We had a very yummy Thanksgiving dinner at grandpa and grandma's house. The kiddos were not in such a good picture mood, as you can tell from the "one" shot I kinda got of them all dressed up. Allie looked so cute and pranced around in her dress and coat, as if she knows she is so stinkin' cute. It was great to celebrate with lots of family and we were especially thankful that Great Grandma E was with us.
Our family all participated in a Fun Run this morning. We had walkers, joggers, and runners. A couple of us did the 10K and the rest did the 5K. The best part was seeing grandma E finish the 5K in her wheelchair pushed by dad. She is almost 91 years old and is as spunky as ever. The kids did great. Uncle Paul ran a good part of the way with Ben and Andrew and the others rode in strollers. Cousins Jack and Frank were here and they are always a big help with the kids. I love doing these types of things, so it was so fun to start our Thanksgiving morning all together like this. After the run we headed home to relax, pull the couch bed out, and watch Santa Buddies.
Our precious girl is already 18 months...she is becoming quite the "little miss" She knows how to get what she wants from her brothers (a loud screaching scream will do!!), she loves to make funny faces, she says "no" (very sassy), she talks in complete sentences but we can't understand a word, she is starting to play with her baby dolls and take care of them, she loves to get into my make-up and put on "pretties", she loves to show her daddy her pretty face and her outfits, she climbs on everything even the kitchen table, she has forced me to leave stores because of her loud and persistent screaming (never had this issue with the boys), she throws her food across the table at dinner and most of the time hits daddy or Luke, she puts things back where they belong and cleans up very well, she melts my heart at least 50 times a day, she makes us all laugh, and she is definatly the Family Princess. We love you Allie Girl!!!
On Tuesday of Thanksgiving break week we met Pake and Oma in Old Town Sacramento. It was a beautiful day and especially in the downtown and old town area where there are so many big trees with colorful leaves. We thought since we wouldn't see them on Thanksgiving we would spend a day together before. It was a very relaxing day and the kdis had lots of fun. The boys went to see a whale and dolphin show at the IMAX while Oma, Allie, and I shopped at the outdoor mall. We then had a picnic lunch along the river and railroad tracks in Old Town. The boys love playing on the old trains. We spent some time walking the streets and visited one of the many huge candy shops (a tradition when we go down to old town). After our trip we headed home to relax, watch UP, and then have pizza dinner. It was a very nice day and we were thankful for the time we got to spend with Pake, Oma, and Aunt Lily.
I got Allie and my sister these cute beanies...and we had to get some pictures. Of course Andrew enjoyed wearing the beanie as well!!!
The Titans finished up their season this past weekend. We had a team party where the kids ate pizza and got their trophies. I love this age because they get so excited over their trophy and can't wait to display it. Andrew had a good season and learned to have fun at the game of soccer. We were blessed with some very encouraging and fun coaches. In the final game Andrew was determined to score a final goal. He was working so hard and playing with so much intensity. He didn't score, but I think if they would have added a few more minutes onto the game, we would have had a goal. We were very proud of our boy!!! We started soccer season with some super HOT 100 degree days, but we ended with FREEZING weather. It was 40 degrees at the last game...and we were freezin' Allie enjoyed her chair for a couple minutes, but mostly liked to wander during the games. Luke had a great time during the games either playing at the park, kicking the soccer ball with his buddies, or taking pictures. He took all these pictures of Andrew playing...what a sweet brother he is. I love seeing his pictures because they are from a completely different angle than I would take them.
Wednesday was Veterans day so we all had the day off. Daddy had to meet with a teacher and some students in Lake Tahoe on Thursday, so we decided to drive up Wednesday afternoon and spend the night. The boys got to miss school. Luke was very excited to be ABSENT. He kept telling us, "I am going to be absent and Andrew is too, dad, do you know what absent means?" It was the perfect last minute adventure. We stayed at Harrah's, because they had an indoor pool and we found out when we got there that we had 2 bathrooms and each one had a TV in it. The boys thought this was super cool. Andrew was sitting on the potty watching Seinfeld. The kids got to swim, we bundled up and walked through Heavenly village for dinner and ice cream, the kids played games at the hotel kid zone, we watched a movie, had a rough night sleep (which is usually expected at new places), and then woke up at 5:30a.m. with our little Allie. But, when we woke up Andrew opened up the curtains and IT WAS SNOWING!!!! Their little faces lit up and they were so excited. We bundled up in our PJs and headed out to the grocery store for a couple things...yes, it was still a bit dark out when we left (one day we'll sleep in and enjoy a lazy morning in the hotel). By 7am we were back at the hotel, so I suggested we go find a sledding hill. We had put our big tub of snow gear in the car, just in case, so we found a small hill, put on some boots and gloves, and played in the snow. The kids were having a blast. Luke was much braver in the snow than last year. He said, "mom, this is actually really fun." (he has the best comments). Allie loves the snow even though she is all bundled up. By 7:45 we were done and heading back to the hotel for warm baths. We enjoyed a yummy breakfast together and then took daddy to the school office. Mommy did a little school work with the kids, went shopping, and went to a park, while daddy worked. We picked him back up and drove home around Lake Tahoe. It was beautiful seeing all the snow that had just fallen. We had a great time as a family and it was the perfect "little break" we needed from the regular routine of life.
excited boys to be able to swim
