Here is a glimpse of our Christmas card photo:
We hope everyone had a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year.
Love, The Trahans
Posts
November 2012 . in pictures
13 years ago
Monday, December 25, 2006
Merry Christmas!
With good intentions, Mike, Mikie and I dressed nicely one weekend in November and went out to two different photo places in an effort to have our family photo taken for our Christmas cards. We had the cards made up before Thanksgiving so that we could send everyone their cards well in advance of the Christmas holiday. Unfortunately, in my effort to hand write a little message on everyone's cards to personalize them, I have now sent out 14 Christmas cards. Yes, only 14. And, even those 14 were only sent on the 20th, so the odds of them arriving before Christmas are slim. Which means that the majority of people who sent me a very nice Christmas card think I am a Scrooge or don't really care enough about them to send them a Christmas card. My excuse is simply that after getting the Christmas cards, we moved. And, in spite of my good intentions, I just had very little free time. So, I am now sending the electronic Christmas message via our lovely blog.
Here is a glimpse of our Christmas card photo:
Here is a glimpse of our Christmas card photo:
Thursday, December 21, 2006
The Big Boy Bed
For anyone who just read the title of this post and assumed I am pregnant, let me state for the record that I am not. Mikie, weighing in at 35 pounds and 3 feet tall, has outgrown his crib-turned-toddler bed. So, at Thanksgiving, we drove to the nearest Pier 1 Kids (which, incidentally, is located only 300 miles away in Delaware) in search of a twin bed to match his existing dresser.
Well, we got to the store and found a nice twin bed with similar styling and color to the existing furniture for the low price of $299. But then, Mike noticed that for only $399, we could get bunk beds. The bunk beds had a cute tent set up around the bottom bunk which I figured Mikie would love, so I gave in.
Somehow $399 became $1100. Mostly because the $399 bunk bed didn't match as nicely, so we upgraded to the $549 bunk bed. Then add in $269 per mattress set (don't forget you need two, one for each bed), $79 for the cute tent, plus delivery fees (since the closest store is 300 miles away). Not to mention buying bedding for two beds. Needless to say, it was more than the $299 we originally anticipated spending.
Four weeks later, the Fedex truck delivered the infamous Big Boy Bed. As you can see below, Mikie LOVES it. Although, he prefers the top bunk. . . of course, since he isn't allowed to sleep in it:
Well, we got to the store and found a nice twin bed with similar styling and color to the existing furniture for the low price of $299. But then, Mike noticed that for only $399, we could get bunk beds. The bunk beds had a cute tent set up around the bottom bunk which I figured Mikie would love, so I gave in.
Somehow $399 became $1100. Mostly because the $399 bunk bed didn't match as nicely, so we upgraded to the $549 bunk bed. Then add in $269 per mattress set (don't forget you need two, one for each bed), $79 for the cute tent, plus delivery fees (since the closest store is 300 miles away). Not to mention buying bedding for two beds. Needless to say, it was more than the $299 we originally anticipated spending.
Four weeks later, the Fedex truck delivered the infamous Big Boy Bed. As you can see below, Mikie LOVES it. Although, he prefers the top bunk. . . of course, since he isn't allowed to sleep in it:
Mike is still recovering from carrying the bunkbeds up the stairs and single-handedly lifting the top bunk onto the bottom bunk and assembling them by himself. You can find him residing in the bottom bunk (although Mikie and I rolled him onto the floor so that we could put the sheets and blankets on):
Sweet dreams.
Love, The Trahans
Wednesday, December 13, 2006
Mikie & The Swingset
I have never seen anyone so happy with a swingset in my life. Here is a picture of the world's happiest toddler on his swingset:
A few days later, we found the bucket and shovel for his sandbox. . . and he hasn't been on the swings since. I think if I let him, he would be outside digging in the sand all day long.
A few days later, we found the bucket and shovel for his sandbox. . . and he hasn't been on the swings since. I think if I let him, he would be outside digging in the sand all day long.
Oh to be two again. . .
Love, The Trahans
Tuesday, December 12, 2006
The Top Sign You Live in the Middle of Nowhere. . .
. . .You have to fill out a "Route Card" so that your mail carrier knows to drop off your mail!
I have moved seven times (excluding changing dorms in college). Each time, I either pick up a change of address card from the post office and mail it back, or pay the $1 processing fee and change my address online. So, almost 2 weeks after buying the house, I was wondering why I still haven't received any mail at the house. It isn't at the apartment, so I know they processed the address change. And, according to all the companies I have ordered from, I should have gotten packages, not to mention bills, mail from my mom, etc.
