So Much to Catch Up On

Well, if you can't tell, it is the holidays and I have put blogging on the back burner. But I am finally taking this beautiful Sunday to play catch-up. Be warned, this is probably going to be a long post.

We will start with Abbi's birthday party. She had a High School Musical party on the 17th of November. I know, I know, bad mom. Takes over a month to get pictures up. Anyway, it was fun. We had a school schedule theme that started with art and the kids made a craft, then it was on to PE and we ran around, next up was a pop quiz in social studies to see how well Abbi's friends knew her. We had science class with baking soda and vinegar-it was a big hit. Then we had lunch, presents, and cake. The party was complete with music class, aka Karaoke version of HSM. It was a blast and Abbi had a great time. By the way, I was a completely lazy mom and only made one cake. We ate it as a family on her actual birthday and then had the rest at her party. Here are some pictures of her opening presents from Jordan and me, Isabelle, and her friends.

On December 1st, Isabelle, Abbi, and I went horseback riding at Tanglewood Park. It was great. The girls really liked when the horses trotted. I prefer cantering or galloping because trotting makes my bum hurt. We had a great time, though. The weather was beautiful and the scenery is unmatched. Caleb was sad he didn't get to go. Horses are his favorite animal. We check out a book from the library every week about horses. He is not afraid of them at all. Here he his feeding on on the larger horses at the stables.


The next big event was a Christmas party with some of my girlfriends from DC. I left at noon on December 7th for a party that started at 7:00 pm. Then I stayed the night with Jill Chappell where we stayed up until 3 in the morning laughing our heads of. We talked so much that I was hoarse the next morning. At 11:00 am on the 8th, I headed back to North Carolina. Jordan is pretty sure that I am crazy after saying the 11 hours in the car were worth it. I must thank my dear friends Heather and Nikki for taking the kids for me. I couldn't have gone without their help.

Then came my big birthday. Contrary to what the candles on my cake said, I turned 28 not 29. The kids thought that was pretty funny though. We went to Olive Garden for dinner-no, it is not my favorite restaurant, but it fit our budget and the food is good. My favorite restaurant here in town is the 4th Street Filling Station, but it is a little pricey. Jordan surprised me with Pirates of the Caribbean, At World's End. I just love Captain Jack Sparrow. Another great bonus...it was 78 degrees on my birthday. We went to the park in short sleeves. It was great. Snow is beautiful, but I will take 78 degrees any day.


Finally, here are some pictures of Caleb. I have to throw them in because he is a character. One of his favorite things to do is empty my drawer that has all of my workout clothes in it and then put everything around his neck. I counted 22 things one day. It included everything from shirts and shorts to my sports bras. He also loves to were Abbi's Croc boots. The last pictures are of him getting a haircut. I used clippers and scissors the first time around, but when he woke up from bed the next morning I could see how uneven it was so I buzzed the whole thing. He still looks adorable.

With Christmas right around the corner, I want all of my friends and family to know how grateful I am for them. I have been so blessed by the influences of great people. I hope as we remember Christ and his birth and sacrifice, that our hearts will be filled with compassion and love. He is the greatest gift ever given to mankind. I love this time of year. Especially here in NC where nativities adorn yards and schools. It is a nice change to hear Christmas carols like "Silent Night" being sung in school. And let us not forget, Jordan's love of exterior illumination. (Pictures of our house will be included in our next post from Christmas. Santa is actually coming to our home tonight because Jordan gets to pull a 30-hour shift on Christmas. Actually, he had one on Friday, one today, one on Christmas, and one on Thursday so that is 120 hours of work in 4 days. Isn't he lucky!!)

Merry, Merry Christmas!