November brought a little bit of a slower pace with soccer season winding down and a week off for Thanksgiving break at the end of the month. Here’s the recap:
Abigail wanted to wear her sparkly red princess dress to Walmart on November 2nd. Third kid…why not? :)
Sarah caught this sweet moment on camera of Brooklyn and Savannah both holding my hand on the way home from school that afternoon. Usually Brooklyn is off to the races and chasing Jacob all the way back to our neighborhood, so I’ll take these times when I can get them ;)
Mr. Mike was so sweet to buy Brooklyn this Auburn sweatshirt. He and Angie found it in Auburn after an extensive hunt for one in her size. She couldn’t wait to wear it to school the next day!
Brooklyn had her last soccer practice of the fall season on November 4th :)
On November 5th, Travis had a cookout/party with his co-workers that families were invited to, so Abigail and I joined him. (Brooklyn and Savannah were at school). It was fun to meet some of his co-workers and see a Black Hawk helicopter up close! We got to see it fly in and take off, which was really neat.
Abigail got to sit in the cockpit and the crew chief’s seat. Travis enjoyed showing us all the different things he’d had a hand in designing on the helicopter.
Abigail also made a friend named Lily, the daughter of one of Travis’s co-workers. They enjoyed playing together and watching the helicopter take off at the end of the party.
We met Lt. Colonel Thetford, and Travis introduced him to us as his boss. Abigail piped up right on cue and told him, “I don’t like bosses!” Haha! She would say something like that. Thankfully, he’s got a good sense of humor (and also has young kids) and told her, “I don’t like bosses either!” :)
Brooklyn’s team played in the regional AYSO tournament during the weekend of November 6-7. They had games on Saturday at 11 AM and 3 PM. Savannah made some signs to cheer Brooklyn on!
The first team we played was from East Limestone, and it was a team we hadn’t played before. They were a team of BIG girls, and they had several more subs than we did. This was Brooklyn’s first time to play in a real tournament, and it was more “official” with real refs who inspected the girls’ cleats/shinguards and made sure no one was wearing jewelry.
Brooklyn played so well! She really tried her best out there. She has come a long way since the spring season with how well she can dribble and how “into” the game she is.
The other team had an interesting strategy…they kept two defenders right in front of the goal for the entire game. Basically, the defenders plus the goalie formed a wall in front of the goal, making it really hard to score. We had SO many chances to score, but just couldn’t get the ball in most of the time. We ended up losing 4-2, but one of their goals was scored when our goalie caught the ball and then accidentally dropped it into the goal, and they counted it as a goal for the other team. We could’ve won it if some of our goals had gone in! Karleigh scored both of our goals (one on a penalty kick).
The afternoon game was against the team from Arab that we played earlier in the season. The girls were obviously tired from our first game, but they still did well and tried their best. Brooklyn and Karleigh were captains for this game!
The Arab team had one superstar who scored most of their goals I believe, but we held our own and scored 4 goals of our own. I think we ended up losing 8-4, but at one point it was 5-3, and we were keeping it close. I was really proud of how hard Brooklyn tried today! She really gave it her all.
We had cupcakes after the game to celebrate the season. It was a fun season, and we were so glad that Brooklyn was on Coach Joe’s team again.
Proud of these girls and their effort!
I thought their team picture really turned out great!
Brooklyn was tired that evening but happy!
Abigail got this toy for her birthday, but we didn’t pull it out for a couple of months afterward. She enjoyed coloring the animals with washable markers and then giving them a “shower” afterward to wash them off :)
I found this sweet note on my bed while the girls were at school :)
We met Mrs. Borys at Rita’s after school on November 8th for some Italian ice. It was a nice day to sit outside and enjoy our treats.
As you can tell, Abigail loved hers :) We were so glad to spend some time with Mrs. Borys. I’m really hoping that Savannah will have her either in 2nd or 3rd grade, but we’ll see!
Brooklyn and Savannah made notes for their teachers this month to let them know we are thankful for them…
I liked all the hearts that Savannah drew on hers :)
On November 9th, Abigail rode her tricycle after lunch…
…and Brooklyn “caught” a ladybug on the way home from school. I love these little moments that we get together.
Mrs. Pride shared that her class read 30 minutes for the Read-A-Thon that day…
Mrs. Gray also came to their classroom to read a story to the kids and share some “just right” book tips. Savannah was excited to tell me after school that day about the 5 finger rule :)
They finished the day with some campsite math and a s’more snack. I love how Mrs. Pride incorporates the camping theme from her classroom into their activities!
Abigail was working on putting on her shoes by herself this month.
Mrs. Pride’s class wore red, white, and blue for Veterans Day!
Our leaves started to change color this month! I love this time of year.
Brooklyn and Savannah gathered a small leaf pile after school on November 12th.
Being a kid is so much fun!
