Getting in the Christmas Spirit

We met the Jackson's at the Zoo for the opening weekend of the Zoo lights.  Mike was nervous that it would be crowded, but it turned out most people weren't in the Christmas Spirit quite yet! 

 

 The line to see Santa was pretty long.  The kids stayed entertained looking at all of the trees, ornaments and Christmas Décor.  Mike and I stayed entertained by rolling our eyes! 

Can't you see the joy in Mike's eyes? 

 But this Santa turned out to be the real deal.  When you walked in the room, his demeanor instantly put you at ease.  What a kind, gentle man he was!  And he left each kid with a message about being good little boys and girls, helping Mommy and Daddy and listening to them as well. 



Junie B. Jones

Lillian has been loving the Chapter book series, Junie B. Jones.  When mom saw it was playing at the Arvada Center she bought us tickets for the day after Thanksgiving.  We knew the kids would love it, but Kim, Casey, Mom and I were not prepared to laugh out loud that hard!  The whole show was a stitch.  It was such a fun theater experience!

 



Thanksgiving

We had a lovely Thanksgiving this year.  The weather is still unusually warm. 

Lillian pictured here with Tammy Tuk Tuk, this years 22 pound bird!  She helped me pull the gizzards out, oil up the girl, and stuff her with stuffing.  What a brave girl!

 This shot helps explain why Grammy & Opa jumped at the chance to buy a sight-unseen house in Golden!

 The adults got to do some "adulating" and play some pre-dinner board games. 

 The kids had a pretty good time as well.

 The whole day was fun and games, until we let them get in the hot tub without checking the chemicals!  Lillian and Holden's poor skin couldn't handle the mixed up pH balance.  They had the worst rash a few days later.  Thank god, the other kids were virtually unaffected. 



Exploring Golden

Grammy & Opa's new townhouse is coming along quite nice!  All of us have been pitching in to help get the house prepped for their big move in January.  This picture of Mike and Lillian below isn't special, but 30 seconds before it was taken he leaned over the railing to give her a smooch.  I didn't get the camera out quite in time but I still want to post this picture to remind me of that sweet moment! 

 Joe & Jeanne Raia were in town for the Thanksgiving Holiday, because Kelli lives in Roxborough Park.  Our visit felt as normal as if we were all still living in Maryland together.  Always good to see "old" friends.

 I love how this picture sequence evolved.  First Lillian...

 Then Lillian with Nora....

Then Joseph joined!  Sweet kids, hiking through Golden on a beautiful day.  There's more of these days to come I'm sure!

An Early Christmas Gift

Grammy Kerschen sent new pajamas and Christmas stories! Joseph was so excited I could hardly snap a photo as he jumped up and down, up and down. 

 Eventually he calmed down enough to listen to Opa read his new book to him. 

 

 St. Anne's had a half day the Wednesday before Thanksgiving, so Kindergarten was cancelled.  I took the day off , kept Joseph out of school too and we invited Lillian's friend Graceyn over to play.  The kids loved cutting out snow flakes! 

 I love these two shots of the girls giggling, they are two peas in a pod!



TOTS

Joseph has been playing "Tots" Teams of Tomorrow basketball at Little People Landing every Monday with his friends from school.  This weekend they had a "tournament" so the kids could show off their skills. 

 We had a great time supporting Joseph and encouraging him to score as high as possible in the 10 second period.  I love watching Lillian's face in these pictures as she cheers on her brother.  They could not love each other more. 

 Joseph was happy to see his buddy Marcus outside of school.  It was a great afternoon!



Surprise Visit

Joseph had an early Thanksgiving dinner at his school today.  It is darn near impossible to get from Lowry back to Arvada for lunch at 11 AM.  Fiona practically chased me out of work.  She said, "you don't get these years back, you HAVE to go!".  And she was right.  I walked in late, they were already seated and eating, but I will never forget hearing Joseph's sweet voice exclaim, "Momma!" across the room when I walked in.  I've played the video over and over again. 

Fiona was right, lunch with Joseph was way more important than work today.

Mid-Week Treat

Sometimes you just gotta have ice cream before dinner....



Random Act of Kindness

 

 We decided today would be a great day to spread a little kindness.  The kids made up baggies of S'more snack mix (Golden Grahams, Chocolate Chips and Marshmallows).  With a little note that said, "Here's a Little Something to Help You Do S'More Good"

 I asked them who they thought might deserve a special thank you.  Of course, they immediately wanted to visit the Fire Department and Police Station.  But with a little prodding, they decided we should visit the Standley Lake Library and their school teachers as well.

 The reactions were awesome, and the kids were so proud to give something away in "Thanks". 

 We will certainly do something similar soon!