The Nutcracker

I have always wanted to see "The Nutcracker" for as long as I can remember. Christmas is always such a busy time of year though, and it just hasn't ever happened. Also, we wanted the girls to be a little bit older with the hopes that they might actually sit through it.

Our local ballet theater was putting on "The Nutcracker" this weekend. Almost all of the dancers were from a local ballet company and comprised of mostly students. Our girls sat with eyes glued to the stage for most of the 2 hour ballet. However, the last 15 minutes, Emma did manage to fall asleep. She's been waking up between 6:00 and 6:30 every morning since the time change, no matter what time she goes to bed. She gave up her naps at the ripe old age of two and a half, but I guess by 4:00 today, she was wiped out.

We all really enjoyed the show, and we thought the production was very professional. I would love to make this an annual holiday tradition!

Black Friday

Brian and I participated in our annual tradition of Black Friday shopping. The girls stayed with my parents yesterday (thank you!) after a wonderful Thanksgiving feast, and we mapped out our shopping strategy last night when we returned home. I was up by 2:40 a.m. due to the pounding rain outside. Finally at 3:10, I realized there was no point in going back to sleep. I got up and made myself a bowl of oatmeal in order to have some energy for shopping. Brian was up around 3:20 to have his morning coffee, and our dog, Bailey, was up right along with us. When she saw us with our tennis shoes on, she assumed it was time for her morning walk and was going nuts. She was sadly disappointed when she was forced back into her crate at 3:45 a.m.

In 2 vehicles, we headed with shopping lists and circulars in hand. First stop..Kohl's. Brian and I have become professionals at this, and it is so helpful to have 2 people on the same mission. I grabbed the cart, and he headed to the toy section. We were able to get most everything on our list and waited in line about 15 minutes to checkout at 4:30 a.m.

Next stop...Walmart for me and Best Buy for Brian. The Best Buy line was all the way to Color Me Mine. For the locals out there, you know that's pretty far. I struggled to find a parking spot at Walmart, having to go down many rows before finally finding one. Since it is a 24 hour Walmart, the store was obviously open at 4:50 a.m. when I arrived, but once inside, I realized the utter chaos and lack of organization on Walmart's part. There were hundreds of people everywhere, especially in electronics. There was a TV on sale that wasn't supposed to be sold until 5 a.m....they were already sold out by 4:45 a.m. There were some very unhappy Walmart shoppers. The perimeter of the store was full of large flats of various sale merchandise with black tarps covering them. Hoards of people were crowded around each one with an employee guarding most of them. (You had to ask for a map in order to find out what was in each flat - and the map was of poor quality and hard to read). When 5 a.m. arrived, all the employees had box cutters and began cutting through the tarp. People were pushing, shoving, and grabbing items. It was horrendous. I saw one poor woman in a wheelchair and was very concerned for her safety. Several of the items I was shopping for I could not find, and I just picked up the few things I really wanted off my list and walked right up to a cashier. Shame on you, Walmart for your lack of organization...this is how people get hurt. And, shame on the shoppers for pushing and shoving...is saving a few dollars really worth it? I remembered after today the reason I make it a point not to go into Walmart unless I have to.

Next up, Old Navy for me. I was there by 5:15. Brian was done at Best Buy and when I drove past Target, I noticed a line already forming. So, Brian headed to get in line at Target at 5:20 for a 6:00 opening. He was probably the 30th person in line. I got my items at Old Navy and met him at 5:40. Kuddos to Target for being VERY organized. They had Starbucks employees handing out free coffee samples, a security guard monitoring the crowd of what ended up being hundreds of people, and only one door they were going to open right at 6:00 a.m. to make it fair for everyone. We got our items quickly and the employees there were so very helpful. Yeah Target...this is why I frequent this store soooo often!

Brian put our Target purchases in his car and headed to Lowe's and Walgreens while I did our grocery shopping for the week at Target. Black Friday is the best day for grocery shopping...not a sole on that side of the store. Plus, I had a 10% off coupon for a one day shopping pass, so I might as well take full advantage of it!

I was home around 7:50 a.m. and at the gym attempting to work off my turkey by 8:45 a.m. Brian headed out to Fry's for some more shopping during our first real downpour of the day, back to Target for an item we had forgotten and to Staples. We finished our morning by organizing presents on a spreadsheet and began wrapping, then we were off to pick up the kiddos.

With the economy being as it is, we weren't sure what to expect. We would say that the early bird shoppers definitely turned out this year!

Horses

There is a field of about 3-4 horses right in the middle of our neighborhood. I'm not sure who owns the land or the horses, but we drive past them quite often and see people feeding them. Brian and I had lots to do today, but with it being a beautiful 74 degrees, I couldn't resist taking an hour or so out of our what seems to be always busy schedule and walk up to feed them. Bailey came along as she is always very curious of the horses when I walk her.


The horses are used to people feeding them, so when we walked up to the fence, one horse came right over and started eating the carrots we had. Abby was very cautious of the horse, but Emma seemed much more at ease. Bailey went nuts, was barking at it like crazy and, as you might be able to see in the picture, she was on her back to legs jumping up and down.


