Snow Fun

As soon as the snow was spotted this morning, Kabe & Alex were ready to get outside to play.


We scrounged around to find winter gear to go around and they were set!


They couldn't have been happier rolling around, making snow angels and throwing snow balls.


There was even some tasting going on.


Rolling and throwing ...


Chasing and throwing .... and rolling.

Illini, a Razor, and Snow

This weekend the Illini played in a basketball tournament in South Padre Island. It's always fun to watch a good game, but this tourney was only televised on a special sports package. After some finagling and several phone calls, it was determined we could get the channel for a whopping $4 a month which was totally worth is for two games...way less expensive than two meals at a local bar & grill to watch the game. So we hosted the party for our small group BB groupies AND the Illini won...Does it get any better than that? Now, we just need a 'W' Tuesday against Clemson...


And while Lynne was at our house, she enlightened us on how to clean the ceramic top stove when things boil over .... use a straight-edge razor to scrape it off. We've had this stove for FOUR YEARS and used tons of elbow grease and all it takes is a straight edge. Who knew?


And then, this morning, we woke up to this! Finally! Kabe's friend Alex slept over so there will be more snow pictures in another post.


It was only an inch or so, but it sure kept the numbers low at church.


And although it'll probably be gone by tomorrow afternoon, it sure looks pretty right now.

Thanksgiving

Happy Thanksgiving to you!
Our day was great! We spent the day hanging out with our friend's the Barnes and a compilation of their family and long-time friends. It was a beautiful day, so Kabe spent much of the afternoon outside playing with Kiwi, the puppy. He had a great time and *loved* this dog. Thank you Roger & Stenelle!


Here is Adam, Lynne & Judy. Lynne & Judy were the chef's of the day and once we got there, Adam jumped right in to assist. That's Ben in the background...the official carver of the bird.








Here we are, enjoying the feast. There were 23 of us all together, so were broken in to two tables.

This is Rosa with her son Roger and his wife Stenelle, visiting from Georgia.

These are Roger & Stenelle's kids.

There was also time to chill and play with Transformers which was fun because there were other kids around.

Time to chat with old friends.

Catch up with family.

And time to just chill and watch a movie, like Kung Fu Panda.

It was a Great Thanksgiving Day with lots to be Thankful for. And this was only the first feast!

photo courtesy of Aubrey
We also had Thanksgiving Dinner and dessert with the Smiths. Tell me about your day!

I didn't mean to!

I've been a little absent lately. We've been busy with not-so-photographable things. This weekend was one of catching up at home and relaxing, spending time together....and wouldn't you know, out of nowhere, Kabe gets sick, so we've spent most the weekend really chillin' at home. I've spent a lot of time knitting, hoping to finish Kabe's sweater soon so he'll get a chance to wear it this winter - hopefully I'll have pictures to post of a finished product soon! And if you're reading this from the actual web page rather than through google reader, you're probably noticing a change as I've spent some time editing.

Okay - so you know how it's annoying to go in the store in October and see Christmas trees all decorated? Well....so I decorated the blog and now there's Christmas music playing. (sidenote...if you don't normally listen to the music, a couple of these aren't mainstream - give 'em a chance! Also, check back throughout the season as I'll be mixing them up as I remember or hear new versions I like better. BTW - the first one is Kabe's favorite....Reba - go figure! =) So, long story short (or not!), I didn't mean to skip Thanksgiving, I just got in the Christmas Spirit...and couldn't stop! Merry Thanksgiving to you and yours!

One more

Kabe lost another tooth last night! The one next to it is loose as well, so it won't be long and he'll be really toothless in front. He's not feeling well right now, sore throat, congestion, swollen glands. Hopefully we don't all catch whatever he's brewing... =)

Random Questions!

Random Questions, Fall 08: #5 Hot or Cold?

The Random Questions process
~Choose one or all of the questions to answer.
~Either respond with a comment to this post with your answer or put up a post on your own blog for a full response.
~Don't forget to include any funny or interesting story to illustrate your answer in action.
~Be sure to leave a comment on this post to let us know where to find your post so we can come check it out!

1. What do you set your thermostat on in the winter? A toasty 78, chilly 62, or somewhere in between? Is it different from night to daytime?

