A Bit About Our Thanksgiving

I know. I know. It has been way too long since I have posted anything. I guess that last weekend was full of getting ready for company. Then, Corey's mom arrived on Sunday, and we have been busy getting ready for Thanksgiving festivities ever since. It has been a good week. Lots of trips to the grocery store, lots of cooking and baking, and lots and lots of dishes. Corey's brother Mack arrived on Tuesday night, and his sister Roxann and her family arrived on Thursday. We have all eaten and played Scrabble and eaten and visited and eaten and played Wii and eaten and sat by the fire and eaten and had long mornings in our PJs with our coffee and eaten and gone to the movies and eaten and done dishes for days. My kids have had an absolute blast having "the cousins" here, and Cooper has already been sad at the thought that they leave tomorrow. There is a level of comfortableness and peace that our family gatherings have that makes me wish for them to last forever. I just love these people so much! I will post more about our Thanksgiving later, but for now... there is a Scrabble game for me to go watch and a piece of pie that I simply must go eat. Ahhh! Family time!

Twilight

Last night.

Opening night.

Twilight - Book turned movie.

Standing in line.

Excited, squealing teen girls.

Excited, squealing friends.

Excited, squealing me.

Sold out theatre.

Diet Coke & Junior Mints.

Girlfriends.

Laughing.

Carefree for 2 hours and 2 minutes.

Edward. Bella. Love.

Suspense.  Will it be good?  

It was.

I loved it.

So, so fun!

Friday's Thoughts

Here - in no particular order - are the things on my mind:

~ Jack is missing our old home so badly today.  It breaks my heart.  He needs neighborhood friends.  Boys to play ball and ride bikes and share adventures with.  Still - 8 months later - my kids ask to go home at least once a week.  We miss our neighbors.  Our friends.  There is nothing  close to the kind of neighbors that we had there at our new house.

~ I got my hair cut and highlighted today.  I love the way that I feel when I get that done!  I literally almost fell asleep when she was washing my hair.  It was that good.  Really.

~ Tonight I am going to the opening night of the movie Twilight with my sister and several of my friends.  We are SO, SO super-excited.  I didn't think that I would like the books... but I love them, and I can't wait to see the movie.  (I hope they don't mess the story up!)

~ The kids are out of school for Thanksgiving break.  I can literally feel the pressure lifted from my shoulders as we get a break from the running and catching up that we have been doing the last month.

~ Corey's mom, brother, sister, brother-in-law, and 2 nephews are coming for Thanksgiving.  I am really looking forward to it.  I love family gatherings.

~ I can't wait to see Roxann again.  I just need to hug her.

~ I am chomping at the bit to decorate for Christmas.  I don't think that I have ever wanted to do that this early so badly before.  Maybe it is because we had Thanksgiving dinner with my family last weekend, and I always decorate right after Thanksgiving.  Maybe it is because we need some holiday cheer around here.  Maybe it is because I know how much Cooper will love it all.  

~ I need Christmas carols.

~ My 35th birthday is 2 weeks from today.  I am contemplative that my life is already at this point.  So much done.  So much to do.  Everything and nothing at my fingertips all at the same time.

~ I love cold weather.  

~ Sonic Happy Hour is over in 17 minutes, and I am not going to make it there today.  Oh the pain!

~ And now, I must run 2 very giggly girls to a birthday party....

Have a happy weekend!

One

Here's a little tag-thing that I got from my friend Amanda's blog. She would call it a "meme", but since I can't get her to tell me what that word means I will stick with my official name for it... a "tag-thing". Here's the deal - you are supposed to copy these questions and answers and replace the answers with one word answers of your own then post it on your blog. I must say that there are a few of my answers that simply require more than one word for an answer, but with a little creativity I was able to pull off playing by the rules. :) Also, there were a few answers that I left the same as Amanda... I guess that is why it is so easy to be friends with her. So, here you have it... my one-word-tag-thing...

Where is your mobile phone? Living-room
Your hair color? Brown-with-blonde-highlights
Your mother? Gardens
Your father? Coaches
Your favorite thing? My-kids
Your dream last night? Disruptive
Your dream goal? Contentment
The room you're in? Kitchen
Your hobby (hobbies)? Photography

Your fear? Loss
Where do you want to be in 6 years? Home
Where were you last night? Home
What you're not? Adventurous
One of your wish-list items? Housekeeper
Where you grew up? Texas
The last thing you did? Watched-Survivor
What are you wearing? Jeans
Your TV? Football
Your pet? Sheepdog
Your computer? Mac
Your mood? Solemn
Missing someone? Yes
Your car? Minivan
Something you're not wearing? Shoes
Favorite shop? Discount
Your summer? HOT
Love someone? Many
Your favourite color? Red
When was the last time you laughed? Lunch-time
When was the last time you cried? Tuesday

Tag! You're it! (Let me know if you take the tag.)

