More Christmas Celebrations

Lately it has been rainy, but since the clouds parted for the night - we decided to take the kids to the lighting of the Homewood star.  We thought it would be a rather quick thing, but the middle school choir sang Christmas carols to kick off the night.  Though it was meant to get us in the spirit, it went a little (too) long, and Preston was the only one who really enjoyed it.  In fact, he kept inching his way (by himself), closer and closer to the choir for prime viewing, until he was just a few feet away.

Daddy's girl always

Following some brief announcements from our mayor, the star was finally lit, and then they started blowing "snow" over downtown Homewood.  It was certainly a cute idea.  Meanwhile kids were lined up for hot chocolate and Christmas cookies.  After enjoying their snack, we spotted Santa walking around so we approached him for a quick picture.

It was a spontaneous night, but it was something that we hadn't done before, so I'm glad we did it.

Not a starry night, but "snow"

Kicking off the Christmas Season!

With the long Thanksgiving weekend, we packed it in!  Steve came home early on Wednesday, and had Friday off, so we had Daddy around for 4.5 days, and we got spoiled!  We kicked off the long weekend meeting Steve for lunch on Wednesday.  The kids always love Mexican food, so we met at La Paz in Hoover, which was something different for them.  That night, we cuddled in our bed and watched TV.

Thanksgiving morning we got up and went to the Beloved Community Church to help make sack lunches for area folks who had to work on Thanksgiving, then headed to his parent's house for our feast.  We hung out all day so we could see Louis and Michelle and the kids, so the kids were worn out. 

On Friday, we were lazy initially, but decided to hit Lowes to buy our Christmas trees.  We elected to go with a real tree this year since the kids are older, and we love the smell they put off.  However, once we got it home and up, Preston started sneezing.  Since we'll have the baby next year who will just be starting to walk, we'll be forced to go back to the artificial one...which will probably be a good thing for my

My favorite ornament

little man anyway.  Later that morning, I had a massage, and when I came home our outside tree was up and lit and the indoor tree was up.  We ate a quick lunch, and then went to see "Frozen" at the theater with the kids (cute movie).  Afterward, Steve worked on getting all 2000 lights on our monster!  It took him awhile, but he did a great job!  Then Bennett and I hung all of the ornaments that night.  We think the finished product looks beautiful!

Saturday, of course, was the Iron Bowl.  We had a very lazy morning watching college game day and doing laundry, but then we finally showered and headed over to watch the game with Louis and Michelle and some other folks (after Bennett's big haircut).  As we all know...it was a nail biter of a game, where we lost in the very last second of the game, literally.  UGH!  It was a painful way to end the season for us, but Alabama didn't play well.  After the game ended, the kids and I went home.  Steve, however, decided to tie one on with his brother and talk football for another several hours.

Sadly on Sunday morning, we skipped church and elected to finish up some loose ends around the house.  I hit the grocery store, while Steve finished outside Christmas decorations.  He then ran to Lowes for more items we needed, while I mowed the lawn and the kids played in the backyard.  After a much needed shower, the kids and I went to church to make our advent candle.  We're not very creative, but I think it turned out well.  That night we had another quiet evening, eating dinner and snuggling in bed (the kid's new favorite thing to do...snuggling in OUR bed with all five of us).  Pres, Steve and Beckham were snoring within minutes, while Bennett and I watched some TV.

As it always turns out...all good things must come to an end.  So here's to making it through a crazy few weeks of weekly doctor appointments, school, work and Christmas parties before Christmas gets here in 23 days, with baby following 5 days later!!

She Did it Again!

So proud of Bennett, who donated 10 inches of her hair to Locks of Love again!  She did it the first time back in July 2011 (when she was only 3 years old).  This time she certainly understood it more, and though she agreed to do it, she has been a little wishy-washy about when that would occur.  She loves her long hair, but hates the work that goes into keeping it up (conditioning it, brushing it often because it gets tangled so easily, blow drying it, which takes a long time, and wearing it up most of the time since it is in her face.

After explaining that the sooner she cuts it, the sooner it grow back....she decided to go forth with it today. She does enjoy wearing it up sometimes, and I forecasted it would be long enough for pigtails by summer, maybe even by spring break!  She was a little grumpy during the process (only posing for pictures with a lot of begging from me), but she broke down when she got home.  Steve and Preston both told her how pretty she looked, but she didn't like all of the attention and compliments, and cried for a bit.  However, when we went over to Louis and Michelle's this afternoon and they didn't say a whole lot about it, except how cute it looked...she bounced back.

In fact, tonight she has been caught looking in the mirror at herself, and she told me she is excited about not having to condition her hair all of the time.  She is certainly getting used to it now, as I knew she would.  Her new sassy bob suits her perfectly!

Thanksgiving 2013!

At the beginning of the year, we had planned to revisit the beach this week.  However, our plans changed as my pregnancy progressed.  Since we are just five weeks out, and I am quite uncomfortable on a bike, we decided we needed to postpone our visit for next year.  So as the long weekend approached, Steve and I began making plans for our family.

