Mommy Loves Me and Baby Faces

A big focus of mine on the week after Christmas is to organize and purge! Today I was up in Will's room cleaning and going through all of the books on his shelves. There were some books that I threw out just because they weren't in decent condition, and there were some that were just too babyish, and I put them aside to give away. I was definitely in the mood to get rid of things, but when I came to the two books Mommy Loves Me and Baby Faces, I stopped immediately and reminisced about reading those books with Allison. She LOVED those two books, and we read them for hours on end. Here favorite face in Baby Faces was the "silly face" with the red-headed baby with a duck on top of her head. Is it possible that was 7 years ago I was doing that? Needless to say, these books went into Allison's box of special things, not into the trash.

Christmas Take 2

I almost forgot to include our day with Uncle Bill, Aunt Kristen, Katherine, and Libby. We got together with them and Gram and Grandpa on Saturday, the 27th. We had a delicious lasagna dinner and then opened our presents to each other. A few years ago we started the tradition of giving each cousin a special ornament. We decided it would be fun for them to have this collection of special ornaments when they are older. The cousins had so much fun playing, and we are convinced they could go for hours on end without one cross word. They have always been this way, and I'm so happy they are the best of friends. We enjoyed all the Christmas celebrations this year, and this was a great ending. I took this picture of the kids sleeping in the car right after we arrived home way past their bedtime. Finally, I can't forget Jager this Christmas. Here is a picture of her getting into the holiday spirit!

Christmas Day 2008

After hearing what time some of our friends had to get up with their kids, I feel fortunate that ours slept until 7:20 Christmas Morning. As told, they came straight down to our room without going into the family room. We sent them back upstairs while Daddy and I made sure everything was in order and got the camera ready. When they came down there were lots of squeals of delight, and it got noisy very quickly. All three were very happy with Santa. Mom even got some running socks and those sour mints that she always steals from Dad's car. We took a break for breakfast, which I have to admit wasn't anything special this year, and then we opened our tree gifts to each other. I like to go one at a time and really draw out the process, but I had to give up after awhile. The kids were just too excited about their gifts, and I lost control. It was a fun chaos, though! Then we all got dressed and ready for the day and tried to clean up a little bit around the house. Gram and Grandpa came over with Uncle Newman, Aunt Diane, and Gobby. We had a delicious Christmas dinner that Gram cooked, and then we opened more presents. It was a nice day outside, and we really had fun getting outside and playing with our toys. Gram and Grandpa gave Caroline and Will a new bike, and Santa brought a new Razor Scooter. Other favorites were some new American Girl doll accessories, Spike the Dinosaur, a small flat drum set, a Hannah Montana Guitar, sleeping bags, a camera, and a race track. They have performed many shows for us this week. Dad's favorite was Guitar Hero for the Wii and a tabletop pinball machine for Will. We finished the day with a round of turkey sandwiches and delicious pecan pie. Everyone had a fun time and really enjoyed the day. I mentioned that Will is really into the whole thing this year, and my absolute favorite moment of the day was when I was standing in the kitchen and heard yelling through the open door to the garage. Will was standing in the driveway by himself with his hand cupped around his face, yelling up to the sky at the top of his lungs, "Thank you Santa Claus for a great Christmas!." I may forget many details of this day, but I think that memory is etched into my mind forever. Although the kids are still very focused in their presents and the gift giving part of Christmas, I was so happy that they seem to really grasp the fact that we are celebrating Jesus' birth. I hope that awareness and focus continues to grow in the coming years and that they will grow up truly understanding the reason for the season. Stay tuned for 2 more special birthday posts from the month of December until I fully move onto 2009.

