December Fun

The last two weeks have been so busy.  I love this time of year, but it is always jam-packed.
Last week, Jack competed in his school spelling bee.  He did really well, but was knocked out on the word "Venus" because he heard it as "Venice."  He did spell Venice correctly, though!

Ellie has stayed busy with Theatre.  She was cast as one of the leads in their upcoming play and she is also assistant stage manner for another class's play.  I'm still a little surprised how much she loves and is actually quite good at theater!  She was able to go with her school's theater group last weekend to see Beauty and the Beast. 

This past week, Jack had his 3rd grade musical.  I thought it was about 6 scenes too long (it was 7 scenes), but Jack delivered his one and only line with extra oomph!  Also, he and Naomi looked so cute up there dancing and singing.  I love, love, love that he has his best friend/cousin at his school.

Wednesday night we continued our tradition of going to an A&M basketball game near Christmas.  The game didn't start til 7:30 so we didn't get home til after 11:00.  That's pretty late for a school night, but it was worth it.

Sam was super excited for school Thursday morning because it was Polar Express day and he was able to wear his Santa jammies.  He makes Christmas so fun because he is really into the magic of it. 

The boys love waking up each morning and searching for the Elf on the Shelf.  Sam wrote him a letter this morning asking him to hide in his bedroom and I also heard him talking out loud to him about it.  Looks like Jingles needs to up his game!

The boys had their school holiday parties Friday morning.  Unfortunately, Sam was sent home thru the school clinic with a fever Thursday afternoon so he couldn't go to school on Friday. I think it is well-documented how awkward I feel at these sort of things, but it always makes my kids so happy when I attend.  I felt really bad I wouldn't be able to go to Jack's this year because I had to stay home with Sam. Thankfully, Uncle Daniel went and even took pics. 

Sam was really bummed about missing his class party. I promised him a party at hime, but first I had to take him to school with me to tie up loose ends.

Then, we went to the store for party supplies.

We spent the rest of the day playing games, watching Christmas movies, and drinking homemade cocoa and eating junk food.

And now, finally, finals are over and I we are out for the next two weeks.  I am very much looking forward to quality time with family (and a whole lot of doing nothing).

The Big 4 0

I turned 40 last Tuesday.  Normally, I love my birthday and I usually do some elaborate party or unusual activity to celebrate.  This year, though, I just wasn't feeling it.  I even went to WORK on my birthday, something I haven't done in years (usually Tom and I play hooky and have a date day).  We did celebrate after school, though, by taking the kids to the movies.  We then picked up pizzas on the way home for dinner.  When we got home, I had all sorts of goodies on my doorstep.  I felt loved. 

Also, my amazing friend Elizabeth made me my favorite cake, a Texas sheetcake, which she dropped off along with candles, plates, and napkins.  I feel like, with the help of my friends and family, I really did the day justice. 

Of course, I wouldn't be me if I didn't drag it out so Tom and I went out on Friday to celebrate as well.  We had tickets to see comedian Steve Byrne at the Improv.  I had been sick with a nasty cold all week and on the drive to the Improve, I had a major coughing fit. I seriously gagged for like 15 minutes straight.  Tears were running down my face and I couldn't breathe.  Tom kept asking if he should pull over on the freeway.  I ended up throwing up phlegm all over my lap.  Tom was all, "Good thing this isn't a first date!"  Gagging aside, we ended up having a really good time.

Saturday night was my party with the girls.  I told Dianna that I just wanted a super chill party this year.  She hosted and we invited a few of my closest friends (and of course Rosie and Sabrina) over to play games and eat yummy food.  Oh, and everyone was instructed to come in their pajamas.   It really was the perfect way to celebrate turning 40.

We finished out the weekend by decorating the tree last night.  Usually we don't wait so late to decorate, but I am glad we finally tackled it.  It is always a fun tradition for the kids.

The Thanksgiving break that topped all Thanksgiving breaks (with an overabundance of pictures to prove it)

Normally we don't do much over Thanksgiving break.  We have gone to San Antonio/SeaWorld a few times for a couple of days, but usually we stay home and relax and decorate for Christmas.  This year, a couple of my siblings mentioned going to Georgia to do Thanksgiving with my parents (who are on a mission for our church there).  Somehow that turned into EVERYONE (with the exception of my sister Jen who was hosting her own expanding family at her house) going to Georgia for Thanksgiving.  My parents didn't have room for 30 people so they rented an AMAZING plantation! 

Tom and I decided to stop in New Orleans on the way there since it was the halfway point and it would let us show the kids the place their parents disappear to each summer.  My sister and her family decided to join us, so we had 2 fun days in New Orleans before we went to Georgia.  Tom and I love going to NOLA every year, but I was a little unsure how it would go over with the kids. It was a rough start with Jack recovering from a nasty stomach bug, and the kids were not initially fans of the sights and smells of the French Quarter. However, once their cousins showed up, they quickly rebounded. We covered a lot of ground in a short time - we toured the St. Louis Cathedral, watched street performers at Jackson Square, strolled along the Mississippi River, bought souvenirs at the French Market, devoured beignets at Café du Monde, toured a cemetery, marveled at homes in the Garden District, rode a trolley, climbed trees at City Park, were endlessly entertained at Storyland, browsed books in the very place William Faulkner wrote his first novel, and enjoyed meals at Acme Oyster House, Reginelli's, and Oceana. In the end, New Orleans won the kids over...just like it does to everyone.

 

We left New Orleans bright and early Wednesday morning and made the 8 hour drive to Eatonton, Georgia.  The plantation as on Lake Oconee.  It also had it's own private lake.  And a media room, a pool, a hot tub, a barn with horses, arcade games, a pool table, and a separate guest house.  It basically had something for everyone and my kids were in HEAVEN.  They played from morning til night with their cousins.  Bedtimes were pretty much nonexistent. As for me, I spent all of my time playing games with various family members, eating way too much food, and watching movies.  It was awesome. 

The night before we had to return home, we stayed up to watch the A&M/LSU football game.  We had to get up at 4:30am the next morning in order to be on the road by 5 for the 14 hour drive home, but the game went into SEVEN overtimes.  SEVEN.  It was the most exciting game I've ever seen and A&M won after some hotly contested ref calls.   The game didn't end til 12:30.  Needless to say, we didn't get much sleep that night.  The kids and I all wore our A&M shirts in the car on the way home.  Unfortunately, Ellie got car sick and threw up all over the back seat.  We pulled over at the nearest exit and went into Target to clean up.  It just happened to be in Baton Rouge, Louisiana - home of LSU.  We walked in there the morning after the big game, wearing our A&M shirts, like we were rubbing our win in their faces.  It was super awkward. 

We finally made it home late Sunday night. Getting up for work/school Monday morning was brutal, but that vacation was totally worth it!