So Lindsay turned 5 years old a little over a week ago. I have been waiting until her doc visit to write an update on my little girl! Wow 5 ...a whole hand! That's just crazy to me! Where did time go? So at 5 my little girl is now in prek-4. She is still loving school. She is smart as a whip! She is a teachers dream I believe. Her teacher constantly says she wishes she had a classroom of Lindsay's. She says she does her work and finishes right away and its done correctly. She's quiet and very obedient at school. She has lots of friends and I think is well liked by all her peers. I think she is going to be our child that has LOTS of friends while Colby is content to have 2-3 BEST friends. She is going to be the city girl and socialite. Speaking of the city...she loves the city and downtown and all things NOLA! I can't tell you how happy that makes my heart. Colby is an old soul and a country boy at heart so I love my little NOLA babe!
So far school seems to come easy for her. Her teacher says she is very math oriented. She also does well with her letters and such as well. She is starting to read blends which is really cool to see.
She is still petite. She is 39 lbs and 43 in. She's def tall and skinny. She is becoming less picky which is nice to finally see. Her fav foods are still fish and chicken and mac n cheese though. She also loves apples.
She has been doing dance classes once a month this fall. She loves her dance class during the summer. I haven't started her in any full time extracurriculars b/c she is still so young. Maybe by 1st grade that will be considered. We love our girl! She's the perfect blend of sugar and spice!
I was thankful for my day with her! I miss her so now that she's in full time school! We had a great time together. After the doc we went to Barnes and Noble. She had a gift card to use. We had a good time browsing. Ofcourse she picked out 2 toys instead of a book but I told her as long as she stayed in her 15 dollar limit she could get whatever she wanted. We ran a couple more errands before coming home. We mostly relaxed and she watched tv and played the rest of the day. It was nice having her around!
Saturday, December 17, 2016
Wednesday, December 14, 2016
Holly Jolly Christmas
So this week the Christmas fun continues! Tuesday my mom hosted a Christmas brunch for the Senior Adult ladies at our church. She hosted it to honor Mrs. Doris and Mrs. Eva who both due to old age and health problems have had to relocate to the north shore. Its tradition for Lindsay and I to attend this. She has been coming with me since she was 1. The other years it wasn't a big deal keeping her home from school. This year I figured she was still in prek so why not? Its fun having that tradition with her. So we dropped off Colby from school then went to my parent's house. Lindsay got busy playing with my dad while I helped my mom get ready. After about 30 min Mrs. Stefanie also arrived to help set up. Once she got there it got really busy as others started arriving. I had a nice time visiting. I mostly stayed in the front room though where it was quiet. That is where Lindsay stayed and our pastor's daughter Emma. I enjoyed visiting with the pastors and Melissa and a few others. It was a nice time! From what I could tell it seemed as if everyone had a great time. We were over there for quite awhile and did not get home until about 1! I couldn't believe that was my whole day pretty much. I was so tired that afternoon but also had so much to do! I was glad we didn't have anywhere to be that night.
So ofcourse Friday night I mentioned my Christmas party! It was a blast! I really am enjoying all these little holiday gatherings!
Tuesday of this I had a Christmas party. This was for our ladies Bible study. It was at a friends house in English Turn. It was a lovely time. At first I was sort of dreading going. I was wishing to stay home. I ended up having a great time though. I have a few good friends in the group who have children about the same age and it was just fun to sit back and visit with them. We also played some "Christmas games" and that was fun too!
Wednesday night at church the kids had a Christmas party. I knew the kids were excited and looking forward to this. The preschoolers went upstairs this night since there aren't many of them. I think we had 6 total. It was fun to be with both the kids. Lindsay had a blast and was completely in her element which surprised me a little. I always figured she would be hesitant when we promotes up there but she was not at all. Honestly she is ready now but I hate to "break the rules" by sending her up there. I was glad both kids had fun. they had pizza and watched a movie first. Then Mr. Stephen had a short little devotional for them before they split up into boys/girls for crafts and games. It was a fun night and I love that my children beg to stay longer at church!
So ofcourse Friday night I mentioned my Christmas party! It was a blast! I really am enjoying all these little holiday gatherings!
Tuesday of this I had a Christmas party. This was for our ladies Bible study. It was at a friends house in English Turn. It was a lovely time. At first I was sort of dreading going. I was wishing to stay home. I ended up having a great time though. I have a few good friends in the group who have children about the same age and it was just fun to sit back and visit with them. We also played some "Christmas games" and that was fun too!
