I wrote the following a month ago and just now got pics added so I could post. Go figure.
Other than our crazy vacation to South Carolina, life has been pretty normal. Maddy has been thriving at school (other than handwriting) and Kelsay has been growing and learning new skills. Maddy's school has had several fun events that we've gotten to participate in.
In September they had a grandparents day. We didn't have any grandparents in the area at the time, so our friend Dr. Rachel Griffith, or Dr. Rachel as Maddy calls her, came up to the school and did the activities with Maddy. She brought Maddy a beautiful yellow flower. I volunteered to pass out the cookies for that event so I got to see them a little bit when they came through the cookie line. I think Maddy really enjoyed that time with Dr. R. I forgot how standing in a line and greeting people with a smile gives me a killer headache. Haven't had to do that since a receiving line for a wedding about 12 years ago.
Last month, Maddy had a Turkey Trot at school. We got to go up and watch her run. Each team had to come up with a theme for their team. A mom from her class came up with Nix's Ninjas because the teacher's name is Mrs. Nix. She made them Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle Tshirts and got bandanas for them to wear on their heads. It was super cute. Maddy did not want to wear hers but I had her watch an episode of TMNT and now she is a huge fan. She even has started eating pizza which she used to not really like because of TMNT. She even said she wants TMNT stuff for Christmas.
They also had a baby shower for the teacher that day. She is expecting in December. They all gave her cards and books for the baby. So cute!
Everyone except Maddy had a stomach bug that week. I made a hot dog casserole that evening for supper and had a very unpleasant experience with that later in the evening. So if I refuse to eat hot dogs for a while, you now know why. I haven't been sick like that in a long time. Fortunately it was a mild bug and K only threw up twice. She is the one who brought it home. Then I got it and threw up once. Then Aaron got it but never threw up. We all felt pretty wiped out for a day or two.
For Thanksgiving, we followed our usual tradition and went to Farwell/Lubbock. Since Maddy had the whole week off we were able to leave Tuesday afternoon after therapy. It was nice to have some extra time in Farwell and not feel so rushed through the visit. Aaron and I got to go running together in Farwell and in Lubbock. That never happens so it was really fun! We are going to die in a couple weeks when we do the Dallas 1/2 for Scottish Rite. Aaron was signed up to do the marathon but there is no way he would make it. I'm not sure I'm going to make it on the 1/2. There may be some of that embarrassing walk/running going on that I so despise. I hope not, but it may be. Aaron said he would run with me so maybe we will make it. We just need to down lots of shot blocks. Ha ha!
Anyhoo, back to Thanksgiving. Mema made an amazing feast as usual. It was Mema, Eldon, my parents, us, and Tam for the meal. We had turkey, stuffing, mashed potatoes, sweet potatoes, green beans, red hot salad (which I can't eat), rolls, and cranberry sauce. I thought Kelsay would love Thanksgiving dinner but I think her tummy was kind of off that day so she did not eat much. She did like the turkey and the rolls. Eldon was stripping cotton and working on broken down machinery the whole time we were there. Maddy and Aaron go to go a couple of rounds with him on Wednesday and see the cotton modules, etc. Maddy really enjoyed that. She picked her own cotton on the end of the field. Kelsay got to meet Tuffy. He has another big fan now.
On Friday, we celebrated my Mom's birthday. Mema made homemade ice cream with almond milk. It turned out great! That was so thoughtful of her so that I could enjoy too. She also made a fantastic angel food cake. We had a good time and after the celebration we went to Lubbock.
When we got to Lubbock, everyone was over at David and Janet's so we went over there. We got to see a lot of family that was in town. David and Janet graciously got pizza for everyone for supper. We had a great time laughing and talking and watching the kids play. Maddy loves playing with Kenndall, Clayton, Karsyn and Cooper. She wrestled with Cooper and watched movies with him and then played princess dress up with the girls. She ended up taking a bath with Clayton and Karsyn. She just wanted to do everything they were doing. Those kids are such a blessing to Maddy. She always has a great time with them when she sees them.
That evening we went back to G&G's and got to visit with them and Jessica. Jessica had a game on her phone called Heads Up! It was like Catch Phrase, Mad Gab, Taboo, and Guestures all combined. Mom, Tam, Jess and I played. My Dad even took a turn for a round. It got pretty hilarious when Tam and I had to act out "Weather Man" for Jessica. I guess we were so wild it attracted Grandpa's attention because he said, "I know who it is! It's that crazy Ron Roberts!" Yes, Grandpa. You nailed it. I was laughing so hard I was crying. Typical for me in those family type games though.
