Roll Tide!!!!!!

OK, so a little late for this post (as per my usual MO).  But, you know, better late than never.

Alabama won the national championship again this year - second year in a row and third time in four years.  Nick Saban certainly knows what he's doing.  This time, we beat Notre Dame.  Having grown up in Chicago, which boasts an amazing number of obnoxious Notre Dame fans, I couldn't have been more thrilled with the result.  We embarrassed them, plain and simple.  Love it!

The boys passed out before the game started, so they missed most of it.  Well, Deuce missed all of it.  Tait woke up for the second half.  I suspect he only woke up b/c he knows that the only time TV is on at our house is for sports (which, for all intents & purposes, has meant college and professional football so far, though we're now getting into some hockey at their father's insistence . . . ).  Here are some pictures from the game, which we watched at home (very low key):

(Roll Tide.  And, yes, Tait is wearing camo in addition to an Alabama onesie.  Yikes.)

 

(Watching the game with daddy).

 

(Watching the game with mama.)

 

(Fell asleep; not enough excitement in the game.)

 

(Same.)

 

(Awake again for the end.  Roll tide!)

 

I ordered the boys official championship t-shirts (and, of course, the newspaper from the day after the game). I think that will be cool for them to have when they are my age - I'd love to have one from the 1977 college football season (I was born in 1978).  It was sort of interesting trying to guess what size the boys might be when they are all grown up.  We ultimately ordered two large t-shirts, even though we probably should have gotten at least one small or medium (Deuce, I'm NOT looking at you buddy . . . ).

Until next football season, Roll Tide!!!

Go U Northwestern!

On New Years Day, we ate black-eyed peas and collard greens - a Southern tradition thought to bring good luck & prosperity in the new year.  And good luck we got!  Northwestern ended its 60+ year bowl game winning drought by beating Mississippi State in the Outback Bowl.  The score was 34 to 20.  And, with that win, Northwestern beat TWO SEC teams in the same year (granted, they were Vandy and Miss State, not Alabama and LSU . . . ).  The boys were decked out and cheering for the Wildcats during the game:

 

Go 'Cats!!

(Belated) Merry Christmas and Happy New Year

Last year at Christmas, we told my parents and Scott's dad that I was pregnant with twins.  That seems like a lifetime ago!  It was so wonderful to have the boys here with us this year - they made the holiday very special. 

Typically, we spend Thanksgiving at my parents' house and go to Connecticut to visit Scott's family for Christmas (sometimes after Christmas, depending on Scott's work schedule).  We weren't able to make it to Connecticut this year because the boys are too small to travel that far, but we can't wait to head that direction this time next year - I want the boys to see snow, spend time with their grandpa/aunt/uncle/cousins, and (in the coming years) experience New York City at Christmastime. 

For this year, though, we stayed closer to home and headed to my parents' house in Wilcox County, AL.  It's about a two-hour drive.  We had to take two cars - scratch that, two SUVs - to get us, our stuff, and our dogs up there.  Crazy.  Especially considering that my mom has bought basically everything the boys could ever need anyway (cribs, jumpers, diapers, etc.).  We've got a trip to Colorado planned this March and I have no idea how we're going to get everything we need out there.  FedEx???

We were at my parents' house for almost a week to celebrate the holiday.  The boys were a little fussy all week (Deuce in particular), but I think it was just because they were totally off their schedule.  They were also held basically the entire time we were there, which made my life a little difficult for a day or two when we got home.  Fortunately, everyone seems to be back on track now. 

Aside from the fussiness, we had a great time at my parents' house.  We basically did nothing but lounge around.  But it was so special to see my brother Bo, who lives in Chicago, bond with the boys.  (Unfortunately, my other brother, Chip, got sick, so he didn't make it up to my parents' house.).  I routinely passed one of the boys off to Bo to hold for me while I tended to the other one.  He did great, though he flat refused to change diapers (as did my dad . . . ).  One of my favorite moments was when Bo, who is very into music, got super excited to hold Tait and listen to some of his favorite songs with him.  So, so sweet. 

Here are some pictures from Christmas week:

(Happy Tait; look at those sitting boys!)

(Happy Deuce)

 

(Deuce's post-nursing rosy cheeks)

(Best we could manage; Deuce was not in a good mood and had apparently lost his pants . . . )

(Big Daddy & Deuce)

(Uncle Bo & Tait)

(What do you think they are talking about??)

(Morningtime Tait)

(Playing Deuce)

(Playing (and a little wide-eyed!) Tait)

(Deuce; mohawk in front of the poinsettias)

 

 (Big Daddy, Uncle Bo, Scotty)

 

We did have a little unwanted excitement on Christmas Day.  Around 5pm, Scott & I both got several phone calls from friends in Mobile asking if we were ok.  "Yes, sure, we're ok," we responded, "why do you ask?"  "Because a tornado just slammed through Midtown Mobile."  Ugh, what?  Turns out, the dang thing devastated several streets approximately a block from our house.  I'm so glad we weren't there!  Our house wasn't damaged but it would have been terrifying to experience a tornado that close.  The same storm that went through Mobile rolled through Wilcox County a few hours later.  There was a tornado warning, so we hunkered down in the interior portion of my parents' house for nearly an hour.  Somehow, we (me, Scott, the boys & our dogs) ended up in a dusty closet while my parents took the wine cellar.  They definitely had the upper hand in that arrangement.  Things got a little tense when it started hailing, but the tornado missed us by several miles so all ended well.  I wish I could say the same for our neighbors in Mobile - the devastation is unbelievable.  They are saying $10 million alone to Murphy High School.  Seeing the destruction, it's amazing no one was killed.  A true Christmas miracle!  Here are some pictures from our "bunker:"

(Hanging out outside the closet b/c the storm wasn't too close yet.)

 

(In the closet after it started hailing!)

We were supposed to head to New Orleans for New Years Eve.  We were going to have a pajama party with several friends (and all our kids).  Unfortuntely, Scott found out he had to work on New Years Day at the very last minute so we didn't make it to New Orleans.  Instead, we had a very relaxing night at home.  I was feeding one of the boys (Deuce I think) when the clock struck midnight.

Happy New Year!!