Since I left work early yesterday to take Mikie to the doctor's, I had time to stop by the local post office before it closed. The first question they asked was "did you fill out a Route Card?" I assumed they meant a Change of Address Card, and I informed them I filled it out online. The teller then explained that a "Route Card" is different. It lets your mail carrier know that he/she should add you to the route. I unwittingly assumed that, like every other place I have lived, the Post Office automatically added me to the route when I filled out the "Change of Address Card." But, I guess it would be too confusing to deliver mail to every mailbox you happen to pass along the way.
After filling out the "Route Card" and contact the local Post Master, we are now successfully receiving mail at our new address. Just in time to pay the bills.
Love, The Trahans
I have moved seven times (excluding changing dorms in college). Each time, I either pick up a change of address card from the post office and mail it back, or pay the $1 processing fee and change my address online. So, almost 2 weeks after buying the house, I was wondering why I still haven't received any mail at the house. It isn't at the apartment, so I know they processed the address change. And, according to all the companies I have ordered from, I should have gotten packages, not to mention bills, mail from my mom, etc.
Since I left work early yesterday to take Mikie to the doctor's, I had time to stop by the local post office before it closed. The first question they asked was "did you fill out a Route Card?" I assumed they meant a Change of Address Card, and I informed them I filled it out online. The teller then explained that a "Route Card" is different. It lets your mail carrier know that he/she should add you to the route. I unwittingly assumed that, like every other place I have lived, the Post Office automatically added me to the route when I filled out the "Change of Address Card." But, I guess it would be too confusing to deliver mail to every mailbox you happen to pass along the way.
After filling out the "Route Card" and contact the local Post Master, we are now successfully receiving mail at our new address. Just in time to pay the bills.
Love, The Trahans
The Trahan Family Christmas Tree
With the holidays inching ever closer, we spent this past weekend searching for the perfect Christmas tree. Taking after my dad, I like to find the largest, fattest tree that will still fit in the room. And, since the new family room has a vaulted ceiling, I was looking for a tree more than 8 feet tall.
So, off we go to the first Christmas Tree farm. We headed to a place about 30 minutes south of the house which also had a petting zoo for kids. After walking the majority of the farm, with Mikie in toe, we left. There wasn't a single Douglas fir that was taller and me and was full.
On our way back to the house for more directions, we pass the second Christmas Tree farm. This one was less than 15 minutes from our house. Unfortunately, they had a sign hanging across the entrance saying "Sorry, Sold Out for the Season". December 9th. . . sold out for the season? Either everyone is cutting their Christmas trees down in November, or they didn't have a lot of trees to start with.
I remembered the year my dad went out on Christmas Eve and bought himself a 10 ft Christmas tree for $20 at a lot. Maybe I need to go to a lot to have any luck finding the perfect tree. And there we found "The Trahan Family Christmas Tree".
We get the tree back to the house and set it up in the tree stand. We have (or rather, had) a commercial tree stand where you screw an insert onto the tree. The insert that sits inside a base. You can easily adjust the tree to make sure it is straight, and then lock the insert into place. Amazingly, we get it straight on the first try. . .
15 minutes later, it falls over, spilling hot sappy water all over the carpet.
We put it up a second time, but realize it is crooked. And, in our effort to adjust it, we broke the locking lever.
So, with Mike holding up the Christmas Tree (and Mikie scolding Mike not to knock it down and scolding the Christmas Tree not to make a mess), I head out to the store in search of the same tree stand.
Unfortunately, each one of the six stores I went to sold the same, $9.99 cheap plastic tree stand with four screws to hold the tree in place. If my tree fell over in a commercial stand, some plastic thing is not going to work. Luckily, store number six had a heavy cast-iron stand with a wide base. Armed with the new stand, I return home, 90 minutes later.
For the third time in one day, we put the Christmas tree up in a stand. Now comes the decorating. . .
I failed to realize that being only 5'3" tall, it is difficult to decorate a 10' tree. Especially when your ladder is sitting in Pennsylvania, 300 miles away. Mike ended up precariously balancing on top of a stop stool positioned on top of a bar stool in an effort to put the angel on top of the tree. And, I, his loving wife, rather than be concerned, was in tears trying to keep from laughing at the absurdity of the situation. With the help of Mike's cousins we had the tree decorated by Sunday night. You can see the results of our hard work:
And, as if the whole experience wasn't reminiscent enough of National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation, the tree truly is full with "a bit of sap". We have been scrubbing it off our hands for days.
