Christmas miracle

The Christmas miracles have started early this year people!

Get this.

After a week of being home, sleeping in and staying up later than usual, the kids got up AND got dressed AND had breakfast without whining, complaining or crying.

It's amazing and like I said---a Christmas Miracle!

Family room: take 23

 The dining nook needed insulation.  So we bought some.

 And I did it.

While I did that Jason put in a footer through the family room and office.

 Sheet rock is here and it's next.

Until next time.

A few pics from yesterday

 After dinner yesterday we went with Grandma and Grandpa to see Arthur Christmas.  What a cute family movie.  Honestly, we had pretty much given up on kids animation because the last few we saw were just adult movies dressed-up (or dumbed down-depends on how you look at it) for kids.  Arthur Christmas has renewed my hope that some movies are just that: KIDS movies.  No adult humor, no innuendos, no slip of the tongue just a movie that is well done, funny and great for the whole family.  There.  That was my Christmas cinema plug.

Gotta love them!

I know I do.

Family room: take 22

More stairs! This time leading out of the kitchen into the dining nook.  The new stairs butt up against our new buffet table that is which is under the current kitchen window.

The kitchen door has been removed so that the stairs and table could be put in.  It's all coming along!

***

Until next time.

So thankful

How can we not be?
  As we drove to dinner today we took a couple of minutes and documented the many things we are thankful for.  In no particular here are the things the 5 of us are extremely grateful for:

Work & the ability to provide, family near and far, turkey legs, being able to help friends, sandy beaches, healthy bodies, the sun, family vacations, all people, friends, tacos, buffets, pizza, teachers, sense of fashion, church, oxygen, personal style, animals, Jayden, Braley, Ansen,  world cultures, good books, school, devine yogurt, the bible, children who love to learn, exploring new things, our truck & car, science, Taylor Swift, utilities, patriotism, summer days, our home, Boston-red sox, bruins, eltics, patriots, the ability to go to dad when mom says no, saving money, my wife, my husband, food, my good looks, nature, different scenery, Mickey Mouse, tutors, apples to apples, games, the book of mormon, finding joy in cooking, kik/heytell, go karts, Massachusetts, long boards, grandparents, doctors & nurses.

 ****

This is just the tip of our grateful iceberg.  We know how blessed we are and we are especially aware of all of you! 

****

Happy Thanksgiving!

Fastest Thurs-Sat ever

 Earlier this month Jason had to work in Florida. Had to.  

I decided I had to go along.  It's rough I know.  

In all seriousness I do know how fortunate I am to be able to travel with Jason on occasion.  With the amount of time he spends away from home it is wonderful to have a date day every once and a while.

Back to the story.  I guess there really isn't one.  He had to be in Florida, I met him there Thursday night at 11 p.m. and we hit Disney World of for a day and a few hours and then hopped back on a plane to be home Saturday.  Crazy, fun....so tiring.

EPCOT.

Our favorite.

Future World:

 One of our favorite rides: Test Track.  It opened when we were on the College Program and it is as fun today as it was then.

 Spaceship Earth.

The kids all time favorite.  Ansen calls it the Lamanite ride. We almost felt a little bad telling them we went on Spaceship Earth without them.  Almost.

 These next pictures are from Spaceship Earth as well and they just make me laugh.  Like out loud.  At the end of the ride you and your "ride partner" get to create what you'd like the Earth to be like in the future.  You make a few decisions and then a story is put together about you choices.  The picture that is taken of you is cropped and your face is put on a cartoon body and WHY I have never thought to take pictures of this before is really beyond me.  So here are Jason and I living in the country, riding our bikes, growing flowers and living in our amazing Eco-friendly home.

 If it were just the two of us I would totally use the above or below picture for our Christmas card just for giggles.

 Of course we had to stop at the Coke Station.  He loves it and I like to look at the t-shirts.  It's a win-win.

 World Showcase:

WDW's Food & Wine Festival.

Who cares about the wine-look at this weather!  It was beautiful.

And the food....so, so, so yummy.

 Kissing the taco god in Mexico.  I don't rally know who he is but if he had anything to do with taco's I'll love him forever.

 Rice Cream in Norway.  Worth the flight in and of itself.

 Me and Jamie, kinda...

 I know these next two are blurry but we had never seen Rabbit at WDW and there he was.  The nice lady who took our pics failed to mention they weren't coming out.  Oh well.

EPCOT at night:

 Day two-ish.  We had 4 hours so we hustled over to Magic Kingdom and found te park pleasently free and clear of a lot of people.  We walked onto almost everything and if we waited it was for just a few minute.  I'm not going to lie.  It was nice.

 When I was little my parents lost me at Disneyland *gasp*.  How could they?  Being the perfect mother I am, I really have no idea.  Nevertheless I found this nice man to hold my hand until someone who worked at Disneyland whisked me off to stay with all the other little lost kids. When my parents stopped having fun long enough to notice I was gone they came and collected me.  Thanks mom and dad.  I owe you one.  I am glad to see he is still standing his post 30 years later.

(Did I just say 30 years later????  *Double gasp*)

Of course Christmas was sorta kinda, almost around the corner (more like 9 weeks away) so we took in some holiday festivities.  How can you not?

Pretty great date if you ask me.

Family room: take 21

 Let's talk attic space shall we?  We have quite a bit and we are exciting to store our Christmas decorations, camping gear, hidden gifts yada, yada, yada up there.  In order to do that we (read: Jason) had to replace the existing ladder which was as old as our house.  The ladder was an original and you were pretty much taking your life in your hands climbing it.

 Enter Lowe's.  I am convinced when Jason walks in the CEO of Lowe's is called and he gives high 5's to everyone he is around because he knows he making moo-lah.  Maybe we should get stock in Lowe's (take that Occupiers!).

 The ladder was removed and laid to rest and the new shiny one was installed.

 Ta-da!

Until next time.

One memeber of the choir

 Look who came to town yesterday for his month of kids asking for the sun, the moon and the stars!

Before kids (young and old) could sit and ask for said sun, moon and stars there had to be Christmas music sung and guess who was in the choirrrrrr?

Kahau!

 This 6th grader is in the school choir and has quite the pretty little voice.  I can say that it is one trait I am so thankful my kids inherited from their dad.  His vocal ability gives me hope that they won't all be tone deaf like me.

 Isn't she cute?

 These 3 are cute too.  And even though they were freezing their bums off they were all smiles.

 Just look at this kid in his suit.  He is a handsome devil.

 And his hair?  We are agreeing to disagree about it at the moment.  He wants to grow it out.  I'm fine with that except I would just love to have it cleaned up a bit around the ears and neck.

 After Santa arrived and we decided coming back on a day when we weren't freezing out rear ends off would be best.  We headed off to meet Rudolf and Dancer because I was sure they would be amazing to see.  Rudy was too busy eating to even look at us and Dancer refused to come out of the warm trailer. Oh well.

In the end Santa arrived safely in his electric car (so not kidding) and Kahau did her part by belting out Christmas hits like Rockin' Around the Christmas Tree, Feliz Navidad and Santa Claus is Coming to Town. Brays and Ansen did their Christmas duty by looking adorable in the crowd and Jason and I were just there and loving it.  Did I forget to mention it's not even Thanksgiving yet?