Christmas 2009!

Wow, Christmas has come and gone. But it sure was fun! The big guy in the red suit was good to all of us, as usual. And it is lots of fun to still have a family member who BELIEVES in him. This might be our last year, though!

We spent Christmas Eve and Day at home with the kiddos, it was great to have everyone here and just relax and open gifts. Abby's big wishes for the year mostly included books, books and books ... and a few pretty clothes. TJ got a new bike, since he has just about driven the wheels off of his other one. ha

On Saturday, we headed to the Scott family Christmas and spent the night at grandma and grandpa's, with all the extended family. The kids love this special time with their cousins, as some years it is the only time we manage to get everyone together.

Saturday was also our 27th anniversary, and in the typical busy Christmas season fashion, it pretty much went un-celebrated. Guess I'm finally used to that after all these years, ha ha.

Sunday was grandma and grandpa Scott's 50th anniversary, and we helped them celebrate their special day with a family lunch. We got a surprise 7 inches of snow that made the drive a little hectic, but made for great scenery from the lunch window. And TJ got home just in time to have a little snow play time with his friends before dark.

Now this week I'm off work with the kids, and we'll do some exchanges and shopping. Abby is anxious to get to the mall and get busy at that famous bear-stuffing place with a gift certificate that Drew gave her. We'll keep the decorations up until the end of the week ... I think I enjoy them more now when things are so peaceful, and that's also why we don't put them up very early. On Saturday Drew will head back to college and we'll get back into the basketball travel team routine, AKA bleacher time!

Deck the Halls!

Tonight was the Tremont Middle School band concert and we got to enjoy some Christmas sounds from the 6th grade band ... TJ was on the bass drum and it's taller than he is, so I skipped the concert photo opp! haha Listening to the chorus groups made me realize how long it has been since I heard Drew with his middle school voice, singing in a choir ... what a change those boys voices are yet to go through!

When we got home I took some pics of two very goofy kids near the tree. They could not seem to stand still and take a serious shot, so this is all I got! Enjoy!

Journey to the Christmas Tree Farm

Wish there would have been some of the white stuff around for our annual trek to the Christmas Tree Farm ... but even though it was gray and a bit gloomy, the kids had fun anyway! We have had weather of all kinds over the years, from cold and blowing snow to just wearing light jackets. Years with no snow to sleet pelting us in the face to a foot of snow on the ground that has to be dug out around the tree before you can start cutting. I'll take the years with snowflakes in the air anytime over a warm day. Something just doesn't feel right about t-shirts and Christmas trees, ha ha. Click on the pics for a full size view.
After walking around a bit, we found a tree that was just right and TJ did most of the sawing to get it cut down ... Abby supervised, of course! Dad helped make the final cut and off we went to put the tree through the shaker to get rid of the excess needles, and to get it bound up to make the trip home. The kids always have to make a stop in the building for the free hot cider, and then we're off! It felt weird to not have Drew with us this year, but he won't be home until next weekend and with basketball games and all ... we might not have a tree if we waited for him to get home from college!

Now it's time to decorate, and I'm really missing Drew ... because he always helps me with lights and carries all of the decorations upstairs! Might have to wait until after dad is done watching football to get that done!

Christmas Festival Photo

Somewhere in this beautiful chapel at Carthage, I'm holding a candle ... with tears in my eyes as Drew sang a solo at the start of the service of light! :-)

Drew is right in the center, in front of the big choir with a tall pillar candle, but the lighting is dim and you can't really see him.

'Tis the Season ...

... to be "crazy busy" I guess! Can't believe it has been so long since I posted here! During that time we have had much going on at home and at work. I think even though we are headed into the crazy holiday schedules, it will not be as busy as the last 3-4 weeks have been!

We hosted Thanksgiving here at our house with our 3 parents, and that was really nice. Added bonus to have Drew home from school and be able to enjoy a bit of one-on-one time with him too!
TJ is in full basketball mode with weeknight practices and games every Saturday & Sunday, so we are doing lots of bleacher time. Today his 6th grade travel team won the 3rd place game in a tourney, pictured here after the game!

I spent two days traveling to/from Wisconsin to spend some time with Drew and to see him with his choirs in the Carthage Christmas Festival. It was wonderful, as I knew it would be. He only has 4 years of college and so only 4 of these programs ... and having been to the first 2, I know I won't miss the last 2. The special times and programs are few, and those 4 years go by too fast!

Now that I finally feel like we can return to life at its normal busy pace instead of the insanity of the past few weeks ... look for more updates on things like our upcoming visit to the Christmas tree farm and the kids holiday programs! Yes, it 'tis the season!

And then there were 3 ...

Six year ago today we had the honor of going from being parents of two children to three ... when we got a phone call telling us we were now the parents of a 9 month old little girl living in Zhuzhou City, Hunan. TJ was in kindergarten, Drew was in 8th grade. Six years later, Miss Abigail Kui Yan is a joy and a blessing, and we are so happy that we chose to grow our family through adoption.