Christmas Eve

Christmas Eve is always such an exciting day. Most of the work all done, and the anticipation is so high. We went to the 3:00 Children's Christmas Eve service and saw lots of friends there. It was particularly nice to see the Feighners in town from New Jersey. After Church we headed to Dallas and met my parents and Uncle Newman and Aunt Diane for dinner at Olive Garden. That is the first time I can remember eating out on Christmas Eve, and I really enjoyed that. It was nice to make a mess and leave! After we got home the kids were able to open up their Christmas Pajamas, and then after their showers, we sang Happy Birthday to Jesus and ate the cake we made earlier in the day for Him. Then we decided to check out where Santa was on the Santa tracker. There was a video of him caught earlier in the day that we watched, and Will completely freaked out when he saw it. He was certain Santa was going to be at our house that very minute, and he had to get to bed immediately, or Santa would skip over him. We tried to calm him down, but the more we tried, the more agitated Will became. He was literally crying hysterically with fear. I calmed him down enough to take our annual pictures in front the stockings and then set out cookies and milk for Santa. Will raced up the stairs and threw himself into bed. I could see his heart pounding in his chest. Then he became worried that Santa was coming into his room to peek at him. I assured him Santa was just going to set up the toys and leave in order to make it to every one's house. That seemed to satisfy him, and he went to sleep immediately after that. Will was definitely into Santa this year, and although I had a hard time not breaking down laughing, I loved his innocence and pure joy! Santa was in and out of our house pretty quickly that night and we all slept excited about the next day.

Christmas Traditions

One of the things I love about the holidays is all the traditions we follow each year. I hope my kids grow up loving all of these things and remembering some of them when they have their own families. This time of the year can be so busy, and I have to work to not think of some of these activities as things that just have to get done and checked off of my to-do list. I truly enjoy these things and especially love documenting them and looking back at them in years past. In addition to seeing Santa and baking cookies and looking at lights, I thought I would post about a couple of additional things we do that haven't been mentioned yet. The first one is The Magic Elf. This was his 3rd year to spend December in our house, and he has become part of the family, and we are all sad when he has to go back in his box and rest for the next year. We let him out of his box on the last day of December and he flies to different spots in the house holding a different card each day about Christmas or the Christmas spirit. The last five or so days tells the story of Jesus' birth. The Elf flies to a different spot each night, and the kids love going to find him every morning. Occasionally he doesn't move during the night, and that just means that he is really tired and needed a small break. Thankfully, this didn't happen more than a couple of times! Here is a picture of our Magic Elf.

Another thing we started this year was an interactive nativity scene. This was just a 7 night activity, and each night there was a new box to open with a new figure/character in it. Each child took a turn opening a box and placing the character in the scene. There was a story that went with each page written in poem form. There was also a Bible verse that went with each day, and I let Allison look up the verse in her Bible and read it to the family. The stories told about the birth of Christ, and each day ended with a buildup to the last day, which revealed what Jesus wants for Christmas. On the 7th box, when you open it up there is a mirror inside the box and the story reveals that YOU are what Jesus wants for Christmas. Allison got the most out of the whole experience, but we will do it again the next few years as Caroline and Will get a little older. It was also a great way to just have some family time each night during this busy time!

Of course we had to fit in making Christmas ornaments. Last year I found a place in Southlake, The Art House, that had certain times during December for drop-in ornament painting. This year and last year, in addition to making ornaments for home, each of the kids made an ornament for their teachers and for the nurse at CES. The kids were so proud to give their teacher their handmade gifts. The girls, especially, worked so hard on picking out colors and designs that they thought their teacher would like. Below are the ornaments that we took home for us. Caroline's is on the far left, Allison's is in the middle, and Will's is on the right. These were the last ornaments they painted, and I think they were a little tired of the whole thing by that point, but they are still cute, and as I always say, "It captured the moment/year!"

School Christmas Parties

I had a lot fun the week before Christmas going to the three kid's Christmas parties at school. Luckily each party was at a different time. Will's was first, and it was on Thursday, the 18th. They got to decorate cookies and then make small gingerbread houses with milk cartons as the base. Will was so proud of all his "loot", and it reminded me of days when I had three at preschool and would try to get everyone and all of their stuff out to the car after holiday parties. It is much easier with just one, although, it was still a lot of things to carry.

Caroline and Allison's party was the next day - Friday, the 19th. Caroline's was first, and Allison's followed right after that. Caroline's class followed their classroom western theme, and the room looked so cute. The ate snacks and then had a class book exchange.

At Allison's party they played Bingo, and the prize for each win was a coveted $2.00 to spend in the Spirit Shop. Then they ate popcorn and cookies and presented their teacher with a card that had a picture of all the kids holding a banner saying you are the best gift of all. Inside the card each child had written a paragraph about why they thought Miss Yruegas is the best gift. It was very cute! The last picture is an ornament Allison had to decorate to hang on the bulletin board.

