Collin is ELEVEN!

For Collin's birthday this year, he chose to go to Sea World as a family to see all the Christmas events. We went in the afternoon so we could see the parade in the evening and the lights when it got dark. So, for lunch we had his cheesecake and sang.

He got two presents. First, he got a holder for all his taekwondo belts. We actually had to order two for them all to fit, and Ryan screwed them together to make one long one. It's on his wall now. His other present was two tickets to the TransSiberian Orchestra Christmas concert, which was being held on Monday.

On our way to Sea World on Saturday, we had an early dinner at Texas Roadhouse. Yum!

When we arrived, we headed to the Pets Ahoy! show because Kate and I saw it last fall, and the boys hadn't. When we got inside, Ethan started complaining how cold he was and curled up in a ball in his seat and started to fall asleep. As we headed out of the auditorium, Ethan got really still, and then threw up all over the brick patio. He'd had Hawaiian Punch at Texas Roadhouse, and there were streams of red running down the path to the drain. I tried to make a wall so the masses of people coming out wouldn't step in it while Ryan tried to find an employee to clean it up. He found someone finally, and Ethan was too weak to walk, so Ryan carried him back to the car. So, uh, happy bday, Col... Part of being in a family, I suppose.

After keeping Ethan home from Church on Christmas Sunday, we drove to Sea World on Monday. Ryan met us at a nearby gas station, and he took Collin to his concert, and I took the other three kids to Sea World. I really wanted to see the Christmas Lights and all the special shows for the Holidays!

In January, Collin was ordained a deacon. He has passed the sacrament a couple times. He is still learning the procedure, but he's been doing a great job. In March, Ryan and I went with him to do baptisms at the temple on a Saturday evening. It is always nice to have some one-on-one time with Collin, who is so easy-going that he sometimes gets lost in the chaos.

Our move has been the hardest on Collin. He loved the outdoors, hiking and backpacking with Ryan. He also had a good buddy he left behind, Jayden. He had to leave his taekwondo school, and though he's adjusted and still got his black belt in December, he definitely preferred the climate at the old school better. As far as piano, I wasn't able to find a teacher who would teach him privately, so he's in a group class doing things he learned years ago. And, in a huge misunderstanding, he was placed in the wrong 5th grade homeroom at school and was left out of all gifted classes for the first quarter of school. In October, they accepted him into a pull-out accelerated class, but it isn't really enough. He's definitely looking forward to middle school next year, where we plans to take Honors Math and Science.

Happy birthday, Ca-Ca! We love you, and I'm so glad you are part of our family!

Thanksgiving w/ Nana & Papa

The kids got an entire week for Thanksgiving off school, and we sure did fill it up with tons of fun.

On Saturday, Collin, Brennan and I all ran Ryan's company's 2-mile Turkey Trot. I started running a year ago (Nov 1, 2018), and I finally made it up to 2-miles, even though with the hills I did have to walk some. Collin was fastest, with a time of about 22 mins. Brennan and I finished together in about 23 minutes. Next year our goal is to beat our times from this year. We aren't fast, but at least we did it.

Nana & Papa arrived on Monday. The morning was filled with cleaning, the afternoon was filled with airport driving, and in the evening they were able to go and cheer for our Collin at one of his final practices before he tests for his black belt.

Tuesday morning I took Ethan & Brennan into the doctor for their well-checks, and we went and saw Frozen 2 in the afternoon. I was really pleased with the show, and Kate was super fun in her Elsa costume with her Anna dolly.

Wednesday we went to Six Flags in the afternoon/evening. Ryan took off a half-day. He and his parents rode a bunch of roller coasters. Ethan & Katelyn even did the Roadrunner! We rode the Christmas train, the ferris wheel a couple times, did bumper cars and some other kiddie rides. They have a bunch of Christmas concerts going on right now too, so we saw several sing/dance routines, the Looney Tunes, lighting up of the Holiday Tree, and a live nativity with camels and sheep. It was surprisingly well-done. They have "snow machines" all over the park that blow out tiny bubbles to land in your hair and jacket. I was certainly not complaining about the 55 degree temps! We had a ton of fun and grabbed donuts and hot chocolate afterwards.

Thursday was the Macy's Parade, cooking, eating and doing dishes. You know the drill. I had done so much preparation on Tuesday and Wednesday though, that after dinner, I talked the adults into helping me decorate for Christmas. I'm super excited about my new decorations!

Friday was raining and cold. Nana & Papa kept the kids in the morning so Ryan and I could go do sealings in the temple. We had planned in the evening to go down to the Riverwalk for the Christmas Light Boat parade, but we watched it on tv instead.

Saturday we cleaned the church in the morning, cheered the Buckeyes to a win against Xichigan, purchased and picked up a new piece of furniture for the office and went to the Boerne Dickens Christmas Festival. It was a warm 82 degrees, and I even wore shorts and a tshirt (me on Nov 30!).

Sunday was Church and the final dress rehearsal for Ryan's Messiah concert. His parents were able to go and listen, which was nice for them.

Monday Ryan took off work, and after getting the boys on the bus and Kate dropped off at preschool, we headed to the Missions. We enjoyed looking around, and even got quite a great explanation from one of the volunteer park rangers. Lastly, we did the Alamo and ate lunch at the Iron Cactus on the Riverwalk. We then booked it back to preschool! It was a jam-packed fun day. Ryan even FINALLY got the trampoline set-up in the backyard while I mowed the lawn (on Dec 2nd! Think I'll ever get used to this Texas weather?).

Tuesday we cleaned up and Kate and I took Nana & Papa back to the airport. And that was our fun-filled week!

Now real life December begins - Messiah performances, Black Belt practices and pretest and test, 5th grade musical, piano recital, Ward Christmas party, Collin's birthday, our 16th anniversary and Christmas. Here we go!