TMS Dodgeball Tourney

Abby and I had fun watching TJ take part in the middle school dodgeball tournament tonight! This is the 5th year the school has done it as a fundraiser and the kids really get into the spirit with matching team shirts and fun team names. TJ was part of the "Ferocious 5" and they made it to the 2nd round. Above is a "team strategy" meeting before the game, and below is a shot of TJ in action during his first game. Give the kid a ball, and he's happy ...

Tomorrow is his first away basketball game for the traveling team, and Sunday is their first home game. Lots of parent time in the bleachers today and the rest of the weekend!

Halloween Eve!

After a LONG week of some type of flu that gave the kids fevers, coughs and caused much missing of school (and work!) ... I think the kids are finally on the mend. No school today due to conferences, and tonight was the Halloween Parade & Costume Contest. TJ has "aged out" of being able to participate, but he went along for fun. After many years of playing the role of the cute trick-or-treater, this year Abby chose something on the cute-but-bewitching level. Here she is as we were heading out. Nice to have some fall color still around for a backdrop.
Click on the pics for a larger view.

As we were driving into town, we got to take in a gorgeous fall sunset. TJ took some great shots as I drove. Enjoy!

Signs of Fall

Raking leaves, playing in the leaves, color in the neighborhood, jet skis in the driveway instead of at the marina ... fall has arrived!



Top that off with a little pre-season basketball practice this afternoon for TJ ... and would you believe Abby is eating boxed, decorated CHRISTMAS COOKIES that Mitch brought home from the store? Geesh! Can we please have Halloween before they start selling us Christmas?!?!

Fall is Here!

We have had a cool start to fall, but now the leaves are turning and the sun has come back out from behind the rain clouds, and it feels a LOT nicer. Fall is a great time of year here in this part of the country, and the changing seasons are my favorite part of living in the Midwest.

And early this morning, TJ and Roxy enjoyed a warm dip in our hot tub ... well, Roxy stayed on the outside of the hot tub for companionship, anyway ... complete with steam since it was only 39 degrees outside! It's cool getting in, but you are so warm when you get out that you don't even feel the cold. It's way better than using the hot tub in the summer when it's warm ... which we rarely do!

Haven't made it to the pumpkin farm yet, but hope to do that soon!

Happy 20th Birthday, Drew!!!

Today Drew turns 20! No longer a teenager and already such an incredible young man. Twenty years ago on October 6 I lived one of the best days of my life ... the day I became a parent. And the day we began our journey as a family.

Twenty years. Two decades. Many happy times past, and many more to share.

Happy Birthday Drew! Wish we could see you in person today, but I'm glad we just got to see you this past weekend. TJ and Abby (and Roxy) have some birthday greetings they would like to share ...

Carthage Homecoming Weekend

We had a great trip to Kenosha this weekend to see Drew and take in some Carthage homecoming events. It was our first visit with him since moving him into the dorm about 6 weeks ago, so good to see him. He was very busy with campus activities and not feeling his best ... so we didn't spend a lot of time together, but had a great visit anyway! The kids loved the homecoming activities and a hotel swim is always a treat.

(Click any of the pics for a full size view) First thing Saturday morning we attended a scholarship recognition breakfast for Drew, then he was off to choir rehearsal, parade and game. He is part of the pep band and so had parade and game obligations. We enjoyed the parade and sat close to the band at the game, and they bring lots of fun to the day with their music and chants.

We ended up going to dinner without him since he didn't feel his best, and he really needed some rest before he started his RA shift that ran from 8:00 pm to 2:30 am ...

Sunday morning I attended the homecoming church service on campus where I got to see him sing with Carthage Choir, and enjoy some other campus ensembles. Then it was time to head home and get ready for the week. Good to see him, tomorrow is his birthday so it was especially good to see him right before and take some bday treats!

I sense a visit coming from ...

The tooth fairy! And it's a two-fer payout, because both of the bottom teeth are now gone! Click for a larger view, if you are brave! ha

You can see the two empty spots ... and you can also see the two HUGE permanent teeth already coming up to replace them! They are so big they are pushing out the teeth on either side of the newly-lost ones. Can anyone else see braces in our future? ;-)

Special thanks go to our Joliet Scott's friend, Gracie, for sharing her good tooth loss news this weekend with Abby and helping provide the bravery needed for "the big tug"

Small Town Fun!

There is just something about high school homecoming weekend that always reminds me why we left the suburbs of a larger metropolitan area 13 years ago and moved back to small town life. Nothing like a good homecoming parade to bring the whole town out on a beautiful late summer weekend! I love that the kids still build "old fashioned" parade floats on hay wagons with tissue paper stuffed into chicken wire. Break out the old, seldom-driven firetrucks and show 'em off, load up the fall sports teams, dressed head to toe in school colors, along with the cheerleaders and homecoming royalty, throw some candy and just have a great time!

Little Dancers

Abby had a great time with the 1st grade girls taking part in a dance clinic with the THS Dance Team. Last night they got to be on the football field at halftime to perform their routine.

Sunset at the Marina

Sometimes the most beautiful time of any day spent at the marina is watching the sun set across the river ... last night was no exception! Click for a full size view and you can see Abby punching in the security code to get in the gate as we returned from dinner.