Chloe is 3 years old and the diva of the house---pomeranian/chihuahua mix---she weighs about 17 lbs---needs to weigh about 14/15---so we are working with her on that. She likes to chew and hide 3" soccer ball/dog toys and crawl under blankets and bark. She enjoys jogging with Lyric and gets really excited whenever the leash or tennis shoes come out!

Chip is almost 1---he is a chihuahua in every way---except he doesnt bark much. He was a rescue puppy we found at one of the adoption fairs Ace volunteered at last fall. Chip weighs 7 lbs and spends most of his time hiding--under tables, chairs or in his dog house. He takes a lot of medicine for worms, mites, yeast infections in his ears. He likes to watch what is going on around him--and bug Chloe. He is learning to play tag with Moe. He hides when the leash comes out.

Moe is our newest addition. He came to us thru Jasmine & David from Beaumont. He is an 8 month old toy dachshund...weighs about 10 pounds....chocolate brown. His name is Mahonrai Moriancumer (look it up yourself). He is a tease to the other dogs and very outgoing. He loves to fetch and play with toys. He has no respect for Chloe as the oldest and loves to terrorize Chip. His bark is like a smoke alarm.

Ace is the most wonderful combination of pain and pleasure. He is now as tall as I am, starting to take on the look of a guy....watching the mustache hairs try to poke out---hearing his voice crack as he reads scriptures. He is impulsive and talks CONSTANTLY...is a total know-it-all and has an unsubstantiated opinion about everything. He also puts up with my silly games to get him to know pop culture/pop music (he earns Wii minutes if he can name the artist and song---more if he sings the song). He does well at school---as long as he isnt failing---his grades swing from F's to A's in the bat of an eye. He is charming and affectionate when he isnt raging. He can't wait to go to dances (he turns 14 in May)---there is a dance 2 days before his birthday and he is willingly obedient about not going until he is 14! He plays the french horn, does karate and art therapy. He lives and dies for video games.

Sam has changed alot in the last year. He has finally started growing---gaining about 15 pounds in the year and growing 6-8"---he is now taller than I am. He loves art and loves to draw. He is able to express thru drawings what he cant verbally. He has decided that he hates working at Six Flags---but wont quit and works really hard at the job. He hates seminary and church and anything Mormon...but wont tell anyone but us---at a really high volume and with a lot of $%!^#$% tossed in and things being broken around the house. He did the best ever in his grades in 9th grade...meaning he passed everything...first year he's ever done that! He is very quiet and pleasant at school and the teachers really like him. He was using his art to draw threatening pictures of the school logo--but because of his passiveness and small size, the school just told him to quit drawing guns pointing at people and skulls and such. 10th grade proceeded with him back struggling and failing any number of classes. As he gets older and bigger, he gets more physically and verbally aggressive and more threatening. In February 2008, Sam moved to Waco to the Methodist Home where our goal is for him to graduate a semester early than the 2 1/2 years he has left.

There it is---my Christmas letter---for all the world to see---cathartic? we'll see---but at least it's all out there...and I dont usually let it be all out there---but