A Lot to be Thankful for...

We've had some fun in the last few weeks!  I wish I could do a better job blogging more regularly, but we made the mistake of setting up the computer outside Amelia's door; apparently, hearing keys tapping doesn't exactly lull her to sleep. 

We are fortunate to have wonderful neighbors, and the Nigro family invited us over for Thanksgiving dinner!  It was such an amazing meal, and they made us feel right at home.  Rayna is an awesome cook, and the food was seriously outstanding.  She's inspired me to try new recipes!

The Friday night after Thanksgiving, some other friends in our neighborhood invited us to a skate party at a local inline skating rink.  It was so much fun!  I hadn't been skating in probably at least 10 years, and it was a first for Noah.  He did such a great job!  He's a brave little guy... he kept falling and getting right back up, determined to get the hang of it.  By the end of the evening, he had it down.

Mike surprised me on Saturday with a "Day Date"!  Without me knowing a thing, he got a babysitter and set up the whole date.  I was shocked and very pleased!  We went Rahr & Sons Brewery in Ft. Worth.  They had live music, and with the price of admission, they give you a pint glass to keep and three tastings.  After the brewery, we went to Sundance Square in Ft. Worth and got a much-needed coffee (not accustomed to having three beers in the middle of the afternoon) and walked around the shops.  We ended the date with one of our favorite pastimes, which is to visit a unique grocery store.  It is a completely different experience to go to a grocery store without kids and makes for a cheap date.  When we got home and put the kids to bed, he made me a candlelight dinner that was delicious!  It was truly one of our best dates ever.

 

We have a children's consignment shop close to our house with which I'm obsessed!  I found this kitchen with the food and dishes included for only $20, and it is just like the kitchen I had when I was little!  I'm not sure who was more excited, Noah or Amelia.  They have played with that kitchen for HOURS . . . easily the best $20 I've ever spent!

My brother, Jason had given us two tickets to Medieval Times, so a few days before Thanksgiving we took Noah.  Neither Noah nor I had been before, and it was such a cool experience (perfect for little boys)!  They really put on a neat show that includes a dinner you eat with your hands.  Noah was especially excited because the kingdom we were crowned with won the overall tournament, which he thought was awesome!

  

Yee Haw

We were so happy to have our good friends, Mike and Amber Marion, come stay with us for a few days recently!  They have been driving around the country for the last two and a half months, which I think is so awesome.  They were so great with the kids; they will make amazing parents!  They spent a lot of time coloring, reading and playing with Noah, and Amelia was especially taken with Amber.  I’m so mad at myself for not a getting pictures of all the great interaction.  Luckily, we did get a photo of the four of us the night we went to Billy Bob’s, the “World’s Largest Honkey Tonk.”  That was such a fun night – it was great to walk around Ft. Worth and then see “live” bull riding; we even got to do a little line dancing, something I have wanted to do since moving here.

Poor Amelia has had a rough couple of weeks!  She had a bad ear infection in both ears, a yeast infection and was getting six teeth in at one time.  I’m happy to report that the ear infections and the yeast infection are all cleared up, and we’re just waiting for those last few teeth to break through.  In an attempt to distract her from all the pain, I took her to the aquarium.  She has a had a fascination with fish and fish tanks since she was probably six months old, so her face lit up when she saw the huge tanks!  Part of the aquarium has a tunnel that is all glass.  She has never walked on see-through glass, so when we got to that part, she laid down her tummy and tried to “swim” across.  We had so much fun that I decided it was definitely worth buying the membership!

She was trying as hard as she could to get into the water, if it were up to me, I would have let her!

The first graders at Noah’s school put on a Thanksgiving performance last night.  They have been practicing four songs for the last few weeks, so it was so fun to get to watch him sing while dressed up as a pilgrim! 

Noah and his two best friends.

 

Trick-or-Treat

I can’t believe this is the first time Mike and I have ever dressed up in couple-themed costumes!  It was a lot of fun brainstorming for ideas – not sure how we choose the “Grease” theme, but I think it worked out well.  I’m already thinking of ideas for our costumes next year!

Halloween with little kids is the best – both Noah and Amelia got really into it this year!  This is the first year we did a homemade costume for Noah; it took some convincing, but once it was all put together, he really got into being a zombie.

I wasn’t sure how Amelia would react to wearing a costume.  However, as soon as I showed her what she looked like when she was wearing her ladybug costume, she didn’t want it to come off!  Especially the red glitter shoes . . . those were her favorite part!

I got to award Noah with his first Scouting badge this past week; I think it was great for the boys to stand up in front of the older boys and be recognized!