White's Chapel Christmas Festival

The children always have such a wonderful time at the White's Chapel Christmas Festival. They always do something a little different each year, and this year they had a carnival type setting, complete with carnival rides and food. It was a cool evening, but it was really perfect for being outside. They had a live nativity scene, face painting, rides, games, pony rides, and train rides. Of course there was lots of yummy food, too. It's always fun to watch all the children having so much fun and to see friends from the church and community.

Baby Jesus Gifts

One of my favorite traditions at Chapel Hill Children's School is that every Christmas they have each of the children present gifts to Baby Jesus. They work very hard to make this a meaningful experience for the children, and I am sad our time is close to coming to an end with this. They dress the children up in robes and have them hold the Baby Jesus in their arms after they give them their gifts. It is explained to them that Jesus is not really getting the gifts, but that some little boys and girls that really have some needs for these things would be receiving their gifts. In this way, they are helping Jesus by helping other little children. I made a big deal out of taking Will to the store to purchase his gifts for Baby Jesus. He asked a few times on the way there if maybe we couldn't get just one little thing for him, too. I explained that no, this trip was not for him, but for others. He wasn't so sure, but once we got in the store, he got really into it, and kept going from item to item saying (loudly), "I think Jesus would really like this!". In fact, I had to cut him off, and tell him that I thought we had enough gifts this year for Baby Jesus.

Christmas Dance Performances

Both Allison and Caroline take combination dance classes at Lifesong in Colleyville, and they performed in the Christmas Dance Recital last Sunday, December 21st. Caroline went first and danced a tap routine to Rock Santa Rock. Allison's class performed a jazz routine to Last Christmas. Both girls have taken dance for several years, but this is our first year at Lifesong, and our first year to participate in a Christmas Recital. It was so festive, and short, which made Ray very happy! I told him not to worry. They will each be performing three dances with three new costumes next June, and he will have the privilege to sit and watch them for hours. He really does enjoy their show, and we are both very proud of our girls.

Deck The Halls

Allison began taking piano lessons last June, and she has really loved learning to play. December 20th was her first official recital at Lifesong Studio, and she played Deck the Halls. She practiced faithfully for several weeks and nailed her piece at the performance. She had such a great time, and today someone asked her what her favorite activity is and she said piano. I've been surprised that she never resists practicing except sometimes I will ask her to play a piece one more time, and she thinks she should be finished! She really does seem to enjoy practicing and doing scales. It is especially fun for her to play a song that she can sing along to. Maybe voice lessons should be next!

Gobby's 101st Birthday

The middle of December holds several special birthdays in our family. On December 17th, my maternal Grandmother, Gobby, turned 101. We celebrated by having a small party in a private room at the Bently in Dallas, where she lives. My mom brought a beautiful cake and ice cream, and Gobby was thrilled with all the attention. Our whole family along with my parents and my brother and Katherine and Libby were there. My grandmother's good friend Lelia was there along with Fiona from her church. After cake and ice cream, Gobby got open a few presents. She kept saying over and over again, "Don't I have a nice family?" She is really amazing for someone her age and even though things continue to get harder for her, she often says how good she feels for her age. She is coming to my house for Christmas this year, and we are excited because she hasn't been out of the Bently in about a year. Happy Birthday, Gobby! We can't wait to celebrate your 102nd birthday with you next year.

Polar Express Day

December 17th was a very fun day at school for the girls. It was Polar Express Day, and they both got to wear their pajamas to school for the day. Each child got a ticket to the Polar Express and Santa and Mrs. Claus (the principal) came to school and read the Polar Express Story to all the children by grade level. They had a special lunch that day, and all those that believed received a bell!

Our Day

I'm still playing catch up with blogging all of our December activities, but I thought I would stop and do a current post on what we actually did today. I loved today. I was able to sleep in a little, and then I went to the gym and had a great workout. I got housework done, and then we all made Christmas cookies complete with decorating with LOTS of sprinkles. I joked that they needed to have some cookies with their icing and sprinkles. Then we had breakfast for dinner, which is a favorite in our house, and ended the day driving around Southlake looking at Christmas lights. It was a truly enjoyable day, minus some bickering and a painting mishap, and we are looking forward to a lot of these slower paced days over the next couple of weeks.