Waco Weekend - Part 3

On Sunday of our Waco Weekend we had two big family events - my nephew Asher's 2nd birthday party and Thanksgiving dinner.  It was not really Asher's birthday or Thanksgiving, but my family can't bear the idea of spending special occasions without each other, and we will not all be together for Thanksgiving or on Asher's birthday... so we just crammed all of the celebrating that we could into our time together.

~ the birthday boy with his mom & dad ~

~ The Cousins ~

Sara had the kids dress up in costumes for Asher's party.  They all looked so cute!

(Allie was not up for dressing up & Jack was sick, so he was not there.)

~ playing Duck, Duck, Goose ~

~ Asher getting ready to blow his candles out ~

~ making a wish ~

 ~The Grandkids ~

(minus my sick boy, Jack)

~ Asher wearing the hat that we gave him for his birthday ~

~ Little Sister, Ainsley ~

(This was one of her first smiles.)

Allie's party favor was a hit for everyone.

(I know, I know!  It's tacky!)

~ Cooper ~

(always waiting for the "funny face picture")

~ Skyler ~

~ Chloe ~

~ Claire ~

Allie always has her arms full with the babies.

~ Allan & Claire snuggling ~

~ Uncle Coby playing with Asher ~

~ Beau & Sara ~

So, there you have it... a fun, very full weekend filled with the love of a family that loves to be together.  I love them all so much!

Waco Weekend - Part 2

So, back to the update...  

On Saturday, the kids and I and most of my family went to the Baylor/ A&M football game.  It was (eventually) a really, really fun day.  Let's just say - 3 mommies with no daddies, cold weather, and ticket/ seating confusion can be a bit overwhelming... but once we got all settled, we had a blast! 

Jack was Mr. Team Spirit and was so excited to have his face painted like a Baylor Bear by our friend, Mrs. Radcliffe, who is a professional face painter!

~ Asher & Sara ~

~ Ainsley Grace bundled up ~

Yes, we are the crazy people that bring our babies to freezing cold football games.  The year that Jack was a baby my dad's football team was in the play-offs and played in the State game on Christmas Eve.  Jack was bundled up like a little Eskimo baby almost every weekend of November and December and was there to cheer Poppie's team on.

~ Emily & Claire ~

Sic 'Em Bears

~ Adrielle & Chloe ~

~ Skyler & Gibbie trying to stay warm ~

~ Poppie & Allie ~

~ Where's Coby-O? ~

My brother works at the Baylor games.  He is the one standing at the far end of the top of the press box.

~ Sisters ~

~ Cooper & Skyler played under the blankets in an attempt to stay warm ~

~ Little Red-Nosed Claire Bear ~

(I LOVE this picture of her!)

Jack spent most of the game at the rail hoping to get on the big screen.

~ Jack, Allie, & Gibbie ~

~ Poppie & Asher ~

Waco Weekend - Part 1

This past weekend we packed up and headed south for a fun-filled-family weekend.  As much as it seems we see my family, it had been a while since we had all been together in any space bigger than a hospital waiting room, so we were excited to go spend the entire weekend with family.  Friday night, we all met at my parents' house for dinner and to celebrate my dad's birthday.  Some family friends joined us, and we all had a nice visit!  There are no pictures - after packing and loading the car, an unexpected trip to the doctor for Cooper on our way out of town, an hour long pit stop somewhere on I35, and a 2 hour car trip that took 6 hours and 15 minutes (not that I'm counting), I was not up for getting the camera out that night.  It was just good to be there.  With family and friends.  Out of the car.

We stayed over at my brother and sister-in-law's house, and here are a few photos of our time there:

Saturday morning Coby & Adrielle put candles in a muffin, sang Happy Birthday to Allie, and gave her a birthday gift - iPod accessories.  Perfect!  Thank you for making her feel special and loved!  Yall are great at that!

We spent the rest of the morning in our PJs just hanging out and drinking coffee before we got ready to go to the Baylor/ A&M game.  It was fun to see the changes in Chloe Grace since the last time that we saw her.  She is getting up on her hands and knees and rocking, smiling like crazy, eating baby food, and is just a super-sweet little baby.  I adore her!

I'm a sucker for matching kids' clothes, and I just had to get these shirts for the girls.

