Now...a Catch Up (Out of Order...Of Course!)

November

I was so proud of my kids. They were very excited to run their own race after Chris & I had done ours...so, all fired up, they each took off, and ran crazy fast times. Brody ran his mile in 6:19, Brooklyn and Braden both finished under 8 minutes at 7:54. Each one came in second overall for their entire grade!

My friend Karina sent this to me. So True! In November, Chris and I ran in the Savannah Rock n Roll Marathon. Chris: 26.2 - Me: 13.1

***

It was more fun than I can say. The crowd, the music, the route, the entire experience. Way worth it!!

October

I went back to Chicago with my friend Carol Stephens for our annual Girls Trip. As usual, it was a blast. We walked the streets of Chicago, ate great food, read, shopped, read, and possibly read a little more as we enjoyed a relaxing weekend together.

We also scored a free dessert a Harry Carry's. I think Carol may have thrown a wink or two at the maitre de!

Braden's Birthday

We make sure that having his birthday the day after Christmas doesn't mean he gets shafted. With the living room filled with balloons, Braden opened the clues that led to his new bike. (He's been using one that has been handed down twice already!!).
That night, we had rootbeer floats and watched a movie with the neighbor kids. Crazy!!

Christmas

Well, Santa did it again! He brought the kids a rescued Miniature Pinscher from Texas. That's a LONG story in and of itself, but the kids have fallen in love! We had a great day! Church was really nice, we had Creme Brule French Toast for breakfast, a traditional turkey meal for lunch and Mexican Food again for dinner. Yum!!

Christmas Eve

Before we began the "traditional" Christmas Eve stuff, we took the kids on an 11 mile bike ride along the Chattahoochee and through downtown Columbus. We rode past Pre-Civil War homes, stopped and had lunch, and had a great time being together.

Christmas Eve follows the same pattern every year, whether it be in Arizona, Washington or Georgia. MEXICAN FOOD! Granted, the food is best in Arizona, but we make do wherever we are. This year we had the Saunders (Thank You Kent for graciously eating Mexican Food on Christmas Eve!), the Boteros and their kids with Herman's mother and Karina's father both in from New York, and my visiting teaching companion and her two children. Fanny Botero made Columbian Coconut Rice which was so crazy good I had three servings. Stephanie made the Saunders' traditional Christmas dessert and then after rolling ourselves away from the kitchen, we settled down to watch Luke II.

Then, it was Christmas Pajama Time! Thanks Grandma & Grandpa!

Brooklyn's Baptism

What a special day! Brooklyn got baptized on her 8th birthday! Her cousin Kali also got baptized the same day in Arizona. Barney & Diane flew to be with us, and Kent, Stephanie and their kids are now here, so we were blessed to be surrounded by family!

It was 47 degrees, and the furnace for the water heater had not been lit. So, Chris boiled water for nearly 2 hours to try and warm the water a bit for her, but she still said it was freezing!

Brody's Birthday

It's grand to be a Hills sometimes. Especially on your birthday! Brody is now 10 and ready to conquer the world! Or, at least his half of the soccer field!

Game Days

All athletes are required to dress up on game day. I like it. Bailey plays twice a week, so every Tuesday and Friday the girls wear dresses and the boys wear shirts AND ties!

Down on the Farm

The theme for the year at Britt David is "Down on the Farm"...or something like that. So, the kids were given the option to dress in something that represented 'farming' in lieu of their school uniforms. We had to borrow jeans & boots for Braden, and luckily Brooklyn's friend Oakley had given her a pair of boots before we left Washington. Braden was getting into the spirit of it all on the way to the bus.

When a Game Gets Called...

We (the kids & I...Chris was on call in Americas) spent Labor Day Weekend in Jacksonville, Fl for Brody's soccer tournament. His team was placed up a bracket and paired against one of the top seeded teams in Florida. Needless to say, 25 painful minutes later, the refs called the game.

Dejected and more than a little frustrated, there was near silence as our team walked off the field. So what do you do? If you're me...you respectfully ignore the coaches request to "rest" for the next 6 hours until the second game...and you hit the beach. Come On! It's Jacksonville!!!