That night, the girls spent the night with Cici, and Travis and I took the opportunity to run some errands. On our way home, we stopped by the Woodard Family Lights to see their patriotic light show for Veterans Day. This was something new, and we really enjoyed getting to see it. It also got me excited for the Woodards’ Christmas light show that would be coming soon.
The girls enjoy having tea parties when they spend the night with Cici. This time was no exception.
The next day, we went to Carter’s birthday party at Tyler and Alisha’s house. He was turning 7 years old!
We roasted hot dogs and marshmallows in their backyard. It was a chilly day, and it felt nice to be close to the fire.
Donuts make a yummy alternative to a birthday cake!
The girls enjoyed watching him open gifts and checking out all the Pokemon and Star Wars stuff he got. We had a fun time!
On November 15th, Abigail and I went down to the greenway. I jogged while she scootered, and it was good exercise for both of us. We made a pit stop for a few minutes to throw rocks into the creek and then kept going. I’m not going to know what to do when she goes off to school too!
Brooklyn had her 3rd grade field trip to Cathedral Caverns on November 16th. I felt lucky to be able to go on this field trip too along with one other mom from Mrs. Prevatt’s class. I sat on the bus with Brooklyn and her friend Dillon, who I hadn’t met before. I enjoyed getting to know him after hearing so much about him this school year.
Brooklyn was in her element all day and barely gave me the time of day…haha. There’s a big difference in going on a 3rd grade field trip vs. a 1st grade field trip. The 3rd graders interacted with me some, but not nearly as much as the 1st graders did. They were definitely more interested in talking to and playing with each other.
The first thing that Mrs. Prevatt’s class did when we got there was panning for “gold”…
Brooklyn was really excited about what she collected, including some fool’s gold ;) She got to take it home in a little bag.
Here is Mrs. Prevatt’s class with their treasures…
After a short break, it was time to enter the cavern. We had a tour guide who stopped us at various points along the path to tell us neat facts and info.
It was fun! We saw some bats flying around at one point. The tour guide pointed out lots of formations that looked like various things (a unicorn, bacon, etc.). When we got to the farthest point inside the cave, he turned out all the lights for probably around a minute. It was definitely the darkest darkness I’ve ever been in. You literally couldn’t see a thing, not even your own hand. It was okay for the first 30 seconds, but after that, I started getting a little anxious wishing he would go ahead and turn the lights back on…haha. It’s a little unsettling to be in that kind of extreme darkness for very long. Brooklyn said she didn’t like that part too much either, but she loved the rest of the day. When I asked her what her favorite thing was about the field trip, she said, “All of it!!”
We ate lunch after we got out of the cavern, and again, Brooklyn was in her element with her friends and didn’t ask me to sit with her or even seem to remember that I was there. It makes me sad that covid messed up half of her 1st grade and all of her 2nd grade school year in terms of not having field trips. The last field trip I went on with her before this one was fall of her 1st grade year, and she’s grown up a lot since then. It was still a fun day, even if it was a little bittersweet, and I’m thankful I was able to be there for it!
We delivered the Millstone News that afternoon after school with the Johnson girls. It was funny that they were all wearing red that day!
Abigail and Addie have gotten to be really sweet friends :)
This month we caught Gabby hanging out with the big cats in Brooklyn’s room…
One day, she was sitting on top of Hunter, the big lion, and a few days later, we found her on top of Thunder the cheetah :)
Future soccer player in the making!
I found these cute coloring sheets online and shared them with Savannah’s classmates as something they could give Mrs. Pride for Thanksgiving that didn’t cost any money. Brooklyn decided to color one for Mrs. Prevatt too!
I loved how the feathers were made of school supplies :) We will have to use this for future school years too.
I liked this drawing that Brooklyn did after her field trip :)
We ate dinner at Freddy’s on November 18th. It was my first time eating there, and it was really good. The custard for dessert was a big hit with the girls, of course.
Mrs. Pride gives optional homework activities each week that her kids can do to earn prizes, and Savannah chose to write definitions for her spelling words. I loved reading them….ex. a cape is “a soft cozy thing that goes around your neck” :)
Savannah had a fun day at school on Friday, November 19th…the last day of school before Thanksgiving break!
Her class performed in a “reader theater” for Mrs. Curry’s class, and Savannah was chosen to be Doctor Turkey. She had one line to read all by herself and several more to read along with the other turkeys. She was nervous last night when we practiced her lines a few times, but she said it went well today!
So proud of Savannah for stepping out of her comfort zone!
Mrs. Pride said that Doctor Turkey did a great job!
Mrs. Curry took a picture with her three former students–Savannah, Lilliana, and Caroline. I was so excited that they performed for Mrs. Curry’s class out of all the classes at Mill Creek.
They also celebrated “Friendsgiving” by writing sweet notes to their classmates.
Mrs. Pride has done a great job this year of getting her students involved in doing kind things for others at school. I love that she makes that a big priority in her classroom.