Mother/Daughter Christmas

Every year my dear friends from High School, Marci and Susan, and I get together with our mothers for a Christmas dinner. We have always been minus Becky and her mom, but we just recently got the GREAT news that Becky and Rick are moving to Dallas in June, and they plan to stay put here for a long time. I am so excited that Becky will be so close, and we all talked about how great it will be next year to have them part of our dinner. This year the dinner almost didn't happen. When we were together for Susan's birthday in early November, we got out our calendars to try to be proactive and get a date on the calendar in December. Between our three schedules, along with our mom's, the only night we could come up with that would work would be December 16th. That is much later than we normally do, but that's the only date we could find. Then we had the terrible luck of having the one bad/ice weather day of the season so far fall on the 16th. We decided it was just too far to drive to Dallas on the highways, but, miracously, we were able to reschedule for the 18th. We went to Hattie's in the OakCliff area and had wonderful Southern food. We always do a small gift exchange, and it is just so neat to be together after all these years. We all met between 3rd and 5th grade and have so much history together. Their friendships are constants in my life, and I am so lucky to have these lifelong friends.

Front Row - Sandra and Betty

Back Row - Marci, Beth, Linda, and Susan

Christmas is For Children and Mimosa Manor

Many of the Schools in Southlake participate in a program called Christmas is For Children. This organization represents several agencies and takes on families that do not have the ability to have a Christmas. Our school chose to adopt many, many angels this year. We decided to take two angels - one for Allison and one for Caroline. These girls were sisters aged 4 and 8. Allison, Caroline, and I made a big trip to Walmart and purchased lots of things for these girls. They divide up the wish list into wants, needs, and educational items, which makes it a lot easier to shop. It was exciting because the older girl asked for a bike, and we were able to find a very reasonably priced one to give her. We (I) wrapped all the gifts and delivered them up to school on the designated day. It was unbelievable the number of bags of toys and clothes and bikes that were up in the foyer of the school. It was very moving, and we feel fortunate to be part of a school that has such generous families. I hope it makes an impact on my kids and that helping others, especially during the holidays, becomes a part of their lives.

Allison was fortunate enough to go with a group of students from Carroll Elementary to Mimosa Manor Nursing Home in Keller. Each December and at various other times of the year, CES takes a group out there to help and entertain the residents there. Their favorite activity is Bingo, and so the group leads a series of Bingo games. While an adult volunteer calls out the letters and number, the students help the players with the game and pass out prizes when they win. When someone gets a Bingo, you better get over there quickly with a prize or someone is likely to get upset! The people there really love seeing all the young people and playing Bingo, and I'm glad Allison can participate even in a small way helping others during this time of the year. This year they had so many students and gifts there, that Allison got to take the basket up and down the halls to pass out gifts to the ones that were not able to come and play Bingo.

Jingle All The Way

The second graders at Carroll Elementary School performed the Christmas Musical Jingle All The Way on the evening of December 11th. This is the second performance we have watched under the music teacher, Pamela Platt, and we are very impressed with her ability to direct first and second graders in this way. The show was so cute, and the premise was that Santa had lost his jingle and the reindeer and elves and children were there to help him get it back. The costumes were amazing, and the show was humorous and touching. As our principal said after the show, "If you're not in the Christmas spirit after watching that, I'm not sure you are ever going to be." Allison played one of the children and was excited to wear her pajamas, robe, and slippers. It was very fun watching Allison perform, and we are treasuring these moments as we know they will not last forever.

Breakfast WIth Santa

Our Preschool, Chapel Hill Children's School, hosts an annual Breakfast with Santa. We have missed several times due to sporting games/etc., but this year I was determined to go. Of course, after I bought the tickets, Allison got her basketball schedule, and her first game of the year was right in the middle of the breakfast. We were able to get there right when it started and take two separate cars, so everyone got to enjoy the party. They had pancakes and sausage lots of crafts and cookie decorating. The big hit is Santa, and everyone got a turn talking with him and taking pictures, of course. Caroline was very excited to see her beloved Ms. Anne from the 4 years old preschool class, and we were so glad we squeezed this event into our weekend.

