Happy New Year

The Starrs have returned home from Christmas in Texas. We're now looking forward to New Years 2009. You may have noticed that we have not updated the site for a while, but we should be caught up now with the addition of several updates. Please scroll down as you will see several from the past couple of weeks.

For pictures of the girls from our recent visit with Gene, Linda, Phil, Jennifer, and Quinlan, click here.

Happy New Year Everyone!!!

Christmas Dinner

Searing the delicious prime rib for Christmas dinner.

Christmas Morning with the Kids

Christmas Eve

Molly and Colin had a lunch get-together on Christmas Eve and one of her good friends came over to take pictures of the family that morning. Kristen and I got a self-portrait, too. Also below is baby James and his best friend at the party, Evelyn Delcambre. Aren't they cute?

Entertaining The Kids

Unlike past years, 2008 in Texas meant entertaining four kids. While waiting for Santa Claus to arrive, the girls and boys spent their time playing. Thank God for baby Bodie and his room full of goodness. There was always plenty to do.

Ann B. Dextrous

Here is Iris playing with her new toy called Ann B. Dextrous. I was hoping to video her without knowing I was watching, but apparently I'm not as stealthy as I used to be.

Carlos Visits KC

Last week, my good friend Carlos was in Kansas City and stopped by to see the girls. Carlos is now living in Mexico City so it was a nice surprise to have him in town. After dropping by and giving Iris and Nora their first "official" winter coats, the two of us went out and had a few bottles of wine so we could catch up. Good to see you Carlos, and thank you for the awesome coats.

Teddy Bears

Since this was Iris and Nora's first Christmas, we wanted to get them something memorable. What better gift than a good quality teddy bear as a keepsake? They had fun opening them and putting them right into their mouths. We'll have to keep the bears safe from slobber for a while, but pretty soon the girls will get to keep them in their beds and always have a friend close by when they sleep.

Holiday Treats

When Kristen and I start getting the holiday buzz, we usually tend to make our way to the kitchen. After the girls have gone to bed, we make marshmallows, caramels, cakes, and hot chocolate. This year I started making rum cakes, too. It hasn't gotten a bad review yet, so that's good. And Kristen's hot chocolate with homemade marshmallows is always a hit.

Kristen's Hot Chocolate with Chocolate Marshmallows

Mark's Bah Rumbug Cake

Getting Ready for the Big Man

The girls are getting ready for Santa! This week, we put up the beautiful stockings that Aunt Nancy made!

Thanks Aunt Nancy! Can't wait for Santa to get here!