Thursday before last, the kids and I left for Dallas after Bible Study. It was a long trip, but Andrew handled it like a champ. I prayed most of the way because it was my first time going that far with all four kids, and when I did it this same time 3 years ago with 3 kids...it didn't go well. This trip was smooth, thank goodness! We had dinner with my parents and the Drakes to celebrate my mom's birthday a few days early. We went back to my parents' house and met Danielle and Kevin for cake and present opening. A good time was had by all, especially the cousins who all ran around and enjoyed each other immensely.
Friday the kids and I went about an hour from my in-laws' house to do tour an apple orchard with our CC class friends. As an added bonus, Kristi and her kids (who live nearby) and Christian and her kids were able to join us! To have so many of my favorite people in one places filled my hear to overflowing. We learned about the dam, honey bees, native creatures, and all about apples and how they are picked. After the field trip, Christian, Kristi and I went to a nearby Chick-fil-a with our TWELVE kids. 8 of them were 3 and under and all of them were 8 and under. The Chick-fil-a staff went over and above to take care of us. It was amazing. Friday evening the kids and I went to eat with my mother-in-law and the boys (minus Andrew) got haircuts after.
Saturday William and Robert went fishing with my dad. William caught his first fish! He was so proud. The boys also got to shoot air soft guns and play video games at my parents' house. Needless to say they can't wait to go back! Hannah, Andrew, Frankie's mom and I all went on a girl/baby shopping trip. Hannah had the best time trying on clothes and came out of it with a new winter wardrobe. I'm not sure she ever wanted her day to end. After all this excitement, we regrouped and Frankie's mom, my mom, the kids and I all went to the Wylie rodeo for dinner, games and entertainment. My mother had received VIP tickets so we were driven straight to the entrance of the VIP section where food and face painting for the kids awaited. They had a few carnival games, some bounce houses and a few other things for us to enjoy before the rodeo started. We were on the front row of the rodeo so the kids had a close up view to the bucking broncos and bulls, horse riding and clowns too. The kids unanimously liked the bull riding best. It was a fun first rodeo!
Sunday the Noble clan and Frankie's mom all went to the State Fair of Texas! We did the petting zoo, saw a magic show, watched the kids perform in the backyard circus, ate great food, watched a great light show and enjoyed fireworks. Robert and William were lions in the backyard circus while Hannah and Alexandra were butterfly ballerinas. Issac decided to jump ship as the show was starting and jumped off the stage while break dancing. Andrew was a great sport. He was delightful and flexible all day. He slept right through the fireworks which was just amazing to me. I drove home that night from the fair and arrived around 11:30 to a waiting Francis. It was good to be home after such an amazing trip!
Monday was catch up day. Tuesday was CC, Wednesday was library day and Thursday was Bible Study. These days whizzed by too fast to even know what was happening sometimes and by Friday the kids and I were off to Abilene. Francis stayed home again due to his new work, a list of projects he needed to complete at home without kids, and his general desire to avoid crowds. We took most of the day to get to Abilene, stopping at a very impressive McDonalds to for a lengthy break and lunch. The kids all did amazing, especially Andrew who was awake most of the way but happy none the less. Friday night we ate on Hardin-Simmons campus in the rain, enjoyed a pep rally and hung out with friends including the kids' friend Jonas and watched fireworks from inside HSU stadium. The homecoming events continued Saturday where the kids and I attended the kids club activities, had lunch in the school cafeteria (where the kids once again got crepes) and attended the homecoming football game (we won!). We headed back after half time and made it to College station in time for a late dinner with Francis. It was a great trip and I'm so happy to have seen so many amazing people including my mom and Danielle and Kevin (all 4 of us are HSU alumni). Also seeing my friends Rebecca and Rachel were special as well.
Sunday our church had their "Chruch had Left the Building" event, where we go out and serve in the commmunity. The boys, Francis, and I (Hannah stayed at church) went out with our Life group to Kingdom Ranch: a camp for special needs campers. The many kids in our group cleaned the cabins, the mattresses, and the bathrooms. It was hard work and the kids all did great! We also cleaned the kitchen and main building. Some people painted and many did the difficult job of shoring up and reinforcing the foundation of the main building. All left tired but glad to have helped.
Monday is got bitter cold and started raining. We had an appointment to get Andrew's first passport and renew Robert's and my passports also. We went out in the cold and got soaked in the process, but we completed our mission. Monday evening we went out to celebrate Francis's birthday. He chose Texas Roadhouse. It was a perfect fit for the weather, and everyone nearly cleared their plates.
Tuesday was Francis's actual birthday. After class, the kids and I spent the afternoon doing and decorating Francis's carrot cake (a tradition), decorating the house and placing the presents in place. I made Francis's favorite food, lasagna, for dinner. Francis loved his gifts that the kids picked and the cake was delicious. Happy Birthday, Francis! I love you more than words, and look forward to enjoying this year and many more with you.
Today we did our usual trip to the library only to discover they were having special story time scheduled for 5 minutes after we arrived! A class of high school girls was hosting the story time, and they were each dressed up to match their story book. My kids and 2 others were the only ones to come, so they all got a lot of love an attention. It was a good time!
I really left out more detail than I would like, but there we are. Life is calling me back to it. Till next time!
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