It was a busy, busy weekend for the twins. There was so much to do getting ready for their big birthday celebration with family and friends!


After shopping Friday with Melanie for their outfits, Saturday was beauty day: Hair and Nails!


Here Aunt Dorothy is getting her manicure while watching the Olympics on the big screen and the pouring rail and hail outside! Dorothy had arrived and met us in the salon and everyone joked that she brought that nasty East Coast weather with her! She promised she wouldn't stay long and it would soon be back to So. Cal. sunshine! She didn't let us down! The weather changed back to perfect for the party!




It was on to hair and here the ladies sit under the dryer waiting for their style while enjoying the latest in fashion and style magazines!











Amazing! Beautiful!











Back to the house after a lunch at PandaExpress and it was time for centerpieces.

Melanie shopped for craft materials to decorate and all got straight to work in full decorating mode!








The next day everyone arrived ready to party and greet the Belles of the Ball!














The received a standing ovation when Dorothy escorted them into the room!

Twins always and aren't they lookin' good!










Everyone was in good spirits enjoying the Swingtime Big Band music Taylor arranged and set up. Sorry, I don't have pictures of the dancing because I was dancing!!











Here, longtime friends and family catch up on gossip and congratulate Mom on her birthday!











Tim entertains us with some "Skeletons from the family closet"!












A Ragtime musician accompanied the room as we all sang "Happy Birthday" and presented the cake.


Make a wish!









Catching up and having fun together!
















Nothing like family!












What a terrific effort by all to put on such a great celebration for the Mom and Aunt Dorothy! Priceless!

So, as you know, Taylor's hair has been growing and growing!

It's been growing since his last haircut for Katie and Chris' wedding about a year and a half ago.

The time finally came when he had enough!

Enough hair for a sizeable donation to Locks of Love!!







So here we are starting the donation process at the salon.

Because he had so much thick hair, they divided it up into 4 ponytails to maximize his donation.

You don't get to see ponytails on Taylor, so we clicked a picture. My hair had just been washed, because I'm also getting a cut just a couple chairs away.







a closeup!

I just had to!



Each ponytail when curls are stetched out. . . 12 inches!


He was getting quite a bit of attention in the salon!






The instructor came over and did the honors!



















And what a great haircut!

What a difference a cut makes!

Way to go Taylor! Someone will really appreciate this!

All of a sudden Taylor comes out of his bedroom, that has been storing the Mustang's car parts for the past couple years, with A SEAT!

Now, for most of you, you think, so what.

This is HUGE!






Out in the car, things are starting to look like an actual car interior!

Side panels are in!

Terry is cleaning the window crank to install!

The window actually goes up and down!





This Father and son are happy tonight!

But, mom, she's pretty happy, too!

Progress is great!

We've adopted a new Christmas tradition for us, however, one that is not new at all!

Christmas Tamales!

A couple days before Christmas Terry makes dozens of tamales, we sample a few and freeze the rest for when the leftover turkey and stuffing get tired! Yum!

I love new traditions!




Christmas in the new kitchen was a blast! We had 26, yes, 26 people for a sit down dinner! Well, we all sat down, but we set up a buffet for service. The line went down through the dining room and into the living room! I wish I got a picture of that!








We all filled our plates and found a table!













The "adult table" loosely called now that practically everyone is one!











The Grand Dames themselves!












Our living room "Bistro". Can I get a bottle of wine for table 4 please!











The party table! More rolls for table 3!












Just wouldn't be Christmas without the "kids" table! Jello pronto for table 2!










Another new tradition for the Pollards? Kareoki!
They are lovin' it!












Taylor belts out his favorite this year "I Want A Hippopottamus for Christmas". It still is stuck in my head!


Merry Christmas to all!

Sorry this post is so late, but thought I'd start with the night before Christmas Eve. . . all through the house, the cookies were bakin' and Taylor shows up!

We baked and baked and baked in my new oven and look how big my counter is!!







Our WHITE CHRISTMAS EVE!

Yeah! Snow! We headed out for mom's Christmas Eve and low and behold if a truck didn't dump his bed of snow right in front of us as he crossed the intersection! "Terry, do we have our snow tires on!?" :-)






After trudging through the snow, we made it to grandma's and who did we see, but the little baby I used to babysit across the street! Sissy and her family came by to say "Merry Christmas!" Doesn't her daughter make a spitting image of her mom when she was little!









Everyone started showing up in good spirits!















and families unite!












from far and near they came!















and were so delighted to see each other again!










But, it was time to get busy chopping the pizza fixin's in the kitchen! So we got busy!














Everyone had their pizza request put in!












and out came the pizzas. . . yum!












Then it was time for gifts!













And before you knew it. . . we were putting on our nightshirts and kerchiefs. Time for that long winter's nap. Tomorrow is Christmas Day!

Taylor is helping me out with a very special surprise for Christmas.

I can't say very much except that it is priceless and I came across it quite by chance thanks to two members of the family (and one other).

It became very complicated and required much finesse and gentle care, not to mention a bit of research.




Thanks to Terry, too,who also was very helpful to me in getting this implemented.

This is going to be special!

In the sunny LA 78 degrees, I send out greetings of sunshine and fair weather to the East Coast digging out of snow laden walkways, driveways etc.

I decorated the front door, porch and am showing off my wreath sent to us by our contractor who completed our dream kitchen this summer! Thank you Mr. Bailey!













And even got to decorating that poor tree that sat for a few days undecorated and lonely in the corner of the living room neglected. Unfortunately, since my tree is decorated somewhat monochromatic in white, silver and gold, much of it you can't see. I turned on the lights, and they don't even show up. Really, it looks really nice in person! You'll just have to imagine how great it looks! ;-)

Merry Christmas from LA!