Wednesday night at church the kids had a Christmas party. I knew the kids were excited and looking forward to this. The preschoolers went upstairs this night since there aren't many of them. I think we had 6 total. It was fun to be with both the kids. Lindsay had a blast and was completely in her element which surprised me a little. I always figured she would be hesitant when we promotes up there but she was not at all. Honestly she is ready now but I hate to "break the rules" by sending her up there. I was glad both kids had fun. they had pizza and watched a movie first. Then Mr. Stephen had a short little devotional for them before they split up into boys/girls for crafts and games. It was a fun night and I love that my children beg to stay longer at church!
Monday, December 12, 2016
Fun and Busy Times
This weekend has been extremely busy but its been very fun! i have been determined this season to keep my stress down. I have done well the last few years just not making Christmas a stressful season. Even though we are in a VERY busy season of life I have learned to just take it day by day. I have also tried to look at everything on our calendar as a blessing and enjoy it for what it is.
Friday I had an open day so I met a friend for coffee at Barnes and Noble. I also had some shopping to do there. It was nice to have some friend time. I didn't have much time though to get much done during the day though.
That evening I had a Christmas party with the teachers at Aurora. It feels so weird to say I have "work" things. We don't usually go out much on Friday nights. I knew I would have fun but part of me just wanted to stay in on a Friday night in my pjs. Austin stayed here with the kids...well actually brought them to dinner then they came here and watched a movie. Needless to say I had a great time at the party. I was there from 6-9. The teachers there are so fun to be around. I love the friendships I have developed through my kids going to school there and now working there. We did a lot of visiting and just nibbling on appetizers. We also had an ornament exchange. When I got home it was after 9:30 and the kids were heading to bed. I got to see them both and kiss them before bed. I was pretty tired myself so it wasn't long before Austin and I hit the hay as well!
Saturday we woke up and got ready because we had a Santa Breakfast to attend. Its become tradition to attend this at Aurora each year. My parents met us as well since Austin was working. The kids had a good time. Its always neat to see old friends and teachers. We were there about an hour. We stopped to vote on our way home then came home to work around the house and to rest. Lindsay had a b-day party that afternoon but I was glad we had a few hours mid day to just relax. We left our house about 3 to go to the party at BooKoo Bounce. Again we rarely get out late afternoons so this was a treat for the kids. They were quite excited! Colby really didn't have anyone to play with but I think he still had fun. Lindsay had a blast running around with all the little girls in her class. I enjoyed getting to visit with some of the moms. I don't really know any mothers in her class really well so it was nice to get to know them. The party was over at 5:30 so we headed back to the Westbank and met Austin at Chickfila for dinner. It was a perfect way to round out the day!
Sunday was another perfect but busy day! We had church first of all. Austin and I taught 1st service together. We had 8 or 9 kids. We had a few littles this particular Sunday. I don't want to sound ugly but those are the Sundays I feel like a crazy lady. I mean I love the kids but 2 year olds just really aren't my fav. Its hard to teach a lesson to such a wide spread of kids. The curriculum is also really written for 3-5 year olds. I also feel bad b/c Lindsay is the only 5 year old in the class. She had Makylee but even she is 3 and I feel she is much less mature then Lindsay. Oh well so far Lindsay doesn't complain. She enjoys being in my class and I love having her but I just wish she had more friends her age. She also has Miles who is 4 so that's good. So after church we had decided to have a fun family day. It was our Anniversary. Many thoughts had circled on what we could do this day. I kinda thought a few weeks ago about letting my parents keep the kids and Austin and I would go out to eat but then that would mean leaving them there for both services. Colby would be fine but it would be a lot for Lindsay. Then I thought about just keeping the day the same since Lindsay technically had dance class. Then it hit me we should just celebrate with the kids this year. I thought it would be fun to take them downtown to eat and see the hotel lobbies. We ended up going to lunch at the Gumbo Shop. It was yummy and I think it made the kids feel grown up. After a yummy lunch we went next door to Fleurty Girl. We ended up finding several little goodies there. Lindsay LOVED the store! She is for sure my little NOLA girl! We walked back to the hotel and toured the Ritz! It was my fav! I just love the scenery there. After we did the Roosevelt which was nice too. By the time we got back to the Ritz we were all tired and ready to go home. We got home just in time to relax and watch the SAINTS game. We had a pretty low key afternoon which was nice.
