11/26/11 - Tween Shopping Day

The Saturday following black Friday I took Kennedy and her friends shopping at the mall to buy gifts for their friends and family.  I love spending time with these girls.  I don't know what I"ll do when they all go off to college and I won't have anyone but boys to hang out with anymore.  j/k   I took them out to eat at TGIFridays after the shopping and then they finished off the day with a present wrapping party.

11/24/11 - Thanksgiving

We had a small and quiet Thanksgiving celebration at home this year.  I am coming to love this quiet holiday with just our little family and Sue.  We all wrote letters about something that made us very thankful during the year, and we put it in our white "Gratitude Jar."  We will read them next Thanksgiving.  Nick was only seen for about an hour before he had to head back to work for a graveyard shift.

We usually do a 1000 piece puzzle after dinner, but this year I taught Sue the card game I learned from my sister and we ended up playing that until 11:15 pm.  That's when we left Kennedy to babysit the boys (they were in bed anyway) and Sue and I went to Wal-mart for some early "black Friday" shopping.  This is the first year I have ever set out on black Friday to actually buy something from an advertisement.....it was kind of fun.  Then I went to the mall on my own to see what kind of clothing sales were going on at Kennedy's favorite stores.  In all, I decided I will take Kennedy with me next year to pick out her own gifts and make it a tradition.

11/22/11 - Bye Bye Woods :(

A big machine started tearing the trees down in our woods today.  We have made so many memories there.  No more playground, fort, or movies in the woods.  Sad day.  Kennedy and Leighann took advantage of the dirt and had a good time playing the next day.  Making lemonade out of sour lemmons.

11/21/11 - Houston Zoo

On Hillary's last day with us, we took her and Brooklyn to the Houston Zoo.  It was a beautiful day and a great way to end her trip.  I had such a wonderful time with my sisters.  We are so lucky to have one another.  I can't wait to see them and my other 2 sisters again at our family reunion this coming summer.  I LOVE YOU GUYS....til we meet again.

11/19/11 - Step Out to Fight Diabetes Walk

On Saturday, we got up early to go to the "Step Out To Fight Diabetes Walk" in The Woodlands.  We had 10 people to take and only one little mini van, so I made my children sit in the trunk because the walk was not far away.  We walked around to the booths and collected free stuff while playing games.  Everyone enjoyed doing the chicken dance and the Hokie Pokie, and then we did the 3K walk.  Towards the end of the walk Kennedy's blood sugar got very low.  I forgot to bring something with sugar for her, but this was a place full of people who understood all too well what we needed.  We were given a cup of cereal from one group and a bottle of orange juice from someone else. 

This little girl is the reason we go to this walk every year.  Kennedy's best friends always come to support her.  WE LOVE YOU KENNEDY, and are proud of everything you accomplish while living with this disease!

Later that day we took Merry to the mall to shop for some new jeans at Buckle.  She got some really cute MissMe jeans and a new shirt.

This was Merry's last night with us before she had to go back home.  We played the card game Hillary taught us and had some more laughs together.

11/18/11 - Aviator Grill

We went to Aviator Grill the next day (Fri) at the small airport by our house.  We watched the planes take off and land while we ate.  When we got home we made the t-shirts for the Diabetes walk the next morning.

While making the t-shirts, Merry took a break and went outside for some air.  She found one of our little frog friends on the back porch.  She had some fun with him while being a bit scared at the same time.  We think it is Brooklyn's frog prince.

11/17/11 - Movie Marathon & Midnight Movie

The next day (Thurs) we had a movie marathon, watching the first 3 Twilight movies up in the theater room.  We also came up with a design and made t-shirts for our entire group that would be going to the midnight showing of the new twilight movie, Breaking Dawn.  The shirts said "BITE ME" with fangs on the front and "I AM SWITZERLAND" on the back.

