Christmas '11

We had a wonderful Christmas this year. It is always so nice having two weeks off with my babies, and it always goes by much too fast. Erin was able to come in town during winter break, and travelled with us to spend Christmas Eve in Tyler with my mom and Will. It's very important for the kids to wake up to their Santa gifts on Christmas day, so we decided to make the drive back in the middle of the night. And, yes, we were tired that next day. Tera, Scot, and Jaxx stopped by that morning to exchange gifts and watch the kids open their Santa gifts. Finn's big gift was a Powerwing scooter and Sloane got a play kitchen. Finn was amazed that our Elf on The Shelf, Sharkfin, didn't rat Sloane out on her shenanigans. My dad came to town later that afternoon, and we did another Christmas celebration. Finn and Sloane fought over Sloane's new roller coaster . It was definitely a hit. We got to spend the following days with my dad and sister, relaxing in Austin. i always get a little sad when Christmas is over...


At the Georgetown Christmas celebration




Sloane dressed up for her school Christmas party


A sleepy Sloane on Christmas morning

5K

Finn and I ran a 5K together in December. This summer the P.E. teacher at my school was killed in a car wreck, so my school is going to do an annual 5K in her honor. Finn was my running buddy, and it was not the best day to run. It was cold and rainy, so they moved the race to the inside of a parking garage. Less than ideal. Up and down and up and down. Finn ran half of the race without stopping and then lost his mojo. he had to slow down and walk off and on, but never quit. Finn made it to the finish line! I was very proud!

Big Brave

Finn's class had a cute Thanksgiving celebration, which I was lucky enough to go to. I love having him at school with me! The class had a feast with authentic Thanksgiving foods like venison and clams that Finn did not bother to try. The class also put on a Thanksgiving play. Finn played a Native American, that yells "Big brave!" He practiced his line a lot at home, and he definitely put a lot of pizazz into his performance.
We had a small little Thanksgiving celebration. Will and his girlfriend Alyse, Tera, Scott, and Jaxx all came to our house for Thanksgiving dinner. As always, we have so much to be thankful for.

Pagoda

We have a new family member, Pagoda, Yes, we are crazy. A woman that Rick works with had a litter of French bulldogs, and there were two that she wasn't able to sell. I have always wanted a French bulldog, so Rick persuaded her to let us take one of them home with us. Free of charge! Now Tugboat has a companion to play with. She has a little bit of a mean streak with him, but he needs someone to keep him in line! It's a full house over here with two adults, two kids, and two dogs.

A Haunting We Will Go

The kids had a blast this Halloween between school Halloween parties, local festivals, pumpkin patches, and of course trick or treating. Sloane still doesn't have an opinion of what costume to wear, so I choose a Minnie Mouse one for her. She does love Minnie Mouse, and it was super cute on her. Finn decided to be a Transformer- Optimus Prime to be exact. The days of parental input in costume choice are long gone with Finn.
Sloane was a little intimidated by the trick or treating experience. It took some coaxing to get her to go up to the front door, but when she got there she tried to grab a big handful of candy. I think next year she will be a pro at it.