December

We had a very joyful Christmas! I mentioned earlier being a shopaholic. Psychologically it probably has something to do with providing a sideways sense of accomplishment, checking something off my list that I just made up that I needed one minute ago when I saw it on Amazon. Such is excitement in my boring life. BUT...my kids have played with and enjoy almost everything to the point that I do not regret it. Silas's whole Christmas was pretty much Harry Potter and hoodies. I made him a trunk and packed it with his Hogwarts supplies. Rory had an Indiana Jones theme with a whip, hat, satchel, grail, and snakes. I figured it was two for one because I will use all the items for party decor when summer rolls around. We also got dwarf hamsters! And they are great! I kind of thought they were mostly for me with the excuse of my children but they have generated much excitement all around. Daron even is a fan. They are named Lightening Lu and Hazel. Hazel is rarely seen except at 9:00 PM when she, like clockwork, does her morning exercises. Lu operates like an insomniac. Most likely due to Rory manhandling her throughout the day. It is probably mousal abuse but I give her extra treats. He is loving setting up Magna Tile houses and mazes and little carts that he pulls her around the house in. They nibble fingers upon extraction from their home, but once they are in hand, they are resigned and friendly. We have adopted the toilet roll elevator method for lifting them out and it has proved to be a pretty solid solution.

Other December happenings don't seem too exciting. My favorite thing we did was go to a live nativity at a local church. It was so well done! We had to pay our taxes, got to go through a Bethlehem market, see baby Jesus and a whole slew of animals, and hear an angel choir. Adorable. 

Rory missed his field trip to the state museum with a stomach bug. Silas almost missed their big immigration experience, but made it to relative health just in time. I think spreading disease probably just makes the reenactment more historically accurate anyways.

We got together with the extended Hofts, Nixons and Webers at Top Golf, which the cousin crew loved. 

We got new couches. I also bought the hamsters a couch. It is hard to say which I like more.

We celebrated the new year with the Williamsons. Since we have last seen them they have added donkeys, baby piglets, baby bunnies, and sheep to their farm. The turkeys were funny and didn't leave each other's side. One never gobbled where the other didn't chime in. It was like a turkey club. (They jointly gobbled their appreciation for this joke when I told it in their presence.) The baby bunnies were so snuggly and sweet. Their whole little town is pretty charming. The visit felt like I was in a Hallmark movie getting won over to the simple pleasures of life. Also, Julianna told me to read The Best Christmas Pageant Ever, and I did and it was the best book ever. Like literally in my top 5. The boys cackled...I cried... it was precious.

  

November

Baseball is finished. (Restraining cheers.)

I went to Orlando for a work conference. We stayed on Disney property so that was pretty cool. I got a refill cup and may have set a world record for drinking cherry Pepsi. We went to Magic Kingdom one evening. Conn would have been appalled by our itinerary, but it was nice to have just been and have no expectations.

We got to see Hannah swim at USC a few nights and then met her whole crew at Hilton Head for Thanksgiving. There was a murder mystery we Zoomed the Colorado crew for which only Eli solved. Al Cappuccino (Silas) helped the assumed victim off his secret twin brother at a film premiere, if you can believe it. We played lots of cards and Rory had a giggle fit like I have never seen before and personally enjoyed.

Then we came home and put up the tree. Silas picked the perfect one! I am feeling very Christmasy and can't wait to open presents! All 100 (not really) but if there had been a set budget it would have been disregarded entirely. I am just happy there is a point to buying and being excited about presents for future enjoyment because I watched the movie Silent Night and was depressed for a week by the pointlessness of life with impending doom hanging over you. (Don't do it. It is not very good even if you do not overly dwell on cinematic works of fiction.) Thanks to Jesus, the best gift of Christmas, for saving us from actual doom!

  

Family Pictures

 

 

October

Cruising- Girls Night Out in the Caribbean! We tried on wedding dresses with Hannah in Charleston and then boarded the ship to the Bahamas. We might not have been the wildest group, but it was fun to be together! 

• Jane and I elbowed out some kids to get our sewing kits for the ship craft time. 
• We spent 2 days wondering if our room's silver cylinder was an ice bucket or trash can. 
• We played putt-putt where you just had to place the ball on the green and wait for the wind to give you a hole-in-one! 
• We enjoyed many rounds of trivia and a night at the piano bar. 
• I personally am still dreaming of the cheddar steak and ale soup. 
• The Blue Iguana was our favorite dive. 
• We bought costumes and then chickened out of the ship party so we just tried a million times to get a good shot of us in the room instead. 
• Conn took us on a walking tour of the Bahamas. The Queen's stairway was cool. (She actually took us on a 5 day walking tour because we followed behind her all week like little ducks.)
• The day on Half Moon Cay was picturesque.
• Our tv was possessed and would come on randomly and make creepy noises. 
• We would not recommend Indiana Jones 5. 
• We had to learn to avoid the spa and its inundation of sales pitches.

Other than those last three, the only bad part was missing my boys and having no contact but all the while somehow still magically receiving Parent Square messages from work. Sheesh.

Rory put this note in my suitcase. I did remember sovneres.

 

 

 

Halloween- Rory had a week-of costume change and landed on being a Power Ranger. The mask kind of creeped me out but that was fine because we ended up holding it for him all night. I had to bribe Silas with sushi to trick-or-treat, but he was a pretty good sport. I loved his costume. Our neighborhood was very dead. We were going to head out at 5:30 but no one else was around so we waited until 6:15 and still were the first. A few more trickled through and we hit one cul-de-sac with neighbor friends. It was fun and enough. By the time we were home to pass out candy we got about 2 doorbell rings.

 

 

Randomness- Rory made his robot self. He now has a cardboard lap top too! He really likes working from the recycle bin. He was the astronaut from Life on Mars by Jon Agee for Book Character Day at school. He thought marching around the halls for the parade was torture. Silas had skate night (Much to Rory's devastation at having a baseball game.) We spend way too many nights at the ballpark. We took family pictures and put up our outdoor projector for a night.