Thanksgiving Break

So it has been so nice having the littles home so far. Yes there have been some trying moments already and I am sure more to come but I do miss having them around and its been lovely just being able to relax!
Friday night we had our weekly movie night. We watched Despicable Me. It was really nice to wake up Saturday morning and not have to rush out the house! First time in gosh I don't even know! Probably weeks! Anyway we had a low key morning around the house before getting ready and going to the park. My parents met us at the Terrytown Playground. The 2 of them played so well. We were out there for atleast an hour. I was glad to see them getting some outside time and exercise. Afterwards I promised them lunch at Chickfila. This was fun too and nice for mommy to not have to cook and clean!
That afternoon was relaxed. We hung around the house and they played. We did some phonics and played outside. Again not having to be anymore at night was awesome! We stayed in and watched football.
Sunday we woke up to rain and I almost backed out of going to church b/c the kids and I all have colds. No one has run fever though and Colby has had it for over a week. Obviously you can't keep kids home for that long b/c of the sniffles and cough! I taught the preschoolers. We had a small class of only 8. The kids were really well behaved too which made the morning go smoothly. I am glad we got out for church b/c we will be home the rest of the day. We will probably do some more school work and play outside. Colby has a F and a D in reading and math right now so I am trying to really catch him up with those subjects.
Monday has been a busy day. We had a slow morning then we all got dressed and I brought the kids to the grandparents. They have been wanting to hang out with them and today looked like the best day. I needed to go to the grocery store which meant nothing fun for me to do with them. Plus I had several of things to do around the house. I was thankful for a few quiet hours! I love my kids and I am loving this time with them but goodness they are tiring!! This has really made me think what it would be like to homeschool? Some days I am all for it and then days like today I am like HECK no! I mean I love having time with them but 365 days a year I am not sure! HA! Anyway they got home at naptime so now we are just taking it easy. Lindsay is still struggling with her cold so I am hoping the rest will make her feel better soon. We will do our usual outdoor time and maybe do some school work as well. Last night we watched Home Alone so we might try to find another good movie on tv as well.
Tuesday was a fun day. We were so happy to have Austin off and home with us. We had a low key morning then went to Lakeside for our tradition of seeing Santa and picking out ornaments. The kids wanted to start out in the Disney store to get ideas for Christmas. I just love seeing their excitment and magic of the season. Afterwards we went to visit Santa. I was surprised at how timid both kids were. Colby was really shy at first...usually he gets up there and talks Santa's ear off but I think he is getting to the age of ?s. He even asked me when we got home if that was the real Santa. He did finally warm up. But not Miss Priss. She cried again when it was time for the picture. We ended up all 4 getting in the picture but it turned out cute nonetheless. Just another memory! Life isn't perfect so why should we pretend? I loved the memory of it! Anyway after we went to PB Kids so they could look around and play with the toys. They really enjoyed this. After we went over to Panera Bread for lunch b/c the mall was starting to get crazy! It was a nice lunch just the 4 of us. The kids ate well and seemed to enjoy it too.
That night we had Lifegroup. It was our last session of this year so we wanted to go. We have missed a few lately just to being really busy and kids being sick. Even though the kids and I were still a little sickly we went ahead and went. I am so glad we did b/c the kids had a blast! They don't get to attend lifegroup often with us b/c of it being during the school week. There were about 9 or 10 kids there last night so they had a blast! They love all the toys at the Richardson's and just being with the other kids. The kids range from 10 years to 2. I helped watch the kids with Stephanie. Even though I hated to miss the lesson I knew Lindsay was the youngest plus she was still a little sick so I wanted to stay with her. I felt like the kids really behaved well though and played really well with each other and with the other kids!
Wednesday was a busy day for us. Austin was off again thankfully and we had lots of litte projects and errands to accomplish. We had our low key morning around the house with breakfast and hanging out first though! I am def loving this part of vacation! The not rushing out the door! Once we all got dressed though it was time to start the day! The kids and I left and met up with Colby's Cub Scout friends at the library. Each month they have to take a special field trip somewhere and one of the suggestions was a library to learn about your local city and state. It was a neat time with friends. We found some Louisiana books and talked about life many years ago and some important facts about our state. I think the boys all enjoyed it. Afterwards I let the kids pick out a couple of books to check out as well. After that we needed to order Lindsay's birthday cake. We also made a quick trip to Target. We then picked Austin home and went to eat Mexican for lunch. I had promised Colby a few days ago. It was fun eating out as a family. I love going out to eat this time of year. The rest of the day we spent working around the house. It was nice just to stay in and get caught up on a few things.
Thursday-Thanksgiving
Friday- I wanted to do something fun with just the kids and I. We decided on the Children's Museum. It was fun just hanging out with the 2 of them. I think they enjoyed the museum. It was crowded though! More adults then children. But we still had fun and they got to do pretty much everything. I think their favorite section was def the boats that's where we stayed the longest. After the museum Austin met us for lunch at Jimmy John's. We did this last year and it was a fun tradition to keep up. That afternoon we just rested and hung out.
Saturday-Austin was off yay! The kids and I had planned on meeting Elizabeth at Chickfila for breakfast. We had planned to discuss all the details of Lindsay's birthday and just hang out with her. With our busy schedules we don't get very many chances to just hang out with her. It was fun! Something I realized we should do more often! I think the kids enjoyed the change of pace. They also got to play while she and I visited =) best of both worlds. Afterwards we went to Michael's to get a few things for her party. Afterwards we came back and met up with Austin and went to get our Christmas tree. I was so glad to get that done over the weekend. That afternoon was spent putting away fall stuff and getting out our Christmas stuff. We still aren't finished but atleast we are closer. Austin and I are going to work really hard this week to have everything ready for her b-day party on Saturday!
Sunday was church. It was just the kids and I. I taught...we had a good crowd of about 10 kids. We had a lot of 2-3 year olds. Its neat that right now that is the biggest age group. I am glad Lindsay has a big group of kids to grow up with. That afternoon we had a short rest time then it was off to do Christmas pictures in City Park. Once again my friend Katie Hodas did them for us. This year she did Mini Sessions out there. This was really great b/c honestly 30 min is enough picture time for my kids anyway. And they both did great! I was so pleased and proud of them! It was a lot of fun too! Cannot wait to see how they turned out! Afterwards we ate at McAlister's. This used to be our weekly thing it was nice to go back! My how the kids have grown though! We were remembering the many meals we ate there especially with Colby! Anyway it was a perfect ending to our Thanksgiving break! I am thankful for all we got to do and all the fun family time we had! Despite our little colds we still managed to have a great time!
Its bittersweet sending the kids back to school. I mean I am looking forward to a little quiet time this week and being able to get some projects done around the house but I will miss them! I will also miss our lazy mornings and laid back schedule! Things are in full Christmas mode now and also this is Lindsay's birthday week so there will be lots to post about this weekend!!