~ Big Sister & Lil' Sister ~

Cooper & Skyler always have fun spending time together, and I think this visit they played better than any time before.  It always makes me smile when I see him playing with his cousins... especially when one (very strong) little girl instructs him that they are now going to play baby dolls, dance, cook in her little kitchen, etc.  She makes me laugh! 

More to come... Baylor game, Asher's 2nd Birthday Party, & Thanksgiving dinner still ahead... Yes, it was a busy weekend.

Makes Me Laugh Monday

Yesterday was Monday... the day after a big weekend away (post to follow, if Blogger will ever accept all of my photos), a sick boy, consequently a sick mommy - or a mommy trying to not get sick (because you know, moms just can't do that), homework galore, tennis shoes and blue jeans that needed to be bought for growing kids before school on Tuesday, and a growing grocery list that contained few groceries and instead held a list of things like dog food, Goo-Gone, notebook paper, and Band-Aids.  Sometime in the evening I decided that I wanted - no needed - to escape to the bathtub for some peace and quiet.  If you are a mom of little kids you know what comes next - the knocks on the door, the questions that simply must be answered RIGHT NOW, the things that are lost that only MOM might know where they are, the stories that must be shared, the potty that must be used, the games that must be played on the bathroom floor, etc. etc.  Needless to say, there was no peace nor quiet going on.  Finally, I insisted that Cooper leave the bathroom.  He was very frustrated and huffed and puffed out of the room as he said, "Everyone is 'fathering' me today!"  Evidently - he had been quite 'bothered'... I sat in my tub of not-so-hot-anymore water and laughed at my little one... until there was another knock on the door.  

Anyone got some Calgon?

Happy, Happy Birthday Baby!

Since our original plan for Allie's birthday party had to be rearranged, we came up with Plan B - in 2 parts.  Part 1 - We had originally scheduled Allie's birthday party to correspond with the opening day of the much anticipated High School Musical 3 movie.  I was unexpectedly in Colorado on that day, and my sister went ABOVE and BEYOND to get Allie and her friends to the movie theatre to see HSM3 on opening day... THANK YOU EMMIE!  Part 2 of the party had to be delayed until things slowed down for our family a bit, and last weekend was the perfect time to celebrate our girl!  Allie invited 3 of her best girlfriends to join her for a slumber party at a local hotel, and I had a few surprises for them throughout the night.  First, we met at the mall and did a bit of shopping.  Then, Corey & the boys met us there for gifts and Allie's favorite - cookie cake.

The mall that we went to has a carousel, and we let the kids ride it before we said goodnight to Corey & the boys and headed in separate directions.

The girls did not know where we were going to go for dinner.  I surprised them by reserving the one and only table in the kitchen at an Italian restaurant.  It was SO fun... all of the waiters stopped by to say happy birthday and some even sang to us, we had a front row seat and got to see all of the food prepared and all of the kitchen drama, the manager brought us complimentary appetizers, and our waiter gave us ice cream to go.  It was tons of fun and something really different to do.

After dinner, I took the girls to Target and let them each choose a snack to share for their slumber party.  Of course, it was much too tempting not to push each other around in the store on the toddler cart.

When we got back to the hotel, the girls decided to sit in the hot tub for a while before they watched movies.  Then, it happened.  Someone said,  "Let's get in the 'big pool'".  Yes - the big, cold, outdoor pool!  I figured that that would last about half a second then they would freeze and get back into the hot tub, but I was wrong... The first dip lasted a few seconds, the next longer, the next longer... and soon 3 of the 4 girls were swimming in November!  I didn't have my camera with me at the time... but I got pictures the next day when they did it AGAIN!  (and it was even colder then)  

Allie got 2 new DVDs for her birthday, and they stayed up half the night watching them.

The next morning the girls enjoyed their hot chocolate by the pool after breakfast.

Then, they swam again...

(...and I sat beside the pool bundled in a blanket and read my book.)

After they swam, they made a craft.

Then it was time to head home in our shoe-polished-van.  Yes, I thought that this was such a great idea... until it was time to remove the shoe polish.  I had written on a window then let the kids all decorate the windows too.  Note to self, don't ever, ever, ever do that again!  It has been nearly impossible to get off!  (My favorite window was on the driver's side.  It said "The Best Mom!"  :) )

I had such an amazing time being with these girls that I have known and loved since they were 5 years old (and Gracie since birth) and giving Allie a party that made her feel really special and loved!  They are so funny!  I am thankful that my girl has wonderful friends that have wonderful families.  God has blessed us greatly!