Friday, November 14, 2014

Where, oh where, have we been?!

Life keeps happening at a breakneck speed, it seems.  After my quick visit in Dallas, I went back home and had a busy couple of weeks, mostly at work, before getting back on track with my original schedule of going to Dallas to help Sarah and Miles.  And I've been gone ever since!

In Dallas, I
*did lots of baby holding--is there anything sweeter?  Jack is doing great, gaining weight and growing well, though he's still a little guy and looks pretty much like a newborn at this point.  He's a cutie and a calm baby except for a period each night where no one but his mama will do.  So happy I had this time with him--even though I know he will not remember it, I will.  :)


*played with Elle and Beck, including running the full length of their block, "duck, duck, goose," tag, freeze tag, racing up the stairs and back again while Miles timed us (hey, I wasn't too bad at it!), hide and seek, play-doh, artwork, went to the pumpkin patch, watched Elle do lots of cartwheels, read books, went to the park, took walks, helped with homework, learned my way to Elle's school as I picked her up a few times, volunteered to work at the book fair, and went to have lunch with her.  Sarah also gave in to the "American Girl" doll phenomenon and we had a girls' day where we took Elle to choose a doll and ate lunch at the American Girl bistro.  Can I just say that the food was fabulous?? We were expecting some run of the mill kids' food but we joked that it could be our new favorite lunch place. 




*watched Beck and Elle play soccer -- Beck is a hoot and you can never be sure whether he is up for soccer or not.  Some days he couldn't care less and does not pay attention and other days he is super focused and makes four goals. But hey, he's not even 4 yet!  Elle, on the other hand, is a power house and a force to be reckoned with on the soccer field.  That girl can run, and often scores for her team. It was great fun to watch her!



*got to hang out with my girl and her hubs, talk, laugh, run errands, tell stories, meet friends, fold laundry, load and unload the dishwasher, shop, watch a movie or two, feed and bathe kids, go out to eat, attend the State Fair of Texas for the first time ever, and once in awhile sit and relax.  :)  They are a busy little family of five.


*had a short visit with Bonnie and Ada, who flew in for a few days. Great to see them and Ada is as cute as can be, developing a little personality, and growing so fast.  While Bonnie was there, Sarah's friends gave her a shower so we all got to go to that together.




*dressed up as a witch for Halloween at the kids' request, went trick or treating with them and attended a block party in their neighborhood.  Big fun!




*managed to get another kidney stone, had a few really bad days, got misdiagnosed at a walk in clinic, finally had a CT scan, saw a urologist (good ole boy who had actually been out to Unalaska fishing a few times..imagine that!), and ended up having to have a day surgery to have it removed. I am happy to report I am stone-free and hope to remain that way.  NO FUN.

*picked Rich up at the airport on Nov. 1, enjoyed a few more days with the kids, had dinner with our NJ high school friend Anna, Rich cooked and did card tricks, I had my kidney stone procedure, and then we left for a few days in Clyde with Susan and Corey and kids.

In Clyde, we:

*watched Ally practice cheerleading and attended her cheerleading exhibition at the high school gym. She's taking gymnastics and is quite good--can do a cartwheel into a round-off already!  The cheerleading exhibition was really cute with several teams of little girls showing off their skills.  





*watched Aidan practice riding his motorcycle at the motocross track--he's very good at this and consistently wins a trophy in his races!



*took the kids to see "Big Hero Six," went to the park, went out to eat with family and friends, got to hang out with my girl and her hubs, went shopping, ran errands, Rich cooked, we talked, laughed, told stories, looked at photos from our summer trip, played card games with the kids, read books, helped with homework, Rich did card tricks, we had lunch with Aidan at school, then back to Dallas for one night before heading out on a road trip.








Now we are traveling through the southern states on a civil rights tour--combining our social justice leanings with a desire to stay in warmer weather.  Well, that has not quite panned out as it is in the 30s right now.  Hopefully this will end soon.  I did not plan to wear a hoodie in Mississippi.  

1 comment:

Suzassippi said...

Wow! I feel like I have been on a whirlwind, knowing this all took like 6 weeks? Great to see all the kids, grandkids, and amazing feats of daring--it is just going by too fast.

And, we were all speaking of why is it so cold in Mississippi right now?