Christmas Eve at Granna's

We spent Christmas Eve morning at Granna's house with the cousins.  Granna promised the kids that they could open one present on Christmas Eve but they had to earn it!  They played a game to get their present but when they opened it, all they found was a clue to where their real present could be found!

Their actual presents were hidden all around the house and they had to follow their clue to find it!

Lily and Aubrey got new accessories for their American Girl dolls.

Eden got Shopkins.

Parker got a new series of books.

And we all got lots of snuggles with this cutie (and her brother and sister)!

It was a fun way to start our holiday and the kids couldn't wait to open more presents the next day!

Santa Visit

Lily was fever free this morning so we took advantage of the nice day and went to Sundance Square for our annual visit to see Santa Claus.  There was an hour wait to see Santa so we enjoyed a Starbucks and took some family pictures in front of the huge Christmas tree. 

 The girls were excited to see Santa and whisper to him what they wanted for Christmas!

 After our visit, we took the kids to lunch at Pizzeria Uno in downtown Fort Worth.

It was a fun, family day and I'm so glad Lily was finally feeling better so we could get out and enjoy one last outing before Christmas!

Christmas Parties

We had our Christmas parties at school today!  Unfortunately, Lily woke up with 102* fever and had to miss school.  She was so sad to miss her party and to end her perfect attendance streak.  I took her to the doctor and luckily it's not the flu or strep- just a virus that has to run its course.  

I've always had three Christmas parties to help with so it was weird to just have Eden's party today!  She had fun with her friends and got a cute ornament at the ornament exchange to put on our tree.  

We are officially on Christmas break and I can't wait to sleep in tomorrow!  It's been a good semester but I'm definitely ready to have a couple of weeks to relax and recharge before we start again in January!

December Concerts

Parker had his first band concert at the beginning of the month.  He is doing so well playing the trumpet and was the only one who had a solo!  It's amazing how much he's learned in just a few short months.  I can't wait until his next concert in February.

Tonight, Eden and Lily had their annual Christmas program.  They both did a great job singing and Eden had fun playing her recorder for one song too!

Only one more day until Christmas break starts!  We are all so ready to have two weeks off of school and celebrate Christmas with our family!

November Little Things

November was good to us and we especially enjoyed our week off of school for Thanksgiving break!  Only a few more weeks of school and then we get another two weeks off!  Here are some of the little things that happened this month:

One of my mom's dear friends, Elaine, made all of the kids quilts when they were born.  But because she lives in Massachusetts, she had never met them.  She called my mom last month and told her that she had finished the triplet's quilts and wanted to deliver them herself.  We had a family dinner to visit and catch up (it had been over 15 years since Emily and  I had seen her!) and we got a picture of her and all the kids with their quilts.  

Elaine is a fan of Fixer Upper so she wanted to go to Waco and visit the Magnolia Silos since she was in Texas.  At the last minute, I decided to play hooky from work and join her, my mom and Emily for a day of shopping and fun.

This sweet little boy came to my school last year as a new foster child.  He had been through a lot in his five short years and was full of anger.  He had outbursts and tantrums at least once a day.  Despite how difficult he could be, I totally fell in love with him.  He not only captured my heart, but the hearts of all the teachers at my school.  Two weeks ago, he got on a plane and went to live with his aunt in Pennsylvania.  We will miss him terribly but hope that this new home with be a good fit for him and that he will thrive at his new school.

Eden helped her friend, Virginia, celebrate her birthday with a sleepover at a local hotel.  They swam, ate pizza, and watched movies.

Eden, Lily, Addison, & Aubrey spent the afternoon with Granna one weekend and were very crafty!  They created this waterfall with rocks, shells, and hot glue.  They were so proud of their creation!

Parker has had a couple of baseball tournaments this month.  His team placed 2nd in one of the tournaments.  Parker pitched extremely well and made some great plays on 3rd base.  It's fun to watch his team be successful and we are grateful for his coaches, Scott and Heath, for all they've taught him over the past few years.

One of Parker's tournaments was in Benbrook and the fields were just a couple of minutes from Aunt MerMer's house.  Cory and Parker were able to go visit Holland and the babies between their games.  

Lily learned about the Pilgrims who came over on the Mayflower this month.  Mrs. Humphreys had a trunk of clothes that the pilgrim girls and boys might have worn.  The kids had fun dressing up in the clothes and pretending like they were Pilgrims. 

We had Grandparent's Day at Gerard the Friday before our break.  Granna was the only one who was able to come join the girls for lunch this year.  The girls enjoyed eating lunch and going to the book fair with her.

Emil Moring and I are always in charge of planning Grandparent's Day.  We have planned many events together over the years and I am so very thankful for her friendship.  She makes coming to work every day a lot of fun!

I still can't believe this sweet, silly girl is 10 years old!

I was blessed to go on a girls weekend with three of my closest friends this month.  Ashley, Mary Ellen, Amy T, and I spent the weekend in Wimberly, Texas.  We rented a cabin in the woods, ate yummy food, and got a head start on our Christmas shopping at the outlets in San Marcos.  I hope this will be the first of many weekends away with these girls!

I didn't take any pictures on our girl's weekend except this one of my vanilla latte at a coffee shop in Wimberly.  It was the best latte  I have ever had!

While we were away, the dads held down the fort back in Cleburne!  They had several play dates with all of the kids and my girls even got to have a sleepover with some of the girls!  I'm pretty sure they didn't miss me at all!!

Parker has been trying to earn some money so he jumped on the chance to earn $20 by helping Granstan in his yard.  They trimmed shrubs, cleaned flower beds, and raked leaves all morning.  He definitely earned his money and I'm proud of him for sticking with it even when he got tired.

This dog!!  Eden accidentally left her bedroom door open one morning and Maggie took full advantage of sleeping on her soft bed all day!

It's hard to believe that 2018 is almost over! We have a lot to do over the next few weeks and I can't wait to celebrate the Christmas season with the kids!