Trip from Santa

Off to a rough start with a family stomach bug/elevation sickness/car sickness. The drive to Big Bear was nuts with bumper to bumper traffic and we were paralyzed by the crowds on day 1 but we managed some sledding and loved spending time with the Snyder family. Their boy Jude is a dreamy fun two year old and they really treated us, taking care of meals and a lovely home.

We made it to Blue Jay after the Cowboy game (win!) yesterday, giving me time for the tummy to settle after my go with the stomach issue. Enjoyed a hike around the cabin and it just is always nice to be here...takes me back in a great way!

FINALLY, today we mostly all feel well (Sawyer still has complaints, but he is the little boy who cried wolf.) and crowds are better because it's Monday. We went tubing. So fun!

Everyday they ask how many more to Disney...as expected!

Dream Day

Is it weird, wrong or unusual that when a day or holiday is as nice as this one was I start to worry that something bad is on the horizon? That there's some karmic equilibrium to be reinstated lest my head or heart will burst? Yeah, I think that's weird too. And so I write about our lovely day.

Warm 7 am "mommy! daddy! get up! get up! Santa came!" wake up call from Sawyer was followed by a less-than-ideal visit from Ridge who informed us he puked in the night. (Details spared.) But he seemed fine so we went off to do gifts. While appreciative, they didn't fully "get" the big deal of the trip we've given them to Cali, departing tomorrow. It was good we had two other things for each to open and they'd been showered upon by doting Nana and Big Daddy just days before. They got more and more excited about the trip as it sunk in throughout  the day.

I have a cute video which Blogger won't let me share and photos on the real camera but here are the fake boarding passes and Disney Gift Cards that were attached to balloons.

We had a lovely family brunch where, for the first time thanks to the new dining set, we could all sit together! Really enjoyed that. Our stocking game was fun and we made some plans for making it better next year. We were so pleasantly surprised that Kyle and Staci donated to Pine Cove on mine and Tere's behalf so that kids who can't afford it can go! Awesome! (My brother is tops!) 

The boys received more gifts that they were super pumped about from Grammy and Opa and Aunt Staci and Uncle Kyle. We wrapped up sitting out by the fire on a beautiful day.

So, maybe bad juju need not be served me. Maybe I just need to sleep off this food and not hold back on enjoying a whole nuther week o' fun with my Hancock Boys!

Christmas Eve

It's been a pretty dreamy day. We kicked it off watching Aidan play in the downtown Dallas Tuba Christmas show.

Then had a great lunch at Grammy and Opa's and enjoyed meeting Aidan's new girlfriend, April. I imagine this won't be her last holiday with us. Great gal! 

As we were leaving, I asked the boys to clean upstairs, where they play. In about 5 minutes Sawyer had created what he called the Bethlem Star. Impressive eh?

This is the same angel who, the night before while we were sitting on the couch watching The Grinch said, all I need for Christmas is you (pointed to mom), you (pointed to Ridge), you (pointed to Dad) and you (pointed up). 

The faith is strong in that one!

Nice service at Grammy and Opa's church. 

Watched A Christmas Story and read books from Nana before filling balloons for the morning's surprise which we just hope is somewhere in the ballpark of the greatness it is in our heads. 

Hearts chock full as we go to bed!

Birthday Bear

It's been a fun two days celebrating with this big boy. Yesterday, a trip to play games with school and baseball buddies at Dave & Busters. Today, school party, mini golf and dinner out.

He provided specific instructions about the cake and we wound up with this fine looking Minecraft specimen.

Grammy and Opa came over for good old fashion spaghetti and a nice second wave of celebration

Today, on his real birthday, we did cookies in the classroom. Then we skipped out of school a little early and took just Ridge for a round of mini golf. He said he missed Sawyer. Those two are best buds!

Beautiful day. A sweet time for us with the place to ourselves. We ended the day at his favorite restaurant...a chicken wing joint! A full 30 hours of celebration!

I'm afraid I'll blink again and he will be driving. This is the half way mark! It. Is. So. Fast! [insert tear here]

Thank you dear Lord for loving us so much to entrust us with this amazing little man. 

Proud

Ridge's teacher, Mrs. Bradley, kicked off parent-teacher conference today with, "Ridge is such a smart boy." It ended with, "yall are doing a great job." Ahhh...dreamy stuff right there. This on the heals of his Citizenship Award for showing kindest and respect. (On pajama day.) He was beaming with pride, probably kinda like how we felt today.

Sawyer is bringing home more positive than negative notes (about his wriggly, giggly, class-clown ways) over the past week so that is also cause for celebration! He also brought home this piece of artwork.

Turns out that's the tail end of a paper bag turkey. Not a great stand alone piece of art!

Christmas wishes

Sawyer and I passed a man on a Rascal scooter in WalMart yesterday. (No way you say? True story.) Sawyer's next words to me were, "can you put one of those on my Christmas list...you know, those chairs with a motor that you can drive?"




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Nighttime scene

Sawyer often sets up these little "scenes," we call them, at bedtime. When I went in to turn off his lamp tonight, I found this one...



And earlier today. (Yes, it's the end of October. He didn't get past his knees.)




And we had lunch together at school Friday. He picked this cutie to sit with us. Taylor...


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