Christmas with the Semadenis

After the Christmas Cookie Exchange on Sunday afternoon we headed up to Frisco to celebrate Christmas with Ray's brother and family. The kids always look forward to seeing Uncle Forty, Aunt Robin, and cousin Jack. We always make a point to spend time together having our own Christmas. I know our Christmas celebration will hold special memories for my kids as they grow older. The get-together always involves food, and Robin made a delicious lasagna this year. We had salad and bread with it, and then Christmas decorated cupcakes for dessert. We always have fun opening presents, and Aunt Robin is a very good gift buyer. Allison got The Game of Life - Pink, Caroline got Hannah Montana Twister, and Will got Helmet Heroes Racer. I got a beautiful necklace, and Ray got a cool golf shirt. We are so glad we are able to spend a Christmas evening with them every year.

Christmas Cookie Exchange

If it seems like all I have done this month is go to parties, then you are right. I have attened a lot of holiday related activities, and I have loved every one of them. I especially like the ones that are yearly traditions, and this one falls into that category. My good friend, Allison, hosts a cookie exchange every year on a Sunday afternoon in early December, so we all have a variety of cookies to enjoy for the holidays. In our case, unfortunately, it last about a week, which is not good for a lot of reasons. Everyone makes 6 dozen to share and one dozen to sample. The rules are not strict, and as long as it falls into a holiday treat category, it works. There is a prize given for the best looking and the best tasting. I was excited win best looking this year, and, as someone pointed out, this was my first year to make an appearance in the winner's circle. I made Pretzel Hugs, and they are ridiculously easy, but they are festive to look at. Allison always has a beautiful table, a creativly decorated house, and delicious snacks to go along with the cookies. I really treasure her friendship.

Christmas Book Club

I know I have blogged about my Book Club before, but Christmas would not be complete without Book Club. We always have a special ornament exchange in December. It's always a very nice ornament, and the ones I have gotten at Book Club are some of favorite on the tree. When we're decorating the tree, it's fun to remember where each ornament came from. This is a pictures of the ornament that I ended up with this year. I love it, and I especially love the fact that it says Reading Between the Wines on it! I should mention that the exchange is very competitive and no one holds back on their stealing. I got this on the 3rd steal, which is the only reason I ended up with it. Angela hosted this year, and we had a delicious Italian meal at the dining room table. Another tradition we have is as a group adopting a family in need for Christmas from the Genesis Women's shelter. It is great to be able to give back to a family that is struggling and would otherwise not have much for Christmas. I hope to be adding to my Book Club ornament collection for many years!

Trinity Class Christmas Party

Saturday night was our Trinity Class Sunday School Christmas Party. It is always a huge event with 50 plus people there. We all bring food and have a huge feast with delicious meat, salad, sides, and desserts. Besides the fellowship, the highlight is always the famous White Elephant Gift Exchange. There are some gifts that have made their way into the gift exchange for many years. We received one of those this year, and let’s just say that we will be re-gifting it next year. It is always an evening of fun, laughter, and good food, and we are fortunate to be apart of such a great group of people who are committed to friendship and studying God’s Word together.

After the SS party, we made our way over to our old neighborhood and attended a party at the Matthews house. They have a beautifully decorated house, and we enjoyed seeing some friends from our old neighborhood. We missed the gift exchange on that one, but hopefully we will able to take part in their annual tradition next year. Christie and I were friends back in our single days, and then we both worked at Sprint together in different departments. We lost touch, and then 4 years ago, I ran into her at the women’s neighborhood ornament exchange. Will and her daughter are in preschool class together this year, and Allison and her son were in Kindergarten together. Our paths keep continuing to cross.

We are thankful for friends to celebrate the holidays with!

CHCS Mom's Group

When Allison was in the three old class at Chapel Hill Children's School, I became friends with a group of mom's who all had kids in the 3s and various other ages. We started having play dates and girl's night out on a regular basis. I started to really look forward to our outings and discussions on the comings and goings of life at Chapel Hill. One of our first traditions was an annual Christmas Party. Last week was the 5th annual party. The group has gotten quite a bit smaller, but our core group has stayed the same, and we love our get-togethers. Wendy hosted this year and provided all the food and drink. She had an amazing spread. We had a fun gift exchange, and I received a beautiful necklace from stelladot.com. Each year we are given party favors, and this year I got a pair of scissors for my car. I can honestly say that I have never thought about putting scissors in my car, but I have used them twice in the week I have had them, so I'm calling it a success! I should also mention that it was a pajama party. You had to come in Christmas Pajamas. This was a little out of my box, but I managed to find some cute PJ's that I think I will wear again, and I have to admit, I haven't been that comfortable at a party in a long time. Maybe it's not an accident that I don't have any pictures from the party!