Friday I had an open day so I met a friend for coffee at Barnes and Noble. I also had some shopping to do there. It was nice to have some friend time. I didn't have much time though to get much done during the day though.
That evening I had a Christmas party with the teachers at Aurora. It feels so weird to say I have "work" things. We don't usually go out much on Friday nights. I knew I would have fun but part of me just wanted to stay in on a Friday night in my pjs. Austin stayed here with the kids...well actually brought them to dinner then they came here and watched a movie. Needless to say I had a great time at the party. I was there from 6-9. The teachers there are so fun to be around. I love the friendships I have developed through my kids going to school there and now working there. We did a lot of visiting and just nibbling on appetizers. We also had an ornament exchange. When I got home it was after 9:30 and the kids were heading to bed. I got to see them both and kiss them before bed. I was pretty tired myself so it wasn't long before Austin and I hit the hay as well!
Saturday we woke up and got ready because we had a Santa Breakfast to attend. Its become tradition to attend this at Aurora each year. My parents met us as well since Austin was working. The kids had a good time. Its always neat to see old friends and teachers. We were there about an hour. We stopped to vote on our way home then came home to work around the house and to rest. Lindsay had a b-day party that afternoon but I was glad we had a few hours mid day to just relax. We left our house about 3 to go to the party at BooKoo Bounce. Again we rarely get out late afternoons so this was a treat for the kids. They were quite excited! Colby really didn't have anyone to play with but I think he still had fun. Lindsay had a blast running around with all the little girls in her class. I enjoyed getting to visit with some of the moms. I don't really know any mothers in her class really well so it was nice to get to know them. The party was over at 5:30 so we headed back to the Westbank and met Austin at Chickfila for dinner. It was a perfect way to round out the day!
Sunday was another perfect but busy day! We had church first of all. Austin and I taught 1st service together. We had 8 or 9 kids. We had a few littles this particular Sunday. I don't want to sound ugly but those are the Sundays I feel like a crazy lady. I mean I love the kids but 2 year olds just really aren't my fav. Its hard to teach a lesson to such a wide spread of kids. The curriculum is also really written for 3-5 year olds. I also feel bad b/c Lindsay is the only 5 year old in the class. She had Makylee but even she is 3 and I feel she is much less mature then Lindsay. Oh well so far Lindsay doesn't complain. She enjoys being in my class and I love having her but I just wish she had more friends her age. She also has Miles who is 4 so that's good. So after church we had decided to have a fun family day. It was our Anniversary. Many thoughts had circled on what we could do this day. I kinda thought a few weeks ago about letting my parents keep the kids and Austin and I would go out to eat but then that would mean leaving them there for both services. Colby would be fine but it would be a lot for Lindsay. Then I thought about just keeping the day the same since Lindsay technically had dance class. Then it hit me we should just celebrate with the kids this year. I thought it would be fun to take them downtown to eat and see the hotel lobbies. We ended up going to lunch at the Gumbo Shop. It was yummy and I think it made the kids feel grown up. After a yummy lunch we went next door to Fleurty Girl. We ended up finding several little goodies there. Lindsay LOVED the store! She is for sure my little NOLA girl! We walked back to the hotel and toured the Ritz! It was my fav! I just love the scenery there. After we did the Roosevelt which was nice too. By the time we got back to the Ritz we were all tired and ready to go home. We got home just in time to relax and watch the SAINTS game. We had a pretty low key afternoon which was nice.
Wednesday, December 7, 2016
Christmas Celebrations
Christmas season is in full swing around here. We decorated over thanksgiving and once we did it felt like the season was truly here. Last week as the kids went back to school after the Thanksgiving holiday life got back to being busy and in full swing! I taught music 3 days! Wednesday I just had to review a couple songs with them so I wasn't there long, Thursday was my normal music day, and then Friday was rehearsal and our Christmas lunch out for the teachers.
Wednesday night at church we also started our "Christmas celebrations" I did the story of Mary and the Angel with them. The kids seemed to enjoy that. We colored a angel color sheet and glued the wings on. We had a sweet group of just 3 littles so it was a pretty easy going night.
I enjoyed being at Aurora the extra time even though it meant being super busy! I enjoyed being there with all the Christmas decorations going up and such.
