Yes, I am a blogging slacker.

I know some of you are reading this and thinking, "what?? no pictures??" and you'll just go on to the next site - ebay, facebook, whatever. well, this is just an apology and a confession. Apology first - sorry i have not posted any pics in a while. i took my 2 memory cards to work for a work project and they are still sitting on my desk there! :( Confession - i am now totally addicted to scrapbooking. yes, scrapbooking! i have my BFF Laura Ellen Thornton Mullek to thank and our fall trip to Disney for inspiring me. The Disney scrapbook is already complete and i am now working on a birthday scrapbook for Katie-Ruth. I know this doesn't help any of our sweet, faithful friends in Arkansas, Memphis, Auburn, or St.Louis, but there you go - my confession. :)
I hope each of you are enjoying a wondeful New Year! please don't give up on me!
Alison

It's Christmas Time!

The Rudd household has been SO busy with various Christmas activities, but lovin' every minute of it! Below are some pics from yesterday, which was Christmas PJ day at KR's school. They got to watch a Christmas movie, eat popcorn, and drink hot chocolate. What a life!

College Students, Turkey, & the Beach

I know, I know...what do these 3 things have in common, right? Well, it's basically what we've been up to for the past week or so. We did a college retreat for 16 the weeekend before Thanksgiving. Katie-Ruth enjoyed an entire week out of school. Mommy & Daddy took some much needed time off over thanksgiving break and were blessed to spend time together at Dauphin Island (with Roo Roo of course) - thank you Kaye & Mike! Here are some pics.....
This is KR at her Thanksgiving party at school (also AL/AU day). Sorry I couldn't get a better picture!
this was taken before the college students arrived Friday night. It was freezing and i was forcing her to take pictures! notice the forced positioning - i said "lean against the palm tree, KR!"
our favorite college student & trusted babysitter - Hannah. KR adores her.
KR & i went to the DI Estuarium Saturday. gotta love this pic.

just taken last night. more forcing but better turnout! this will be used, or some like it, for the Christmas card.

Lauren B. tagged me with a really fun tag. Here's how it works...
Pick the 4th picture folder on your computer.
Pick the 4th picture in that folder.
Explain what the picture is about.
Tag 4 blogging friends to do the same.
And here's said picture..

Great memories! This was taken New Year's Day 2007. We went to Municipal Park with Mark's parents. It was a beautuful day and a fun time was had by all. Thanks for the tag, Lauren! Now I tag Lindsay L, Elizabeth B., Tricia B., and Melissa O.

First Homework Assignment

Have you ever seen a child enjoy homework? I have - last night w/ Katie-Ruth. Her first ever homework assignment was to decorate two paper turkey feathers and she was looking forward to it all evening. Finally, when we sat down to do it, the creative juices started flowing! First, it was coloring w/ markers. Then, stickers. Then, glitter. And last, pom-poms! I think they turned out to be the most beautiful turkey feathers in the world! What do you think?

Lions, Tigers, & Bears, oh my!!

Katie-Ruth really looked the part of Miss Dorothy last night at the Family Festival. She had a blast and so did I, watching her at the petting zoo, the spacewalk, and playing games for candy. But in the end, there's no place like home! :)

Halloween

Well, today is October 31, Halloween.....and what a big day we have ahead of us! I woke up this morning and threw together a scarecrow costume for KR to wear to school. "Why a scarecrow costume?" you may ask. Well, that was our one and only choice according to the CH preschoolers parents letter. That's OK, I'll have to admit, it was fun digging through drawers trying to find a scarecrowy attire for my precious angel - I even let her pick some things out (note the socks). This afternoon, I will pick her up from school, then run home, eat a snack, and dress up in our real costume - Dorothy from the Wizard of Oz. Does KR even know who Dorothy from the W of Oz is? Has she ever watched the movie "The Wizard of Oz?" NO! But last year I found the cutest Dorothy dress at a thrift store and bought it hoping it would fit her this year. With some ruby red slippers from Target, a garage sale-find basket, and a little beanie baby puppy dog, she will be THE most adorable little girl at the CH family fest tonight! Oh, how I'm looking forward to my little Katie-Ruth A.K.A. "Dorothy" eating her hearts desire of lollipops, tootsie rolls, and M&M's, all while throwing bean bags into holes and running on the playground (w/ 3 million other kids)......yikes!
This time of year and as we head into the holiday season, so many wonderful memories are made with parents, children, and grandchildren. I began to reminisce this morning about some of my Oct 31 memories as a child - tearing through Ravine Woods, trick-or-treating with my dad and 2 younger sisters trying to hit as many homes as possible, and trying desperately to break the previous year's candy record. We always knew which homes gave out the best candy, and which homes gave out those horrible black and orange wrapped candies. What are those things, anyway? Whatever your plans for today, I hope you are enjoying some beautiful fall weather, and making memories with those you love.