Neighborhood Fun

Early this year I received an email from a neighbor that had moved into our neighborhood the same month we did - September 07. They had moved from the Dallas area and had decided to try Suburban life. The email was inviting me and the kids to attend a Play Group for kids in the neighborhood. I went mainly because they have a boy that is a year older than Will, and I wanted Will to make some friends. We were the only family that made it, and Angela and I hit it off immediately and talked for a couple of hours. My kids were completely entertained by all the new toys. Part of our discussion was about working out, and we realized we both belonged to Lifetime. She talked me into doing some of the group exercise classes with her, and it has truly changed my life. I started going with her, and I was embarrassed in the beginning because she insisted we stand right at the front because you get a better workout that way. I was intimidated, but I soon discovered she was right. It does make me work harder in the front, and I am hooked on the whole thing. The two classes we attend the most often are Kickbox Jam and Strike (combination of kickboxing and total conditioning), and sometimes I make the barbell strength class. I don't have to have her there anymore to go to the classes, and we both often attend on our own, but I love it when she is there and look forward to those classes every week.

This Christmas, Angela hosted a Girl's Christmas gathering. She provided all the food and drink, and we had a fun Christmas Gift Exchange. I ended up with Angela's gift, and it is a cute snowman that holds a bottle of wine. It was a fun evening out, and I enjoyed seeing some of my neighbors and meeting new friends of hers. I'm glad our paths have crossed, and I'm looking forward to many more years of friendship.

GEMS

I am a member of a group called GEMS - Godly Encouragement For Moms. We meet once a month at the leader's home and have a different topic each month. We have a program/discussion on things like parenting strategies, kids eating healthy, budgeting, handling sibling issues, school topics, relationships with our spouses, etc. We have been meeting for several years now, and I always look forward to that night each month. I leave with good ideas and am encouraged by the discussion. When we started years ago our kids were all very young, so as our kids have grown, our topics have changed, too, so it is nice being in the same stage of life with the group. Each December we have a Christmas party, and along with food, of course, we have a book gift exchange. Each person brings a book that has been meaningful and helpful to them in parenting or even just in general. There is always a lot of stealing going on and a fight for the most popular books. This year I came home with a children's book called The True Story of Christmas by Nell Navillus. It is a beautiful book, and the kids have enjoyed hearing it. I feel fortunate to be part of such a great group.

Fall Soccer

The girls both had great soccer seasons this fall. I was waiting to do a post in the blog until after Allison had her end of the season party. The trophy is a big part of the soccer season! Allison played on the Groovy Girls again and is really getting to know the girls on the team. The team won all but one game and is going to play up a division in the spring to give them more competition. Another highlight of the year was changing jerseys to the color purple and getting tie die and monkey socks to match. It’s a great group of girls, and they seem to have a lot of fun playing together under Coach Wade.
Caroline is still on the Mighty Dragons, and Daddy is still coaching. They are still a coed team, and many of the other teams have switched to all girls or all boys. Her team ended up playing several all boy teams, and that wasn’t always evenly matched. I think the kids all had fun, though, and they definitely enjoyed their end of the season party and their fun Coach Ray!

Both girls are playing indoor soccer this winter and will be starting their spring season in late February.

Buckaroo of the Week

The week after Thanksgiving Caroline was Buckaroo of the Week at school. This is their version of Star of the Week, and being Buckaroo of the Week entailed some very special things. Each Wednesday the current Buckaroo of the week draws a name out of the boot, and Caroline's name was drawn the week before Thanksgiving. The first thing we did was create an all about me poster and information sheet for Caroline to take to school on Monday. She got to present the poster to the class, and then it hung in a prominent place in the room all week. Each day held something special for Caroline, including a day without wearing shoes while in the classroom and drawing with markers that smell! The week ends with a parent going up to school and reading some of Caroline's favorite books to the class. I had a doctor's appointment with Allison, so Daddy got to go up to the school and read the books with Caroline. Two of the books they read were Pinkalicious and Belinda in Paris. I got an email from Caroline's teacher while Ray was reading saying he was so good with the kids and had missed his calling in life. He had such a great time, but he said he is not interested in being a Kindergarten teacher full time. After the books are read, the class presents Caroline with a boot book. Each child and teacher makes a page for Caroline telling why they like her and then they draw a picture. Caroline is very proud of her book, and I know we will treasure it for many years. Some of the things written were:

