We got up early early to make Anna's birthday feel super special. We back a batch of cinnamon struesel mini muffins and decorate her bedroom door with streamers.
We failed to factor in one tiny thing....Anna isn't a morning person. And she sometimes doesn't think surprises are that exciting.
So when we called to her, "OH, ANNA! Wake Uhup!!" She screamed and buried her head in her pillow.
Then she broke into tears and screamed at us.
She refused to come out and she was not at all interested in any stupid little muffins.
So we went done and had a few ourselves. Because....I was hungry. And so were the other kids and we've learned that the best way to weather an Anna storm is to let it blow over.
And sure enough...soon she had sheepishly apologized and she was ready for her run.
We forgave. How could we not? Look at that happy six-year old face!!
And then she reconsidered her stand on the muffin issue.
She was off to her first birthday at school experience. She had donuts for her whole class and she was feeling super fine.
We made her favorite dinner of pork chops (apples and pecans on the side), cous cous, fresh fruit salad and baby carrots.
A cake of her design. She was going for the "more is better" look. It turned out pretty cute!
She worked her magic over the flames while we sand "Happy Birthday".
She got a reindeer hat
A copy of "The BFG"
And her own scooter!
Happy Birthday, Anna Banana! You are fierce and feisty and we love you just the way you are!
Bye, little copper owls and old mangy Indian corn that I've had for 15 years and bought at the dollar store in Arkansas...It's been fun. Autumn was amazing and glorious, as usual, but it's time for the Christmas decorations and you gots to go.
I'm having a hard time getting all pepped up for decorating the tree this year. Maybe it's the gargantuan task of dressing in 2000 miniature white lights. AGAIN. Leaving my hands a dry, scratched, stinging mess.
I'm just not feeling it.
But I'm still doing it.
But next year I'm thinking I'm just going to wrap it round and round like a giant roll of plastic wrap.
The kids brought up the Christmas ornament boxes and we started getting out the ornaments. It was a mad dash. There wasn't much time for reminiscing over whose was whose or remembering that time when we all made mod podge birds and it was WAY harder that we thought....or those cinnamon ornaments that were super stinky...
It was a "hand it over" and "slap in on the nearest branch" situation.
But there was NO FIGHTING.
None.
It was awe-inspiring.
Tear inducing.
There was a peace in all the land.
And we celebrated with a 100 dollar trip to Golden Coral.
Did you know that Golden Coral has cotton candy?
They totally do. And not surprisingly, it was the healthiest thing for Everly in the entire place.
The Guenthers invited us to go bowling on Black Friday. A dollar fifty a game! I never would have thought to look for a sale there....
Things went pretty well.
Ethan helped Everly get her ball started in the right direction. I'm convinced the lanes must be ever-so-slightly downhill. Otherwise, there is no way that ball could have continued rolling.
He was pretty happy with his Granny technique.
Anna and Laney were mostly concerned with which color of ball to choose each time they stepped up.
Mark insisted on timing his turn with mine so that we would be synchronized.
Super distracting and reasonably entertaining. I'm a terrible bowler, so I didn't have much to lose.
Mathew bet me he would beat me on the second game (ha!) and did all he could to earn himself and candy bar and avoid giving me a five minute back scratch.
It was a valiant effort.
I will take my scratches now, please.
Megan scored high on form and low on points.
Which put her in a funk. But she was in good company. Kate was sitting in her family's dedicated sulking chair as well.
Not a bad way to spend a morning. At least this time we didn't have to dip into our savings to wear those super fancy shoes.
Thanksgiving dinner starts at 1:30....but it always starts WAY before that with the rolls. We must have lots and lots of homemade rolls and since I only know one way to make amazing rolls (breadmaker) and each batch takes 2 hours, I had to get going pretty early to make the 5 batches I was figuring we'd need. Our family can eat an entire batch with no problem....and that's on a regular-non-feasting day.
4 families = 5 batches = 10 hours = up at 3 am + cooking one batch at the Flynns - one roll Todd stole before I could get out the door.....
(I may have sampled one or two as well. This is not a confession.)
The girls were fascinated with the bursting cranberries...
The turkey turned out really good! I think it helped that Mike McCauley taught me the fancy trick of jamming lots of butter and salt under the skin. It turns a roasted chicken into a roasted chicken.