We fed the horse the entire package of carrots we had..and then off to the park to enjoy the beautiful day!

It's Beginning to Look A Lot Like Christmas....

On Tuesday, Brian took advantage of the 70 degree weather we are having this week, and spent an entire vacation day decorating for Christmas. He spent a good 5 hours outside (on the roof for a majority of that) as well as finished up the task of decorating the inside of our house. This was after he spent a few hours on Monday afternoon trimming up all the bushes.

Abby was at school, but Emma sat outside with him. She wanted to help, and he told her that if he fell off the roof, to run inside and get Mommy. When I would walk outside to check on her, I asked her what she was doing. She was just sitting there playing, and she replied, "I'm waiting for Daddy to fall off the roof." When I had to leave for Physical Therapy, and Brian was still on the roof, I told her to be good and that I had an appointment to get to. She said, "Mommy, who do I tell if Daddy falls off the roof?" So, I gave her a 1 minute lesson on how to dial 911, ran to the car (because I was running late) and began praying.

Brian does a great job every year decorating our house...the neighbors usually comment on how nice it looks while they are all paying $200-$400 to have someone put their lights up. I love the way our house looks, but I am always a nervous wreck while he's up on the roof. Praise God that He protected him.

Published Author

Abby began writing a book last December entitled, Isabella First Grader and Her Holiday Story. She learned about the different holidays celebrated around the world, which was the inspiration for her story. In January, her teacher volunteered to work with students after school on the editing process which would result in the book being sent to the Publishing Company. She worked very hard writing and illustrating the book, but she thoroughly enjoyed all of it. We turned the book in last March for publishing...fast forward to the end of November of 2nd grade. We now have our finished product!!

Of course, the book was written and illustrated almost a year ago. It is amazing to see how much she has grown in her writing since she began this book. There are so many students at her school though, and many of them are publishing books, which is the reason it took so long. Also, the publishing company is comprised of volunteers, so this also was part of the reason for the lengthy process.


On Monday, we were invited to come to her classroom where she was presented with a pin and a certificate. She then shared her book with her class. We are so very proud of her and hope she continues her love for writing.

Quality Time

Emma was thrilled to attend her first birthday party at Sweet and Sassy. She got her fingernails painted, make-up and hair done, and got to pick out a princess dress to wear for the party. Sweet and Sassy completes the party with a runway fashion show of the girls modeling their "new look." All the girls there seemed to have a great time!


While Emma and I were at the party, Brian took Abby to see "Bolt." They left after church, had Subway for lunch, and went to the movies. Brian said Abby was bawling VERY loudly during the movie at one of the sad parts. She is such a sap! They completed the afternoon with a trip to Barnes and Noble and then went home and rode bikes around the neighborhood.

Each of our children got some valuable one on one time last Sunday...they always seem to enjoy that (and we do too)!

Emma's First Choir Performance

It has been a crazy Fall with lots of kids' activities. Wednesday nights, we decided to add choir into the mix. Drop Abby off at dance at 4:10, take Emma to choir at 6:00, pick Abby up at dance at 6:10, pick Emma up at choir at 6:30, then go to Emma's soccer practice at 6:45. I always seem to be running, and to top it off, I often do a 5:15 a.m. cycle class on Wednesdays in order to get everything done I have to do (yes, I am a stay-at-home mom, but my life is still super crazy). So, by Wednesday night, I'm usually pretty drained. But, I wanted Emma to have the opportunity that Abby had to sing with Little Crowns. So, I pressed on just as I always seem to.


Sunday was their first performance at church, and all the running around we've been doing paid off. I was amazed that my 4 year old baby girl was up on the stage...how did she get so big so fast? It was so sweet to see these young children worshiping God. Great job, Little Crowns!

Santa Claus is Coming to Town

We always try to visit Santa before Thanksgiving...yes, we are usually wearing shorts, but there is never a line, so it makes it well worth it. This year was no exception...we were able to walk right up to Santa. Abby asked him for Kit Kittridge (American Girl Doll), and Emma asked him for Dora Snow Princess.


As you can see from the picture, Jolly Ol' St. Nick has a quite sense of humor this year!

A Day at the Zoo

Emma and I went with our friends, Lauren, and her mom, Becky, to the Fort Worth Zoo on Tuesday. We had a multi-inch rain event the day before, and there was a 50% chance of rain on Tuesday as well. Our schedules looked pretty booked through the rest of the year, so we decided to carry along umbrellas, wear old clothes, and hope for the best. We chose wisely because the zoo had very low attendance, and we couldn't have asked for a more beautiful day (minus the water puddles everywhere).


Emma and Lauren had so much fun together. Becky brought her wagon along, and the girls had fun getting in and out and looking at all of the animals. I think my favorite part was seeing the baby lion cubs and watching them interact with each other. I loved seeing how annoyed the mother lion seemed with her cubs...like she just needed to get away from them. (I think most moms can relate to that)! The monkeys were also a big hit, and there was a baby monkey who was playing "tag" with the girls...it would hit the glass and then run away and come back for more. The girls laughed and laughed. We also went into the bird area and fed the birds seed off of a stick. The birds were starving, apparently. They were swarming us, and Emma and Lauren seemed a little bit cautious, but they loved every minute of it.