They also made their own Macy’s Day parade balloons…
…ate a special snack,
…and drew some football players in preparation for the Iron Bowl! Savannah’s drawing is in the top right corner :) Not sure how they crammed all that fun into one day!
Savannah was excited to show me her balloon after school…
On November 20th, Travis and I went to the Alabama-Arkansas game in Tuscaloosa. It was our first football game in person since 2018! With soccer games almost every Saturday in the fall, it has gotten harder to plan weekend trips out of town. We were excited to get away for the day. We even got to eat lunch with Josh, Elijah, and Leisha Aaron who happened to be in town for the game too. It was great to catch up with them!
Travis likes getting there early to see the team warm up :)
The game was fun, and the sunset was beautiful that evening…
It was also neat to see the new lights at the stadium. They were really cool! We had a great time, and it didn’t hurt that Alabama won the game ;)
We spent the weekend at Paw and Rae Rae’s, and Brooklyn enjoyed trying out her “new” bike that Paw fixed up for her. It has hand brakes, which her last bike didn’t have, but it didn’t take her long to catch on to what to do.
We rode bikes and scooters the next day in a nearby cul-de-sac in our neighborhood.
We had a playdate with Savannah’s friend, Caroline, that afternoon at our neighborhood playground. Caroline lives down the street from us, and she and Savannah have been in the same class for kindergarten and 1st grade.
The girls enjoyed making a huge leaf pile and playing in the leaves together.
After we left the playground, Savannah went down to Caroline’s house to play a little longer. I think this is the first time she’s gone to a friend’s house by herself without me. She said they had a great time and is already asking when she can do it again. She is coming out of her shell!!
We went to the library to check out some new books on November 23rd…
…and the girls helped me make a chocolate trifle on November 24th to take to our Thanksgiving gathering the next day.
This was our year to stay in town for Thanksgiving and eat with Travis’s side of the family. The family gathered at Allen and Debbie’s for lunch, and most people stayed all day to play games and hang out. The number of great-grand kids keeps growing every year, and the girls love having plenty of cousins to play with.
Travis didn’t mind getting to hold Aurora for a bit that afternoon :)
Alisha taught the kids a new game that they enjoyed :)
Abigail loves to play with Hannah, who is only a few months younger than she is. We had a fun day!
Gabby was looking cute all curled up for her Thanksgiving snooze that evening :)
The next afternoon, I took Brooklyn and Savannah to CVS, and I got my COVID booster shot, and they got their first shot. (Abigail isn’t eligible yet since she is under 5 years old). Thumbs up for not being bad at all, and they didn’t have any side effects other than a sore arm.
We got a jump start on decorating for Christmas this year by getting our trip up on the day after Thanksgiving!
Every year, the girls are able to help with more of the decorating, and I am able to oversee the process but not have to be quite as involved. I still hang most of the breakable ornaments, but they do most of the rest. We still have to spread some of them out afterwards because they tend to end up mostly all near the bottom ;)
Savannah surprised me with her flexibility that night! I’ve never seen her do a back bend before, but she did one totally out of the blue before bedtime. That will probably be as close to gymnastics as we ever get…haha
We were a divided house on the day of the Iron Bowl this year. Savannah is our only little Bama fan at the moment, although Abigail goes back and forth between saying she likes Alabama and Auburn. That day, though, she was definitely an Auburn fan!
Brooklyn and Savannah were really into the game this year, and Savannah even made signs that she held up during the game. The game was a crazy one, and we couldn’t believe it when it went to overtime, and Alabama ended up winning. Brooklyn cried because she was so upset. Iron Bowls will be a lot easier in the future if she’ll just go back to being a Bama fan. We had to be careful not to cheer too much when Alabama did well ;)
We got a jump start on wearing our Christmas dresses to church on November 28th…mostly because I needed a picture for our Christmas cards ;)
We did some shopping for Kids to Love that afternoon. The girls did a good job helping pick out hoodies, shoes, and other items for the kids on our list.
I also worked on prepping the things needed for this ornament craft for Savannah’s class to do after they got back from Thanksgiving break. Mrs. Pride found the idea on Pinterest and asked if I could get everything ready for it. They were more involved than I realized they would be at first, but they turned out really cute!
November 29th was the girls’ first day back to school, and we stopped by the “castle” on the way home from school for the girls to play and explore for a few minutes.
I love this picture of Chloe and Savannah walking home together :)
Notes and Quotes from November 2021:
- 11/18/21 – We were cleaning the church building tonight, and the girls came into the men’s bathroom while I was cleaning it. Abigail saw the urinals and exclaimed, “Look at the baby potties!”
- 11/22/21 – Savannah calls Whoppers (the candy) “Whompers” :)
- 11/26/21 – I was singing a Christmas song this morning, and Abigail said, “Please stop!” I asked, “Do you not like my singing?” and she said, “I do, but it just annoyings me.” :)
Thanks for reading!