So as a I said Friday we had a Christmas lunch. After school got out we went over to Ralph's on the Park. It was a delicious lunch and fun visiting with the teachers. It was quite lengthy though. It turned out I wasn't finished in time and poor Austin had to go get the cake. I felt so bad. I had no idea I would be there from 12:30 until after 3. It was a fun time though! It also really made it feel like Christmas time. That afternoon/evening we had Nijel over for a couple hours. The boys mostly played Legos and outside. They were really good. After he left Austin went to pick up Popeyes for us and we ate then let the kids watch "The Santa Clause" while we continued getting ready for Lindsay's party.
Sunday was more Christmas fun! i had to lead my preschool kids in singing at Aurora. I left with Lindsay around 8:45. Austin's family was still here but I had to go. I got there early though and was able to just chill and visit with Melissa and her mom. Soon the kids started arriving. We had to hang out and wait with them a little while before our turn to go sing. We were about mid-service. They did wonderful on their songs! They are such a great group of kids. I truly love working with them each week. After they sang we all went back to Children's Church. There Colby and Lindsay joined me. They love Mrs. Shelly's Children's Church. They made an ornament craft then had a Happy Birthday Jesus party. It was adorable. After church we went to eat at Chili's then go shopping for Lindsay's bike. She picked a pink Shopkins bike of all things. She loves it though! We had a restful afternoon. It was nice after all the busy to come in and rest!
Wednesday night at church we also started our "Christmas celebrations" I did the story of Mary and the Angel with them. The kids seemed to enjoy that. We colored a angel color sheet and glued the wings on. We had a sweet group of just 3 littles so it was a pretty easy going night.
I enjoyed being at Aurora the extra time even though it meant being super busy! I enjoyed being there with all the Christmas decorations going up and such.
So as a I said Friday we had a Christmas lunch. After school got out we went over to Ralph's on the Park. It was a delicious lunch and fun visiting with the teachers. It was quite lengthy though. It turned out I wasn't finished in time and poor Austin had to go get the cake. I felt so bad. I had no idea I would be there from 12:30 until after 3. It was a fun time though! It also really made it feel like Christmas time. That afternoon/evening we had Nijel over for a couple hours. The boys mostly played Legos and outside. They were really good. After he left Austin went to pick up Popeyes for us and we ate then let the kids watch "The Santa Clause" while we continued getting ready for Lindsay's party.
Sunday was more Christmas fun! i had to lead my preschool kids in singing at Aurora. I left with Lindsay around 8:45. Austin's family was still here but I had to go. I got there early though and was able to just chill and visit with Melissa and her mom. Soon the kids started arriving. We had to hang out and wait with them a little while before our turn to go sing. We were about mid-service. They did wonderful on their songs! They are such a great group of kids. I truly love working with them each week. After they sang we all went back to Children's Church. There Colby and Lindsay joined me. They love Mrs. Shelly's Children's Church. They made an ornament craft then had a Happy Birthday Jesus party. It was adorable. After church we went to eat at Chili's then go shopping for Lindsay's bike. She picked a pink Shopkins bike of all things. She loves it though! We had a restful afternoon. It was nice after all the busy to come in and rest!
Monday, December 5, 2016
Lindsay's 5th Birthday
Well the time has come my baby girl is a whole hand! she is ---almost 5! As of tomorrow morning she will be 5! Anyway this was her big party weekend. Her real b-day is on Monday. So we had her big party here this year. We invited near 40 people and nearly 40 people showed up.
Saturday morning around 9 while we were setting up and getting ready Austin's family arrived. This year his mom, sister, her husband, and 2 girls came. They were a big help though with setting up and cooking. It was a nice quiet time for us to visit with them as well. Soon Lizzie got here and she helped decorate which was nice. My parents were the next to arrive. It was great having all the extra hands to help. Right at 11 the company started arriving:
We had Lindsay's friends Claire and Layla from her old school
Her friends Holly and older sister Erin and Eden from her class this year
her friends Ebbie and Genevieve from church
her sibling friends Makylee, Makyrin, Nijel, and Mia.
