{First Week of 2013}

Monday, Dec. 31, the guys spent the day on the State Game Lands, hoping to shoot 2 deer (they could each get one), but especially hoping Danny could get his first ever. He bought a gun this summer with birthday money from last year, and so this was the first year for him to go deer hunting. He was thrilled! :)

The first day he missed 2 deer. :( Then on Tuesday, New Years Day, they went out again and didn't see a thing!! :P

This was their little shooting house :)

We were invited to spend New Years Eve with the Redmonds. Keith and Sarah (their daughter) were here from MI and we were looking forward to seeing them again! :) The Riley's were also there.

 We played "Telephone Pictionary".....you know, Telephone, the game where you whisper something in someone's ear and they pass it down the line and you see how it turns out when the last person repeats it out loud? (Or Whisper Down the Lane, as we called it growing up) Well, it was the same thing, pictionary style. I laughed SO HARD!! It is def. a fun group game!! :)

(Forgive some of these blurry pics, they are from my Ipod)

Jeremy, Mariann and Desirae drawing....

We enjoyed our evening and brought in the New Year dancing around the campfire! :)

One day I went out to the kitchen and found my candle flowing all over the table! :P

Wed., January 2 was Tamara's 12th birthday. We spent the day shopping in Panama City, with her friend Carmen, and Carmen's mom who is also my good friend! :)

We didn't buy Tamara a birthday gift this year, instead, we let her do her own shopping! :)
 The girls had won a restaurant.com gift certificate LAST Christmas at a cookie exchange, so we used it that day as well, at Los Rancheros.

My meal :)

Since it was Tamara's birthday they came out and sang for her and she got a free Fried Ice Cream! Yum!!

We spent a little while in Books-A-Million. I think I could spend a DAY in there!! :)

In Claire's at the Mall....cute glasses!!

The guys went out hunting again that morning and before Tamara and I left to spend the day shopping, I got a text from Dan that Danny had shot a deer....at 8:11 AM!

He had forgotten the camera and since we were driving right by the land they were hunting on, we took it to them and got to see the deer! 

Danny is so strong, he could hold the deer up with one hand! ;) Okay, not quite! :)

Yeh, it was a small deer-a button buck! :) But he was thrilled!!

 

They brought the deer home and skinned and butchered it and then went back out to see if Dan could get one, but he didn't see any more!

Tamara had a hard time choosing something for her birthday while we were shopping, so while we were at the book store I picked up something I knew she wanted. :) 

2 Nancy Drew books....and lotion!

Supper consisted of pizza, since we were gone all day and I wouldn't have had time to cook the supper she wanted....we saved that for another night! :)

But I had made her birthday cake the night before....a chocolate cake with PB icing! :)

Thursday morning, Tamara woke me up and asked what she should do with a bucket of "tossed cookies". :O She complained of stomach ache a couple times on Wed. and didn't eat much at lunch or supper, but I contributed it to "womanly issues". I don't know what caused her to throw up because it only happened once and she's been fine since, so it didn't seem like the stomach flu!

By Friday night, I felt like I was getting a sore throat and by Sat. it hit me full force! The sore throat had went away, but I had the sniffles and a deep chest cough that hurt so bad! It felt like a knife in my chest every time I coughed. I spent Sat. and yesterday just lying around, taking my cayenne pepper concoction and Mucinex, drinking lemon water and sucking on menthol Halls!

By yesterday, the cough was mostly gone, but my throat was sore again. I can tell I feel alot better this morning, but I'm still sneezing! :P Just thankful it wasn't worse and hoping everyone else stays healthy!!

Dan brought home a box of sweetness from my Secret Sister after church yesterday! And yes, I am sharing! :)

I am so thankful to my family for taking care of life while I was not feeling well! Dan tackled the dishes and made food on Saturday and him and Danny did the dishes after lunch yesterday! I love my guys and am so blessed!

Today we start back into the routine of school! It was a great break and much needed!! :) Only 4 more months! :) We can do this!