Merry Christmas!
Love, The Trahans
So, off we go to the first Christmas Tree farm. We headed to a place about 30 minutes south of the house which also had a petting zoo for kids. After walking the majority of the farm, with Mikie in toe, we left. There wasn't a single Douglas fir that was taller and me and was full.
On our way back to the house for more directions, we pass the second Christmas Tree farm. This one was less than 15 minutes from our house. Unfortunately, they had a sign hanging across the entrance saying "Sorry, Sold Out for the Season". December 9th. . . sold out for the season? Either everyone is cutting their Christmas trees down in November, or they didn't have a lot of trees to start with.
I remembered the year my dad went out on Christmas Eve and bought himself a 10 ft Christmas tree for $20 at a lot. Maybe I need to go to a lot to have any luck finding the perfect tree. And there we found "The Trahan Family Christmas Tree".
We get the tree back to the house and set it up in the tree stand. We have (or rather, had) a commercial tree stand where you screw an insert onto the tree. The insert that sits inside a base. You can easily adjust the tree to make sure it is straight, and then lock the insert into place. Amazingly, we get it straight on the first try. . .
15 minutes later, it falls over, spilling hot sappy water all over the carpet.
We put it up a second time, but realize it is crooked. And, in our effort to adjust it, we broke the locking lever.
So, with Mike holding up the Christmas Tree (and Mikie scolding Mike not to knock it down and scolding the Christmas Tree not to make a mess), I head out to the store in search of the same tree stand.
Unfortunately, each one of the six stores I went to sold the same, $9.99 cheap plastic tree stand with four screws to hold the tree in place. If my tree fell over in a commercial stand, some plastic thing is not going to work. Luckily, store number six had a heavy cast-iron stand with a wide base. Armed with the new stand, I return home, 90 minutes later.
For the third time in one day, we put the Christmas tree up in a stand. Now comes the decorating. . .
I failed to realize that being only 5'3" tall, it is difficult to decorate a 10' tree. Especially when your ladder is sitting in Pennsylvania, 300 miles away. Mike ended up precariously balancing on top of a stop stool positioned on top of a bar stool in an effort to put the angel on top of the tree. And, I, his loving wife, rather than be concerned, was in tears trying to keep from laughing at the absurdity of the situation. With the help of Mike's cousins we had the tree decorated by Sunday night. You can see the results of our hard work:
And, as if the whole experience wasn't reminiscent enough of National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation, the tree truly is full with "a bit of sap". We have been scrubbing it off our hands for days.Merry Christmas!
Love, The Trahans
"Is your house on fire, Clark?"
One of our favorite Christmas movies is National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation. When we moved into the new house, we realized that they created that movie because of people like our neighbor. If you drive to our house any evening between Thanksgiving and Christmas, you can't miss this house:
There are lights stapled on the roof, lights on the front, blow up figures, a nativity scene, countless tacky decorations which look much nicer when it is dark and everything is lit. The most entertaining part is that there is a sign instructing you to "Tune your radio to 92.7 FM". They broadcast christmas music intermixed with amusing jokes about making sure National Grid (the electric company) has a happy holiday. But the best part. . . all the lights are programmed to blink in sinc with the music! For example, if they are playing "Frosty the Snowman", Frosty is lit while most of the other lawn ornaments are turned off. And, the lights on the house blink on and off with the song.
The first time I saw it, they were playing the song from the beginning of Christmas Vacation, and I could not stop laughing. Now, having to drive through the mass of cars that stop to watch every night during my commute home, the Scrooge in me has taken over and I just find it annoying.
Merry Christmas!
Love, The Trahans
There are lights stapled on the roof, lights on the front, blow up figures, a nativity scene, countless tacky decorations which look much nicer when it is dark and everything is lit. The most entertaining part is that there is a sign instructing you to "Tune your radio to 92.7 FM". They broadcast christmas music intermixed with amusing jokes about making sure National Grid (the electric company) has a happy holiday. But the best part. . . all the lights are programmed to blink in sinc with the music! For example, if they are playing "Frosty the Snowman", Frosty is lit while most of the other lawn ornaments are turned off. And, the lights on the house blink on and off with the song.The first time I saw it, they were playing the song from the beginning of Christmas Vacation, and I could not stop laughing. Now, having to drive through the mass of cars that stop to watch every night during my commute home, the Scrooge in me has taken over and I just find it annoying.
Merry Christmas!
Love, The Trahans
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