Merry Christmases!

So, this year was full of many present opening events. We had our Christmas with John's family the weekend before Christmas. Then the kids opened their presents from us before we left town on the 22nd. We had Christmas with just my immediate family on the 24th, they had presents from Santa the morning of the 25th, and then presents with my extended family the afternoon of the 25th. The kids enjoyed themselves and couldn't wait to begin the next round. I enjoyed getting to see and spend time with everyone. I am lucky to have such a wonderful family.

John's birthday also got thrown in there with dinner on the plaza the 23rd and a dinner at my parents on the 24th. No birthday pics this year but it was a nice time.

Sam's turn to party

The 22nd of December was Sam's classroom party. There are so many involved parents in Sam's school that if you don't sign up early on Meet the Teacher in August you don't get to help with the party. All parents are welcome to attend though, so that is what I did. I enjoyed watching the kids participate in all the activities the room moms had set up for them. He had a good time!

Medley Family Christmas

Yesterday we celebrated Christmas with John's family. We decided to make it an easy low-key affair. We all went to Dawn and Ellie's where gifts were exchanged for the kids. I think everyone got some presents that they really enjoyed. Then it was off to Lamberts for dinner. Kevin entertained the kids while we waited to be seated. Sam was especially enthralled with his riddles and jokes. The food was good and the company even better. It was a nice time with family!

A Frosty for Scrooge

Ella with Frosty the next morning.

Sam that night with Frosty (and someone looking from the window).

So our neighbors all decided to put up Christmas lights on their houses, trees, etc. this year. Many also have wreaths, small trees and other decorations. These things make our house look a little lonely with only its two Christmas wreaths. So the other night while we were at a party two of our neighbors put this Frosty up in our yard. They said they wanted to help us not look like such Scrooges. The kids absolutely loved the surprise! Next year we will definitely have to step up the decorations!

Sing Merrily

Can you see my little mouse in the front row waving to Mommy?

Having snacks at the Christmas party with her friend Alexis.

Ella's school had their Christmas Program and party on Thursday. I was a little worried that our shy Ella would not sing a word in front of the church full of parents and other family members. She definitely proved me wrong. She was singing, dancing, swaying and having a good time performing! It was a lot of fun to watch.

Basketball

Sam is once again playing basketball at the YMCA. This session and hopefully the next his coach is Monte Hardge who used to play for Mizzou. There is nothing better than a former Tiger teaching you to play ball. Sam's team had a lot of progress to make but I feel like they really learned a lot. They even won their last game!

Sam's basketball skills and competitiveness have really improved this last year. There is no more worrying about if he is paying attention and trying to get him to be more aggressive. Now we are trying to get him to be a little less aggressive since his overeagerness is leading to some fouls. Hopefully soon he will find that perfect balance. I have enjoyed watching him this season.

First Reconciliation

Sam celebrated his first reconciliation last night. He and his classmates celebrated with a group penance service. He was nervous on the way to church and wasn't sure exactly what he was going to say. I could still see his nerves as he waited in line. The look on his face when he finished though was priceless! He was so excited and proud of his accomplishment. We are so proud of him too. He is an amazing kid with a great heart and we feel blessed to be his parents.

They had a cake and punch reception afterward where Sam was running around celebrating. That kid loves any kind of party. Father Fergus came up to Sam to congratulate him and ask him what he thought. Sam told him it wasn't nearly as hard as he thought it would be. Glad he had a great experience.

Sunny Days

We got there early and are waiting for the show.

Ella and I went to Sesame Street Live yesterday morning. She was very excited and had a great time. She said her favorite things were seeing Abby Cadabby and Zoe and when they sang, If You're Happy and You Know It.

We went with the moms and kids from my mothers of preschoolers group. There were over sixty of us in our group! It was a fun morning.

Candy Haul

We officially have candy! I can not believe how much candy the kids collected trick-or-treating this year. They started off the day having dinner with their big cousins in Rogersville then hitting the streets of their subdivision. We trick or treated a few blocks there then headed home to trick or treat in our neighborhood. Our neighborhood doesn't have many trick or treaters so people are always generous with the amount of candy they pass out to the kids. By the end of the evening they each had a large mixing bowl full of candy to add to the mixing bowl we had already to hand out to anyone coming to our house. We should be set until Santa comes with candy for our stockings.

Both kids had a lot of fun and were eager to run from house to house. They both also really liked their costumes. Sam enjoyed being Boba Fett from Star Wars and Ella was a mermaid. She was especially thrilled when the people at the houses we trick or treated would tell her how pretty she was. She is also the one who is going through her candy the quickest. Let me tell you the girl loves chocolate! She is already discussing what she is going to be for Halloween next year and Sam is making plans to hit even more houses.

Pumpkin Carving

This year we headed over to the Lowe's house to carve our pumpkins and spend a little time with our cousins. It is crazy how they live so close yet we have to schedule time together because everyone gets so busy! It was a great way to spend time together though and see everyones creations.

