Eric is up to his naughty antics again this year. This morning we woke up and he had packed the kids' lunches. That would be really helpful had he not packed them full of candy!
The kids were hoping I would let it slide, zip up the lunchboxes, and send them on their way but that wasn't happening. I did, however, let them each pick out two pieces that they can eat at lunch time.
I can't even begin to imagine what Eric will do next. Hopefully it won't involve a bunch of clean-up for me.
Normally, by this time, I have done all of my Christmas shopping, the tree is up, the stockings are hung, and I'm anxiously awaiting the big day. This year I have yet to do any of the above. Even so, I am in the spirit. Yesterday when Reese got home from school I surprised her with a candy cane manicure. I saw the idea and thought it would be fun. We both love the way it turned out.
And last night we also had our annual ding dong ditch from good old Eric the Elf. He left a little treat for the kids and reminded them to be on their best behavior. We are all anxious to see what he has in store for us this year. It'll be hard to top all of the craziness he's brought with him in years past.
This year we were so happy to have the opportunity (thanks mom & dad) to fly to Florida to spend the holidays with the entire family. It's so rare for all of us....both sets of parents and all 4 brothers....to be in the same place at the same time. My parents rented a beach house in St. Augustine and everyone traveled in so that we could be together.
We arrived at the airport and were very quickly reminded why we normally don't travel over the holidays. We got there at 7:30 for our 9:15 flight. Upon arrival we were told that our flight would be delayed. As (bad) luck would have it, it was unusually foggy that morning which didn't help. Initially we were told that it was running a couple of hours behind. They soon after delayed us until 3pm after which they eventually cancelled the flight and rebooked us on a 4:45. We decided to make the best of it. We parked it in a TGIF, set up the DVD player with a movie, and let the kids order whatever they wanted off of the menu. Chocolate cake and cheesecake it was!
Kevin got up to use the bathroom around 12:15 and decided to walk by a TV to check the flight status. When he did he saw that our initial flight was back on and scheduled for a 12:30 departure. He ran back, grabbed his phone and laptop, and said he was going to the gate to check....mind you the gate was at the other end of the airport. I decided to pay the bill and sit tight to wait for his call. It came 5 minutes later...the flight was, indeed, back on. He ran back to me to help round up bags and kids and we all booked it through the airport. We made it just in time and although they had booted us off of that flight (who knows why!) they were able to find us new seats. Once in ATL we had a couple more hours in the airport before finally making it to Jacksonville 6 hours after we were scheduled to arrive.
All of the craziness was so well worth it. We were greeted by warm hugs from family and the next morning woke up to a breathtaking view. Talan thoroughly enjoyed his breakfast by the beach.
It didn't take long before we were out on the beach soaking up the sun, kicking up sand, and running through the waves.
The weather was perfect and being on the beach was so good for our souls.
Waking up to this for four days? Yea, that didn't suck one single bit.
One day it was warm enough for a swimsuit and a book, beach side.
The kids were so excited to spend time with all four of their uncles.
One of the highlights for me was playing games all together. Granddad was a stellar Family Feud announcer.
Time are tough but we all have so much to be thankful for. It was fabulous to count all of our blessings together as a family.
I absolutely love when the kids have programs at school. The Thanksgiving day celebration at Talan's preschool didn't disappoint. The kids are so precious. I am in love with the turkey hat that he made and wore proudly while singing cute little songs.
After a little singing and dancing we sat down to enjoy lunch together. He's such a fun date. And super cute, too!
He made all kinds of goodies for us and was beaming with pride over each one.
I'm thankful for a lot in my life but this little guy and his sister are at the top of my list.
Halloween seemed to come out of nowhere this year. I was not as prepared as I normally am. Time hasn't been on my side this year as you can see by the volume of my blogs from this year compared to last. I did, however, make time to carve a pumpkin (something I haven't done since our Tacoma days). Don't tell me you're surprised by my choice in design.
It's always a bummer to have Halloween fall in the middle of the week. It was such a rushed day. Fortunately my parents were able to stay long enough to be here with us. We all rushed around to make that day come together. Talan had school until 1 and we had to be at Reese's school at 2 for the Halloween parade. I stayed to volunteer for her classroom party afterwards and then we rushed home to make it to the neighborhood block party and for trick-or-treating.
We lucked out having my parents in town for more than one reason. We pre-purchased playoff tickets in hopes that we would make it that far. The first playoff game ended up being scheduled for Halloween night. So the rushing around didn't stop. We were able to go a couple of blocks with my parents and the kids to watch them trick-or-treat but had to rush off to make it to the 8 o'clock game that night. A friend of ours, Brian, was there to meet us and handed us tickets to a suite so we were really grateful - temperatures were in the 30's that night.
Unfortunately that one game was as far as we got. We lost and ended up finishing 5th in our conference. Unlike most of the other sports, we don't have to wait very long to see another game. We've only got about three months until it starts all over again. Hoping for better luck next year!
I am sitting on the couch right now with a brand-spankin-new laptop. It's about time. So now I get to play catch-up on all that's happened in the last few months. Actually, I'm too exhausted for that but I will post some fun pictures and recap the best I can. Part of why I'm so tired and why I was finally able to replace my laptop is because I'm back to work. I wasn't out seeking something but couldn't pass it up when it was offered. I had to train in an office for a few days but I'm up and running from home. Even so it's a lot to get used to.
So now to backtrack a bit....
Our beloved Chicago Fire went really far this season. The last game of the regular season took place here in Chicago and was against DC United. Josh is a die hard DC fan and flew in so that we could watch the game together. My parents were in town so they came along and we were also able to recruit Hillary and Justin who joined us as well.
