December 2021

The girls were in "A Church Mouse Christmas" musical with their school. They couldn't wait to show Bryan and I what they have been practicing over the last month or so.  It was really cute and they did  amazing.

The girls made this fun little gingerbread village. Jane created the "town feel" with the tree and street on the cardboard.

The girls had their Christmas piano recital at Chick-fil-A.  They get a free meal, play some music games, and have fun. It makes the "recital" less stressful for everyone.

Jane loving on our furry baby! It's about time for him to get a haircut...

Poor Howie was so ashamed of his new look.  He was hiding in his crate and appeared to be cold.  Don't worry, we bought him a plaid vest to wear!

Our neighbor puts on a really fun Christmas light show every night. The girls LOVE the music.

Decorating Christmas cookies.  I bought this special frosting from the store and Kate and Jane spent 2-3 hours decorating cookies.  They did a really good job!

We went to the Christmas lights at BLORA and visited Santa's Villiage for some treats and to see Santa Claus.

'Twas the night before Christmas...

And then the girls woke up at like 05:30. Ah! I couldn't believe it.  They have never done that.  Bryan told them they could look through their stockings, but they were really loud.  We might as well have just started at 05:30.  I think Bryan and I really need to come up with a plan for the girls not coming down before 0700.  How are other people getting their children to wait and look decent themselves while filming their children running down the stairs to the Christmas tree? That's not us!

Kate got make-up, books, cotton candy maker, clothes, electric razor and scooter (to share), and a bracelet kit. 

Howie got a rope and a pig. 

Bryan got gear for duck hunting.

Jane got a book, marble madness, an electric razor and scooter (to share), clothes, bracelet kit, and make-up.  

Although I am not pictured, I got some workout equipment, a fur coat (pictured with Kate), and headphones.

My famous cinnamon rolls turned out fabulous this year! They are ready to be cooked in the picture below. 

The day after Christmas, me and the girls started the long drive to Utah.  The weather was terrible.  Fog in Texas, high winds in New Mexico, almost hit 2 sets of elk in Colorado, and a random squabble in Utah.  I stopped in Pagosa Springs, Colorado for the night with Michael, Lauren, and their family.  It was fun to go to the cabin again- no dog this time.  Ruby was sad.  

When we finally made it to Utah, grandma and grandpa had more gifts for the girls.  I was so happy to have made it safely.  It was so nice to be home with my parents.  I love that they saved all the Christmas decorations for us!

We saw cousins and aunts/uncles, went sledding, hung out in the Linford's hot tub, ate dinner with grandma and grandpa Ahlborn, played pool, and celebrated NYE at Rachel's house.

And I went skiing with my sister!

November 2021

We started the girls in a Brazilian jiujitsu and taekwondo class at the very end of October.  Depending on which day you chose to go is the type of class taught.  Bryan and I can also go to the adult classes throughout the week as well.   

I successfully completed a 1/2 marathon after my hip surgery in June in Savannah, Georgia.  I wasn't planning on running the entire 13.1 miles.  I had only really trained up to 6 miles prior to the event.  However, the weather was rainy and 40 degrees, so I ran the entire course because I didn't want to get hypothermia.  I completed in 2:01 hours, which isn't too bad for not really running over the last 9 months!

At about mile 6, when I was supposed to start running/walking, I got the "runners high" seeing the crowds and running through the gorgeous oak trees.  I was enjoying running again and my body felt so good! Hoping to be able to run a few more 1/2 marathons in the next year, but making sure to listen to my body, eat better, and stretch.

I will say out of all the races I have competed in, this was the worst race- only because of the weather. The full marathon was actually cancelled.  Savannah isn't known for having this type of weather,... ever. I was so cold and wet. I didn't want to stay for snacking because I just wanted to warm up in my hotel. It didn't help that I took the opened window trolley to return there.  It didn't help that my flight was delayed and I spent the night in Houston.  It also didn't help that I had to wait until 3pm the next day to actually get home.  Ugh!

The girls had a piano competition at Mary Hardin-Baylor University the second weekend of November.  They were both prepared and performed very well. 

Afterwards, we headed to downtown Belton and played in the Nolan Creek.

For Thanksgiving weekend, we celebrated in Pagosa Springs, Colorado with Michael, Lauren, and their family- dogs included! They have a cabin right between old and new town. It is a beautiful location.

We took a walk in old town and touched the hot springs, smelled the sulfur, and enjoyed the Christmas lights. 

