Thanksgiving

After getting frozen in Arkansas, we headed down to spend Thanksgiving Day in Fort Worth. Since we had the camper, we decided to pop it up in the driveway instead of cramming in the house. It was quite comfortable, even though it was awkward when we got up in the morning and had to go in the house with our jammies on. It was really nice to sleep in without any kids bugging us :)
The whole family was there, and we had a wonderful day hanging out and eating delicious food. It was a beautiful day, so we got to play outside for most of the day. Kacy, Taylor, and Terilyn played spies almost all day long, and the other little ones entertained themselves with the swingset and other toys. I absolutely love the group picture :)

Arkansas Camping

Holy coldness!!! So, we decided to camp in Arkansas. On the top of the mountain (almost the highest point in the state). In November. During the first cold front of the year. Lots and lots of bad decisions there! It was freezing. And it was cold. And it was crazy windy. And it was freezing. Good grief! I really don't think I have been in that high of wind for that many days in my life. It was really a pretty area, but when you can't be outside for more than a couple minutes, you really can't enjoy the scenery! The very first day we had there was really the only day that we could get outside and play comfortably. We rode bikes, listened to a ranger talk about this really old house, and we walked a couple of trails. It really wasn't the best campgrounds that we have ever been to, but the kids still had fun. They always find something to do to keep themselves busy and entertained. We definitely spent more time in the camper than we ever have before, but we didn't have too many other options. It was pretty funny to see all the other campers stay for a night or two, and then get the heck outta there! We stayed and toughed it out with the help of movies and legos to entertain us :) The second day we went on the Talimena Scenic Drive, which was really pretty. There were still quire a few fall colors to see. It definitely wasn't the perfect vacation, but every vacation has its moments that make it all worth it. One of those moments was when we put all the girls in the same bed (usually we only have 2, but because it was so windy and cold we made them snuggle). We tucked them in, and then they made a "hand holding circle" where they were all holding each other's hands. I love these times together, even when it's 15 degrees outside!

More Arkansas Fun with Mom

Here are a couple more pictures from our fun day at the Arkansas cabin. We are so lucky to have such amazing grandparents that we can make these fantastic memories with. Love them!

This was right before they all played in the hot tub. They were going to wear t-shirts, but decided to go in panties instead, so no pictures of that to post here! ;)

4 Wheelin' Adventures

Mom and Greg wanted to come up to Arkansas to join us in the chilly fun, so they rented a little cabin in the woods near where we were staying. It actually came at the exact perfect time! We were all getting a little (or a lot) antsy on our freezing cold mountain in our tiny camper, so we were so thankful for a change in scenery. Even better than the change of scenery was the fact that it rained the entire day, so it was so nice to have a house to hang out in. And even better than all that was that we rented 4 wheelers to drive around the property! When we heard it was going to rain all day, we were worried that we wouldn't get to use them. Turns out, they had a roof, a windshield, and doors! It was the absolute most perfect thing to do on a rainy day. We drove around for hours and didn't get a bit wet! Everyone had so much fun on them. Cory, Adilyn, Kacy, and I went out together and found a pretty cool trail to ride on. There were lots of tight turns and rough terrain. At one point I thought to myself, "I sure am glad that I'm not driving this thing!" Well, a couple minutes later, I was driving one! Cory took Brooke and Mom on one, and I had Adilyn and Kacy on the other. I'm not gonna lie, I was pretty scared! It had some weird shifting action, and I had no idea what I was doing. The girls knew that I was nervous, and they were telling me that I could do it. It was pretty cute. Right as I started to feel confident, we got on some uneven land, and we got stuck! We were almost tipped sideways and completely unable to move. We all started yelling for Cory, and luckily he heard us. I was in the wrong gear, so I fixed that, he gave us a push, and we were on our way! The girls were pretty proud. There were a couple of other nervous moments, but we all survived and had a fantastic time! Quite the adventure :)
That night we picked up pizza from a little place in town, the girls played in the hot tub, and we just relaxed. The girls wanted to stay for the night there, so we left them and headed back to the camper. It was such a fun day!

Fit Girls Running Club

Adilyn has joined every possible thing that she can join as a 4th grader, and I think it's so great that she wants to be a part of everything. The best group (in my opinion), has been the Fit Girls running/book club. Two of my favorite things combined - running and reading :) They meet every Thursday after school, and they discussed the book they were all reading for a little bit. After that, they would go outside and run. They were going to do a 5K at the end of all their training, but it got rained out. It was rescheduled it for January, so we will see how that goes. Luckily, they did a training 5K at the trail next to the school, so they at least go to do that much! They had a cool balloon arch as the finish line, music playing, and lots of supporters. It was really neat to see how much the girls and the teachers got into it. There was a lot of Girl Power vibes out there, for sure! Brooke, the Pilgrim, and I went to cheer for her, and we did a couple laps with her to keep her motivated!

Brooke, the Pilgrim Girl

I love Brooke's preschool! It's so sad that this is my last year to have a kid there. I have loved every teacher and every program. Each year they do a Pilgrim/Indian feast for Thanksgiving. Last year she was the Indian, which was cute - but this year she was a Pilgrim, which was absolutely adorable! They made little skirts and hats, and they sang a couple of Thanksgiving songs. The night before she told me that she wasn't going to wear the outfit, but I'm so glad she changed her mind :) 

Thanksgiving Feasts

Another year for the Thanksgiving feast at the girls' school, honestly I'm not a fan of these so much. It's chaotic and busy, but you don't want to be that parent that doesn't show up for their kids, right? I would much rather just have lunch with them on a normal day, but I'll stop complaining. I only have about 6 more years of them to go, can't be that bad. Ha! Ha! Cory and I went up for both of them together this year, and at least they were on the same day, so we got it over with in one day. The girls are always excited to see us, and they always enjoy their lunch with us and their friends. Cory also seems to enjoy the delicious cafeteria style Thanksgiving food. Ew!

Chillbo Baggins

I had been wanting one of these crazy blow up lounger things for a while, and I finally got one! It's as hilarious and amazing as I expected! It's much harder to inflate than I expected, but once you have some air in it, it's hours of fun and relaxation! :) The brand name for this one is Chillbo Baggins which really sold me on it. I really don't know why this amuses me so much, but it totally does. It's the little things, I guess :)

Hot Shots Season is done!

The fall volleyball season ended with our worst game of the season. So sad! I feel like that happens a lot unfortunately. I would love to go out on a high note, for sure! But, we still had a fantastic season, and I think that this was by far my favorite team. The girls and the parents make it so much fun! One more season in the Spring, and then I think I will take a break from coaching. I will miss some of these girls like crazy! Our pizza party was crazy, which is pretty obvious from the pictures. They were cracking me up! Thank goodness we had our own private party room for all that madness :)