Thanksgiving week!

The kids had the week off so they were a bit bored while we worked but made it through the week.  Anna got a cold so having the extra down time was good for her to rest and try to get health for the start of the second trimester at school on Monday!  For Thanksgiving, we had my brother's family and my parents over to celebrate.  Crazy to think they have moved and we are no longer all in the same area.  It will take some getting used to but we are super excited for them to take advantage of this great opportunity!  

The kids played carnival games on the Nintendo Switch which was nice, it was four of them playing at a time.

And now we get ready to get the kids back in the routine come tomorrow morning!  And the countdown to Christmas has started!

Being a grown up

This week I had to do what a lot of people have to do, travel for work on my birthday.  I wasn't traveling too far away but it just isn't fun being away from your family on your birthday.  Thankfully I was traveling with a very sweet co-worker and we got a lot of great training.  On Wednesday afternoon we had a session in a room that was on the tenth floor and had this wonderful view of the bay.  

We also had training in that room at the end of the day on Thursday which was a nice boost after a long day two of training.  

Thursday night the conference had a dinner and dancing with a DJ event.  As part of that they had these very odd plastic chairs that light up.  Had to take a photo!

The kids had a busy last week of school before Thanksgiving break, especially Anna who had finals for the end of the first trimester of the school year.  Yup, already done with the first third of the school year.  

We have had a busy but good weekend getting a project done around the house.  Matt and the kids will be home this week, and I will be back in the office trying to play some catchup after being our last week!  

 

Spike the ball!

This week it was nice that Anna wasn't crazy busy with band (especially since she had a cold...boo!), we all had (or took) Friday off, and we didn't have a ton of running around that we needed to do!  We did get some rain on Monday and a fair amount on Tuesday which was nice.  More would be better but we are thankful for what we do get.  Matt and the kids went to see a Movie Friday afternoon, we celebrated the boys on Saturday, and today we just relaxed.  The kids were in pajamas until lunch time and in the afternoon Mason had a super long volleyball class.  It has been fun to watch him and today I just managed to capture this photo.  

Really enjoying this fall weather!
 

Olivier and Mason are TEENAGERS!

Okay, this is one of those days you know is coming but even when it comes you really don't believe it.   Mason and Olivier are now teenagers!  The morning started off with a fun delivery to ensure everyone knows they are teenagers!  Thank you Grandma and Grandpa Arnold! 

Matt made signs and with the wind we have had they ended up inside our large front window.  

After the usual Saturday morning activities and lunch, the boys got to open their gifts.  

I was able to pull off a fun number 13 on the large window where we eat our meals this time of year.  

After a playing and just hanging out, we had dinner and then of course desert!  Mason opted for donuts and Olivier wanted sour skittles.  We were only able to find a box with smaller packages inside and so we put the candles into the box.  Why not?

Making their big wishes for the year ahead!

And now for the silly questions:

Olivier:
What is your favorite color: green
What is your favorite book: Percy Jackson
What is your favorite gift: the posters he got for his room
What do you want to be when you grow up: unsure
Who is your best friend: Jacoby and Logan
What is your favorite thing to do: play video games
What is your favorite thing to do at school: band
What is your favorite food: pizza and candy
Where is your favorite place: home
How old will you be when you grow up: 18
How old will you be when you get married: 21
How old will you be when you have a baby: 25
He is 5' 6.25", almost taller than me...almost!

Mason:
What is your favorite color: blue
What is your favorite book: Five Total Strangers
What is your favorite gift: Nintento Switch (so he doesn't have to share)
What do you want to be when you grow up: engineer
Who is your best friend: Bodie and Sutner
What is your favorite thing to do: play video games
What is your favorite thing to do at school: band
What is your favorite food: pizza
Where is your favorite place: home
How old will you be when you grow up: 18
How old will you be when you get married: 20
How old will you be when you have a baby: 23
He is 5' 9.125", and no, he hasn't hit a growth spurt but keeps on this slow and steady pace.  Yikes!

Happy birthday Olivier and Mason!  

Fun week!

This week started with the fun of Halloween.  Anna was Alice from Alice in Wonderland, Olivier was Luke Skywalker, and Mason was the Grim Reaper.  Anna and Olivier went trick or treating and Mason helped hand out candy.  This year the trick-or-treaters started early (around 5:30 p.m.) and we gave out all 30 pounds of candy by 8 p.m.  It was an earlier night than other years but likely because it was a school night.  

On Thursday night I took Anna and her friend Lupe to see the play at the high school, they were doing the production of Radium Girls which I was excited about because I had read the book to the boys a couple years ago.  They have a friend who was in the play so we took a photo after.  

The kids enjoyed a Friday off of school and then we had a busy Saturday.  Anna went to the band review to support the marching band Saturday morning and Saturday night we went to watch her play in the first field show competition that was being hosted by her school.  It was fun to see the local schools and the teams supporting each other.  Grandma and Grandpa came to watch too! 

Today we were happy to get the hour of of extra sleep with the time change to get ready for the week ahead!  I hear something big is happening next Saturday...!

Happy Halloween!

Busy week!

This week has been a busy one!  In addition to the normal activities, the boys had a concert on Thursday night, Anna played with the band during the Friday night football game, Anna played with the band at a parade and field show competition in Selma on Saturday, and Saturday night we took the boys and their friends to the Zombie hunt.  We are happy for a quiet day today.  I went for a hike with dear friend today and we saw this along the path.  

Looking forward to a little bit of a quieter week.  And of course Halloween tomorrow!  Getting ready for all those tricker or treaters!