I think all the kids did a great job designing their pumpkins. Ella got a little help from Mommy making her crown and Sam had to get some help from me cleaning his pumpkin. Let me tell you he owes me for that one. His pumpkin was totally rotten and stinky and he would not touch the inside so that job was left up to me. I'm sure it would have grossed me out at his age too (and it still did at my age a little) but once you've been a mom you have pretty much cleaned up the grossest of the gross and a rotten pumpkin is nothing I can't handle!

Cookie Decorating

At our club they have a Halloween event where the kids get to decorate a large pumpkin cookie, eat lunch at a kids' buffet, and they have a costume contest. My kids were very excited about going and had a great time.

We started with the cookie decorating. They were very into the tubes of icing! Sam was a hard worker and made a spooky pumpkin. Ella just loved squirting the icing so her pumpkin ended up with an icing mountain for a mouth and even had some icing hair. The cookies turned out pretty well and they really enjoyed themselves.

Then it was time for lunch and the costume contest. They both enjoyed going up on stage and showing off their costumes. We didn't walk away as a winner but the kids had a great time participating.

Fall Party

Ella and some of her friends eating their treats.

Ella doing the pumpkin roll.

Ella's school has a Fall Party the week before Halloween. I had volunteered to help coordinate the party. My thought was that I was volunteering to help with the party for the eleven kids in her class. As it turned out, I had volunteered to co-coordinate the party for all 50 kids and four classrooms. Well, it was a little more work than I bargained for but I think the party was a big success and I was glad to help.

Ella had a great time although she wanted to spend a great deal of her time with Mommy that day. Much different from when I would go and help in Sam's classroom. It was great to meet the kids she has been talking about and see how she acts at school. I will say she is much quieter than I expected. It was a great time and hopefully I will get to help with the Christmas party, but just not coordinate it this time.

Homecoming Weekend

Smiling at the parade!

Sam, Ella, and John watching the cheerleaders at the parade.

Tailgating!

Sam with his sign.

We had a very busy weekend! It was Homecoming at MU which means a lot of activities and with College Gameday in town that meant even more. We started out Friday night eating at one of our favorite restaurants, CJ's. They have amazing hot wings and it is where John and I went on our first date fifteen years ago this weekend (I know that really makes us sound old, but oh well). Then it was off to the house decorations. All the fraternities and sororities decorate a big scene and put on plays for the kids. The weather was great and it was packed but the kids had a great time. Then it was back to the hotel to get some sleep for the busy day ahead.

Saturday was the College Gameday show from ESPN. After the show John and Sam were looking at the set and out of the trailer came Desmond Howard and Erin Andrews. John got some pics of Erin and Sam got her autograph on his shirt sleeve. They were both very excited!

Next it was time for the Homecoming Parade. This was our first time attending this event and the kids had a good time. We got to see the band, cheerleaders, Golden Girls, Truman and some of the floats. The kids were the most excited about the candy that groups were passing out along the way. It did get a little long and we left early.

To continue the busy day and get in as many of our Columbia favorites as possible we headed to Shakespeare's for lunch. Luckily, both of our kids love it as much as we do. Then it was off to tailgate.

Finally at 7 the big game arrived. I would say it was in one of the top two of Mizzou games that I have ever been to at Farout Field. The crowd was electric. It was almost hard to hear sometimes. Such an exciting game and fun watching Mizzou knock off the number one ranked Sooners. We didn't make it back to the hotel until midnight but it was well worth it!

Pumpkin Patch

Sam with the pumpkins.

Ella and her balloon kitty.

Emma, Sam and Aiden on the fire truck.

Grandma and Ella on the army vehicle.

No trip to Kansas City in October would be complete without a trip to Suburban's Pumpkin Patch. The kids were super excited to get there. They started off by visiting Cowgirl Kate who makes balloon animals. Sam got a dinosaur and Ella wanted a kitty. Unfortunately, the kitty lasted about 10 minutes before it was popped. Luckily, Cowgirl Kate made Ella an airplane and she was happy!

We met up with AC, Uncle Al, Emma, Aiden and Becky while getting balloons and headed out to the pumpkin patch in an army vehicle. The kids chose their pumpkins very quickly and got their faces painted. Then they were ready to jump in the fire truck for a ride back to the greenhouse. It was a fairly short trip but the kids had a good time and picked some great pumpkins for carving in a few weeks!

One already!

My sweet little niece turned one this past week so we headed to Kansas City for the occasion. She had a lady bug themed party and the decorations were adorable. Kylie of course was even more adorable. She didn't really get into the whole cake eating experience but she did mess around with her cake and get a dirty face for her pictures. One year old baby pictures, the ones with messy cake faces, are one of my favorites!

She is getting so big so fast! She is already walking and I mean really walking, as in across the room. It is really fun to watch. It was a great day with family.