YEE- HAW for Caroline because...she is fun, she plas weth me, I like her, she is my friend, she is fune, she rides mi bus, she is kot (cute), I sit by hr, she wus invitid to mi brayy, she is my best bff, she is such an awesome reader, she always works so hard, and she has a very sweet heart!

Thanksgiving Week

The kids were all off from school the entire week of Thanksgiving, and we were able to do some fun things and get some work accomplished. The first three days of the break Ray took Allison to go visit his mom in Kentucky. They had a great time and enjoyed spending time with Grandma. The highlight of the trip, besides eating at Skyline, was visiting the Miami of Ohio campus where Ray went to college. While they were there, they saw a hockey game, and got to meet Swoop, the Redhawk mascot. It was a lot of fun for Allison, but truth be told, Ray was beside himself. He is bragging now that Swoop is his new friend on Facebook. Besides the game, they were able to go to church with Grandma, visit the cemetery, and eat out with some of the Gerdes clan. The last day there, Allison enjoyed going to the salon to have her nails and hair done with Grandma. It was a successful trip, and next time Daddy is going to take Caroline with him for a special visit.

While they were gone, Gram and I took Will and Caroline to the tree lighting ceremony at the Southlake Town Center. We went out to dinner at Mi Cocina, and then enjoyed all the festivities. They were able to paint ornaments, get character balloons, and get their face painted. There was beautiful Christmas music being sung everywhere, and between that and the lights, we really got into the Christmas spirit. I know, it wasn’t even Thanksgiving yet! The next day Gram and I did some Christmas shopping, and then she kept the kids overnight for a sleepover, so I got some really good sleep. It was great being able to sleep until I woke up. I can’t remember the last time I did that.

The next day, Tuesday, our good friends the Dunbars, minus Marty, were in town, and we got to spend several hours with them. Jami and I talk a lot through email, facebook, and the occasional phone call, but it was so nice to be able to sit and talk and really catch up. They kids enjoyed seeing each other, especially Allison and Jillian. I met Jami when I was pregnant with Allison, and Jillian was just a baby. They are nine months apart and have been friends their whole life. We felt so lucky to get some time in with our special friends.

Wednesday, I made the long drive to Madearis and took the kids to have formal pictures taken at the place that I have used for years. Santa is usually there, but he had been there while Allison was in Kentucky, so we had to settle for just the scene they had set up. They did great, and we captured the year!

Thursday, Thanksgiving Day, I got up and went and ran the 8 mile Turkey Trot in Downtown Dallas by myself. I have always wanted to do that and have been running some, so I decided to do it. It gave me more permission to eat more turkey later in the day. I would love to have done it with someone, but I actually had a great run and would do it again. We spent the rest of the day at Gram and Grandpa’s house with Uncle Bill, Aunt Kristen, Katherine, and Libby. As always, Gram had a delicious dinner, and we all enjoyed it.

The rest of the weekend we spent decorating the house for Christmas and doing a little shopping. The girls also had some school projects to do, so we kept busy. Our last day of the break, we made our annual trip to Northpark to see the sites and Santa. Gram went with us much to Ray’s relief - both that he didn’t have to go and because he had the better part of the day to himself. We saw Rudolph, a puppet show, and a little bit of the Scrooge show before seeing Santa. The kids all loved Santa this year, and I love the picture we got. We had dinner at Corner Bakery before heading home. Before we knew it was time to go back to school We had a great week, but I think we were all ready to get back to our routine and get into all the Christmas activities.

Native American Day

Well, I am really behind on blogging, but before I move onto Thanksgiving week I wanted to post about Allison's Thanksgiving Day at school. The 2nd grade celebrated Native Amercian Day by going around to different stations in each classroom making things like a placemat, hats, and beaded bracelets. I had fun going around taking pictures of each of the sections.