There was a lot of wildlife around the cabin- deer, turkey, and a variety of birds.

We hiked a short trail to a waterfall near Wolf Creek ski resort.  We witnessed ice breaking off the waterfall and falling many, many feet!

The beautiful table display.

I bought a table cloth from Walmart that had all sorts of activities for the kids to do while we were eating dinner- dot to dot, mazes, coloring, and word search.  It was so worth it! Wishing I had bought multiple table cloths for the following year.  Here is hoping I can find one next year!

Howie and Ruby playing at the cabin.  They did this all 4 days we were there.  Howie loved going outside and sniffing around the 3 acres.  By the end of the day, both puppies were pooped and slept great! 

The Thanksgiving crew.

October 2021

We celebrated Bryan's 39th birthday in Cancun, Mexico.  This is our first time going out of the country since Covid19.  The logistics of traveling are not much fun anymore.  Lots of delayed planes and tests to schedule. I can't wait for life to return to what it was before the pandemic.  

We met my older brother and his family, and my youngest sister and her family at an all inclusive resort.  We got to eat anything and everything.  Highly recommend if you plan on staying at the hotel the entire time.  Another bonus was the kids club. {Panama Jacks} My girls were so busy making crafts or playing games, Bryan and I had a lot of free time to ourselves. It was almost like we paid for a babysitter.

Bryan chose the Sushi restaurant for dinner. The staff also brought him a cake from the bakery at the hotel.

Singing to the birthday boy. 

Daphne celebrated her 10th birthday the next day.  She chose the Italian restaurant for dinner that night.  

Beach time

The kids got to decorate cookies with the kids club. FYI Mexico doesn't have the greatest desserts.  We all tried every dessert and only found 1 that was good.  It was some type of fruit pudding pie.  But the rest tasted very bland and weren't worth the calories.

Eating at the organic restaurant.  I think this might have been our favorite one.

My girls love the slow motion videos.

Brandon rented a van and we traveled to a cenote. It was quite the adventure getting there, as it always is when Brandon is the leader. We had trouble finding the exact location, took a wrong turn somewhere, but eventually made it through the rainforest to the right place.

There were all sorts of activities around and inside the cenote.  Most of the boys jumped into the water from above.  Others chose to take the stairs.  Kate and I swung on the rope swing.  Jane was not happy about the temperature of the water- cold!

Jane was happy about her coconut drink design, not the flavor!

The hotel has a sea turtle preservation on site.  They let us hold the baby sea turtles and release into the wild. Pretty sure this is illegal in America?

It was really nice to have a relaxing vacation with my family. This might be the first time we (or I) had traveled with certain siblings.  It was kind of nice to go with a smaller group so we could spend more quality time.  

Kate's friend Averi had a birthday sleepover. She was really excited to spend the night with friends, without her little sister tagging along.  I think it is good to have the separation, even though Jane was super sad.  We made sure Jane got extra attention to help distract her from the loneliness she was feeling.

We attempted a new Fall Festival this year- Sweet Eats Fruit Farm in Taylor, Texas.  Honestly, I prefer the one in Marble Falls.  There were lots of lines and not enough food trucks.  We didn't bring any food and were not willing to wait 45 minutes in line to order and then wait another 45 minutes to receive our food.  We went on a hay ride, pet chickens and goats, watched the pig race, got our faces painted, and shot apples in a canon.  

Northside Baptist Academy doesn't believe in Halloween.  However, the week leading up to the holiday, the kids get to dress.  There is a green/blue day, elderly day, military day, and favorite holiday (except it can't be Halloween). My kids don't seem to mind the spirit week, but I do.  I think it is so misleading to the kids to have them dress up, but only the way the school wants them to dress up. I don't know. 

And the we hosted our 2nd Halloween party.  Our family dressed up to the movie Grease.  The girls were the cheerleaders, and Bryan and I were Danny and Sandy. Bryan built a tunnel to get into the front door with lasers and fog.  It was pretty cool.

We had quite the turn out.  Lots of friends from my work and from Bryan's work and from the neighborhood.  The weather was perfect.  We rented a bouncy house like before.  Cooked hot dogs and chili. Everyone had a lot of fun.

The next day we carved pumpkins and got ready for the great candy collection.

Kate and Jane wanted to be students from Hogwarts.  I think Kate was supposed to be Hermione Granger and Jane was Ginny Weasley.  Our neighborhood was really awesome this year. So many people out. So many amazing costumes. So many awesome house decorations. And such great weather.  Our family LOVES Halloween!