We Wish You a Stress-free Christmas!

I have absolutely no business being at the computer blogging right now. There are lunches to be made, laundry to be put away, Christmas cards to complete, guitar music to be practiced, and shut-eye to be had. But, I figure if I ever actually caught up on all that I need to get caught up on, you'd hear from me, oh, say, about St. Patrick's Day.

This weekend Priya and I went to a girly-girl birthday party for one of her friends. She and Daniela go way back (ya know, since they were 3!). Priya and Daniela haven't gone to school together for 2 years now, but it's still so cute to watch them when they see one another...as though no time has passed since they were newly potty-trained preschoolers...clinging to one another since they were the only girls in their classes at the time.

The celebration was at Justice for Girls...and Priya had a blast.

Each princess got their hair and nails done...and they got to choose their own goodie bag to take home. Feather boa and glittery headband already included.


Cutie patootie shows off her subtle & tasteful make-up.

Totally cute...they've got Hannah Montana running continously while the girls get made up. Priya was in heaven.

The finished product. Just a glimpse of what our baby girl will look like when she's all grown up.

Mickey and Peter kept busy in our absence. Daddy took good care of them.

Whenever I get totally freaked and stressed (like I am right now as my to-do list grows during the holiday season), all I need to do is take a look at my dogs' lives. They just lay around, old, lazy, and carefree. I love that they don't have a care in the world and that the love they give us is completely and utterly unconditional. As far as I'm concerned, we can all learn a lot from our pets.

This is Spridle...a name Animesh came up with after watching one too many "Speedracer" cartoons. Spridle was the name of Speedracer's mischievous little brother. Hence, the name of our (firstborn) pet. We got Spridle one month after we got married. He's hyper and from Ohio. We don't hold it against him, though. Priya still says to me, "Spridle is my big brother, right?"

Here's our little Kirby. Kirby-Derby has congestive heart failure, and for awhile back in May we thought we'd have to make a pretty tough decision regarding his future. He's a stubborn one, though, like the rest of his family, and he's hanging on.

To make matters even more complicated...our kids were all skin-tested for allergies last week. They are all allergic to dogs. ESPECIALLY PRIYA! However, the doc told us that with medication Priya should be fine, as long as the pups don't snooze with her or go in her room, which they don't.

No wonder she's been wheezing & coughing since birth. Add this to the forever-lengthening list of mother guilts.

Maybe I can make it up to her at the roller rink when I teach her how to skate on Saturday. We're going to a skating party--and I think I am more excited than Priya is.