Thanksgiving week with a trip to San Antonio 11/18 - 11/24/2018

The kids had the week off of school for Thanksgiving.

Monday I had my dance fitness class and then the kids played poisonball in the afternoon. 

Tuesday I was getting ready for our trip and making food. Months ago we had planned to go camping with 3 other families over thanksgiving.  Well as it got closer it looked like it was going to be pretty cold (for us Texans) and rainy.  Two families bailed and then the 3rd decided not to go just this past Sunday.  We thought about going by ourselves, but I really wanted to be with friends for the holiday.  We had booked a hotel in San Antonio for Wednesday and then we were going to camp Friday and Saturday.  We couldn't cancel our hotel, so we decided to do a quick trip to San Antonio and then come back for T-day with friends at their house.  I offered to bring food that I could make ahead of time.  So I prepared a veggie tray, jello, drinks, and planned to cook some corn on the day of.

Wednesday we left early to go to San Antonio.  We arrived around lunch time and ate our packed lunches in the van.  We went to the Doseum - their version of a children's museum.  We all had so much fun, even the older kids.  The first part was a like an escape room.  We spent a lot of time looking for clues and finding secret doors.  We lasted about 3-4 hours at the museum, then we went to dinner at Panda Express and then saw the new Wreck it Ralph movie in the theater.  We packed a lot of fun in one day! Everyone was tired.  We checked into our Holiday Inn - it was in a questionable part of town, but nothing bad happened.  We were pleasantly surprised to see that there was a pull out couch in the room, we had thought we were going to have to put 3 on the floor.  So Damon and Jenna slept on the pull out bed, Chris slept on the 'L' part of the couch, Tyler and Kaylee shared one of the queens and Doug and I had the other.  It was a bit tricky getting everyone to bed with the shared bathroom and not enough doors - but we managed. 

I'm inside this dodecahedron!

Thursday - Thanksgiving Day!  So grateful for my family and Doug especially.  We had a fun breakfast at the hotel - it was great having so many options that I didn't have to make.  I had a yummy omelet, cinnamon roll, yogurt, pancake and juice.  The kids are getting better at these types of buffets.  So nice that the older ones can take care of themselves.

We got a shuttle from our hotel to the Alamo at 9:30.  There was a fun run going on in the city so we had to go a creative route to get there.  So glad that we weren't driving - we wold have had a hard time finding our way.  The Alamo was pretty neat.  It was a chilly morning and we only had our light jackets.  We would warm up in some of the different buildings as we walked around.  Everyone liked learning about the canons and the different types of balls that they could shoot. 

 After the Alamo we went down to the River Walk.  We didn't go very far, but it was very pretty.  The girls we complaining of being tired and they were cold, so we headed back to the hotel.

After we went back to the hotel we packed up to leave for home.  We ate at a What-a-burger on the way.  We tried a McDonald's but they were closed.  We left around 1:00 and got home around 4:00.  Thanksgiving dinner was scheduled for 5 so we had a bit of time to collect ourselves.  I made a quick batch of molasses sugar cookies to bring.  I was going to make a cobbler type cake and cook it at her house while we ate, but she said her oven would probably be in use.  So I thought cookies would be good for the kids. 

Dinner was great, we had a fun time with the Seagers.  They had a nice formal dining table set up for the adults and the kids did pretty well on their own in the kitchen.  Another family came over for pie afterwards.  We started dinner kind of late, so we had pie a little too quickly I think, but it was fun to visit and try some different pies.  I felt bad that I didn't have time to make one, but the Rowley's brought a bunch. 

We just visited for quite awhile and the kids played upstairs.  It was a nice thanksgiving and probably warmer than we would have been camping. :)

Friday was nice to just be at home.  I got some shopping done online - I had done some earlier in the week too.  We got out all of the Christmas decorations and had fun putting the tree up.  The kids are getting to be better helpers.

Saturday we cleaned and did our normal things.  We decided to take advantage of the warmish weather and go to the beach.  Everyone had a blast playing in the sand.  Another mom with her boys came and joined us. 

I took Chris to a birthday party in the evening and I picked up a few things at Hobby Lobby and the Dollar Store.

It was a great Thanksgiving week.  Not looking forward to making lunches and getting up early again. :(

Book Fair, End of Soccer, and Family Pictures 11/11-11/17 2018

This week was the Book Fair at the Elementary.  I've been helping a lot in the library this year so I got to help throughout the week.  I missed setting up because Kaylee was sick.  The kids had fun looking through all of the book and finally picking their two books.  One for now, and one for Christmas.  I ate lunch with the girls and Chris so that we could pick out their book together.  I'm glad we went on the first day, the ones that Chris wanted were all gone by Tuesday.  

The librarian dresses up as Clifford, the kids thought it was fun to see the Big Red Dog!

