Our Christmas and New Year Adventures

What a fun few weeks we have spent with family! On Dec. 11th, we started our long drive to TX. We had a blast as we always do on road trips. The car activities, snow in parts of TN, endless singing of Jingle Bells, hotel fun, anticipation of seeing family and friends, and runs through the Starbucks drive-thru (thanks to our gift card from Cookie and Papa) kept the trip exciting!

We arrived at Nat and Keri's house on Friday night, and Addie, Doak, and Nat greeted us with great big smiles and hugs! Then, the kids were off and playing. Kiran and Ellery loved getting so much time with their cousins. On Saturday, Cookie and Papa arrived. We all waited outside for them to pull into the driveway, and Kiran and Addie ran straight for big hugs! It was so great to see Jeff's family!

Then, we headed to Dallas to meet my parents and get ready for RACE DAY! Yea, it was wonderful to see Mom and Dad (Granna and Grandad)! We picked up my race packet, and then went to a park not too far from the hotel and enjoyed playing outside before dinner. Kiran chased Granna all around the park trying to toss leaves on her. Dad hung out with Ellery, following her all over the place. Our good family friend, Eddie, came with my parents, and he was so helpful! He was familiar with downtown Dallas and knew right where to find the park and other locations. Time for our big race dinner - Sarah found a great pizza place, and we met her and Kurt and Amanda there. Yea! Now, everybody's here! Let's do this race!




(See the upcoming Race Day post for more on the big event!)
So, the race was awesome, and now time for some rest, relaxation and more time with family. We took some photos and spent time playing outside with my family before heading back to Nat and Keri's for Christmas with Jeff's Family.These photos were taken by Chera. She had taken shots of Nat and Keri before, and we were always amazed with their pictures. So we arranged for some family photos while we were all there together. It was fun, and she did a great job!


We had the best time at Natalie and Keri's house. They were so sweet to host Christmas this year! Some of my favorite memories were reading of "The Gruffalo" book, the grownups taking countless turns playing Gruffalo while the kids hid, the kids dancing to Jingle Bells and Rudolph, the kids dressing up in princess dresses (princess dresses are apparently just as cool as construction worker clothes :), taking Kiran and Addie to see a movie with Nat and Keri (thanks for babysitting Cookie and Papa!), Yahtzee with all of the grownups, seeing how much Doak had grown, visiting with Nat and Keri after the kids are asleep (always a favorite), and just seeing our kids having fun with family since we don't get to do this very often!


We then drove with Cookie and Papa to their house for a couple of days of fun there. Papa had the day off, and it was his birthday! Kiran, Ellery, and Papa had fun building with Kiran's new peg building set and some of Daddy's old Legos. Papa, Jeff and Kiran worked on Papa's wood pile and made a very nice fire for us! We went to Cookie's school, and Kiran got to stay with Cookie for the rest of the afternoon. He loved it! After leaving Kiran with Cookie, we decided to take Ellery to the doctor. She had a double ear infection! She healed quickly with the medicine and felt better in no time! Thanks, Papa, for helping us find a doctor and for going to the doctor with Ellery and me! Ellery fell asleep on me in the doctor's office (unheard of! she was really feeling bad!), and I really enjoyed talking with my father-in-law while we waited. Jeff and I both feel so blessed to have such wonderful in-laws! Thanks, Cookie and Papa for such a special time!


The next morning, we drove to my parents house to spend a little time with my Dad and to pick up my Mom and take her back to TN with us for a 2-week visit! Woo-hoo! Even though it was a short visit, we got in lots of quality time with Grandad! The kids played all over the place and rode the Gator again. Kiran helped Grandad pick up pecans, and when Eddie, Skint and Geral came out for a quick visit, Eddie taught Kiran how to play golf! It was Granna's birthday, and the kids welcomed her home from work with lots of hugs! We had birthday cake, opened presents, and played on a new wooden motorcycle my Dad bought for the kids. It was hard to say goodbye to Grandad the next morning. He was so wonderful to encourage Mom to take a long vacation with us through the Christmas holidays. Thank you, Daddy!

Now, for the even longer road trip home! Yea- Granna is along for the ride! We all had a great time playing games with Granna in the car. The kids loved for her to read books and most of all, to play tickle! We had 2 hotel stops and made great time the 1st and 3rd days of the trip. The 2nd day seemed like lots of bathroom stops and an interesting detour in Little Rock! When we got about 30 minutes from home, Kiran started feeling sick, and the next day we made a trip to the doctor to discover he had Tonsillitis! He was a sick little boy for a couple of days, but bounced right back by Tues. afternoon. During the first part of the week, Mom was so awesome to help me clean the house (you know, the stuff like under the oven, the grout on the countertops - the stuff that makes you feel really clean - and the stuff that rarely gets done otherwise:)! And, it was really fun for us to be able to do this together! Then, it was time for us to get ready for Christmas. Again, Mom was so sweet to keep the kids and get them ready for bed while Mommy and Daddy did some last minute shopping! And, Granna was a trooper this week getting up ready to go with our early risers!

