Busy December

 Jingle Bells...

Batman Smells...

Robin layed an egg...

Den 8. High dollar popcorn seller.  Pie face the leader!  Good stuff.

Our reindeer during her class holiday party.

Impressed?

chocolate peppermint heart model

Sunday family outing to the Skating rink.

Alex just can't get enough of roller blading.  Conleigh & Campbell took an hour lesson and both are much happier skaters now.

Afternoon golf cart caroling with the hoodies.

Lots of kiddos riding through the hood to carol.

Batmobile lost a wheel,
and the joker got away. Hey!

Tis the season...

Brotherly/sisterly love?

Love this picture. She asked Santa for a reindeer hoof print again. He looked confused.

Alex's shirt says, Save time and skip my sister!

While everyone else was at Sysco Christmas, Campbell was getting her cheerleading on with the Westwood High cheerleaders. She loved it and looked so cute.

Conleigh on her way to her first piano recital. She did great. There were 39 (!) students who played.

Then Saturday night the kids were in the Live Nativity at church.  Campbell really wanted to be a wise man. In one performance, she was a wise man with Alex and his friend Hayden. Then in the next show, she was the 4th wise guy. :)

My cousin Haley.  We loved having her with us on Saturday evening.  She had returned from Vegas and spent the night with us before heading home to Corpus.

Do you see what I see?

Do you see it?

The kids didn't see it either. They were completely involved with the Advent calendar. They each got a Pez dispenser & candy today.

 Elfie, our Elf on the Shelf arrived this morning.  Campbell found him with a little assistance from daddy.  There was so much excitement! Conleigh insisted that he wasn't there when they were doing the advent calendar. I loved, loved, loved hearing them so excited!

Our mantle has arrived too.  Each year it turns out a little different and I like it this year.

Tree up next!

Way, way behind

 Way behind!  I just found this picture on my camera today.  I guess I took it before I took the Fall Thanksgiving decor down. At least that is done. Our house is not looking Christmasy yet at all.

Campbell had her tonsils removed the Monday of Thanksgiving week.  Wow. I completely underestimated the recovery on that one.  Tomorrow is two weeks out and she is finally not aching to swallow.  Her voice is still pretty high (like she sucked in helium). Today she complained about water coming out her nose when she drinks.  I need to call about that tomorrow.  Her sense of smell has really exploded. I had no idea the child could not smell well before.

Her recover led to a different Thanksgiving for us.  Peter stayed in Austin with her and his mom came up here & cooked a big meal.  Conleigh, Alex & I headed to Houston and enjoyed the feast there and then watched the devastating loss to the longhorns. We headed back to Austin Friday.

 Conleigh played in the bell choir at the Hanging of the Greens service at church the weekend of Thanksgiving. I'm very thankful that she has found her niche. She is very gifted with music.  People are amazed at her ear for the piano. She has been taking lessons since September and is really, really good. Next weekend will be her piano recital.

Bell Choir

Peter got out our yard art yesterday and decorated in the rain.  The picture above is of Alex holding the "J" in JOY, but it also proves that a boy can turn anything into a gun.

Sadly, this morning we woke to having had the big wooden reindeer stolen from our yard. What jerks.

I hope that this week we can manage to put up a Christmas tree. 

Tis the season.

Camping at Inks Lake

Paddle boating on the lake

Cally & Lexi Hall, and our three crazies

Game table. Lots of chess going on.

All wet in the lake

Lord, if my path is not smooth today, I know that the roughness of the path I travel will show me Your face. I see You and hear You the best on the rough paths of my life. Father, give me grace and strength today. No matter what path I am on it will be a beautiful day because You created it.

The above prayer was on my Facebook page yesterday. I don't always read that string "being a Christian", but yesterday morning I did.  It wasn't by chance, it was because the Lord knew I needed to read it. And, I'm so glad I did.

Alex woke up feeling puny. His throat had hurt a little the night before but we could tell he had a fever when he woke up Thursday.  Go to the doctor. Strep. As we drive towards the pharmacy, the car chugs a bit. I look and the low fuel light had come on. Okay. We stop for gas before going to the pharmacy. Fill'er up.

Drag poor boy into pharmacy. They don't even have the Rx for doc yet. Aaagh. I try to use my phone (which was charged) and nothin'. Won't turn on. Dead. We go to the car. I use a pen to open the back of the phone, dust off the battery. Waa-laa. Phone works. As we drive, I call the doctor's office to get them to fax the Rx.

Why when the nurse calls back, would she tell me that  she confirmed with the pharmacy that they didn't have the Rx yet? Why? Get it to them! Grace & Strength. Grace and Strength.

I get Alex set up on the couch. "Alex, I'm going to run up to the store and get your medicine. What is my cell #? Don't answer the phone or door if it rings."   I get in the car, back out of the driveway, and nothin'.  The car dies!  Unbelieveable! Check Engine!  I am right in the middle of my street, car cock-eyed, and it is dead. PANIC.  I'm turning the key, reaching for my phone to call Peter, what am I going to do?

I pulled the keys out and retried. Worked like a charm.  Peter suggests I take it straight to Firestone at the front of the neighborhood. I call a neighbor as I drive and tell her the dilemma.  She graciously offers to come get me from Firestone and take me to HEB to get the Rx.

At Firestone, they tell me that because the car only has 7800 miles, my fleet department wants me to drive the car  about 10 miles away to a dealership.  Not happening today I say. "Ma'am, we will tow it there for you. It could be the computer in the car."  Fine. My wonderful friend Traci offers to go to the store and get Alex's meds. I drive home and wait for the tow truck. My sweet boy hasn't moved.

Thank you Lord for helping me handle the day. 

 

Caught

Caught him in action at the game on Saturday.

Buh-bye!

 Well, the days of the Honda Pilot at our house are over.  Thankfully, Peter is okay.  In the midst of morning traffic, right where 183 & Mopac come together, Peter smacked into a minivan who then hit another car. He turned the steering wheel and hit the side of the guardrail. I am so thankful that he is okay. The airbags really took care of him. He has a welt on his left arm, they think from the steering wheel and there was some blood on his right hand. The paramedics really wanted him to go the hospital, but he declined. I made it down to the accident just as they were pulling his car away with the wrecker. We went a short distance and pulled EVERYTHING out of his car. I have a feeling we won't be seeing that car again.

Unfortunately, he just got new brakes YESTERDAY!!!

I believe in airbags!

 And on a happier note, I found this cutie pie had done some artistic photography of her own.

Sweet!

Cute

Silly

Making Progress

The white accents make me like this piece of furniture a lot more.  My close ups make the drawers look dirty, but that is the dark wax. It looks cool and old in real life. Stay tuned. I'm almost done.