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| Ellie - 7th grade |
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| Jack - 3rd grade |
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| Sam - Kindergarten |
Wednesday, January 16, 2019
Tuesday, January 08, 2019
Christmas Break - Part II
We told the kids not to wake us up on Christmas morning until 7am. To our great surprise, they actually listened.
After enjoying a relaxing morning and early afternoon, we headed over to my Mother-in-law's house for dinner and to open more gifts.
We didn't celebrate Christmas with my father-in-law until the 28th because we were waiting for Tom's older sister and her family to arrive from New Jersey. This was the first Christmas that all of Tom's dad's kids and grandkids were together. It was really neat.
We celebrated my mother-in-law's birthday on the 30th.
For New Year's Eve, we broke from our usual tradition of celebrating with our friends, Alex and Amanda, and instead had Tom's older sister and her family over for games and appetizers. They then left to go to fireworks and dinner with Tom's younger brother and sister. Tom took our kids outside for fireworks and I thought I would sneak in a quick nap while they were out there. Yeah, I slept until 11:45 pm. Ugh. Still, I was happy about our NYE.
The rest of the break was spent playing with cousins. My niece Leilani is leaving for a mission in Argentina in 2 weeks so she invited all of the cousins over for dinner and a movie in pajamas.
We are really going to miss Leilani. My sister and her family are also moving in 2 weeks. I can't even tell you how sad this makes me. I am so used to having them nearby and our kids are so very close. Their absence will definitely be felt.
After enjoying a relaxing morning and early afternoon, we headed over to my Mother-in-law's house for dinner and to open more gifts.
We didn't celebrate Christmas with my father-in-law until the 28th because we were waiting for Tom's older sister and her family to arrive from New Jersey. This was the first Christmas that all of Tom's dad's kids and grandkids were together. It was really neat.
We celebrated my mother-in-law's birthday on the 30th.
For New Year's Eve, we broke from our usual tradition of celebrating with our friends, Alex and Amanda, and instead had Tom's older sister and her family over for games and appetizers. They then left to go to fireworks and dinner with Tom's younger brother and sister. Tom took our kids outside for fireworks and I thought I would sneak in a quick nap while they were out there. Yeah, I slept until 11:45 pm. Ugh. Still, I was happy about our NYE.
The rest of the break was spent playing with cousins. My niece Leilani is leaving for a mission in Argentina in 2 weeks so she invited all of the cousins over for dinner and a movie in pajamas.
We are really going to miss Leilani. My sister and her family are also moving in 2 weeks. I can't even tell you how sad this makes me. I am so used to having them nearby and our kids are so very close. Their absence will definitely be felt.
Christmas Break - Part I
Christmas break is over and I am back at school. I am so glad we did not go anywhere over the break. I feel like we were able to relax, play, and get things done.
Tom was able to take each kid individually to lunch at a restaurant of their choosing. Ellie chose sushi.
Jack chose tacos.
And Sam chose pizza.
My big project for the break was to officially turn the playroom into Sam's bedroom. Sam has been sleeping on a mattress on the floor of the playroom for a couple of months, but Jack was pressuring me to move all of Sam's stuff out of his room. I cleaned out the toy closet, bought a bed frame for Sam, moved Jack's bookshelf from the playroom to Jack's room, moved Sam's bookshelf from Jack's room to the former playroom, moved Sam's dresser, and moved all of Sam's clothes from the closet. I'm not going to lie, I am pretty proud of myself. While I was being so efficient, I also cleaned out the linen closet and the coat closet. Yay me.
This year, I hosted Christmas Eve at my house. Only my younger brother and sister and their families were in town. We did all of our normal traditions. The kids acted out the nativity and I attempted to narrate in my dad's place.
Then Ellie read "The Pack for Santa's Back" (normally read by my dad) while the kids moved the pieces.
Then, we had Jesus's birthday cake. We didn't sing happy birthday and Mark wasn't even here to tell us not to. We just forgot.
And, of course, we took pics of everyone in their Christmas jammies. I even bought Tom a pair this year and was surprised when he agreed to wear them!
Tom was able to take each kid individually to lunch at a restaurant of their choosing. Ellie chose sushi.
Jack chose tacos.
And Sam chose pizza.
My big project for the break was to officially turn the playroom into Sam's bedroom. Sam has been sleeping on a mattress on the floor of the playroom for a couple of months, but Jack was pressuring me to move all of Sam's stuff out of his room. I cleaned out the toy closet, bought a bed frame for Sam, moved Jack's bookshelf from the playroom to Jack's room, moved Sam's bookshelf from Jack's room to the former playroom, moved Sam's dresser, and moved all of Sam's clothes from the closet. I'm not going to lie, I am pretty proud of myself. While I was being so efficient, I also cleaned out the linen closet and the coat closet. Yay me.
This year, I hosted Christmas Eve at my house. Only my younger brother and sister and their families were in town. We did all of our normal traditions. The kids acted out the nativity and I attempted to narrate in my dad's place.
Then Ellie read "The Pack for Santa's Back" (normally read by my dad) while the kids moved the pieces.
Then, we had Jesus's birthday cake. We didn't sing happy birthday and Mark wasn't even here to tell us not to. We just forgot.
And, of course, we took pics of everyone in their Christmas jammies. I even bought Tom a pair this year and was surprised when he agreed to wear them!
Saturday, December 22, 2018
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!
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).
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!
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).
Monday, December 10, 2018
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.
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.
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