Jeff picked up our new wood stove after work on Christmas Eve! That evening, we decorated the Christmas tree, played Christmas music and danced! On Christmas Day, we all slept a little later (7:00, I think)! We Skyped with my dad which was awesome! The kids had so much fun playing with new toys and opening presents. Kiran's Big Wheel ("motorcycle") was a huge hit! We had a blast taking it to the tennis court and watching him drive all over the place! Ellery loved pushing her stroller all over the house, and now she is learning to ride her Okiedog Fropper, too! The rest of the day, Jeff worked very hard to get our wood stove going! He did an amazing job, and we were all sitting by a cozy fire by that evening!



We love having a fire! Thanks for your hard work, Daddy! Hanging out by the new wood stove!

On Friday, Granna made Christmas cookies with the kids! They had a blast, and I was amazed by how it kept their attention! They really enjoyed using cookie cutters, and they sneaking a few bites of cookie dough! One of the kids' favorite things to play this week was Hide-n-Seek! Ellery was especially crazy about it and anytime we said someone was coming, she got so excited, said "Hide!," and ran to put a blanket on top of her. The funny thing is this girl can stay under a blanket for about 5 minutes without making a peep. It's hilarious! On Saturday, Jeff took a turn keeping the kids while Mom and I went shopping. That was really a fun and special time for us! We decided that we probably haven't shopped together since I was in college - WOW!



On Saturday, Kurt and Amanda arrived! They got to stay for a week, and we loved having them here! We had our family Christmas on Sunday, and my Dad got to Skype with us again! The kids had a blast playing with Kurt and Amanda (and Sammy Jo)! We had plans to go to a couple of fun play places that our kids love, but our schedule didn't work with holiday business hours. Instead, we went to a new place that had indoor games and outdoor rides. Kiran was so brave and had so much fun riding rides with Aunt Amanda and checking out all of the games. My favorite memories are playing "What time is it, Mr. Fox?" in the backyard with the kids, baking with Amanda and Mom, watching some football, seeing Kurt put in a pantry door and fixing an island kind of thing in our kitchen (Yippee - thank you so much Kurt! - be sure and check out the pictures. He did incredible work in just 2 days!), watching tv and playing Apples to Apples after the kids went to bed, going to Calhoun's, and taking pictures at the Gristmill. Mom got sick for a couple of days while she was here. It was no fun for her! Amanda took great care of her though, and we finished the week with everyone healthy and lots of fun activities! What a fun and special week! Thanks Mom, Kurt, and Amanda for coming so far to spend this time with us!

A Birthday Celebration for Daddy! (those are breakfast burritos in case you are wondering)!
The reason we needed a pantry door! Busted!
And here it is! Woo-hoo!


Just as we took the pantry picture above, our doorbell rang and it was the FedEx truck. We had been waiting all week for this Christmas present from Granna and Grandad. It made it just before Mom, Kurt and Amanda left. Jeff and the kids put most of their new kitchen together that night while I was at Girl's Night. I was amazed when I got home! We all finished the rest in the morning. They have had a blast playing with it!


Thanks to all our readers for your patience. You see, this blog is as much our family journal as it is an opportunity to share experiences with our family and friends. So, this is a long blog because we didn't want to leave anything out (though I definitely did), and because it is long, it takes me a while to write it and post pictures. Also, I am one of these folks that does one thing at a time, so while we were having fun with family, I didn't want to spend one minute of energy writing! There were too many photos to upload to the blog, so you will see much more of our adventure if you click here

A Review of Fall

We have had lots of fun these past few months! The kids are really growing up, and Ellery is able to play with Kiran so well now! It's usually one big silly fest at our house!

As usual, I don't have these pics all in order, but they range from mid-October to just before Thanksgiving.


Fun at the Pumpkin Patch! We went with several families that live in our town and had a great time. Sunshine even got to go along. She was sick, so we didn't want to leave her at home alone, but we all wanted to go to the patch as a family. Sunshine got to lay in the back of the van and was able to get out and enjoy some good smells there! She had fun, and that is a special memory for us.

Kiran helped Ellery pick a pumpkin - it was really sweet!

Ellery's first big-girl painting session! She loves arts and crafts! They did a great job painting together.


Okay, before you judge too quickly, I do not let my son surf on the couch on a regular basis! :) I couldn't help but take this shot, though! He thought this up all on his own. Of course, it's the middle of November and cold outside. You could never convince him of this, though, after he watched a Scooby Doo movie about Hawaii. He took off his shirt, put on shorts, made Ellery's Rody a surfboard, and the rest is history! Quite an imagination! Amazingly, he balanced perfectly! I guess his experiences at his gym are really paying off!!!


Ellery outside ready to play in the leaves - well, not exactly! She had a few fun minutes, but this was a really cold day and she had had enough!

Helping Daddy put firewood in the wood pile

Kiran did like the leaves!

Our little artist - I have an update coming on the kids, and will explain more about this picture then.
Fall in our backyard this year!

