A Year with Flat Daddy

You may not believe it, but this picture was taken in the Seattle area. I know, they never have this much snow, which is what made it such insanity around here for a while. My in-laws’ neighbor took the opportunity to build a snow Santa in his front yard. He sure didn’t o halfway on it, that’s for sure!!

stopped by to say hello to FJ and the kids!

FJ keeps an eye on Mira while I pay for goodies at the toy store

FJ was helping me finish the last minute Christmas shopping for the kids and he begged me to buy him one of the toy National Guard cars he found. I reminded him that he doesn’t even like car racing and he was in agreement, as always.

Flight attendants get a kick out of FJ. They made sure to store him safely away during the flight and returned him to us in one piece when we left. The pilot said hello as well, but we were in a hurry to retrieve our luggage and couldn’t wait around to get his picture.

This is from our first attempt to fly out for the holidays.
It seems that FJ has been dieting and/or working out regularly, because he weighs in at a whopping 0.8 pounds. Don’t most people GAIN weight during the holidays?

to run around like a crazy person!!
We’re jumping on a plane tomorrow to head to Seattle for a visit with the family for Christmas. We hope to get some family pictures taken while we’re there and of course we’ll be taking pictures of the whole plane ride and all the people we can con into posing with FJ. I’ll have all the kids with me which seriously ups the sympathy factor and the likelihood that people will agree. I know, I’m shameless….
I hope everyone has had some success digging out of the insane snow that’s been pretty much everywhere and that you’re all ready to enjoy a few days surrounded by family and loved ones. Take a moment to check on any seniors or others who may need help around you and make sure they’re taken care, walks are shoveled, heat’s working, etc.
Please keep all those who are away from their families in your prayers and send them some loving thoughts. Of course the troops, but also civilian employees supporting our troops, those serving as volunteers, missionaries, or anyone out there doing their very best to support the ones they love. This is, after all, a pretty lame time of year to be alone.
It’s never to late to send a kind message to our troops. It’s quick and free to rattle off a note and send a postcard through Let’s Say Thanks. Make it a family project, encourage others to take the time, and know that you’ve given someone a much needed bit of love during a difficult time.
If you’re looking to get more involved, take a look at the Patriot Guard Riders. They serve at memorials AND welcome home ceremonies and do all sorts of other great things. You don’t have to be a biker to participate and it’s a great thing to be involved with.
Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays everyone.

So we got a lot of snow in the last 40 hours or so. I think the last total I heard was something like 22 inches. I’ve shoveled the parking space twice already. I didn’t ever realize it was this hard before because RJ was always out there shoveling and goofing off with me. Funny how the company of someone you love can make miserable chores seem fun.
Look at this, the snow is so deep it’s up to FJ’s waist! Which would be more impressive if he didn’t start at the waist…

Every year I make cookies for everyone at RJ’s work(except for that one year I made like 6 dozen cinnamon rolls, which I am NEVER doing again). Even though he’s not here this year we both thought it would be a nice gesture to take some and carry on the tradition. A couple of the guys even slacked off work for a while to get their picture take with FJ…