I loved that she had a variety of kids here! They all got along so well though! The party went by so fast for me. They always do when you are busy trying to visit with everyone. The kids played on the bounce house and on our inflatable slide. We ate by about 11:30 then the kids just played between the yards and ran around. Around 12:30 we did cake and by 1 did the piñata. I had a blast! I think Lindsay did too! Once the party was over we worked hard for about an hour cleaning up. Austin's family stayed with us so they were around here. The kids mostly enjoyed bouncing and playing the Wii. We all hung out and rested some. That night we had leftovers and pizza for dinner. I was anxious to get our kids in the bed since it had been such a busy day for us! It took them both awhile to settle down. We were def a little cramped with company. Lindsay stayed in her room with maw maw and Colby shared his room with Shelbi and Maggie. Lindsay was asleep by about 9 and Colby was still awake at 10 when we went to bed. I slept hard the first part of the night then was restless. Just knowing you have company in your house and wondering when everyone will wake up and if everyone is comfortable I find myself never sleeping as well.
This morning was pretty busy with everyone trying to get ready and eat breakfast. I had to leave early to get to Aurora. More on that later!
Monday was Lindsay's actual b-day. She went to school. This is only the 2nd time that she has gone to school on her b-day. I might have let her stay home but she is skipping tomorrow. Anyway I get to go celebrate with her later on so that will be fun!
Saturday morning around 9 while we were setting up and getting ready Austin's family arrived. This year his mom, sister, her husband, and 2 girls came. They were a big help though with setting up and cooking. It was a nice quiet time for us to visit with them as well. Soon Lizzie got here and she helped decorate which was nice. My parents were the next to arrive. It was great having all the extra hands to help. Right at 11 the company started arriving:
We had Lindsay's friends Claire and Layla from her old school
Her friends Holly and older sister Erin and Eden from her class this year
her friends Ebbie and Genevieve from church
her sibling friends Makylee, Makyrin, Nijel, and Mia.
I loved that she had a variety of kids here! They all got along so well though! The party went by so fast for me. They always do when you are busy trying to visit with everyone. The kids played on the bounce house and on our inflatable slide. We ate by about 11:30 then the kids just played between the yards and ran around. Around 12:30 we did cake and by 1 did the piñata. I had a blast! I think Lindsay did too! Once the party was over we worked hard for about an hour cleaning up. Austin's family stayed with us so they were around here. The kids mostly enjoyed bouncing and playing the Wii. We all hung out and rested some. That night we had leftovers and pizza for dinner. I was anxious to get our kids in the bed since it had been such a busy day for us! It took them both awhile to settle down. We were def a little cramped with company. Lindsay stayed in her room with maw maw and Colby shared his room with Shelbi and Maggie. Lindsay was asleep by about 9 and Colby was still awake at 10 when we went to bed. I slept hard the first part of the night then was restless. Just knowing you have company in your house and wondering when everyone will wake up and if everyone is comfortable I find myself never sleeping as well.
This morning was pretty busy with everyone trying to get ready and eat breakfast. I had to leave early to get to Aurora. More on that later!
Monday was Lindsay's actual b-day. She went to school. This is only the 2nd time that she has gone to school on her b-day. I might have let her stay home but she is skipping tomorrow. Anyway I get to go celebrate with her later on so that will be fun!
Thursday, December 1, 2016
Thanksgiving 2016
Tuesday, November 29, 2016
Thanksgiving Break
I'll pick up with Monday of our break since I covered last weekend. So Monday was our first day it felt to really adjust and slow down. It was nice that we didn't have any plans on the agenda. We slept in and took it easy around the house that morning. We mostly cleaned and Austin worked in the yard. I had to grocery shop and prepare for the week ahead. We did get out though to have lunch out and go to Lowe's. Something about this time of year I love eating out. Nothing fancy we just had po-boys and the kids had fried catfish. The rest of the day was very low key which was lovely!
Tuesday we had a nice family morning and went to Lakeside. This is our yearly tradition of going to see Santa and ride the train. I wasn't sure if they would even do either b/c last year when I tried they both refused. Luckily this year they were thrilled. We started with Santa. It was the first year we got Lindsay up there without me having to go sit...well except the year she turned 1. She wouldn't sit near him but atleast she sat without us present. The picture came out so cute too! I love the glimpses of still seeing little kids in them. Even though I looked at a picture just 2 short years ago and realized just HOW MUCH they had grown up! After Santa they both rode the train and got the biggest kick out of it. Then we went to pick out ornaments for them. Lindsay found an Elena ornament in the Disney store and we took Colby to Macy's and he found a Charlie Brown one. By the time we finished all that it was time to eat lunch. Again I just tried to soak it all in. Even though it was before Christmas and it was in the 70s it still felt like Christmas. That afternoon Austin went to Hattiesburg to be with his mom. The kids and I had a low key time at home. My parents picked up Colby that afternoon so Lindsay and I had a very quiet night. I enjoyed just having her and the quiet that 1 child brings. She was also in bed before 7:30 which was bliss as well. It felt lovely to just put my feet up and relax.
