November was a pretty busy month for our family. We were on the road 3 out of the 4 weekends, and things were starting to get hectic gearing up for Christmas. It was a good month overall…just had a lot going on!
We get messy when it’s spaghetti night! ;)
On November 2nd, we walked over to Mill Creek to watch Brooklyn run in the Maverick Mile. The Maverick Mile is the big finale event for Maverick Mania, a 2-week fundraising effort to raise money for technology for the school. It was a chilly morning, so we bundled up with coats, hats, and blankets to stay warm :)
It’s not really a race (especially not for the kindergartners), but it was just a chance for the kids to get out there and run while the parents and teachers cheer. They were probably out there for at least 10 minutes. Brooklyn didn’t run the whole time…she would walk for a little while and then run…and then walk some more…
…and when she got close enough to hear us cheering, she would put her head down, make a funny face, and start sprinting as fast as she could! It was so funny!
The kids had fun, but they were definitely exhausted when they were finished. Brooklyn was so tired that she was in tears…literally sobbing. And she wasn’t the only one–there were kids crying in every class. I think they were all cold and tired and worn out from the excitement and running so many laps. Whew! Maybe next year, Brooklyn will remember to pace herself better…haha!
Here’s Mrs. Patterson’s class after they were finished!
On November 3rd, we had the Loveless and Smith families over to watch the Alabama-LSU game. There were 8 kiddos altogether, so it was loud and chaotic, but we had a fun evening!
Abigail is our little helper/dish snatcher :)
Savannah decided that this chair was going to be her “nurse chair”, so she sat in it to nurse her baby doll :)
We tried using this cardboard box as a makeshift baby gate at the bottom on the stairs. It worked for a week or two, and then Abigail figured out how to move it out of the way ;)
We went to the neighborhood playground after school on November 6th, and the girls had fun!
On November 8th, I walked through the living room at 6:30 AM to go wake up Brooklyn for school…and found Savannah asleep in the recliner! She must have woken up EARLY and then fallen back asleep. She is so different than Brooklyn…Brooklyn will just march right in and wake me up if I’m still asleep, but Savannah is always so sweet to just wait patiently out in the living room. Sleep just got the best of her this time I guess :)
We went to the playground again that afternoon…this time with some of our walker friends!
Brooklyn had a half day of school on November 9th (the Friday before Veteran’s Day), so she got out of school at 11 AM. She and Savannah worked on a puzzle together after lunch while I worked on getting our stuff packed to head to Trussville for the weekend.
Paw and Rae Rae saved all of our old Beanie Babies from when I was growing up, and Brooklyn had fun playing with all of them and learning their names that weekend.
Travis and I went to the Mississippi State game that afternoon and had a great time. They had a parachute team land on the field before the game started to deliver the game ball! It was really neat to watch. This was the first game I’d been to since 2016 I think. It was great to be back in Tuscaloosa again.
It was a little chilly that day, so I was thankful that the game started at 2:30 instead of being a night game. My toes were frozen by the time we got back to the car afterward ;)
Sunday morning – ready for worship!
This girl tuckered out quickly though :)
Bedtime stories on November 12th
Abigail has figured out how to climb into the pink chairs too :)
Brooklyn and Savannah don’t wear their dress up clothes very often, but when they do…they wear ALL of them at the same time…haha
We had Baugay over for supper on November 16th, and Brooklyn enjoyed showing off her artwork. We always love visiting with Baugay!
On November 17th, we had family pictures made in Cullman. Post to come with all the pictures…they turned out way better than I was expecting!
I am so thankful that our girls have cousins that are so close in age and that we see on a weekly basis. It is a huge blessing!
Where’s Abigail going?
If you can’t reach all the Tupperware, just hop on in!
Here were Brooklyn’s and Savannah’s Christmas lists as of November 20th. Brooklyn’s list changed and grew just about every week ;) The main thing Savannah asked for repeatedly was a kite…she would have been fine with just that, I think!
Savannah helped me make a pecan pie and derby pie for Thanksgiving on November 20th (we were leaving for Trussville the next day). She enjoyed dumping in the ingredients and stirring. It was fun having her help!
Brooklyn came home from school that day dressed like a turkey :) It was her last day before Thanksgiving break.
That night, we headed to the Botanical Gardens to walk the Galaxy of Lights. It was the last walking night of the year, and it worked out nicely that Brooklyn didn’t have school the next morning. It was a cold night, so we bundled up and also brought along two strollers so that all the girls would have a spot to ride if they were cold or got too tired.
Last year, Abigail was a tiny thing when we went! She has grown a lot since then.
This year we decided to wait in line to meet Santa at the beginning of the walk. We’ve never done that at the Galaxy of Lights because there is always a long line, but Brooklyn decided she wanted to wait, so we did. They had tables with coloring sheets for the kids, so that helped pass the time. The wait wasn’t too bad, and before we knew it we were up at the front. The picture is missing one kid, though! ;) Savannah decided she didn’t want to meet Santa this year, and I’m not the type to force it. Maybe next year! Abigail didn’t cry (surprisingly), and Brooklyn was excited! She spoke to Santa, but didn’t tell him what she wanted for Christmas. Somehow I guess he figured it out anyway ;)
We took a family picture in front of the Christmas tree after we met Santa. Pictures with all 5 of us RARELY happen unless we are paying a photographer, so I was happy to get this one for free :)
Cheese!
