Giving Thanks 2013

For one family member Thanksgiving was adventurous... as for the other three, we kept it traditional.

Lauren had the privilege of joining her friend Sydney on a week long cruise in the Western Caribbean over the Thanksgiving holiday. We missed her but she had a great time on the ship and on the beaches. All of that fun deserves it's own post.... but for now here is a picture of them at the airport.

Those of us that got left behind celebrated Thanksgiving the old fashioned way; dinner at my parents surrounded by family. Turkey, turduckhen, mashed potatoes and all the fixins including pie (I requested chocolate cream pie since I find the typical pumpkin pie's texture to be quite offensive) were on the menu. It was a wonderful night and even included a pre- Black Friday trip to Target. We have so many things to be thankful for and love this time of year that reminds us to take the time to reflect on our blessings.

cousin table

adult table

Me & cousin Marvin

New to You

Back in November the newly updated Craig Ranch park opened so we had to check it out. The kids grumbled all of the way there...... but ended up having oodles of fun! 

And a little sidenote:

 my Mini hit 50,000 miles- no more warranty. It had better be good and stay healthy!!

This is Halloween.... 2013

Halloween is a pretty big deal around our house.Yes, most of the time we are scrambling like maniacs to get our costumes ready, but that's pretty normal for any occasion with us. There are trips to Savers, JoAnn's, online orders, and most years I even break out the sewing machine. Jason and I retroed back to the classic days of black and white film. Some might find it hard to be black and white in a color world, but we thought it quite charming. Lauren was one half of the Tweedle-Dee and Tweedle-Dum duo. She and Shelby based their costumes from the original Alice in Wonderland and their Instagram names. Jace caused quite a stir "horsing" around the "neigh"borhood  in his horse head giddy-up.

It's me! Couldn't resist the horse head!

Grandma and Grandpa Nelson had their annual Halloween Bash. There were games, donut eating, and fun with the cousins.....

On Halloween night the kids met up with friends to haunt the neighborhood. We all went to Tiff and Yin's for a spooky feast and passed out candy while the kids tricked and gathered treats.

A Few

random post from September- Octoberish 2013......

Two legged hoodie creatures. 

We laughed.... a lot!!!

Then wiped away tears and laughed some more....

The final tooth has fallen!! This was the last of Jace's baby teeth. Next stop- braces!!

YARD SALE!!! Need a snack while buying second hand goods from a driveway? These boys are ready to sell you that sugar fix. (Jake, Jaxon, Jace, & Brett)

A few months ago the Cram cheer team held a silent auction at their final performance. One of the auction items was a Flightlinez zipline experience. After much prodding and puppy dog lash batting, I gave in and placed my bid. Lauren won the bid, and so did her friend Sydney. So finally one Saturday we drove out to Boulder City where the girls were able to enjoy this great experience.They were the only girls in the group and they had a blast!! Sydney's mom, Liz, and I went as far as the top of the mountain with them, then went and had lunch downtown, and were able to make it back and watch them come in on the last of the three ziplines. The staff there was great and very friendly- I totally trusted them with my little Lauren. The best part was that we only paid like $30 for this $100 experience. Don't forget- "when in doubt, legs out!!"

Lauren coming in on the final zipline

Lauren and Sydney

Ready to go!!

Let's Go Longhorns! Let's Go!

American football- a game of tackles, field goals, and touchdowns. The most exciting part, however, (and I'm biased) are the cute girls cheering for the football team. Their goal is to keep the spectators spirited and the players encouraged. This year Lauren cheered at all of the J.V. games and a few of the Varsity. Some nights it was perfect weather, others quite chilly. Sometimes the team was winning, others times not so much. The cheerleaders cheered on regardless, keeping hopes alive.Great football season Longhorns.... now it's time for basketball!!

Lauren & Shelby on one of the chillier nights!

J.V. and Varsity

Lauren and Sydney with Miss Gourdine who was their coach at Cram last year. She now coaches at Cimmaron and came to the game that we played against them.

Lauren & Sydney

J.V. & Varsity