We had a blast tailgating beforehand and then at the game, despite the freezing cold weather. We ended up in a tie in the end which allowed both DC and Fire to advance to the playoffs. After the game we rushed home to get ready for a Halloween party. We went with an Alice & Wonderland with a twist theme.
It was so great to have so much family at the game all together and a bonus to be able to dress up for Halloween with Josh. It was a quick trip for him but one I'll always cherish.
More than a month has passed. I'm in dire need of a computer. Santa? Are you listening? I'm on the dinosaur now. Kevin tried to wipe off as much as he could so that it would at least function, albeit barely. Time has flown since school started. It's hard to believe that the trees have already changed in color and the leaves are covering the ground already. It's beautiful but also a reminder of what's to come. I've enjoyed my flip flops and tank tops so much this year. I still haven't packed them up.
I've been keeping a huge secret from Reese for a few months now. Rewind to somewhere around May. I got the sweetest message from our dear friends in Washington. Reese's best friend, Emma, has an amazing dad, Jeff, who was able to get three tickets to the Justin Bieber concert. When he asked her who she wanted to bring along, her answer was "Reese". Well, obviously he had to tell her that wasn't going to happen being that Reese is in IL and the concert is in WA. But when we heard of her request we started plotting a way to make it happen. We did. We bought tickets for Reese and I to go and stay with Emma and Meilina in Seattle for five days. We kept it a secret from the girls (so hard to do!). Flash forward to October 8th. I picked up Reese from school a little early. She was very inquisitive as to why but I simply told her we had something fun planned. The gig was pretty much up when we pulled up to the airport. I told her we were going on a special trip to see her Nana. That only lasted until the ticket counter when the lady checking us in said "Have a great time in Seattle". Reese's reaction:
It was such a sweet moment! We were both so excited. The flight seemed to take forever. We were anxious to get there and also to finally get to tell Emma what was going on.
Meilina picked us up from the airport and we rushed back to their house to await her arrival. Jeff had planned to drop her off so that he could be witness to the surprise. Reese hid in waiting:
When Emma finally walked in the door, Reese literally jumped into her arms. It was such an awesome moment!
And of course she was super excited to see Mr. Jeff as well. And had extra hugs for him upon learning that he was taking them to a Seattle Sounders game AND to Justin Bieber. Lucky girls!
After a night of catching up, we woke up on Saturday and had a full day planned. After visiting Emma's gymnastics class we drove to Snoqualmie Ridge where we lived before moving to Naperville. First stop was for lunch with a big group of friends. We happened to have neighbors here in IL who just moved to Seattle so they met us as well. The rest of the group Reese hasn't seen in five years. It was so much fun catching up with everyone.
Reese and Emma were very excited to reunite with their preschool teacher, Mrs. April.
We drove by our old houses (where we lived two doors down from each other) to reminisce. As we pulled up, we saw someone walk out of our old house and into Meilina's. Two women embraced on the front porch just as we would have. As she was walking back, I felt compelled to say something. I said "do you live in 6311?". She said she did and I told her that it was our old house and that Meilina used to live in the one she just came from. She said "I heard about you girls....weren't you best friends? Now I'm best friends with the girl who lives in your old house.". So there must be something pretty special about our homes. She ended up inviting us to walk through. We couldn't pass that offer up. It was so nice to see it. They hadn't changed much at all, even the paint colors. I was so glad to see that a good family lives there but it was also really sad in some ways. I miss that home and that time in our lives. It'll always hold such a special place in my heart.
On Sunday, Jeff had a huge day planned for the girls. He spoiled them rotten! They went into the city and had lunch on the pier before going to a Seattle Sounders soccer game. The games in Seattle are so amazing. When we go to a sold out Chicago Fire game we've got around 22,000 people in the stadium. Seattle has close to 68,000. They have crazy traditions, chants, and just an all around exciting atmosphere. Jeff bought the girls matching, personalized jerseys. As much as it pains me to see her in something other than red and blue....I couldn't deny how cute they looked!
They came home with scarves, hair paint, and stories of all of the fun things they were able to do that day. Reese's comment when she got home was "I just have one thing to say....Mr. Jeff is RICH!". On Monday we took the day to rest knowing that Tuesday was yet another big day. I got to see my dear friend, Shannon, and her little guy, Leo. I cannot believe I didn't get any pictures! The camera was not a priority, unfortunately.
Tuesday was probably one of the most memorable days of Reese's life. The Justin Bieber concert. I made the girls shirts to wear to the show (I ended up forgetting them at home but Kevin came to the rescue and sent them in the mail).
They left early for the concert so that they could be in the middle of all of the excitement. Once again Mr. Jeff spoiled them rotten with books, necklaces, and concert t-shirts.
They were finally able to go into the stadium and the excitement mounted for Reese. She said that she almost started to cry while standing in line for a shirt.
When the show finally started she couldn't contain herself. The waterworks started and she cried.
And cried....
And cried....
In fact, Jeff said she never stopped crying throughout the entire show. By the end she was complaining of a headache. She was so, so excited. Unfortunately the excitement turned to tears of sadness the next day when we had to leave to come back. Emma and Reese were connected at the hip the entire time we were there. They only left each others' sides to use the bathroom (thankfully!). The bond between them was such a beautiful thing to watch. It was similar to the bond I have with Meilina. So special. I'm so grateful for our time there and that Kevin was so amazing....staying home with Talan for the duration of our trip so that I could go. These moments in life are just so precious. Just as I remember the special "girl's only" trip I took with my mom, I hope Reese remembers ours for the rest of her life. I love you, Reese Nobile!
