Tom is here!

Our elf is back and not a minute too late.  Tom made his appearance today with Christmas pjs and yummy sugar cookies.  Can't wait to see how excited the kids are!

Christmas Festival

Another awesome Christmas festival at WCUMC.  We had so much fun, and we didn't have a chance to take pictures until we were leaving.  We are so blessed to have such a wonderful church.

Thanksgiving in Bossier

Our next visit was in Bossier with Lizee & Pops.  We stayed with Aunt Emily & Uncle Jeffery, so we were able to visit and play with Ellison.  The children loved playing games with Lizee while Pops rests.

Pops and his grand girls

Texarkana Thanksgiving

We are making the rounds for Thanksgiving fun.  Our first stop was Texarkana to see Nana and Papaw.  We also got to visit with our nieces and nephews, and I just love watching the kids play together.

Crazy at IHOP

To kick off the Thanksgiving break, we had two Owens boys spend the night.  They wanted pancakes and bacon for breakfast, so I treated them all to IHOP.  It was a bit out of control, and I got a couple of "holy cow, 5 kids" looks.  Lots of laughs and making memories!

DYF Trophy

Reed was pretty excited to get his massive football trophy tonight.  It was half his height!  Way to go, Reed, on an excellent season.  You learned so much and always had a smile on your face.  Congrats on your first year of football!

Chi Omega Market Shopping

When you go shopping with the girls, and you need a bigger vehicle to get you all home.  It was a tighter ride on the return, because we found so much good stuff at the Chi Omega market.  So excited to go home and decorate for Christmas!

CHCS Thanksgiving Feast

Ridley's class had a Thanksgiving celebration with pasta necklaces and feather decorated headbands.  This sweet age is precious.

Volunteering

Old Union held a staff luncheon today to show appreciation for our one of a kind awesome team.  Parents volunteered to lead the classrooms for one hour, so the staff could all eat together.  I volunteered for Reed's class with my friend, Kristi.  About 10 minutes in, we knew we were in over our heads.  These kids are crazy!  I immediately started counting down the minutes, and she blocked the door.  It seems like school is much more "fluid" than it was year ago.  Kids just get up and leave the class for water, bathroom, etc.  Without asking! 

After an hour, we were exhausted and begging Ms. Hill to magically reappear, as we stared down the hall.  Note to self, never again volunteer for a teacher's place.  Never again.

The students proudly displayed their turkey feathers on the classroom door.  Every parent made a feather that included what makes their child special.  This is a very heart felt homework assignment that John Chris and I enjoy working on.

Viewing Day

In order to keep the little ballerinas engaged in class, the viewing windows have curtains.  Every few weeks the studio will have an open curtain viewing day, so parents can watch their little ones dance.  Ridley did great, and she was very focused.  She loves to dance, and me watching didn't phase her one bit.

DYF Season Ends

The boys played their last football games of the season today.  It was beautiful outside, and we were super excited to experience Big Dragon Stadium in a new way.  Ryland's game was played on the high school field with an announcer.  It was awesome to hear him call Ryland's plays.  Way too cool!  Even though Reed didn't play at the stadium, he had a great season ending game with a touchdown.

Go Dragons!

Copycat

Ridley loves her older brothers, and she tries to do everything they do.  Good and bad.  This morning Ryland pulled his hood over his head, because he wasn't quite awake or in a good mood.  It was his way of telling us to leave him alone.  Ridley thought that this was funny, so she grabbed her blanket and made a hood.  When Ryland saw this, he burst out laughing.  The morning mood was quickly changed.  Thanks to the copycat!

First Dance Costume

Ridley's recital is coming up in December, and she received her costume today at class.  It is absolutely precious.  I can't wait to see my little Snow Princess Angel.

Six Flags

While the big boys were away at the ranch, I took Reed and Ridley to Six Flags for some fun before the rain storm rolled in.  It was great, because there were no lines.  We all had a blast riding and playing in the kiddie area.  The favorite ride was the carousel horses, so we rode it several times.  We were keeping a close watch on the rain that was about to come through town, and we planned our meals and run to the car just in time.  It was a fantastic day!

In the Game

Reed is really into football these days, and he does a fair amount of trash talking about his playing skills.  Tonight I saw him on the line of scrimmage ready for some LSU Tiger action. 

Afternoon with my Sweet Littles

I spent the afternoon with my sweet littles, and I enjoyed laughing and being silly with them.  We started with a slightly earlier release from school, so we were able to check out the new Trolls movie.  Reed did great and can totally sit through a movie.  Ridley didn't do as well.  Now that she is potty trained, we made three bathroom trips, which kind of chopped up our movie.  All in all, Trolls was a cute movie with a sweet message.

Reed and Ridley are very close, and I melt when I see little moments like this.  He held her hand and helped her all the way down the steps.  Very sweet. 

We headed over for ice cream at Cheesecake Factory and then made a stop at Kendra Scott for a little OUES fundraising benefit shopping.  After running into friends, a bit of playing at the fountain was necessary before heading home for some mac'n cheese.  Such a great afternoon!

No Gi

Thursdays at the gym are no gi, so the boys get to wrestle with their teammates.  I don't know why the mentality changes without the uniform, but Thursdays are silly and fun.   I loved watching Reed and his friend, Kaden, play around.

Lunch Date

I had lunch duty for Kinder Cafe, so we went to Old Union for lunch.  Ridley sat at the guest table, and Reed was sweet enough to join her.  These two are the best of friends and make each other laugh like crazy. 

Lunch must have tired Ridley.  We weren't home 15 minutes, and I found her asleep sitting up on the sofa.