Tuesday I missed institute to help at Tyler's school.  They had been learned about politeness and having good manners and set up a formal type Thanksgiving lunch for the students.  Moms volunteered to be the servers for each table.  It was a pretty big production but I thought it went really well.  The kids were encouraged to dress up for the occasion.  I don't know if their manners were improved, but I think they had a good time.  The sad bit was how much food was thrown away.  Not all kids appreciate turkey, mashed potatoes, stuffing and green beans.  I was hungry by the end and would have gladly eaten a plate. :)

I had a dentist appointment on Wednesday and will have to go back for a filling.  I was pretty bummed.  I really don't like my teeth and worry about them frequently.  I clench my jaw a lot and my gums are usually tender.  Sigh, I do my best with brushing etc, but they still seem to give me problems.  

Thursday we were going to go to the Book Fair event at the school in the evening, but since we had already bought our books we decided to stay home.  I had GNO in the evening and we played games and visited.

Friday I went to the temple to do initiatories then I went to the school to help clean up the Book Fair.  There were still lots of books to put away.  But we had a lot of helpers so it didn't take too long.  

Saturday was Tyler's last soccer game.  Doug and Damon were helping with an Eagle project so they couldn't go.  The night before we actually got an email saying that the game was canceled - so I took the morning at an easy pace.  Then at 8:15 we learned that there had been a mistake and that the game was still on - so we had 45 minutes to finish breakfast and get everyone ready to go.  We made it fine, but it was a bit of a scramble. :)  

Tyler had a great game - he scored twice and had some assists.  He had quite a few shots on goal - some were a bit embarrassing that he missed, but at least the coach was good about it.  This field had a fun park so the younger three just played during the game.  

We stopped at the library on the way home then quickly had lunch and baths to get ready for family pictures.   They didn't go so well.  All the kids started out in really grumpy moods, nobody wanted to be there.  I'm praying that our photographer can perform some miracle to get an ok picture from the lot.  Tyler was in tears by the end and overall was being a huge stink and was not being willing to smile for any of  the shots.  I am reminding myself to not pay for a nice photographer (we hadn't had one in 2 years) and just take them ourselves.  The kids usually smile better for us and is less stressful. 

Side note on Chris, he has been enjoying putting the puzzle of the USA together. 

3rd Grade program, Goodbye to the Truck, Suzuki Ribbon Festival 11/4 - 11/10 2018

Sunday was daylight's savings.  I got up at my normal early time, but it felt like I was sleeping in.  It was great.  The kids now are able to sleep in a bit so they weren't up crazy early.  I think the girls got up at 6:50, which is pretty good for them, almost 8:00.  We had tithing settlement after church which was fine.  We had a low key dinner, but decided to try pumpkin pie in the dutch oven.  We are going camping over Thanksgiving so I wanted to see if this was an option.  It didn't turn out as well as I had hoped.  I don't think it was cooked all of the way, and the flavor tasted different.  So I think we may just stick with cobbler for dessert.  :) 

Monday - Wednesday normal activities: dance fitness class, institute, soccer, piano lessons.  The elementary is getting ready for the Book Fair, so this week was 'preview week.'  The kids could come in and write down their wish list of books.  There were so many books, and they all looked good.  It was hard for my kiddos to pick their favorite two.  

Thursday was Chris's 3rd grade program.  It was a patriotic one for Veteran's Day.  They did a good job.  It's funny because I know that Chris knows the songs - he sings them at home - but his mouth wasn't moving much during the performance.  I wonder if he just gets anxious or just doesn't move his mouth much.  Silly kid.  

I made bread a couple of times during the week.  Some to give away and some for us.  I'm busy running to the store for various things.  I had been bad about writing out a menu, so it seems I'm always having to run back to the store for something I need.  

Tyler had an orthodontist appointment this week.  He is ready for braces, we just need to decide when to have him start.  Damon is ready as well.  So we will probably get that going soon.  

I visited with one of my ministering sisters this week.  We are going camping with them so we talked about a menu and if we were going to try and actually make a turkey dinner for Thanksgiving.  I think we will try, but just make a simplified version.  

Friday I went and turned in my application for my passport - getting ready for our cruise next fall.  That was exciting.  I hurried home after stopping at the library to talk to my friend who is helping us with our travel plans.  It's so nice to have someone who knows what they're doing help out. 

Doug and I went to the temple Friday night.  It had been a long time since we had done a session together, it was nice even though we got to bed late.  It was a very full session and Doug was the last one out of the room.  It was hard to maneuver around people in the Celestial Room.  

