January 9, 2019

Wow, 2019 already! Things around here have been nuts!

Andrew passed his 6 month check up with flying colors the Friday before Christmas. With one tooth (which came in a few days before), 17+ lbs and a length that defies his age, he is growing healthy and gets around via rolling, stomach scooting or walker. After his appointment, we headed straight for Dallas. It had to be comical sight: 6 people and two dogs packed to the top with all the things we needed for Christmas. We had already sent my father-in-law with a full car load and yet we were still over-full. But we made it!

We spent Saturday and Sunday doing the Phillips' family Christmas. We opened presents Saturday morning, had lunch at my in-laws favorite Greek restaurant (where everyone knows their names!), and then had a snowball fight. William's Christmas wish was for snow. There was not much snow anywhere on Christmas and definitely none in Texas, so my in-laws got some snowballs made at a local snow-cone place. We had a blast, and it was the best gift for William! Robert loved his battle bot arena, and Hannah loved her princesses and unicorns. Andrew loved everything. He ripped through paper and grabbed all his toys.It was a great way to spend his half-birthday. We finished off Saturday with an amazing dinner at home. It was a great day! Sunday we went to church all together and then had lunch and saw Mary Poppins Returns at Sudio Movie Grill. Everyone did great (including Andrew) and the movie was wonderful! We finished off the day touring the Christmas lights of Deerfield. We walked while pulling most of the kids in wagons as we enjoyed the decorations that come with the season.

Monday was Christmas Eve. We bid farewell to Francis's parents and the Boergers and headed to my parents' house. We arrived just before everyone else, and soon the house was full of laughter and children playing. We were all able to come including both of my sisters, their husbands, my niece and nephews, my Aunt Camille and Grandmother Mom Noble. We talked, decorated Christmas cookies, made a yummy dinner and then had our Christmas Eve service at home. It was a sweet time and the highlights for me were the devotional by Mom Noble, the singing of Away in a Manger by the 3 year olds, the singing of Jesus is Christmas by my big boys and a beautiful, enthusiastic recitation of Gabriel's word from Luke 2 by Robert. We opened presents Christmas Eve and the kids got so many wonderful things. Issac and Alexandra ended up spending  the night leading to the first ever official cousin sleep over. They had fun! Christmas morning we opened stockings and played with many of the new toys. The P J Mask hideout and figures were a particular favorite. We had an amazing Christmas lunch filled with all the deliciousness that I associate with Christmas. The kids had their own table so all the adults ended up eating together (with the babies too). We watched Holiday Inn, played video games and had fun just being together. Andrew played with his baby cousins and big ones too. He loved the food and enjoyed a nap on Papa too. It was a great day!

Wednesday the ladies, babies and Hannah went shopping while Kevin watched my boys and Papa watched the big twins. We checked out all the deals, made necessary returns and exchanges and bought some Christmas stuff on clearance. Hannah got a tree for her room (the price was right) and we got a couple of other things on my list. We had BBQ for dinner all together and let the kids run out their last burst of energy before we all parted ways. Thursday Francis, the kids, the dogs and I all headed back home. My father-in-law graciously brought all the things in his car that would not fit in ours, so our arrival filled our house and gave me quite a to do list. I spent Thursday evening and Friday organizing and putting things away and thankfully Francis suggested we eat our Friday evening or I might have lost my mind. We tried a new Chinese/Asian place where William and Robert discovered they like Sushi. William is getting increasingly more adventurous with his food selection and he has discovered that he likes a lot more food than he previously believed. Saturday and Sunday are a bit of a blur, but I know we use many of our coupons and gift cards from Christmas to not have to cook.

Monday was New Year's Eve. Francis worked so I took all 4 kids to the Children's museum for their "Noon Year's Eve" party. We played and did a balloon drop and confetti throw at noon and then we headed home to get ready for the evening. Normally we stay home for New Years, but this year we were invited to a party at the Williams' house. We headed over and the kids were treated to a special activity each hour on the hour. They went on a nature hike, did crafts, watched a video and had special food. Rachel did a great job planning! the adults had food, chatted and watched the A&M game. At 9pm we did our "midnight celebration" including a countdown, confetti poppers, sparklers, and sparkling cider. A fun time was had by all and we even got to bed at a reasonable time. Andrew was the last man standing, and thanks to him, Francis and I saw the official ball drop in NYC. Happy New Year!

Tuesday we spent most of the day taking down Christmas decorations, cleaning out and watching the parade. We had chocolate fondue that night, and it may become a new tradition because it was the perfect way to celebrate the new year. We went to the library Wednesday and picked up the last book of the Wingfeather Saga. It was over 500 pages and yet William and I devoured it in a few days! Friday evening we went to Jackson's 5th birthday. It was so fun and was lego themed. Near the end of the party, Robert said his pinky finger hurt. When we looked it was swollen larger than my pink and dark purple/blue. we did makeshift splint and headed off to urgent care. The x-rays were inconclusive because he is so small, but he either fractured his growth plate or tore a ligament. Either way he's in a splint for the next 3 weeks. It doesn't seem to bother him too much as long as its wrapped up, so that's good. Saturday we did the Home Depot kid's craft, had lunch at Chick-fil-a and ran some errands. Never a dull moment around here. Sunday church was finally back on schedule so we enjoyed the fellowship of service and life group. The kids also headed back to AWANAs where Hannah did her verse, Robert did 8 sections (!) and William is nearly finished with his book. They are off to a great start!

Monday we stayed mostly home. I did our CC activities with them (art and science) because we would miss the following day and the kids didn't want to miss out on the activities. It was fun, and I'm thankful that CC is such that I am able to do things at home when we miss community day! Tuesday was a BIG day. My mother was sworn in to be HD89 representative. We all headed up to Austin bright and early to attend her party and then to watch the swearing in. All the kids and their fathers watched the swearing-in from my mom's office, but my sisters, dad, Aunt Camille, Kevin and I had floor seats for the special event. We heard the governor speak and saw unity in the house that is rare (or so I'm told). I pray my mother and all the legislators have a positive and productive session as they serve their constituents. I am so proud of my mother and that she has followed God's lead to this point. She is truly remarkable.

That's really all the exciting stuff for now (and I've run out of time!). Till Next time!