And it works on turkeys too!
The Huffords, the Hursts, the Flynns, and the Fennixes dishing up.
Somehow all the adults ended up at the kids table. It was cozy, but my carpet was glad.
After dinner activities included dishes, football, video games....
On my birthday, Julia promised me that we'd take a day and go visit some old mansions in the area....without kids. We thought we'd go see one in the morning, have a nice lunch and then visit another in the afternoon. Maybe a beautiful crisp Saturday in the spring?
And then on her birthday, I promised her that we really would go ..... like for reals.
And then it was time to go back to school and then there was Halloween....
Finally we realized that we better get cracking. So I found a babysitter and we went through the Taco bell drive thru and raced up to see the Vaile Mansion.
Our guide was perfect. He knew all the gory details. Let's just say that I wouldn't care to spend the night there. There is a major creep factor to a place where the wife committed suicide in her bedroom and then served as an INSANE ASYLUM for decades.
*shudder*
We loved it! And I promised Julia no one would ever see this photo.
First off. I was not there for most of this. Mark took an epic trip to Chicago with his brothers. It was a dream come true for all of them and I guarantee any one of them would happily regale you with the details of the pain and glory that ensued.
But, none of these guys are willing to write this blog post. sooo.....
Just the facts, ma'am!
There was a feeling all season that the Cubs were going to get another shot at the World Series. Everytime I walked by a paper in Price Chopper, it seemed there was a headline about how awesome the Cubs were doing this year. We were abuzz!
And then they did it. It was really happening. The brothers began plotting a meet-up in Chicago.
Game 1: Cubs lost. No!
Game 2: Cubs win. The first Series game win since 1945. Sweet rewards.
Game 3: Indians take another win. Why is this happening?
Game 4: The boys meet up in Chicago, and heaven only knows how, they found a hotel room.
They coordinate their outfits.
And they head out to see the citay.
I think their dad helped design this building? Yes no?
Getting cozy on the L
Enjoying the energy of the crowds outside Wrigley field. I can imagine the fun of just being there and hearing the crowds mill about with excitement. These people have been waiting 108 years for this opportunity, their not sitting at home, watching it on television. No sir.
Game 3 was a devastating loss. This puts the Indians only one game away from winning the series. These are not good odds. Not good at all. Makes a person feel nervous all the time, a permanent knot in your stomach.
The boys take the next day to visit their old childhood home in Crystal Lake. Or at least text in front of it.
And of course, walk the path that they walked many times to their elementary school. I admit, this is a pretty fantastic path.
Look at these big boys in front of their old elementary school!
The made their way out to the cemetery where their dad was buried.
This is the first time all of the brothers have been there together since his funeral.
Game 4, they decided to get into that stadium. They found a fellow selling ticket and they all forked over $$ to get them. They knew it could be a scam, so Mat stayed behind and stood with him while the other brothers went to confirm if they were real tickets. To their disappointment, the tickets were fake and just as they were calling Mat to let him know the guy was a crook, he took off and disappeared into the crowd. They were pretty devastated. Again they'd have to listen to the cubs lose outside the stadium.
Eventually they had had enough of the disappointment and took the train back to their hotel room. As stepped off, they saw the restaurant. It felt like Rock Bottom.
Game 5 day. Mat decided enough was enough. He bought tickets. He gave them to his brothers and we shall never know how much money he laid down for them. He said not to ask questions. And we won't. They were going to the game.
And they won.
THEY WON!!!!
Dreams do come true. We live to fight another day. These brothers made memories they'll never forget. I have a feeling that anyone of them could tell you the story and make you laugh and cry for happiness. And I'm told that Jim has written down, so good gravy, somebody ask him for it! It's worth telling!
The boys flew home to their families and we watch with delight, anticipation and terror as the Cubs won game 6 in Cleveland. The very possibility that this could happen becomes all consuming.
Game 7 arrives and Mark and the boys watch with nervousness and the hope that miracles can happen. I can't stay in the room for more than a few minutes. I'm sure I'll jinx it!
I am occasionally persuaded to come by and hunt for Almond Joys in Mathew's Halloween stash.
A game changing rain delay and 10 innings later and the Cubs had broken a 118 year losing streak and made my husband cry for joy and my two warring boys hug and jump up and down. We'll never forget it!