Wednesday she and I tried to get going pretty early. We went to go pick Colby up at 9:15 and dropped him off at Nijel's house and we picked up Mia. We girls had a playdate scheduled with Lindsay's friends Claire and Layla. I invited Mia to go with us since she and Claire are now in school together. We got to City Park around 9:45. We spent the morning in Storyland together. It was fun to visit again with Tayna and Cindy. The girls had an absolute blast. We were able to mostly sit and visit while they played. We ended up staying about 3 hours! I was so glad Lindsay got to see her old friends. We miss those preschool days at Aurora so much! Meanwhile Colby also had a blast with Nijel. I was glad they both got to have "Friend time" during the holiday. Once we were finished we dropped Mia off and got Colby and came back home. The kids and I rested a bit. Soon austin got back home too. It was nice that night to not have anywhere to be. We ended up ordering pizza and working on our Thanksgiving pies.
Thursday was of course Thanksgiving (see separate post)
Friday we did our Annual trip to the Children's Museum. Last year we had missed b/c Olivia had a vet appointment. I gave them the choice between there and the zoo and that's what they landed on. We got there a little before 10 and it wasn't crowded at all. They spent a lot of time in the grocery stores both the city and country one. They also spent a lot of time on the building projects. I was proud of how independent and well they played. Its so fun taking them at these ages. I was able to mostly just sit and watch but I would get involved in a few play times with them. We even went into the art room for a bit. They were making snowflakes and they both enjoyed that for awhile. The last thing we did was play downstairs. Down there their fav things were dressing up like the police man and firemen. We only stayed about 2 hours then we went to meet Austin for lunch at Jimmy John's. This has become our holiday tradition on Black Friday. We have done it the last 4 years. Its such a fun thing to do! I hope we can continue it! That afternoon the kids and I just hung out. That evening we did our usual movie night event. We watched Because of Winn Dixie. It was really a good little movie.
Saturday I decided that the kids and I really just needed to run errands. Colby wasn't happy with me but I felt we had done fun stuff most of the week and I needed to get stuff together so I wouldn't be as busy during the week. We first had breakfast with Lizzie at Chickfila. I figured they needed something fun. It was also nice to catch up and visit with Lizzie especially since we didn't see them on Thanksgiving this year. We stayed for about an hour. Our errands began at Party City. We needed to get things for Lindsay's party. I was glad to get that one out the way so I wouldn't have to get out later in the week. The next errand was Target. We needed several things there too. I tried to be quick though b/c I knew the kids were counting down. The last errands were quick just the bank and library. We made it home and ate lunch then hung out. Austin got home early and we worked on outdoor Christmas lights. That night we went to eat burgers at Bud's Broiler. Again just something so comforting and fun about eating out on a chilly evening during the holidays.
Sunday we had church. We went to 1st service. Austin helped me but we only had 4 kids. It was honestly nice. I hate to wish for small crowds like that but we had 2 boys and 2 girls and they were all 4 years old. It made teaching so fun and enjoyable. We left after 1st service to eat lunch and get our tree. We ended up eating Mexican and picked up the tree. That afternoon/evening was spent finishing outdoor lights and decorating the tree! Its always our tradition to decorate the week of Thanksgiving since Lindsay's b-day comes the very next week!
It was a lovely holiday despite the sadness that started it. I feel like we accomplished a lot but also took time to slow down and enjoy each other and the simple pleasures. I also feel like we got to have a lot of fun with the kids. I will miss them when they return to school but it will be nice to get back to "normal". This school year has been so plagued with craziness with Austin's dad being sick and him going there every week that it will be sorta nice to settle back into routines and life before the holidays. This week will be busy as we get back into all of our routines. We will also be prepping for Lindsay's party!
