December

Hope everyone had a wonderful Thanksgiving and is about ready for Christmas. We are! I can't believe it is almost the end of another year. What a year it has been! This month is always a crazy time of year and this year is no exception. Tomorrow will already be Christmas Eve. I thought I would share what has already gone on this far this month, because starting tomorrow I am sure I will busy and have TONS more pictures to share.

The kids had their Christmas party at school the Friday they got out early. Each kid had to bring penny presents (something small, not costing a lot like a candy cane, pencil, small toy, etc.) for each kid in their class. They made bags to hold their loot and then each kid brought a yummy snack to share. For Emily's class we brought turkey sandwiches:


Emily with her teacher:

and some of her friends from class:

Dylan's class (being the dual language class) did a Mexican Fiesta so we signed up for sodas and Todd made chicken and beef fajitas. Dylan with one of his teachers:

Dylan and one his best friends from his class:

Dylan waiting to get some yummy food:

JT's class had a variety of stuff. I think each kid got to bring his favorite thing. JT asked if he could bring our chocolate fountain, it was a big hit:

JT and one of his teachers:


JT eating a snack:

On Thursday before the last day JT's class got to make gingerbread houses. The teacher asked if I would come up and help. Of course I went, and after trying to help, I see why she asked. Even for 4th graders this was not easy. Here is what they started out with:

JT getting ready to start:

Trying to get the walls to stick. I didn't get a lot of pictures as it was hard to do once I got covered in frosting from trying to help everyone get their walls to stick:

Also on Thursday Emily's 1st grade class had a Polar Express read in. They got to wear their PJ's to school, they read the book and got hot chocolate. Here is her class in their PJs.

In class waiting for their hot chocolate:

Her cousin that is in her class wore the same PJs to school and we didn't even plan it:

On Wednesday, the week they got out, JT's 4th grade class put on a play of "A Christmas Carol". JT was Fred the nephew of Scrooge:

He had 10 parts to remember some of them were 3 or more sentences long, but he remembered them and did great once on stage.


Here his class takes a bow:

His class:

Now that regular soccer season is over the boys are now playing indoor soccer. This is their 3rd year to play and they love it. I tried to get some picture, but the lighting in the metal building where they play is bad. This is Dylan (in orange #2) kicking the ball:

JT (in orange #7) breaking away with the ball:

We did the end of season soccer party for the boys at our house on the day that is snowed here. It is easier to do it here so the kids can play and have fun. This was a great team and an awesome group of kids:

In case you didn't know it snowed here on December 4. I wasn't sure it would, so I sent the kids to school that morning. It started snowing like 5 minutes after I walked in the door from dropping them off. Here is the front of the house with it snowing:

As you can see it never really stuck, I think because it was so wet from the rain the days before so it would hit the wet spots and melt. Around lunch I got an automated call from our school district saying if you picked your kids up early they would be excused so I went and picked up the kids so they could play in it a little:

They had fun in it and only stayed out in it for about 5 minutes, then they were bored so we came in for hot chocolate!

That's our December so far, now it is on to Christmas. The kids are so excited they can't hardly wait. I am looking forward to spending time with the family. In case I don't get back on between now and then I hope everyone has a blessed Christmas and New Years!

Happy Thanksgiving

Well its one day late, but better late than never. I hope everyone had a blessed Thanksgiving day. I know we did. We went to my in-laws for a wonderful lunch. Here we are just arriving:

My in-laws invited my parents and siblings over and my sister who lives next door came over with two of her kids and her husband:

Here is a picture of my mom and dad with 5 of the 12 grand kids:

Here is the kids table:

After lunch it was time to work off some of that wonderful food with ping pong:

Not sure why I didn't have any more pictures than the few I took, but guess I was too busy eating all that great food.

Well as I had mentioned the boys missed their soccer play offs and while they were very disappointed I had a good reason why they couldn't go. See we went on a cruise with Todd's mom, dad and brother. We had so much fun, here are the kids on the first day playing the first of many games of chess:

Popsy kept the kids entertained with paper, rock scissors while we were waiting at our Muster Station for instructions in case of an emergency:

The food was wonderful, each night in the main dinning room JT had to get this dessert, it is called warm melting chocolate cake, yummy:

The rooms weren't as small as I thought they would be. We all 5 fit comfortably. There was a bed on the left that also folded down:

There was plenty of fun things to do. At the back of the boat they had some great waterslides and a little spray area:

It was very windy at the back of the boat:

On the way to Mexico it was a little windy and cool so the kids enjoyed relaxing in the hot tub:

They did swim in the pool too:

Emily loved her funship Freddy:

Dylan liked just relaxing by the pool:

JT and Emily try to decide if they want to jump in the pool or not:

My 3 angels one night waiting until it was time to be seated in our dinning room:

On the way to dock in Mexico we had a few minutes so we went up to the top deck and played putt-putt:

This is definitely not Galveston, as we were walking down the pier this is the water we could see all around us:

We decided to take a beach adventure, we all just wanted to go relax and enjoy the sand and the surf. This was perfect, they had paddle boats, canoes, a water trampoline:

a water iceberg to climb (the boys are at the top on the left with Todd coming up behind them on the left):

Todd and Tyson parasailed and the water was beautiful for swimming, and playing:

JT and Todd took the underwater diving housing for our digital camera and took pictures of fish, they were kind of white look to the bottom left for the black eye and then you can see the fish:

Here is JT looking for more fish:

Dylan and Popsy had fun throwing a football around:

They had a buffet and all drinks were free. Here I am with Emily and Mimi relaxing in the shade:

After a couple hours it was time to head back to the boat:

Every night they had some type of show. One of the comedians was also an author of 2 children books, so the kids went up to meet him after the show and we bought his books and he autographed them:

While on the cruise there was an endless supply of food and the desserts were always beautiful:

There was also an ice sculptor who sculpted this (two love birds on a heart) right in front of the kids and Popsy, I stayed back while they went to this so Dylan took a picture of it for me:

Todd caught me kicked backed and relaxed, it was wonderful:

There was also a little ping pong playing on the boat:

The last night the kids wanted their picture of our waiter. He was the BEST waiter:

Monday morning we arrived back in Galveston and had to wait for them to call our luggage zone so we just hung out until then:


This trip was such a wonderful time. We live such a busy life that this was a much needed blessing of rest and relaxation, Thanks Popsy and Mimi!!!!!!