We had a great time.  Kennedy got to hang out with some of her friends that came and Merry and Hillary were biting each other.  GOOFY!  haha
This is what my sister Hillary wrote on her blog about Twilight Day:
Breaking Dawn was fun.  We watched all of the Twilight movies during the day and Holly and Merry made our stellar T-Shirts just in time for the midnight showing.  The front of the shirt featured some vampire fangs with the words "Bite Me" written under them and on the back we had "I am Switzerland" stenciled along with all of the names of everyone who went in our little group.   We put the vampire and werewolf crests on opposite sleeves representing our "support" of both species.

Enough about shirts.  There are more alarming experiences to share...like getting hit by trucks.  Yes, you could technically say that I got hit by a truck.  We were walking into the movie theater and we started walking around the back of a truck that was waiting for a parking space when suddenly he gunned it backward. Holly jumped forward out of the way but it was too late for me.  I did get a chance to jump so that my hands hit the truck saving the brunt of it from hitting my legs or body.  I could have been road kill.  The driver slowed down so I could get out of the way but he never really stopped.  Huh.

11/16/11 - Kemah Boardwalk

The next day Nick took care of the kids (even Brooklyn) so just the sisters could spend the day together.  We took a drive down to the gulf to spend a day on the Kemah Boardwalk.  We started the day with a nice lunch at our favorite Texas Steakhouse, Saltgrass. 

Everything's bigger in Texas....haven't you heard.  Even the chocolate bars.  We did some fun shopping.

By far, we had the most fun going on the rides.  There were hardly any people there so after going on a ride, we would ask the attendant to just let us stay on and start the ride again....and again....again please?  The best ride in the world was the Drop Zone.  The ride that takes you super high in the air and then suddenly drops you....AWESOME!!  After 8 times being dropped to what felt like our deaths, Hillary had had enough and chose to watch Merry and I go twice more.  It was a blast!  Merry and Hillary even fell to the ground feeling sick and dizzy after getting off a different ride earlier in the day.  I laughed so hard I almost had an accident.
(This is what Hillary wrote on her blog about Kemah....hilarious!)
The day after Merry's late night arrival we headed off for Kemah Boardwalk. This was probably the most fun of it.  My sisters roped me into getting an all day ride pass, which is something I would have not done on my own.  I have no interest in facing fears, throwing up, or facing death but because I also have no interest in being the party pooper I quietly bought my ticket dreading what was about to happen.  Our first ride was fine.  It was the Mari-go-round.  I actually enjoyed watching Holly squirm when the ride operator told her she had to get on an animal and buckle her seat belt.  Ha ha!  It was the next one that knocked my block off.  We got on this fast spinning flying saucer that took off plenty fast enough, reversed it's spin and that's when they...pushed the red button.  That sucker was going so fast that Merry couldn't help but squish me, I couldn't hold my neck up and I couldn't keep the drool and eye water from streaming across my face.  Yes, I said drool.  I laid my head down on my shoulder ready to die and the lines were drawn from my mouth and eyes.  Holly sure got a kick out of watching it.  We must have been momentarily translated because when Merry and I came to and fell out of the ride we were rolling on the ground.  All of this is literal for those who are reading.  I have no doubts that observers were convinced that we had been drinking, but cup of sister has not yet been invented.  Merry and I couldn't walk.  All we could do is laugh in a heap on the ground.  This is the part where you would be running or filming.
We went on a few more rides and acted like "you know what's" and finally took a break.  Why?  BECAUSE MY SHIRT KEPT ON COMING UNBUTTONED!!!  Not just a button or two.  Try four or five in the middle of eating, walking, and rides.  I warned Holly before the day started that she needed to warn me if my shirt came unbuttoned and she decided to come up with a signal.  It was very discrete.  I can't even explain it.  It was like a bird bursting out of her shirt and blowing up.  So, we went to the gift shops and Merry bought me a shirt out of embarrassment.  We took pictures of us surrounded with pillows that looked like candy.  Ate ice cream and were returned to making ourselves miserable.