As you can see, Kiran is always in uniform! It's awesome! This really is a huge part of his personality. I can't wait to see what he does someday and somehow try to relate it back to all of his worker and other outfits! In this photo, we decided to go outside after snack time one afternoon. I had Ellery and had told Kiran to put on his boots, which he did. But, since it takes Mommy a little longer to get Sister's shoes on, he had taken his off and had Daddy's on by the time we walked out the door. I didn't even notice until we were in Lois' backyard.



Kiran at his gym - he loves the balance beam!

Kiran is helping Ellery show off her new cowgirl boots from Ninny and Glenn and his new "worker" jacket. By the way, the yellow kitchen towel around his waste - yep, chaps for using his chainsaw, a creation following Daddy using York's chaps for cutting trees in our woods.

The day before Ellery got her boots from Ninny - yes, she put them on herself!

First fire this season

Kiran had a great time learning to measure using popcorn kernels for one of his activities.

This particular day, Kiran found his winter coat from last year. He put it on, then found a warm green coat and asked about it. I explained that Ma had bought it this summer for Ellery. So, even though it wasn't cold outside at that time, Kiran helped Ellery put the coat on. We decided to pretend it was snowing. I got all of the kids' white blankets and spread them on the ground. Soon, afterward, Daddy came home and he got a big hug to warm him up from the blizzard!


Fern, Baylan and Opal came over one day for a playdate! They had a blast in the backyard, then made their way over to Lois' porch. It's always hard to resist a chat with the girls on Lois' swing.

As you can see, I don't have to work very hard to show you Kiran's creative side! :) Kiran gets to play with princess stuff at the girls' house, but they jumped right in playing with his tools when they came over! Baylan (the aunt) and Kiran (the Dad) are measuring the slide to fix a big problem.

Decked out!


Our Jack o' Lantern
Kiran and Daddy working on the Jack o' Lantern

Ellery's First Haircut By Momma

I Love this Shot!

And this one! My 2 Cuties!


Is anybody ready for some football??? Ellery better be! Actually, she loves it! She loves any playtime with Brother.

Taken down at the 2 yard line. Kiran's goal line defense is exceptional! :) Ellery got up laughing by the way!


Uh-oh, busted with chocolate Halloween candy!
Busted again!

A Day of Thanks and Play

We had planned on making leaves for a thankful tree. Then, Cookie sent lots of leaves in the mail for the kids, so we used some of them to write down things for which we are thankful. They were perfect for our project! Cookie sent some other fun die cuts, and we had a great time gluing and talking about what Thanksgiving is all about. Thanks, Cookie!




Well, these photos show the day's events backwards, but you get the idea.

Last night, we had a blast playing outside!





Plenty of Football!



Kiran and Mommy's Apple Blossom Tart

Daddy's Yummy Smoked Turkey

Kiran has decided he likes posing now, so he got up on the counter and asked me to take this shot!
Making the Tart Together - Kiran stuck with it from beginning to end, and it was quite complicated. We had a great time!

You can't even imagine all of the machines it takes to make an Apple Blossom Tart. For example, above you see the steam roller. We also used a bulldozer, excavator, dump truck, scraper, and more! :)


Ellery helping, too!

Happy Thanksgiving

A Great Big Hug to All of Our Family and Friends. We Are Grateful for You!

The Race

Last Saturday (actually Oct. 11th), I had the privilege of running in the Race for the Cure. It was lots of fun and a special time for me as I was running in memory of Sal. I think I ran a good race, had a good running time for me, and challenged myself more than I ever have before. (I wrote this a while back and wanted Jeff to share his part of the story. His challenges of getting the kids from the parking garage to the finish line 10 minutes AFTER I finished the race were pretty funny. This was written the week we realized our puppy was getting sick and we never had a moment of down time for Jeff to tell his side or for me to publish, but I still want to share a little about this great day for me.)

For those of you who don't know, my sister and I are training for a 1/2 marathon we will run in December! Sarah will be running with us, too! In April, Amanda and I shared with Sal that we would be running the 1/2 in honor of her. For me, at least, running at all was a challenge and running 13.1 miles was the one thing I never believed or imagined I could do. As I watched Sal persevere and continue to love life and try everything to live this life during such difficult daily circumstances, I decided that I could do this. I could run. I could train. I could find time to take care of my body and improve my health. I could finish. I realized that in honor of her and in great awe of God's creation of the human body and of life, and to do something that would help me believe more in myself, I would run this race. So, I am slowly making progress. My longest run so far is 7 miles, and I will be running 8 in the next few days (actually, I have run 8 now and plan to go for 10 next week!). When I feel exhausted in a run, or when my knee starts hurting, I remember Sal and others who have endured so much and have run such a good race. Then, I put a smile back on my face and keep going.

Jeff, Kiran and Ellery have been so amazing in supporting me through all of this. I am very grateful to Jeff for sacrificing evening and weekend time for me to train, to Kiran for always bringing me very tasty ice water and Gatorade, and for Ellery for her sweet smile when I make it home! I always get my last burst of energy to finish when I think of my wonderful family waiting for me!













Mr. Kiran is not into taking pictures these days, so we take a whole bunch and usually get a few good ones. :)