Magic of Christmas

No Christmas is complete without a visit from Santa! On Christmas Eve, he took a short break from his rounds to visit our Precht Christmas celebration. Being the youngest, Michaela was the first to sit on his lap, followed by Nicholas and Amber and Jamie and Bingley ...

Merriest Christmas

Today was the grand finale of our Christmas celebrations -- plus Jon's birthday. We had a wonderful time in Warrensburg with Mom and Dad; and Amber and Jon. Unfortunately, Daisy couldn't be with us due to an encounter with some chocolate-marshmallow candy this morning.

After opening all the presents and stockings ... and stuffing ourselves with turkey, dressing, mashed potatoes, asparagus, corn, salads and rolls, we played Nicholas' new game: Attack Uno. The first couple hands were deceptively short ... and the third hand lasted over an hour! In the end, the girls ruled as Michaela, Amber and Mom each won a game.

This is the way we make the fudge

Oh there's no place like ... Chip's Chocolate Factory ... for the holidays!

After Nicholas performed with the school choir at Crown Center last week, we hung around to eat dinner and do a little window shopping.

The gingerbread town display on the first floor was captivating ... but the activity inside the window at Chip's was a little more engaging (it included samples!).

Now THIS is the way to make fudge (and get a workout at the same time)!

Michaela's 'got the music'

... She just can't figure out where it's coming from!

After the music program tonight, we had a quick birthday celebration. Highlights included a High School Musical birthday card and a musical gift bag. She was pretty excited about the Heelys inside the bag, too.

She's crazy about the clothes Mama and Papa sent. The lavender velour warm-up suit matches her Heelys perfectly.

Her next big dilemma will be deciding which shirt to wear first -- the High School Musical T-shirt or the Hannah Montana shirt.

Oh Tannebaum!

We attended Michaela's second-grade music program tonight. It was a very cute play, "A Holiday Moosical." It was about a moose who dreamed of flying and leading Santa's sleigh. And, of course, miracles DO happen. :)

Michaela, a Christmas Tree, danced and sang a song about roots. It was quite a treat.

Brrrrrrrr

We're barely above the freezing mark, and freezing rain continues to fall in the KC area. It's not near as much fun for the kids or Bingley as it would be if it was, instead, snow.

On the bright side, we're enjoying the opportunity to hibernate in our jammies and sweats!

Flying Michaela

Michaela competed in her first gymnastics meet today with the Emerald City Gymnastics Team. It was the Lawrence Winter Cup in Lawrence, Kan. Grandma and Grandpa Jueschke were there to cheer her on, along with Nicholas, Mom and Dad. She performed on the uneven bars, balance beam, floor exercise and vault. Her best score (9.50) was on the vault. The Emerald City captured second place overall. Michaela placed eighth overall in her age group. Grandma presented Michaela with a bouquet of daisies and pink carnations for a job well done!

Pre-winter wonderland

Everyone knows that a child's two favorite things in December are: Christmas and SNOW!

Yesterday we received our most substantial snow of the season thus far. It was only 2-4", but it was enough to put a nice blanket across the yard.

Nicholas and Michaela are looking forward to sledding after school today. I took this photo of Michaela last January right after we came in the house from sledding. She immediately peeled of her snowsuit and was running around in her long johns. And her cheeks were bright pink. :)

Rudolph spotted in Shawnee

If you look in your rearview mirror and see "red," don't panic. It might just be Rudolph. :)

Christmas traditions

Last year Mike and the kids assembled a gingerbread house before Christmas. This year, we did it again when Mike's mom came over for dinner on the weekend following Thanksgiving. So, since we've done so two years in a row, I guess that's the start of a tradition.

Last weekend I began putting up our decorations around the house, but in the process I broke our normal tradition. Usually we start with the outdoor lights and progress to the indoor decorations after Michaela's birthday (12/13). This year, I started with the interior, and we're gradually putting things out in the yard. There's no real explanation -- except many of our lights don't work, and we haven't decided what we're going to replace them with. And, in the meantime, it's been too cold to spend much time putting anything else up.

With any luck, we'll buy and put up our tree this weekend.

I am not an elf!

Okay, so Halloween was five weeks ago. I just got around to getting a photo of Bingley in his costume tonight. If Bingley's head wasn't bigger than the costume's head, you could see clearly that he's a lizard.

And now that Halloween is officially over, we can hang Bingley's Christmas stocking over the fireplace.

How does the pooch plea?

Bingley's in the dog house after being "convicted" of snatching and irreparably harming a freshly knit baby booty. It all happened less than 24 hours before I was planning to present the booties to Amber in celebration of her and Jon's first child, whom they are expecting in June.

Because I was able to purchase more yarn and miraculously make another pair of booties before Amber arrived on Thanksgiving, Bingley narrowly escaped a "severe punishment." When asked about the incident, he refused to comment. But his guilty expression says it all.

Sleak and Sassy Turkeys

In between baking pies, going to the library and packing for our trip to Warrensburg, we also swung by Snip-n-Clip to get Turkey No. 1 (Nicholas) clipped ... While we were there, Turkey No. 2 (Michaela) spontaneously decided to get her hair cut (and short, with no potential for a ponytail!). I was in shock, but I figured it was the best opportunity I would get to help her clean up her current straggly situation. Thankfully, there were no tears or changes of heart midway through the process. :)

Mike Simpson Precht

If The Simpsons ever need a left-handed, bicycle-riding, Sudoku-playing sidekick for Homer ...