Saturday was a really fun day. Had great breakfast time conversations. It was gorgeous outside that day. Hot actually. Grandma walked Maddy down to a neighbors to see some decorations but they had already gotten rid of them. Ethan texted my mom that we could come see him at the fire station. The kids LOVED doing that. It was fun to get to see his work. Maddy is convinced that she actually drove the fire truck. She is a huge fan of Uncle Ethan now. :)
That afternoon we spent time with G&G. Grandma read some books to Maddy and both kids napped for a little bit. We played scrabble after supper and then met Ethan and Jenna at a pie bar to visit. The visit was great but the pie bar was disappointing. I think most liked it but it wasn't really pie. It was a lot of gooey, gloppy freezer pie type filling glopped into glass cups with whipped cream on top. I had been envisioning a selection of any kind of actual pie anyone might every want so that is probably why I was disappointed. Plus, dairy is not my thing so I didn't get to eat that much. Coffee was good though. And as I said, it was great to see Ethan and Jenna. I don't think I had seen Jenna for a year so really enjoyed catching up with her. We wanted to see their new house but ran out of time. Hopefully next time we are in Lubbock we'll get to see it! It sounds like a really great place!
We left on Sunday morning to come home. Always bittersweet. Especially with the great grandparents as they get older. The kids were wiped out though so it was definitely time to go home for a break. They did great on the way home. We only made one stop for lunch. That is unbelievable with two kids.
When we got home we went out in the beautiful 80 degree weather to get a Christmas tree. We had fun decorating it and decorating the house a little bit. We got so busy with the ornaments I forgot to put the lights on the tree. Uggg. But I did get them on after. I won't win a decorator's award, but it didn't feel like a Christmas tree without lights.
Last night we went to the DBU tree lighting. Maddy loves going to it. We have been every year so it is tradition and she doesn't forget. We got to do a carriage ride, see the tree lighting and have cookies and cocoa. It was Kelsay's first time participating in that tradition so that was fun. We did not stay very long because it was freezing out there. Right as we got to the car both kids started crying because they were so cold.
This month promises to be busy, ended in a trip to Colorado for Christmas. We'll spend Christmas with Aaron's family this year and then go to Colorado Springs for New Year's. We are flying so that is a relief!
Other than our crazy vacation to South Carolina, life has been pretty normal. Maddy has been thriving at school (other than handwriting) and Kelsay has been growing and learning new skills. Maddy's school has had several fun events that we've gotten to participate in.
In September they had a grandparents day. We didn't have any grandparents in the area at the time, so our friend Dr. Rachel Griffith, or Dr. Rachel as Maddy calls her, came up to the school and did the activities with Maddy. She brought Maddy a beautiful yellow flower. I volunteered to pass out the cookies for that event so I got to see them a little bit when they came through the cookie line. I think Maddy really enjoyed that time with Dr. R. I forgot how standing in a line and greeting people with a smile gives me a killer headache. Haven't had to do that since a receiving line for a wedding about 12 years ago.
Last month, Maddy had a Turkey Trot at school. We got to go up and watch her run. Each team had to come up with a theme for their team. A mom from her class came up with Nix's Ninjas because the teacher's name is Mrs. Nix. She made them Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle Tshirts and got bandanas for them to wear on their heads. It was super cute. Maddy did not want to wear hers but I had her watch an episode of TMNT and now she is a huge fan. She even has started eating pizza which she used to not really like because of TMNT. She even said she wants TMNT stuff for Christmas.
They also had a baby shower for the teacher that day. She is expecting in December. They all gave her cards and books for the baby. So cute!
Everyone except Maddy had a stomach bug that week. I made a hot dog casserole that evening for supper and had a very unpleasant experience with that later in the evening. So if I refuse to eat hot dogs for a while, you now know why. I haven't been sick like that in a long time. Fortunately it was a mild bug and K only threw up twice. She is the one who brought it home. Then I got it and threw up once. Then Aaron got it but never threw up. We all felt pretty wiped out for a day or two.
For Thanksgiving, we followed our usual tradition and went to Farwell/Lubbock. Since Maddy had the whole week off we were able to leave Tuesday afternoon after therapy. It was nice to have some extra time in Farwell and not feel so rushed through the visit. Aaron and I got to go running together in Farwell and in Lubbock. That never happens so it was really fun! We are going to die in a couple weeks when we do the Dallas 1/2 for Scottish Rite. Aaron was signed up to do the marathon but there is no way he would make it. I'm not sure I'm going to make it on the 1/2. There may be some of that embarrassing walk/running going on that I so despise. I hope not, but it may be. Aaron said he would run with me so maybe we will make it. We just need to down lots of shot blocks. Ha ha!