It was a great night! Brooklyn and Savannah ended up walking most of the way. I always love hearing them comment on the light displays…it never gets old to hear their excitement.
I think Abigail even enjoyed it…she never cried and didn’t seem to mind the cold.
The “snow” is always the best part about walking. We had a fun time!
We headed to Paw and Rae Rae’s on Wednesday to spend the rest of the Thanksgiving week at their house…
I didn’t take too many pictures on Thanksgiving Day, but it was funny to watch Abigail circling the coffee table trying to get to the vegetable tray in the center…haha
…and Brooklyn loved the strawberry cake, of course!
Brooklyn and Savannah helped Rae Rae decorated her snowman tree on Black Friday…
…and Abigail tried to get Chloe to play with her! She was just the right size for a playmate :)
Abigail also tried a pepperoncini for the first time…
…and tried sitting on a tricycle that Paw found to keep at their house.
The girls really enjoyed coloring and drawing with markers that weekend, and I loved Savannah’s snowman picture :) We had a great time in Trussville and enjoyed spending so much time with our family!
Abigail tried using a spoon with her applesauce tonight for the first time (November 24th). She put it to her mouth one time, and we all cheered. Then she decided she preferred to just use her hands and make a mess instead ;)
Last year we didn’t put up our Christmas tree until mid-December because we’d just moved into our house. I knew I wanted to get it up earlier this year, but if you’ve known us since we’ve had kids, you know that we are notoriously slow at getting anything done. So, I was shocked when we actually got the tree up and decorated on the Saturday night after Thanksgiving! It was nice to be able to enjoy it for over a month this year :)
Brooklyn and Savannah were big helpers with the decorating. Abigail just supervised and pressed the foot pedal to change the lights…haha
This was our first year using this tree (we bought it from one of Cici’s co-workers last year after Christmas). I love the tree, but it’s really just too wide for our living room. In order for it to fit in the dining room, we had to move the table away from the window a few feet. Next year, I may try putting it in the study and see how that goes. I like having a tree that you can see from the street at night, so hopefully we can make it work in the study next year ;)
That night, we also started our first fire of the winter. I’d forgotten how cozy it was in the living room with a fire going :)
Brooklyn’s art was chosen to be in the art show on display at the November PTA meeting (11/26), so we went to the meeting to check it out as a family!
That’s her flower up at the top :) Brooklyn really enjoyed art during the first half of the school year and liked her art teacher, Ms. Knight. She continues to love drawing, coloring, and painting, and I’ve been mulling over the idea of seeing if she’s interested in doing art lessons. We’ll see!
We stayed for the whole PTA meeting, but poor Savannah couldn’t last ;) She fell asleep with her head down on the cafeteria table…haha!
November 27th – this was Abigail’s first time walking behind her little push car :)
Abigail holding that syringe was a little bit of foreshadowing…she had her 15 month checkup and shots later that morning!
We learned that she had yet ANOTHER ear infection (the fourth one since August). It has been so difficult to ever know when she has an ear infection and when she doesn’t. She doesn’t run a fever or pull at her ears. She cries and is fussy, but that could be due to a number of things (teething, for example). I would feel silly taking her to the doctor because she is “fussy”, so I really think she’s had more ear infections than we even know about.
Brooklyn and some of her friends had a leaf fight on the way home from school on November 28th :)
“Let me get to that kitty cat!”
Savannah built a big tower using all her Magna-Tiles :)
Abigail thinks she’s a big girl like Savannah!
I kept Brooklyn home from school on November 30th to take her to the doctor because she’d had a pretty bad cough for several weeks. She made her own lunch that day: she made an open-faced sandwich that she called a “pancake” with peanut butter, jelly, bites of apple, and banana on it :)
That afternoon, we got a special delivery with a basket full of fruit and chocolate from some KSR elves :) It made my day and was so thoughtful!
Quotes and Notes from November:
- 11/5/18 – Abigail flipped Savannah’s nightstand over and it almost landed on top of her. Definitely have some baby-proofing we still need to do!
- 11/8/18 – Lately, whenever I ask Savannah if she’s done something, she’ll say, “Mmmm….not quite yet!” :)
- 11/12/18 – Abigail’s 7th tooth is coming in (on bottom, to the right of the middle two)
- 11/18/18 – Abigail’s 8th tooth (FIRST molar…upper left) is coming in. It must have been coming in for a while and I didn’t realize it. One side of it has already broken through the gum. No wonder she’s been so cranky sometimes lately…
- Brooklyn told us that the “elders” had decorated her Spanish teacher’s cart at school. When we asked her about it, she said, “you know…those people that watch out to see whether you’ve been good or bad.” I think she meant ELVES!
- 11/29/18 – 2nd molar is through the gum (upper right). Abigail has been so fussy lately, but it’s no wonder with teething and an ear infection!