Saturday Doug took Tyler and Caleb to their soccer game.  They both scored a goal and their team won 4-1.  On their way home Doug was stopped at a light in the left lane.  When the light turned green Doug started to go into the intersection and suddenly a minivan coming from the opposite direction turns left and hits Doug head-on (corner to corner).  Everyone was ok, but the truck was in bad shape.  Tyler had been drinking Gatorade at the time and had red mess all over him.  Tyler was pretty shook up about the whole thing, scared him a bit.  I got a call from Doug and went to pick them up.  It was a cold day and the boys were waiting in the Walgreens nearby.  Doug hurried to finish the paperwork so he could come home too.  We were in a bit of a rush because both Tyler and Caleb needed to get home to get ready for a piano event that we were going to that afternoon.  We left the parking lot at 12:15 and needed to leave our house for piano at 1:00.  Tyler had 15 minutes to quickly rinse off and get ready to go.  We ate our lunch on the way.  

The other driver was a 16 year old young man.  He was in shock from it all too.  He was driving a Sienna mini-van.

Here is the good ol' Nissan Titan.  It was 11 years old and in really good condition.  We were sorry to see it go.  It had been a great truck.  

So after Tyler and I got ready we hopped in the car with a friend and drove about 45 minutes to a piano event.  Tyler was in a room with about 10 other performers.  They each played two Suzuki pieces and a judge wrote down some positive and critical remarks.  Tyler did a good job.  A few nerves showed through, but he was pleased with his performance.  All the participants received a medal.

  

After we got home we ate pizza and then Doug and I went to the adult session of Stake Conference.  It was a busy Saturday!  We stayed after and visited with friends.  Doug got to share his accident story multiple times. :)  

Halloween! 10/28 - 11/3

Sunday evening we went to check out the site for the new church house that is being built.  We won't go to it, but it will make it so we only have 3 ward in our building instead of 4.  So hopefully it will get done soon.  They have the foundation poured and some piping done.  

We played a park briefly.  We realized once we got there that there were tons of mosquitoes out, so we didn't stay long.  

 Monday was normal busy with my dance class, grocery shopping, helping at the school, and play practice.  It's always a juggle to get dinner ready for Damon to finish while I am gone.  He is such a great helper. 

Tuesday we carved pumpkins after an early dinner.  Doug and I still do the majority of the scraping, but it's nice that the older ones can do more of the work now. 

 Wednesday was Halloween.  It rained all day and we started thinking about trick or treating at the church or just hiding candy in the house for the kids to find.  The forecast said that there might be a slight lull in the storm in the evening so we decided to wait and see.  The rain totally stopped at 6:30 and instantly tons of kids were outside.  It was great!  We went around our block and the kids had filled their buckets.  The rain started back up again around 7:30/8:00 so it was perfect.  Damon walked with us for about 30 minutes and then went to a party at a friend's house.  He had fun.  It was raining so hard when he got home that I ran out with an umbrella to escort him to the door.  It was a fun Halloween.  The kids picked out their favorite candy and then I save some for Christmas and birthdays, and then we give the rest to the dentist who sends it over seas.

 Chris's is a silhouette of a cat, Tyler's is a hand coming out of the ground, and the dragon is one I helped carve at Chris's class at school. 

 Kaylee's is a face, Jenna's is a bat and a cat face.

Damon's is a Fortnite Llama

 Lots of candy!

It seemed like a Friday on Halloween, but the rest of the week continued on.  

Thursday was the 1st grade field trip.  We went to a place called 7 Acre Wood.  They had some fun outdoor activities.  Because of all the rain the day before the hay ride was closed, but surprisingly the ground wasn't too muddy.  Kaylee was sick in the night and morning so Doug worked from home to stay with her so I could chaperone with Jenna's class.  Kaylee was of course so sad that she had to miss her field trip, but we had gone there as a family before.  

It was pretty cold when we got there - the coldest day yet here.  Lots of moms and kid didn't come very prepared.  I was glad I wore my long underwear under my jeans.  But by the end of the trip all jackets were off and it was a beautiful day.  

Friday I was going to go to the temple, but Kaylee still didn't feel very well - but she seemed fine enough for some errands.  So we did a big trip into the Woodlands and went to the library, Ross, Hobby Lobby, and Walmart.  She was a great shopper even though I probably wore her out a bit.  It was kind of fun to go with just one.  

Friday evening Doug and Damon went on a campout with the scouts.  They backpacked in for a couple of miles - hiking in the dark.  They were able to use a lot of the new backpacking gear that we brought home from our Utah trip.  Doug said it was all awesome.  Damon raved about the Mountain House dehydrated meal that they cooked.  He wants me to make it all the time. lol.  

 Saturday I took the younger 3 to Tyler's soccer game.  Tyler does well.  He made some great defensive plays and had some good shots on goal.  No goal this game, but he had one last week.  It was perfect weather - so nice to finally have some fall temperatures.  We stopped at Hobby Lobby to exchange some things I had bought the day before and picked up some Thanksgiving crafts. 

The kids were good to do their jobs when we got home and they had some screen time.  It was such a nice day they played outside on the tramp for awhile and also played with some cars upstairs.  It's nice when they play well together.  I worked on my lesson in the afternoon and watched a little bit of Solo with Damon and Tyler in the evening.