The return of Car, our elf

Our elf has returned and he's always met with lots of cheering and excitement.  This year was no different.  Car, our elf, was sitting above the fireplace when we arrived home from Austin after Thanksgiving.  I pretended that I saw him fly in as we walked in the door and the boys totally bought it.  (I'll be sad when the believing stage ends).  

Sam and Ben are very excited about counting down the days until Christmas.  Sam couldn't wait until December 1st to start the store bought countdown so he made one on paper that he hung in their room.  They love marking off each day.  

I thought it would be great to make a paper chain that had the number of days until Christmas in chains (28 from today).  I hand cut, attached and stapled them last night.  I was so excited (notice I say "I" and not the boys) when the boys saw Car and his paper chain this morning.  I went to grab it for them so they could take it to their room to help with the countdown.  As I did, both boys freaked out for fear that I would accidentally touch Car and he would lose his magic.  Eek.  I didn't think about that.  For today, he'll just hang out with it.  Tonight, his magic will hang it on the bulletin board in their room.

This elf business is turning into a full time job!  But I love doing it for our kids!

Thanksgiving in Austin

We have a lot to be thankful for!  I'm thankful for 4 beautiful children who push the envelope and keep me on my toes every day.  They are exceptional and energetic spirits.  I'm thankful for an amazing husband that supports and challenges me at every turn.  I'm thankful for amazing in-laws and brother-in-laws that love our kids unconditionally (even when someone is sick and cranky each moment of our trip).  I'm thankful for my family for allowing me to wait until the middle of an intense football game (that we were attending) to call and wish them a Happy Thanksgiving.  It was a great day.

After we ate lots of turkey, we said good night to Mimi, Grace & Graham and headed to the UT stadium to cheer on our beloved Frogs.  They made us sweat it out, but they pulled out a Thanksgiving win in the end!

Fun at Southlake's Town Square

While waiting for Santa to arrive this morning, the kids and I had a picnic in Town Square.  It is so festive with tons of holiday decorations, and such a kid friendly spot to hang out.  After seeing Santa, we took a quick visit to the library. It was the perfect way to kick off the Thanksgiving break.

Oh Santa

Lucky

I am, without question, the luckiest mom on the planet.  

High School Football at Cowboy Stadium

What's one of the perks of living in this area?  When your high school football team makes it to the playoffs, they play at Cowboys Stadium!  I had been dying to go so Scott kindly let me take the boys.  It was a blast!  We watched the Dragons beat the other team by 70+ points, we snooped around the stadium & we ate lots of cotton candy!  It's always nice when I get to hang with just my two older boys.

Thanksgiving Feast x 3

Wow!  We ate a LOT of chicken nuggets last week!  All of the kids had Thanksgiving Feasts with their classes at school.  It's always a treat to get to hang out with your kids at school so you can meet their friends and watch how they interact with everyone.  Pilgrim Sam also had a performance at school that involved lots of singing.  Such a fun time!

Champions

This years soccer season has come to a close.  Both boys had a great time learning more about the sport and making amazing friends.  I'm counting down the days until Soccer Saturdays return!

Halloween! Star Wars Style!

There are no words to describe my feelings when I look at these Halloween photos.  The kids really wanted Scott and I to dress up this year and they really wanted a Star Wars theme.  So...we went with it.  I'm not one to dress up...but when your kids really want something, you do it.  Honestly, it was a blast to do the Star Wars theme.  The look on our neighbors' faces when they saw ALL of us together made it so worth it.  All of the kids had a blast trick or treating and as we kept trying to get them to head home last night, Grace kept saying, "One more house, one more house."  So, we did just one more house...over and over and over.  It was such a fun (and exhausting) night.  Special thanks to Mimi for taking pictures and carrying Grace all over the neighborhood.  And though I said next year I wouldn't dress-up...the boys are already lobbying for a Power Rangers theme.  I want to say I will "sit this one out" but something tells me that I will talked into it at the last minute.  After all, I do love Halloween and I most certainly love seeing the smiles on our kids' faces when they see Scott and I in the family themed costumes.

Halloween Festival at CHCS

Ben, Graham and Grace had a Halloween Festival at their school yesterday morning.  Petting zoos, trick or treating, games and lots of dancing were involved.  It was the perfect way to kick off a festive day.