We decided we would try and volunteer on Thanksgiving morning.  Unfortunately, many places prefer not to have young children.  However, we finally found an opportunity to serve...Beloved Community Church in Avondale was making sack lunches for local people that had to work on Thanksgiving.  We all went there and filed into an assembly line.  Steve was helping to make the sandwiches, I bagged them and a variety of desserts and our kids were "runners" that collected what we were making and stuffing them in the bags.  Along with a variety of other volunteers, we made about 150 lunches, and then went out and delivered them to the local businesses.  We hit a gas station, CVS and grocery store, and everyone was shocked and so appreciative.  It was such a nice way to spend a couple hours, and I think the kids really enjoyed it.

Following that we headed over to Mimi and Papa's house to stuff ourselves.  As always Myra provided a nice spread of food, and it was so nice not to cook.  Sadly this pregnancy has really zapped my lack of enthusiasm for cooking, leaving my family bored with the same simple items and leftovers.  I think we all welcomed the opportunity to enjoy a real meal that wasn't had at a restaurant.

Bennett suggested that we all take turns saying what we are thankful for this year, which was nice coming from our six year old (who is thankful for God by the way).  It was just us, Steve's parents and Dan, but after a few hours, Louis and Michelle and the kids came over.  Bennett and Preston love spending time with their cousins, so they had a blast.  In fact, we all enjoyed visiting for a couple of hours, but our kids began fading, so we took our cue and headed home.

What a nice, relaxing Thanksgiving (even though we weren't at the beach).

Squeezing It All In!

34 weeks!

We are in the final weeks of this pregnancy, and with the holidays rapidly approaching...we are trying to squeeze a lot into a small amount of time.  Of course Christmas shopping has been a priority for me this year, and I am happy to report that I am almost finished (personal record to be this close).  In addition, I have been busy getting the nursery ready, and just doing other "nesting" activities around the house.

Lastly, I am trying to enjoy my final weeks with just two kids.  Though I keep telling them that things are going to change when the baby gets here, I am not sure they get it yet.  So, I took advantage of a scheduling problem Steve and I had today, and set aside a date with each child.

Every year Preston's school hosts a Thanksgiving Feast for all of the kids and their parents.  Every family brings a side dish, and the school provides the turkey.  Since we have had a child at this school, I have NEVER participated in this activity.  I have a problem eating mass produced food, and food prepared by people that I don't know (I mean who knows if they washed their hands, or if their cat was on the counter when they were making their dish?  GROSS!).  Steve has always taken one for the team for this activity, but that didn't happen today because he was playing golf.  So rather than sit through an unappetizing meal watching my picky son eat peanut butter crackers, I checked him out and took him to McDonald's.  I know you may be questioning my reasoning...I mean it is fast food that is mass produced by god knows who, but it is better than canned turkey and random sides...plus I got to hang with my boy for about an hour uninterrupted.


After our quick lunch date, I returned him to school so I could get my hair cut and colored one last time before this baby arrives (priorities people).  Following that appointment, I hightailed it back to Bennett's school to pick her up, and then over to Preston's school to pick him up.  We ran a couple of errands, and then met Steve back at the house.  He and Pres were meeting a friend and his son for some guy's time, while Bennett and I had a date.

I wanted to take her for a real pedicure, and then out for dinner.  This place has the little kid chairs so the girl's feet can easily reach the water, along with DVD players to keep them entertained.  Bennett selected her color, was offered a juice box, and got comfortable in her fancy chair.  She was fascinated with the bath salts while her feet soaked, laughed when they filed her nails (she is ticklish), and thoroughly enjoyed her leg massage.  She felt and looked like such a big girl  After her pedicure, we went out for pizza, where we colored and chatted before our dinner arrived.

It really was a nice day, and a great way to hang with the kids individually.  They each thrive with that quality alone time.  Five and a half more weeks to go for this family of four!

Boo!

Another Halloween has come and gone, and we still have a mountain of candy to prove that we conquered it!  This year it was supposed to rain, so we decided to hit the pavement early.  We headed over to Mimi and Papa's first, and the kids received their first "brick" of candy.

 



After a few photos, we returned home where we joined Steve and hit the neighborhood.  Since we didn't want to be caught on the other side of Homewood in the rain, we decided to park at the Jarmon's house.  We then went trick-or-treating with them for a bit.  It started to sprinkle and Bennett lost interest in a hurry.  Fortunately we were near Louis and Michelle's house, so she decided to stay and pass out candy with her cousins.  Preston, on the other hand, wasn't going to let a little rain slow him down, so he kept going until his pumpkin was full!

Ironman & an Angel

Then we returned to the Jarmon's house where they had a spread of food out!  The kids had fun handing out candy to the other kids who came by, and the adults enjoyed each other's company.  After a couple of hours, it really started to rain.  However, it didn't slow down the children who were on a mission.

When it finally thinned out, we were able to go pick up Bennett and go home.  Another long Halloween, but a fun one!  Kids had a ball with their friends and family, and everyone is happy with the loot they scored!