe" and now I like it, he likes it, and we get to carry on a family nickname - everybody wins. Can't wait to hold the little bugger in my arms!

Photo booth

My cousin Kaylee is an amazing photographer that has recently been pushing a new concept for her bussiness, "Kaylee Eylander photography" (there's a link to her website on my blog) anywho, the concept she is trying to establish is called "photo booth" - it starts with a blank white canvas that can be set up pretty much anywhere, great lighting and a few boxes filled with different costume materials (hats, wigs, hula skirts, glasses, etc)the rest is up to the people in the photos - the idea is to capture random moments in time where people are stepping out of their mundane existance and trying something new - the images Kaylee captures is rather funny and sometimes flattering (although the day I was photographed I had a small band-aid on my face to help heal a pimple I was too embarrassed to reveal, so my photos aren't really flattering - but they sure are funny!!:) This photo-booth session was taken at Kaylee's house where she threw a bridal shower for my cousin Devoney - the girl you see in the photos with me is my other cousin Denae' (Devoney's sister) - we had a great time that night!!

Like father - like daughter!

For those of you who see Gracie often you know just what I'm talking about when I say that she is a spitting image of her daddy - but some of you live far away and don't see her often so I wanted to share with you this photo so that you can see just how much alike Gracie and Mark truly are! They not only look alike but they act alike - even in their sleep... this picture is proof of that! You can't see Mark's hand in this photo because I zoomed in so that you could see Gracie's - just know that Mark's hand is in the same spot - like always! Oh boy do I have my hands full! Somedays I just shake my head and then thank the Lord that my little family gives me the giggles!

Snow day

Not often does it snow here in Washington - I mean really snow - like stick to the ground and stay there until the next day - sure, we'll get the occasional "white rain" that turns to road slurpee within a couple of hours...but not often does it really SNOW...well, it did yesterday and today Church was cancelled, so you know what that means!?! SNOW DAY for the Francis family!! Mark had to work until 4am last night so Gracie and I had to wait until at least 10am until we culd go in and wake hime up... waiting like that was torture for Gracie because her friends were already outside building snowmen! Finally I couldn't take it anymore - the puppy dog eyes and wimpering at the window so I bundled her up and just as I was getting my clothes on Mark decided to wake up early! After we got dressed we opened the front door and Gracie literally ran out of it like a charging bull - she was sooo excited! We played in our yard for a little while and then we took Gracie over to her friends house where she helped them build an adorable little snowman. After that we took her for a walk to our neighborhood playground where she slid down the snow-filled slides like a snow plower! We had a blast until the wind kicked up and then it became unbearable to stay outside any longer. What a wonderful little treat the Lord blessed us with this weekend! For those of you who get snow (real snow) every winter it probably doesn't mean much to you, in fact it may be somewhat of a burden, but for us Washingtonians it's something spectacular - heck! anything other than rain is welcomed here!! We had a blast today! Stay toasty everyone!:)

Computer update

I woke up at 2am on black friday and stood in line at Best Buy - one would think that getting in line 3 hours before the store opened (in the "I can't feel my toes" freezing cold) would be a bit irrational but tell that to the 100+ people that were already there when I arrived! I tried my hardest to stay awake, to not freeze my butt off (although if that were truly an option - I'd be completely okay with losing a few inches off the old rear end!), ignore the annoying teenage girls that thought they were far cuter than they were and try not to smack the lady that kept blowing her cigarrette smoke in my face - I know, I know, ba humbug! I'm not a morning person at all so the entire experience was exhausting... but, in the end, well worth it!! I was able to buy an awesome computer and a new printer as well at a fabulous price... all in all a great shopping day! Now all we need to do is get internet - high speed internet for the Francis family from now on - the last 8 months of dial up have been brutal! We should be getting it within the next week so until then there will be no new posts. Take care and Happy Holidays!!!
Oh! Can I just say that I absolutely love Christmas! I love the sights and sounds and smells of this special holiday... it's my favorite time of the year! I'll be sure to share more later concerning this topic! Until then...