Anyhoo, back to Thanksgiving. Mema made an amazing feast as usual. It was Mema, Eldon, my parents, us, and Tam for the meal. We had turkey, stuffing, mashed potatoes, sweet potatoes, green beans, red hot salad (which I can't eat), rolls, and cranberry sauce. I thought Kelsay would love Thanksgiving dinner but I think her tummy was kind of off that day so she did not eat much. She did like the turkey and the rolls. Eldon was stripping cotton and working on broken down machinery the whole time we were there. Maddy and Aaron go to go a couple of rounds with him on Wednesday and see the cotton modules, etc. Maddy really enjoyed that. She picked her own cotton on the end of the field. Kelsay got to meet Tuffy. He has another big fan now.
On Friday, we celebrated my Mom's birthday. Mema made homemade ice cream with almond milk. It turned out great! That was so thoughtful of her so that I could enjoy too. She also made a fantastic angel food cake. We had a good time and after the celebration we went to Lubbock.
When we got to Lubbock, everyone was over at David and Janet's so we went over there. We got to see a lot of family that was in town. David and Janet graciously got pizza for everyone for supper. We had a great time laughing and talking and watching the kids play. Maddy loves playing with Kenndall, Clayton, Karsyn and Cooper. She wrestled with Cooper and watched movies with him and then played princess dress up with the girls. She ended up taking a bath with Clayton and Karsyn. She just wanted to do everything they were doing. Those kids are such a blessing to Maddy. She always has a great time with them when she sees them.
That evening we went back to G&G's and got to visit with them and Jessica. Jessica had a game on her phone called Heads Up! It was like Catch Phrase, Mad Gab, Taboo, and Guestures all combined. Mom, Tam, Jess and I played. My Dad even took a turn for a round. It got pretty hilarious when Tam and I had to act out "Weather Man" for Jessica. I guess we were so wild it attracted Grandpa's attention because he said, "I know who it is! It's that crazy Ron Roberts!" Yes, Grandpa. You nailed it. I was laughing so hard I was crying. Typical for me in those family type games though.
Saturday was a really fun day. Had great breakfast time conversations. It was gorgeous outside that day. Hot actually. Grandma walked Maddy down to a neighbors to see some decorations but they had already gotten rid of them. Ethan texted my mom that we could come see him at the fire station. The kids LOVED doing that. It was fun to get to see his work. Maddy is convinced that she actually drove the fire truck. She is a huge fan of Uncle Ethan now. :)
That afternoon we spent time with G&G. Grandma read some books to Maddy and both kids napped for a little bit. We played scrabble after supper and then met Ethan and Jenna at a pie bar to visit. The visit was great but the pie bar was disappointing. I think most liked it but it wasn't really pie. It was a lot of gooey, gloppy freezer pie type filling glopped into glass cups with whipped cream on top. I had been envisioning a selection of any kind of actual pie anyone might every want so that is probably why I was disappointed. Plus, dairy is not my thing so I didn't get to eat that much. Coffee was good though. And as I said, it was great to see Ethan and Jenna. I don't think I had seen Jenna for a year so really enjoyed catching up with her. We wanted to see their new house but ran out of time. Hopefully next time we are in Lubbock we'll get to see it! It sounds like a really great place!
We left on Sunday morning to come home. Always bittersweet. Especially with the great grandparents as they get older. The kids were wiped out though so it was definitely time to go home for a break. They did great on the way home. We only made one stop for lunch. That is unbelievable with two kids.
When we got home we went out in the beautiful 80 degree weather to get a Christmas tree. We had fun decorating it and decorating the house a little bit. We got so busy with the ornaments I forgot to put the lights on the tree. Uggg. But I did get them on after. I won't win a decorator's award, but it didn't feel like a Christmas tree without lights.
Last night we went to the DBU tree lighting. Maddy loves going to it. We have been every year so it is tradition and she doesn't forget. We got to do a carriage ride, see the tree lighting and have cookies and cocoa. It was Kelsay's first time participating in that tradition so that was fun. We did not stay very long because it was freezing out there. Right as we got to the car both kids started crying because they were so cold.
This month promises to be busy, ended in a trip to Colorado for Christmas. We'll spend Christmas with Aaron's family this year and then go to Colorado Springs for New Year's. We are flying so that is a relief!
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Aaron F.
Brittany