Blog update!

Okay. Here it is. I updated today. I hope you enjoy. We did.

School and Christmas

I was at school 4 out of 5 days this week, and I didn't see any work being done. I did watch a bunch of kids eat a lot of sugar though. Oh, I also went to see the Nutcracker Ballet with Sarah's class. Although the ballet was somewhat less than professional, it was fun to hear the laughter, and the oo's and ah's of the hundreds of children in the auditorium. Here are some pictures. 

By the way, I am happy to share that despite my anxiety about the kids being out of school for two weeks as well as Paul being off of work for two weeks (I will explain that later), I had a pleasant afternoon of cleaning in solitude. The kids were let out at noon today, and Paul was already home. I got to go into my office and clean undisturbed while Paul coerced the children to clean up the rest of house. It was so relaxing (for me). 

Eliza's 10th Birthday!

Last weekend we held Eliza's birthday party. She had a blast, and I think her friends did too. They played darts, Cranium, something I will call a human puzzle, and a balloon relay game. They also danced, and ate pizza and ice cream cake. One of Eliza's friends told Paul, "I thought you were going to be a nerd dad, but your not. You're a cool dad." Sweet! 

Editing note: (Can anyone tell me how to get my photos in the order I want. I always end up with them in the wrong order!)

Christmas decorating

The week after Thanksgiving we got out the Christmas decorations. Eliza made her own tree and decorated it. Leah was adorable as she set out the nativity. She silently and very thoughtfully arranged the pieces.

Snow Day!

Last week we had the best snow I have ever seen in years. We only had about 2-3 inches, but it stuck around for 3 days in some spots. I was amazed. The kids had a blast in it. In the last picture, Luke is brushing the snow off the dog (not ours). He felt bad for the dog and was getting very frustrated trying to keep the snow off. It was hilarious!

Busy, busy, busy . . .

I've been busy like all of you, but I don't want another day to go by without say hi. 

So, Hi!

Oh, and Merry Christmas!

By the way, last night Paul and I tested the children's Christmas present. I like it, but I'm sore and my pride is seriously hurt. It told me my fitness age is 72. I know, go ahead and laugh. In my defense, it was really late, I was already sore, it was my first time playing the game, and my tendonitis was hurting me. I know, I can hear you all saying, "But 72?" So, what was your first fitness age? 

More of Sarah's baptism

Sarah's baptism

Last week we had a very, very special day! Yes Thanksgiving was a special day, but this one was even better. Not only did we enjoy celebrating Sarah's 8th birthday but also her baptism. My mom and dad came down for it, and many members of our branch attended despite it being the week of Thanksgiving. I have other pictures to post, but blogger is not cooperating at the moment.

Grandma's Birthday!

Grandma Hazel celebrated her 86th birthday last week. Yes the other two kids in the picture are the twins. They don't favor a bit!

Halloween

We had 2 nights of Halloween this year. Halloween night Paul and the kids went to the Trunk or Treat at our church. On November 1st they went to the First Baptist church's Fall Festival. Lots of fun! I didn't go crazy with costumes this year. We had a monster, a performer, nurse/doctor, and a lady bug.

The life cycle of a lady bug:

Luke was a very scary monster.

This slide was extremely tall and steep. Luke needed a little help getting up. It was hilarious watching them get up there.

This was at our branch's Trunk or Treat.

Homecoming parade

Unlike most schools, ours combines elementary, middle and high school all in one. One of the benefits(?) of this is that the younger kids start going to pep rallies in kindergarten (this creates some serious school spirit!), and they can be signed out early for the homecoming parade. I know most of you will find this whole entry amusing, but you must understand. Homecoming is a big deal here. The whole town comes out to see it. Businesses pause for the hour, so they can go to view it. It is held on Main Street, so all the traffic is held up for 45 minutes. Every year I have lived here, the children and I have gone downtown to sit with Grandma Hazel and Grandpa Dan (their great-grandparents) at his produce stand. Grandpa was a home sick today, but we convinced Grandma to come with us. 

I love my little town!

Writing again!

So, I have been helping out at the school with the Box Tops for Education program, and I thought it would be great to have the local, weekly newspaper to do a story about it again. I talked to the publisher about it, and she asked me to write it for her. Even though it has been about nine years since I have written for publication, I agreed. After I turned the story in, the publisher contacted me and asked if I wanted to begin writing for them again on a regular basis. I decided to start very slowly with a couple stories a month. Hurray! I am a writer again. An extremely rusty writer, but a writer nonetheless. I am happy!

The Gardens

Today the kids and I drove a friend to Birmingham, and while we were there we visited the Birmingham Botanical Gardens. I had a back-up plan in mind, but to my surprise, the children ran around excitedly viewing the flowers and plants. Even though it was fall, the roses were beautiful. It was a great visit.