2. Has this changed over the years? Are you adjusting your heat use this year due to heat costs/financial frugality?

3. If you have kids, are they cooperative with dressing warmer for the chilly times or do they still prefer to be in the least clothing possible?

4. What is your favorite item of cold-weather clothing?

_____________________________________________
1. Our thermostat is set at 66 while we're awake and at home, 63 when we're asleep and 60 when we're not home.
2. We've always had a pretty cool house in the winter, but over the last few years we made an effort to be frugal with this this.
3. Kabe is a go-with-the-flow kinda kid and pretty much wears whatever we lay-out for him or ask him to wear, with the exception of liking snow boots in summer.
4. Hands-down...my Uggs. Do shoes count though? If not, then it would have to be a fleece...quite possibly the sherpa one.

Same, but different

Remember this? This was Christmas Eve '07 at about 10:30pm. We were headed back to the hotel after a long day of family Christmas get-togethers and all Kabe really wanted was to swim in the pool.


Jump ahead to last week. Yeah, yeah, I know he's awake. But he'd still wear these things all the time if I'd let him...and I probably would except he pushes them against his eyes because he likes purple eye hickeys. And yes, we were actually on our way to swim lessons.


He is really enjoying his swim lessons this round. He's working on the breast stroke, which is sort of technical and difficult. I think he's up for the challenge. Here he is working on the stroke with his instructor, Sammy.

Harry HollowGiveMas!

Huh? We got to celebrate Halloween, Thanksgiving AND Christmas during our trip to Nebraska last week....it was quite the weekend!
I've already shared with you the Halloween pictures of Kabe (aka Darth Vader) and Cody (aka Nerd Boy), but Adam & I also got to have some Halloween fun when we hung out with Robbin & Chad for the evening. The Halloween party turned out to be a Costume Party Themed Karaoke night at the local watering hole. We didn't wear costumes ... or sing karaoke, but we do love to people-watch and .... well, see for yourselves what a good show they put on for us!

First there was this gal. Now, it didn't matter what song came up, this gal could sing .... and she didn't need a mic. For you locals - think Kevin Smith in female form. =)


This Wicked Witch & Dorothy creeped me out *totally*. The Wicked Witch wasn't so bad, but Dorothy was hairy as all get-out and lovin' the dress. HE also had a creepy, clear-plastic mask to make a Dorothy face. Double ewww.


I have no idea who Fred Flintstone is, but my adorkable sister sure thought he was funny.


On the left is Ugly Betty. I thought this was a great costume and her companion was the nerd on the right. They won the best costumes of the evening. Well Done!

The Wedding!

Next on the Nebraska Circuit was Kyle & Shannon's wedding! Shannon made a beautiful bride, unfortunately, I didn't get a good picture of the bride & groom.

It was so fun to have the family together at a time other than a family reunion or holiday. This event was extra special because Shannon's dad was home from Baghdad on military leave for only a few weeks. In addition, this was the first time most of us have been together since Grandpa's funeral in April. Some of these are pretty silly, but boy, we had a fun time!

Happy Halloween!

We got to trick-or-treat in Nebraska this year, which was pretty fun. We missed out on our usual stuff like handing out candy to our neighbors and going to the fun fest at church, but it was fun being with family and walking around together.

Here is Darth Vader aka Kabe.



Darth Vader & Cody -- my nephew -- the nerd.

Friends

On our way to visit family, we stopped along the way to visit our Judy (right) & Linda (left). Our friendship with these ladies spans more than a decade -- almost two actually. Due to geography, we don't get to spend much time together anymore. Time & distance may separate us, but when we're together, it's like we've never been apart.

More Birthday Presents!

One day last week Kabe received two birthday presents one from each side of the family.







The first was a Star Wars Transformer. There isn't much that's better than combining the two toys he is most infatuated with right now.





The next gift is something I hadn't heard of, but is right up Kabe's alley. They're called Neo Shifters and they're sorta like Lego's, but not. Anyway, he LOVES them.










Adam & I also got a package from the same family member, which I let Adam open. Here he is opening it and showing the contents....Sweet Chex Mix! If I haven't made any for you....you should invite us to a winter party and request it...YUM! =)


Here is Kabe, hard at work with the Neo Shifter...There are instructions which he used, but now he's way past the instructions, on to his own inventions.


Thank you Aunt Kimmy and Grandpa Ted and Grandma Becky for the way cool gifts!