The only disappointment was the missing sharks. Emma and Lauren saw a picture of a shark on the map of the zoo. We found the exhibit, but the sign said that the sharks had outgrown the tank and had to be moved to a new facility. More sharks would be coming soon. So, Emma kept telling people that the zoo sure was fun, but she was sad that the sharks were gone. Crazy girl!

We had a great time at the zoo with our friends. I'm so glad we were able to go. Of course, now Abby is sad that she missed out, so it looks like I may be taking another trip out there during the holidays.

Worst to First

This past weekend was the end of the 4th season for my church small group softball team, Ignite. We started playing last fall when our coach helped out the flower mound parks and recreation staff by adding a second team that he coached. By helping them out, he got them to not schedule both teams to play at the same time (the teams play in 2 different leagues at the same park).

Anyway, our first season last fall ended without us getting a single win... and the games weren't all that pretty. But it was a humbling learning experience. The Spring season had us being a bit more competitive, nearly beating the undefeated league leader in the next to last game and finally busting through with our first team win to end the season.

Next, during the summer season we continued to see progress, with us winning our first game (a 2 game winning streak!). Our only other win during the summer was when we were lucky enough to play that same team again. So, the progress is 0 wins in the fall 2007, 1 win in the spring, and 2 wins in the summer.

This year's fall league saw us start out 1-4 (with the one win against the same summer league team we beat twice). However, based on how the league was playing out, the 4th playoff team would be at most 4-4. And that is when the streak began... we started playing decent defense and had some of the big bats showing up more and more. We ended up winning our last 3 games to make it into the playoffs as the 4th seed.

Our first playoff game, be it on a fairly chilly night, was a bit of an offensive (and defensive) adventure... but ended up being 15-15 and went to extra innings. As the visitors we were able to string together a few runs and managed to only give up 1 run. Next, we got to sit around for an hour before we played in the final. That game was a bit better played and I think the other team scored 6 (or all 7) of their runs in 1 innning. In a team effort, we won that game in 7 full innings, 11-7.

You would've thought that we had won the lottery... but it was a team effort. And add to it, we didn't bring in any 'ringers'... we won with the same team we played with all season long. FYI, I believe the trophy will be traveling from place to place, kinda like the Stanley Cup, so look for the celebration parties all around town this holiday season. Great job Ignite!

Operation Christmas Child

When Abby was just 6 months old, I joined a MOPS group at First Baptist Grapevine and was introduced to Operation Christmas Child. Many of you are probably familiar with this amazing ministry, but in case you aren't, here is more information: Samaritan's Purse.

Every year since, I have continued doing one each Christmas. Once Emma was born, I began to organize 2 shoe boxes per year. It is a wonderful way to spread the message of our wonderful Savior to children all over the world.

This year, both girls accompanied me to the store to purchase items for our shoe boxes. It was honestly the first year that neither one of my kids asked me to buy them something as well while we were shopping. Abby even emptied out her own piggy bank and offered to pay for some of the items herself.

If you have never participated in Operation Christmas Child, I would urge you to go to their website and find out more info. You and your family will be so blessed by this unselfish act of giving during this wonderful time of year.

WOW Reader

Abby received the WOW Reader award for her class for the month of October. Each teacher selects one student from his/her class who is doing well in the area of reading. Abby said she has the most "Reading Counts" points in her class for the month which is the reason she was selected. Fortunately, she loves to read, and in her spare time (which is pretty limited, it seems), she can sit down for hours and read. We hope her love for reading continues.

Lazy Day

Last weekend, the girls and I were all a bit under the weather and stayed home from a family reunion day trip that we were supposed to go on. With an unexpected afternoon together, we undertook the process of putting together a decent sized puzzle. The girls have always enjoyed doing puzzles, but they usually are all the 100-150 piece variety (little Emma can do most of those on her own). Abigail helped out the most with this puzzle, but Emma provided some help throughout the process. I, myself, love to do puzzles and used to have them sitting around my dining room table back in my single days. Nothing like a little family time together on a lazy Sunday...

End of a season

Today was Emma's last game of her first soccer season. After a few games in the middle of the season where Emma gave no effort and barely got a foot on the ball (let alone any goals), she has surged ahead the last 2 games.

Last week during a rather warm noon-time game, we agreed on her 'incentive' for the game (a reward she gets if she scores a goal or kicks the ball 30 times) was to get to have a play date with Luke. With that in mind, she ran all out, was getting the ball and scored 3 goals. Instead of getting worn out and tired from the very sunny day, she looked like a real soccer player. The legend of Luke continues!


This week at her final game, she continued the good soccer streak by scoring 2 more goals and once again running all over the field trying to get the ball. It was great to see her giving a good effort and helped with the decision on whether to sign her up again for spring soccer (along with the rest of her team that is coming back).


After the game, we had our end of the year party at Life's a Beach. All the girls ran around playing in the sand, and we celebrated the success of the season. After lunch, all the girls got their soccer trophies and had cupcakes. Great job, Emma, on a successful season!