Catching Up

AH!  I am so behind...said every mom a million times during the Christmas season!  I am no different.  But I am doing my best to catch you all up on the last month or so.  We left off with our super fun trip to the Mountains.  Let's see basketball season started and once again Brian is assistant coach.  Jake is doing great and has definitely improved over the last year.  Not sure he has ever taken a shot but he is always looking to pass to his friends.  And he always has his arms up on defense...never fails.  He is number 25 this year and on his best friends JP's team.  Going to be a great season!

Our neighbors had family in town and we all went to the aquarium...3 adults, 8 kids, on Thanksgiving break.  Maybe we should thought those numbers through a tad more, but we managed to have a great time.  (Not to mention we came home with all 8 kids!)  Thought this was a cute picture of some of them.

That brings us to Thanksgiving.  We went to Sandersville to see Nana!  The kids were so excited.  Daddy and Nana, however, not feeling so well.  Sadly, we had to leave a day early but we managed to get in lots of fun before we left!

Papa Veal's walker might have given Grace the most entertainment!  She wheeled around the house on it and just had a ball!

Nana snuggles!

And Julianna gave a Frozen concert.  Singing along at the top of her lungs.  Yes, both she and Grace know every word of every song!  And we even managed a cute kid picture!

Hated to leave but we will see them again after Christmas!  Next?  We came home to rest, shop and Sunday we had our first-definitely making it-annual Thanksgiving neighborhood kickball game.  Oh so much fun!

There was laughter, homeruns, outs, and tears, oh and Grace stuck her hand in dog poop.  But we are already looking forward to a rematch next year!  We split the adults up into two teams but I see parents vs. kids in our future, not sure how much longer we will be able to win (that's assuming we could beat them now!).  Love our neighborhood!

Oh next is our visit with Santa.  First of all let me say NO TEARS!  Yes!  Santa is a big deal, kids love him and they were ready with their lists and to discuss it with the big guy!  Take a look at their lists but pay special attention to Grace's list.

Yes, top of her list is food.  Just food.  She is consistent and it's all she says she wants.  What can I say?  The girl does love to eat!  But it definitely threw Santa for a loop.  But they all hopped up on his lap and smiled for the camera.

And the Christmas Season begins!

Mountain Trip

Oh my gosh time just flies by.  We have been so busy and I am trying to catch up.  A couple weeks ago we went to Gatlinburg for a weekend with the Decker's.  The drive up was a little rough for everyone but once we got there it was fun times!  We rented a beautiful cabin, complete with hot tub, pool table, air hockey, and best of all queen bunk beds!  Grace got a room to herself but the other 4 had such fun sleeping in the same room!

Saturday everyone was up early and had a wonderful breakfast.  The boys (plus Grace) went off to explore Gatlinburg.  They rode go-karts and ate all kinds of fun stuff.  The men came back with tons of moonshine...they were super excited.

The girls heads to the Christmas store, after getting hot chocolate and cookies of course!  We had such fun picking out ornaments and decorations.  So nice to spend some time with my sweet Julianna!  And it got us in the Christmas spirit!

Then we went back to the cabin for dinner and the kids played games and jumped in the hot tub.  I can't help but add this picture of Grace.  Meegan and I were reading magazines and she just picked one up and started flipping through.  She is so fun!

We had a great weekend.  I can't say enough how fortunate we are to have the Decker's down the street.  Our neighborhood is just the best.  We have made such wonderful friends here.  I know this was just the first of many trips together!