Tuesday we had a nice family morning and went to Lakeside. This is our yearly tradition of going to see Santa and ride the train. I wasn't sure if they would even do either b/c last year when I tried they both refused. Luckily this year they were thrilled. We started with Santa. It was the first year we got Lindsay up there without me having to go sit...well except the year she turned 1. She wouldn't sit near him but atleast she sat without us present. The picture came out so cute too! I love the glimpses of still seeing little kids in them. Even though I looked at a picture just 2 short years ago and realized just HOW MUCH they had grown up! After Santa they both rode the train and got the biggest kick out of it. Then we went to pick out ornaments for them. Lindsay found an Elena ornament in the Disney store and we took Colby to Macy's and he found a Charlie Brown one. By the time we finished all that it was time to eat lunch. Again I just tried to soak it all in. Even though it was before Christmas and it was in the 70s it still felt like Christmas. That afternoon Austin went to Hattiesburg to be with his mom. The kids and I had a low key time at home. My parents picked up Colby that afternoon so Lindsay and I had a very quiet night. I enjoyed just having her and the quiet that 1 child brings. She was also in bed before 7:30 which was bliss as well. It felt lovely to just put my feet up and relax.
Wednesday she and I tried to get going pretty early. We went to go pick Colby up at 9:15 and dropped him off at Nijel's house and we picked up Mia. We girls had a playdate scheduled with Lindsay's friends Claire and Layla. I invited Mia to go with us since she and Claire are now in school together. We got to City Park around 9:45. We spent the morning in Storyland together. It was fun to visit again with Tayna and Cindy. The girls had an absolute blast. We were able to mostly sit and visit while they played. We ended up staying about 3 hours! I was so glad Lindsay got to see her old friends. We miss those preschool days at Aurora so much! Meanwhile Colby also had a blast with Nijel. I was glad they both got to have "Friend time" during the holiday. Once we were finished we dropped Mia off and got Colby and came back home. The kids and I rested a bit. Soon austin got back home too. It was nice that night to not have anywhere to be. We ended up ordering pizza and working on our Thanksgiving pies.
Thursday was of course Thanksgiving (see separate post)
Friday we did our Annual trip to the Children's Museum. Last year we had missed b/c Olivia had a vet appointment. I gave them the choice between there and the zoo and that's what they landed on. We got there a little before 10 and it wasn't crowded at all. They spent a lot of time in the grocery stores both the city and country one. They also spent a lot of time on the building projects. I was proud of how independent and well they played. Its so fun taking them at these ages. I was able to mostly just sit and watch but I would get involved in a few play times with them. We even went into the art room for a bit. They were making snowflakes and they both enjoyed that for awhile. The last thing we did was play downstairs. Down there their fav things were dressing up like the police man and firemen. We only stayed about 2 hours then we went to meet Austin for lunch at Jimmy John's. This has become our holiday tradition on Black Friday. We have done it the last 4 years. Its such a fun thing to do! I hope we can continue it! That afternoon the kids and I just hung out. That evening we did our usual movie night event. We watched Because of Winn Dixie. It was really a good little movie.
Saturday I decided that the kids and I really just needed to run errands. Colby wasn't happy with me but I felt we had done fun stuff most of the week and I needed to get stuff together so I wouldn't be as busy during the week. We first had breakfast with Lizzie at Chickfila. I figured they needed something fun. It was also nice to catch up and visit with Lizzie especially since we didn't see them on Thanksgiving this year. We stayed for about an hour. Our errands began at Party City. We needed to get things for Lindsay's party. I was glad to get that one out the way so I wouldn't have to get out later in the week. The next errand was Target. We needed several things there too. I tried to be quick though b/c I knew the kids were counting down. The last errands were quick just the bank and library. We made it home and ate lunch then hung out. Austin got home early and we worked on outdoor Christmas lights. That night we went to eat burgers at Bud's Broiler. Again just something so comforting and fun about eating out on a chilly evening during the holidays.
Sunday we had church. We went to 1st service. Austin helped me but we only had 4 kids. It was honestly nice. I hate to wish for small crowds like that but we had 2 boys and 2 girls and they were all 4 years old. It made teaching so fun and enjoyable. We left after 1st service to eat lunch and get our tree. We ended up eating Mexican and picked up the tree. That afternoon/evening was spent finishing outdoor lights and decorating the tree! Its always our tradition to decorate the week of Thanksgiving since Lindsay's b-day comes the very next week!
It was a lovely holiday despite the sadness that started it. I feel like we accomplished a lot but also took time to slow down and enjoy each other and the simple pleasures. I also feel like we got to have a lot of fun with the kids. I will miss them when they return to school but it will be nice to get back to "normal". This school year has been so plagued with craziness with Austin's dad being sick and him going there every week that it will be sorta nice to settle back into routines and life before the holidays. This week will be busy as we get back into all of our routines. We will also be prepping for Lindsay's party!
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