Christmas week pictures...

Just a couple of pictures to document the week o'Christmas out in "freezing Iowa." (I can't tell you how many time Pants said it was freezing and that the outside air hurt her lungs. We'll toughen her up yet. It was barely even nippy.)

*And once more to clear up any confusion, my sister's name is not really Pants, it's Tawny. Pants is just what I call her. I don't want you guys to think that my Mom was crazy enough to name her daughter Pants, but then again names that my Mom has given her children will have to be saved for another post all in itself...)*

Pants made some DELICIOUS chicken tortilla soup that we ate for 2 days in a row. Honig couldn't get enough of it.

Pants found a bedspread that she fell in love with at the most random store in the mall and she had to have it. She got a killer deal on it, too.

We ate at her favorite Mongolian restaurant in Davenport. But then again, it's the only Mongolian restaraunt she's been to in Davenport. No worries, those aren't just her take home boxes. She doesn't love it that much.

Loving Peanut after I just completely displaced her after eating an unholy amount of Mongolian noodles and chicken.

Pants L-O-V-E-S rice krispie treats and as much as she "protests" that she shouldn't have them because she'll eat them all, I knew she secretly wanted some so Honig and I whipped up a quick batch on Christmas Eve and as you can see, between the 3 of us, we almost polished off an entire pan within a couple of hours.

That's some rice krispie loving right there.

On Christmas Eve I forced the 3 of us to play games. Pants always complains that she doesn't want to play but as soon as you get the game going she gets all competitive and she detests losing and she loves to be a Gloaty McGloaterson when she wins, just like I do. She whomped on us in Boggle (yeah yeah, you're so great, you're so smart, I only have a 3 letter word vocabulary), but she found out that she was no match for Honig in Scrutineyes so when she lost she insisted that we play again until she won. Ahhh, Pants. What's not to love about you?

Merry Christmas morning!!!

Wow. That's hot. And aren't Pants' pants awesome? They are little green black eyed peas. Most random pants I have ever seen in my life. I want some.

Awwww, loves.

Daddy wishing Peanut a Merry Christmas. He's so sweet and is absolutely head over heels in love with her.

I am glowing. Bet you didn't know I could make myself glow.

Honig's Mom and Dad gave us a Garmin GPS!!

So this Christmas was a bit different because Honig pretty much gave himself presents this year. Since money is limited due to getting ready for a baby and paying an unholy amount for National Boards, I wanted him to get what he really really wanted and he had been Jonesing for the original Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles action figures, the kind he played with for hours when he was a kid. He found a set of the original 4 turtles and their motorcycle for $4 plus $4 shipping on ebay and he was dying to get them so I said "sure" and that was one of his presents. He was happy as a clam opening and playing with them, as you can see from the picture.

Then one day in mid December he was at WalMart picking up some groceries and he called me all excited and giddy saying that he found the 2nd Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles movie in the $5 bin and wanted to know if he could buy himself another Christmas present.

"Of course you can!"

Now for the pinnacle of presents, which he, of course, got for himself. We have, or I guess I should say "had", a KelTek pistol that we got for our wedding as a present (I know, random present but Honig thought it was the coolest thing ever at the time) and but we rarely ended up using it. Honig had been asking for some time if he could trade it in and get himself a Ruger 10/22 rifle that he was head over heels for, and I told him he could as long as he didn't have to pay anything above and beyond the trade in. He knew exactly which 10/22 he wanted and he's very anal retentive about exactly which specifications his guns have so I would never buy him one in a million years because he wouldn't be happy with it unless it was exactly what he wanted. One day in December he called me to tell me that he was talking to his buddy and his buddy had a brand spankin' new Ruger 10/22 that had never been shot and his buddy was about to trade it in for a small pistol. He wanted to know if he could possibly trade our pistol to his friend for his rifle and that could be his Christmas present. Once again, sure, fine by me as long as it doesn't cost us anything.

So obviously you can see that they traded. Honig said he feels like Ralphie from A Christmas Story when he got his Red Ryder BB Gun.

*I look ticked in that picture. I promise I wasn't.*

Ummm, he's pointing that right at my sister. Maybe I'll have to sign him up for a gun safety course.

The 1 present that was actually a suprise for him. Some ammo for his new toy. Oh sorry, I have been informed that it's not a "toy", it's a "tool."

Pants was the proud recipient of an electronic Deal or No Deal game which she promptly opened before she was even done opening her presents. She had to try to beat it before she could be happy. See? I told you she's competitive.

Just wanted to show you "constellation face." And Pants is still there playing her game.

Peanut got some cute clothes from Grandma and Grandpa Holmes.

Pants eats at Subway religiously so it was only appropriate that she got a Subway gift card.

And I only asked for 1 thing for Christmas. A Colbie Caillat CD because I love her music and I want to listen to it in the labor and delivery room.

Umm, where is my neck?

Happy hubby and happy Pants. I'm not big on asking for and getting presents because I can't remember 90% of what I get anyways. Being together with family was all I wanted for Christmas and I got it and that I definitely will remember.

Sadly, Pants had to leave a couple of hours after we did Christmas morning to catch her flight back to Salt Lake. After we dropped her off and prayed she wouldn't make it on her flight so she'd have to come back to our house for a couple more days (she made it on, darn it), we came home and relaxed for a little while and then decided it was time for our delicious traditional Christmas dinner.

Raclette. Live it. Love it. Eat it.

It's this delicious cheese the Honig's friend brought back from Switzerland for him because we can't find it anywhere around here. Mmmmmmmm, so good...

Jon and Keriann, you know what I'm talking about.

Can't wait to eat. Just hurry up and take the picture!


He savors his food. I just swallow it without chewing. Red potatoes. Artichoke hearts. Baby corn. Raclette. A recipe for the world's perfect meal.


After we ate, we went out to go see Christmas lights and so I could listen to my new CD.


We have almost this exact same picture in front of this same house from last year.