Now.  Merry.  I still don't understand it, but I'm proud of her.  We went on a ride that slowly took us up and without warning dropped us.  I hopped on continuing to submit to peer pressure, but I was fine to go on the ride once.  So, started going up. I was doing ok.  Soon I heard some whimpering.  This whimpering quickly escalated to screaming. Then, a horrifying screeching.  If I wasn't scared before the ride I was certainly horrified now.  I really thought that Merry was going to need to talk to a psychologist due to going on this ride.  I've never seen anyone so scared.  So, she freaks out, we drop, it's scary and I'm glad it's over.  I turn to Merry to ask her if she's alright and she asks the ride operator if we can go again!!!  "What?!  You were being tortured!  You almost died!  You were going to be a squished bug and you wanna go again?!?!"  She said she wanted to face her fears and if she got off she would never go again.  And up we went.  Did the screaming calm down on the second time up?  No, it was worse.  I was getting more scared with every ride.  After we went on this terrorist machine, not even three or four times but EIGHT TIMES, I was done.  I couldn't handle it any more.  By the eighth time Merry was impressively gaining more and more composure but I was so terrified I couldn't give into the peer pressure anymore.  I had tried pushing my hands up into the seat, wrapping my legs around the bottom of the seat, closing my eyes, and whatever else I could think of but it didn't get easier for me.  So, I got off and took pictures and video of my two crazy sisters who went a total of TEN TIMES.  Whatever.  I don't get it.

In spite of my lack of enthusiasm for riding rides I have to admit that it ended up being the most fun I've had in a long time.

It was such an amazing day.  We get so few opportunities to do things together.  I will never forget this day.  :)

11/15/11 - Merry!!

Merry flew into town around midnight on Nov. 15th.  I was so glad to have at least 2 of my sisters to have fun and be ridiculously silly with.

11/12/11 - Hillary!!

Hillary and Brooklyn came to visit us in Texas on Nov. 12th.  We had a few days of fun and catching up.  Hillary taught me a new card game that we played for 7 hours straight.  I love playing games with my sisters!

Her daughter Brooklyn is adorable and she NEVER cries.  She is a little angel in every way.  She even cut her first 2 teeth while visiting us, but you would never have known it.

11/7/11 - My Birthday?

Everyone at our house (including me) forgot my birthday this year except my sweet daughter Kennedy.  She came into the kitchen, gave me a big hug and kiss, then told me, "Happy Birthday Mom!"

In truth....I don't really want to remember my birthdays anymore.  We were busy painting and getting the house ready for company, so I was more then willing to let my birthday slide.

Nick came home later with a few of my favorite treats, and I went to a dinner and movie with a couple of good friends that night.  37 years....and counting.

11/4/11 - Oatmeal by the Fireplace

It got down to 40 degrees last night (yahoo) but our thermostat was still set on the A/C.  The house was cold so Nick turned on the fireplace.  The boys were so cute sitting in front of it watching the flames.  Nick threw down a blanket and made everyone oatmeal to eat in front of the fire.  Carter and Drew thought it was the coolest thing ever.  They are so lucky to have such a fun dad.

11/2/11 - Special Catch Time

Our little boys love to play catch with any size ball they can find. When we are waiting for Carter's bus to pick him up for school, we always play catch.  On this particular morning, we played catch with mini basketballs.  They would throw the balls at me at the same time, I would scream (to make them laugh), then try to catch both balls at the same time.  When I tried to take pictures of the action, the camera got a beating.

11/1/11 - Too Close For Comfort

Nick and I were sitting on our front porch watching Drew ride his bike while we waited for Carter's bus to come drop him off.  One of our neighbors was backing out of her driveway but did not see Drew on his bike behind her.  Nick and I started running and screaming towards her car like crazy people.  She saw us and stopped, then she realized what was going on - she said she never saw Drew on his bike. 

I feel like we really dodged a tragedy today and we are so thankful for the Lord's tender mercies in our life.