Merry Christmas

Love, The Carpenter Family

CAUGHT!

Remember that show World's Dumbest Criminals? I loved watching videos of stupid people doing stupid things and then getting caught. There's something satisfying about seeing justice fulfilled.

I uploaded some pictures from my camera yesterday. Har & I were scrolling through fuzzy pictures of the dog, our dresser, the bathroom floor and wondering which of our child criminals got a hold of the camera when we came across this gem.....

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It's not as satisfying to catch your own child criminal...especially when they're so stinking cute.

One of these things is not like the other

Today is the last day of school for 3 whole weeks!

Weeaahapawhoee! (to steal Nash's latest saying)

At Dedan's Southern California elementary school (where the high is supposed to be in the 70s today) you'll find a wall full of snowglobe snowmen standing in their fields of snow with haiku poetry about snow. But look closely and you'll see one snowman who is a little more active than the rest....
That's my boy!

Dedan's poem:
Cold, white snow slowly
landing on the tree branches
under the gray clouds.

Cruisin

How do I sum up 5 days and 4 nights of fun?

art by my favorite neighbor, Mike Morris

I have 175 pictures to pick from (yes, that's an average of 35 pictures each day), and that doesn't even include those we purchased on board!

If I posted everything I want about this amazing family vacation it would be like your annoying neighbors who invite you over for cocktails and a slide show of their trip to Europe. Snooze fest! - at least for those of you who didn't get to enjoy our getaway.

Highlights and Things I Learned On Vacation:

• Party of 26. Wait! No. Make that 30.
• Rocking cruise ships will make me puke.
• If there's a water slide & a heated pool then it doesn't matter that it's about 50 degrees outside.
• $10 for me & the kids to have lunch in Ensenada includes a seat overlooking the gorgeous coast.

• Sleeping in a cave (cabin with no windows) is the only way to get all 3 of my kids to sleep past 8 am.
• When given the option my boys will choose chicken nuggets, french fries and chocolate milk over lobster, steak, ribs, and/or various delicious, high end menu items.
• Tressa makes even a busted (no pun intended) dress look good.

• Chocolate melting cake - mmmm.
• Papa turned 64 surrounded by the children and grandchildren who love him...plus a whole dining room full of unknowing party participants.
• Gary sucks at Karaoke, but is definitely the most entertaining!
• J.R. is turning into her mother - a program, really?!
• Auntie Tressa may be most of the nieces/nephews "favorite", but Riley loves me!
• Nash created a look we like to call Mexican Taxi Cab Hair.

• My kids cannot get all their homework finished on a vacation.
• I can survive without a cell phone or the internet for nearly 5 days.
• They may all be freakishly tall, but I love my three little brothers.