Walk for Life

Twice a month I meet with other moms at a local church. We get the opportunity to talk with other moms while volunteers watch our children. It is a great time and a needed break. This year our group decided we needed to be more service minded to others. The board decided that we would support our local crises pregnancy center. One of the centers big events is a 5k and walk to earn money. I was originally planning on doing the 5k but hurt my foot and wasn't up and running quickly enough to get any training in for the run so I did the walk instead. John had made plans to go fishing that morning so I took the kids along. Ella would be fine in the stroller and I knew Sam could handle what I thought was a mile walk.

Well, turns out I was wrong, and the walk was almost three miles. I was a little worried Sam would get bored, tired, etc. but he did a great job! He walked the first mile and a half at the front of our group urging everyone on to the finish. Then he hung out and walked with me the remainder of the way. He even said he would like to do the walk again next year. It was a great way to spend a Saturday morning .

Mighty Sam

Sam the first night when he got his helmet and shoulder pads.

Down in his three point stance ready to attack! Sam is the second player in orange from the right.

Sam decided that he wanted to play Mighty Mite football this fall. Mighty Mites is full pads, full contact football. I wasn't sure how he would do but he is doing really well! He plays on the offensive and defensive lines and is really starting to understand his positions. He needs to be a little more aggressive but for his first season he is doing great! His team has played two games and unfortunately they have lost them both but the boys play hard and seem to really be enjoying themselves. He has also really taken to watching football on tv too which makes me happy since I think that is a great way to spend a weekend and now we can do it together!

Undefeated!

Dancing with the Golden Girls and Marching Mizzou at halftime!

Another great weekend in Columbia and another great Tiger victory! The weather was perfect for football and we enjoyed tailgating with friends before the game. The kids were excited to have some time at the hotel in the evening to swim in the pool since it was a day game. I think they were going through some swimming withdrawal. They are already excited to go back for Homecoming!

It's Totaled

This past weekend my parents came down so John and I could have a kid free weekend in Columbia. There are three Tigers games in a row and that seemed like a lot of driving with the kids and sometimes it's nice to watch the game without distractions. I am so happy that the kids were not with us because in the rainy drive home on Sunday we hydroplaned and hit the median cable twice doing a 180 degree spin on a busy highway.

Luckily, John and I only came away with a few minor scrapes and sore muscles. When you see the car you realize it could have been much worse and I'm so happy that the other cars were able to avoid us and that the kids were safe with Grandma and Grandpa. There have been many prayers of thanks since Sunday. I think God had our family in his arms that day keeping us protected.

Any ideas on what kind of car we should get to replace the Camry??

Tiger Time!

This past weekend was the first Missouri Tigers home football game. All of us have been excited since our tickets came in the mail a few weeks ago! This weekend was an evening game so Saturday morning we slept in then began packing up our things for the trek to Columbia. As soon as we pulled into the parking lot Sam started looking for our friends little girl Molly. He spotted her among the hundreds of people in our lot and the party began quickly.

The kids were anxious to get out of the car and begin tailgating. We joined in with some friends and everyone brought dishes. We had some delicious brisket and a good time catching up and visiting. The kids ate, played and had a great time too.

Then it was time to head to the game. We had a fun time watching the Tigers score a lot of points on their way to a 50-6 victory over McNeese State. Ella enjoyed looking for Truman and watching the Golden Girls. Sam was really into the football this year and rooting on the Tigers. I think he cheered the loudest of anyone in our section. Looking forward to some more games this Fall.

Move Over Shawn Johnson!

Ella had her first gymnastics class today and she absolutely loved it! We went yesterday to pick out a couple of leotards for her to wear to class. At first she shied away from all of the sparkly and colorful ones and picked out one that was plain pink. After having her try on one with some glitter she loved it and wanted to go back and pick out some more. You can tell from the picture that she decided she really liked ones with sparkles!

As soon as we got back this morning from dropping off Sam she was rushing around to go to gymnastics. She was so excited to put on her new leotard and kept asking if she looked like a gymnastics girl. She did very well in class and always had a big smile on her face. When I asked her at the end of class what her favorite part was she said she couldn't decide because there were so many. Looks like our Friday mornings will now be busy for a while.

Preschool

My princess with princess Belle. She is so excited that the theme at preschool this year is Disney!

Smiling after completing the ABC puzzle!

My big preschooler!

Ella went yesterday to meet her teacher, Ms. Patty. She absolutely loved it! I couldn't get her to leave the room when the next group of kids were coming. I think leading up to preschool she was getting a bit nervous. She had just been real quiet and small things would upset her. The only thing John and I could figure out was that she was apprehensive about school starting. Well, that is no longer and my happy little girl is back and ready to go!

She has been asking repeatedly since yesterday when she gets to go back to preschool and why can't she just go ahead and go today. When we were leaving yesterday she told me she wanted to go to preschool everyday, not just twice a week. She also said that I didn't need to walk her to her classroom the first day because now she knew where it was (too much listening to her big brother). She is still my baby and I would still like to walk her in on her first day.