Our 2005 Holiday Season

Here's what had transpired in 2005:

January - We had a wonderful New Year. After arriving home from our Friend's house in Plano, Katie went across the street to celebrate with "The Hood", while Keith and the kids went home and watched a movie. They were up until 2:00 AM and Katie got in at 3:00 AM. The New Year brought about a nasty cold for Katie (cough to boot). Keith went back to work on the 3rd and the children returned to school on the 5th, only to have another day off on the 18th. Keith did get a nasty cold, but knocked it out quite fast. The family went to Oklahoma City to visit with Aunt Cleo and Keith's brother and wife, Vic & Shannon. It was a wonderful visit. Much of the month has been spent with the family enjoying each other's company and playing. The end of the month brought about a sad event. Tom Lindley, a man that was like Keith's 2nd father, passed away of cancer. Keith and Katie went to Savanna, OK to attend the funeral and pay respects to the family. Brian ended the month with a biography presentation at school on Neil Armstrong. He was quite pleased with the result. Katie didn't attend because she thought she would make Brian nervous.

February - This month is started out cold. Just like every other year. Brian went on a fieldtrip with his class. He enjoyed it, a lot. Valentine's Day was fun. The children completed all their cards and even made some for friends in the neighborhood.

March - Ah, Spring fever is beginning to kick in. The children are doing wonderful in school. Spring break was relaxing.

April - Easter was fun! The children received baskets with toys and some candy. Katie took a basket of candy to Keith's work. The children hunted for eggs in the house (it rained). The Easter Bunny was busy - he hid eggs EVERYWHERE. Katie began the plans for a summer trip to California and the children started counting down until the departure date.

May - Katie's birthday and Mother's day were wonderful. She relaxed and enjoyed her little family. The children made cards for her and Katie's chiropractor called to wish her a happy birthday. On Memorial Day, the family talked about the meaning, like they do every year, and enjoyed a quiet day together.

June - Ah, school is out! Alison completed Kindergarten and received a certificate for being a computer whiz! (go figure). Brian received many awards, as well. He likes the one that says he was on the A/B honor roll all year. The children spent time preparing for California. Their backpacks changed contents daily (if not hourly). They played World of Warcraft with Katie, cleaned house with her and played outside. Keith's birthday and father's day were wonderful. Katie had the children write "What makes my dad special" sentences. They presented them to Keith when he woke up on his birthday. They never let you forget :). Keith and Katie had a wonderful 12th anniversary, even though Keith had the pager (which is standard since they've been in Texas).

July - The 4th was a spectacular event. The Town of Little Elm had a fireworks show which the family watched from the front yard. The children absolutely loved it. Then, the Dugger family boarded a plane on the 6th to head to California. Brian and Alison did wonderful - it was their first time flying. They arrived in California and were picked up by Katie's sister, Teri. Most of the time there was spent with Katie's mom. Brian and Alison spent a lot of time in the pool at Katie's other sister's (Kelly) house. Brian knows how to swim underwater and Alison can swim with floaties on her arms. Brian was attached to his cousin Jeremy and Alison to her cousin Ryan Caroline. Bob and Keith had a blast! Katie enjoyed visiting everyone. The family went to Santa Cruz because the children had never been to a beach (and Katie - who spent 11 years in California - had never been to Santa Cruz). They had a wonderful time. Alison didn't like the seaweed "attacking" her feet when the waves crashed on the shore. On the 9th, the families gathered at the park in Newman so visiting would be easier. It was wonderful. Katie saw so many people she hadn't seen in years and was able to introduce Keith to them (they didn't see each other last visit). All in all, it was a wonderful vacation. The Dugger family was glad to be able to travel there. Katie wasn't able to see her friends, one of those things, but was able to chat with them on the phone. The trip back to Texas was good. Alison cried a lot because she wanted Ryan, but felt better once she talked to her on the phone.

August - Keith and Katie spent the first part of the month getting ready for school to start. Brian and Alison spent most of that time pinging off the walls wanting school to start the next day. The children registered for school on the 17th and met their teachers on the 18th. Keith and Katie celebrated 12 years of marriage on the 21st. Brian entered 3rd grade and Alison entered 1st on Brian's 8th birthday and could not have been more excited. Alison got into the car saying, "I have homework!" Within a week of starting school, Alison taught herself how to ride a two-wheel bike.

September - Keith and Katie began thinking of their own business after Keith returned from a conference in California. A website dealing with computer and gaming reviews and news. The first event will be in October - at Blizzard's first convention.

October - All month long, Brian and Alison could not think of anything else except Halloween and what they wanted to be. At first Brian wanted to be a soldier then Popeye. He finally settled for Harry Potter. Alison decided to be a cheerleader for the third year in a row. Katie spent most of the month preparing for the convention in California. She left on the 27th and returned on the 30th, just in time for Halloween.

November - The website went live on the 1st with a hardware review and a week later the coverage of convention. Thanksgiving was spent at home, just the little Dugger family. They were not able to go out of town because of Keith's work. It was a "just in case" situation that became a non situation. Thanksgiving dinner was turkey, dressing, potato salad, rolls, and cranberry sauce. It was wonderful.

December - Once December came into view, Alison could do nothing but count down the days until her 7th birthday. Brian of course was counting down until Christmas. On the second Saturday of December, Brian, Alison, Keith and Katie put up the Christmas tree in the front room. Brian sat on Katie's shoulders so he could put the star on the top of the tree. Now, the count down was really on, with lists being created by the tens, not just for Christmas but for Alison's birthday. Keith was able to get a day off, and the little family went to Toys-R-Us and looked around. Of course, Santa was taking notes. Christmas was spent with Vic, Shannon, Deneece, Dusty, Jackie, JC and Aunt Cleo at Vic's house in Oklahoma. Santa surprised the children in Oklahoma, and on Christmas Eve, he filled up the spots under the Texas Christmas tree for the children. He did a great job taking notes at Toys-R-Us. Then, to celebrate Alison's birthday, we went back to The Oklahoma Dugger family house. She was extremely excited as was Brian. Well, so were Vic, Shannon and Deneece.

Updated: February 2, 2006