#363/365--2 to Go

Extra date night,

Decor in the restaurant where we had dinner



#362/365--Surprise Dinner (3 to Go)

Surprise dinner invitation from my friend, Lesley.

Got to meet her sister, Beth, and her niece, Molly.

#362/365--4 to Go

Little high, little low

little hey, little ho

little family game time...

Yes, I knocked it down.



#360/365--1 Across--5 Days Left

#359/365--Merry Christmas, 2010

A Want...

A Need...

Something to Wear...

Something to Read...

Merry Christmas

 Love, us Franco's...

and Sandy

#358/365--With One Week Left...

Happy Birthday to my Angel.

Born to me 11 years ago

My Christmas present.

You were a surprise to us,

Most precious.

Weighing in at 9 pounds

Measuring 21 inches,

you made your appearance to us

around 1 in the afternoon.

Michael Sebastian.

It took us two days to decide what to name you.

We liked several names, but finally settled on the one you got.

Michael after your dad and Sebastian--after the Saint for athletes

of which you are a very good one!

I can't believe you are Eleven.

You are smart.  You are perceptive.  You are sensitive.

You are gifted at drawing, constructing, and melting my heart.

At bedtime, we have this routine.

I say, "I love you." You say, "I love you more."

and we go back and forth for awhile about

how much we love each other,

finally ending the way it began, me saying, "I love you."

You saying, "I love you more."

But, young padawan.

Little do you know a mother's heart for her son.

While I was pregnant, I wondered if, after I loved Lauren so very much,

would I have enough love for you...

Unbelievably more than I could ever imagine. 

My heart explodes with love for you.

So, Mikey, it is I that love you more.

More than you'll ever know.

Happy Birthday to my sweet son.

I love you.

(picture taken by Lisa Gonzalez, 12/18/2010)

#357/365--8 to Go

#356/365--9 to Go

Sandy, getting some fresh air.

Why do dogs like this so much?

#355/365--10 to Go

My Kindergarten Team had our Christmas lunch/movie/present exchange today.

We had lunch at Cheesecake Factory and then saw the movie, "How do You Know?"

(missing from pic--Sweet Joanne--she missed lunch due to Jena's dr. appt.--and we missed her!)

#354/365--Architect, Engineer, Constructor

It always amazes me how he can take this...

...and turn it into this...

...which can do this...

Someday soon, he will be too old for legos.  I feared this would be the birthday that he shunned them.

Thank heaven, I may have one more year, yet!

#353/365--Christmas Past

Lots of "spirits" haunting me today; this time of year.  Just a sample of my ghosts...

When I see this:

I still see this...

and when I see this...

...I still see this...

Christmases come and go so fast.

Christmas future, Christmas now, Christmas past.

I love them so much more than I ever imagined.

And I never imagined it would hurt alongside the joy.

Amazing, isn't it?



#352/365--Six Flags

An annual trip, our school choir performed at Six Flags today.  Mikey is in choir this year, so we spent the afternoon at the Park. 

As with most rides...this one's not for me.  If you look close, you'll see Mikey in the middle.  Lauren and her friends are in the seats to the right, but they aren't totally visible.

#351/365--Stilts Freak Me Out

Ok, so this was taken from far away....

...but the closer he got, I just couldn't seem to escape.  I took a quick pic to document the moment...and then I avoided him like the plague.  No.  I don't like stilts.  For some reason they make me cry.  Maybe you can explain.

Fourteen more pics til the end of the year!

#350/365--15 Days Left

Christmas lights on date night...

#349/365--Dusk

#348/365--Peaceful

#347/365--Family Portrait

#346/365--The Birds

Straight out of an Alfred Hitchcock movie

#345/365--Gift Bag

#344/365--Water and Wine

#343/365--Cheesy

The picture for today is stuck on my cheesy iPhone.  So here's the original picture I was going to use.

#342/365--Ding, Dong, Ding, Dong

In case you didn't know...

(needless to say I broke rule number 10)

Lauren's Christmas concert was tonight.  My pics didn't turn out that great but here ya go...

She sang in Varsity Girls' Choir (middle, top) and also,in Mixed Choir.
Merry, merry, merry, merry Christmas...
((I have GREAT video of Choir and Orchestra singing Carol of the Bells...))

#341/365--Forty and thensome

Faculty Christmas Party 2010

"I'm gonna be 40...(when?)...SOMEDAY!!"

Jen's Texas Ornaments for her Texas tree

Christian and Alysa

Joanne and me

my "pigs fly" ornament