Mike's their man!

Cats vs. Dogs

Some people are "cat people" and some people are "dog people." Then there's another group called "cat people and dog people" who like cats AND dogs -- but not together. :) ("Cat and dog people," on the other hand, have cats and dogs co-existing in the same family.)

I enjoyed 15 wonderful years with my two cats, Buster (pictured) and Abby. They were so entertaining to watch. I frequently came across them snuggling together or relaxing in some unexpected pose. They ruled the house, and they knew it. They would never have welcomed a dog into the family. Imagine our relief when they let us bring Nicholas and Michaela home from the hospital!

Now, life with Bingley is just as much fun -- but in a much different way. He's always ready for someone to play with him, and he constantly amuses us with his kangaroo (jumping) and dancing antics. He loves to play fetch, and he's content to chase the same toy down the same hallway for as long as you'll continue throwing it. As he approaches his first birthday (Dec. 11), he still has the energy and zip of a puppy.

That's Entertainment!

Last night we were entertained by the entire fourth grade population at Nicholas' school. The show opened with an impressive drum selection in which every student (100-120 kids) was playing a hand-held drum with a mallet or a bongo-like drum like Nicholas. Hearing that many drums playing in perfect rhythm was unlike anything I've ever heard. It was phenomenal (not to mention a real coup for the music director)!!

Hot diggety dog!

The cooler weather is giving Bingley a burst of energy. He tears around the house as if something's chasing him. And he never tires of playing "fetch." I must have thrown his hot dog to him 20 times to get this photo, and he just kept trotting back for more.

Nine times in Kansas City!

Last night I saw Garth Brooks at the new Sprint Center. It was a GREAT event. It was the second of his nine scheduled KC concerts. You'd never know he had taken any time off from live performances. He was so energetic, and he sounded as great as ever. (He was even a little trimmer than I expected him to be.) Trisha Yearwood was a wonderful opening act. She has a beautiful and powerful voice. And she came back during Garth's segment to do a couple duets with him.

At the end of the concert Garth shared that his daughters were in the audience seeing him perform in an arena for their very first time. :)

One of my favorite moments was during "Shameless." Without missing a single lyric, he grabbed a camera from a front-row fan and took pictures of the band while he continued to belt out one of his most famous songs. Then he layed down on the stage so that his head was level with the fan's, and he held out the camera to take a picture of them together. No doubt, she was delighted!

The Sprint Center is beautiful! Thanks to a very spacious lobby, I never felt like I was in a crowd. It was the best concert experience I've ever had.

Happy Birthday Mom!

Today is my mom's birthday. So here are the top 10 things I love or appreciate about my mom.

10. She makes the best macaroni and cheese.

9. Her hairstyle is always more current than mine.

8. She wears the same shoe size I do.

7. She has great taste in clothes ... and everything else!

6. She's sensitive to others' feelings.

5. She still sends cards and letters the old fashioned way -- with a stamp!

4. She's a total pro when it comes to gift wrapping.

3. She's creative and makes everything special with her personal touches.

2. She always looks for the good in people.

1. She cherishes our family traditions and sees to it that we preserve them.

Let's hear it for the writers!

The Writers Guild of America is on strike against the Hollywood studios and production companies. And why shouldn't they be? Where would Hollywood's stars and starlets be without the faceless writers who craft the material that makes them famous? What if it were up to them to create their own scripts??? How many of today's stars would still have jobs?!

On the other hand, the strike leaves television viewers to choose between reruns or reality shows. I think I'll curl up with a good book!

My favorite month

October is my favorite month for two reasons: Oct. 30 is my birthday and Oct. 31 is Halloween.

My birthday this year was the best ever. I have never felt more blessed than I do at this stage of my life.

And Halloween was great fun! My longtime friend Diane Duckworth came over to spend the evening with us as she has been doing for several years now. We had our traditional chili dinner and drank spiced apple cider. She helped me answer the door and hand out candy while Mike took the kids trick or treating. She also helped me chase down Bingley, who apparently escaped while the front door was open. He saw to it that we got our exercise last night -- and plenty of it!

Bingley had the best costume this year. He was a lizard (until we had to put him in his kennel). Then I told the trick or treaters that the barking was coming from my werewolf, which was chained up in the basement. :)

And the fun continues even after Halloween this year ... Diane and I are going to see Garth Brooks Tuesday night at the Sprint Center. I can hardly wait to see my fellow OSU alum!

Harry Who?

I've certainly taken my time getting around to it ... In fact, I never really had any intention of doing so ... But I finally decided to find out for myself what all the fuss was about regarding Harry Potter. And now (thanks to Amber's enthusiasm for all things Potter), I get it!

I read the first three books in the past 10 days. I had a very hard time putting them down and couldn't wait to get the next book as I finished each one! Reading one or two chapters at a time just wouldn't do. Each character has unique qualities, and there's no shortage of surprises. And while I thoroughly enjoyed the books, I'm not really tempted to watch the movies. By Monday I expect I will have dived into the next.