Celebrating Mom

The kids and I woke up early on Dec. 24th.  We quickly ate breakfast, got dressed, and got to driving... We were headed to Mom and Dad's house for a SURPRISE birthday visit.  December 24th is Mom's birthday.  The 24th is usually a day full of Christmas activities for everyone including us, but it is also a day that my Mom should be celebrated.  So, this year I called Dad and told him our plan to come home and SURPRISE Mom for her birthday.  We'd spend some time with them, go out to a birthday lunch, sing some Happy Birthdays, eat some chocolate cake, then head back to Wichita.  Our plan worked perfectly.  We called Mom on our drive there to sing Happy Birthday to her and wish her a happy day.  I talked to her for over thirty minutes as I drove towards their house to SURPRISE her...  She had NO idea we were heading her way.  When we arrived she was upstairs.  Dad ushered us in quickly and quietly, and told us all to hide behind the couch.  When she came downstairs we jumped up and yelled "HAPPY BIRTHDAY!"  She was very surprised!  (High Five to you Dad, for keeping the secret, and adding in the "hide behind the couch" SURPRISE touch.)

We all went to eat some birthday Chinese food for lunch then came back to the house so Mom could open her presents.  

Next was chocolate birthday cake time!  Look at those candles.  What do you do when you don't have a number 7 candle?  Use 7 regular candles, duh.

Happy Birthday, Mom!  We all love you so very much.  Your unconditional love and support for us all has meant so much over all the years and continues to be a pillar of strength for us all.  May God bless you in your 67th year and beyond!

Wichita Wildcat Classic

On December 19th we took the kids to their first K-State Men's Basketball game.  The game was in Wichita at the Intrust Bank Area.  They played Colorado State University.  It was an afternoon game.  We got to the Arena about 45 minutes early.  We parked and walked around the inside of the arena for awhile checking it and all the K-State fans out.  The excitement was building....

Eric and I had told the kids before about the K-State band and the fun songs they play throughout the game.  They each know and can sing the Wildcat Fight Song, and know about the Wabash, but had never seen or heard them in person.  They joined in yelling, "Fight, Fight, Fight" and "Go State!" And, by the middle of the game caught on to the Wabash and what to do when it was played.

Our seats were in a good spot with no row behind us so we could stand or sit as much as we wanted to.

The Wildcats played hard and were exciting to watch.

By the end of the game we were all on our feet cheering, clapping, and Wabash Cannon Balling.

K-State Wins!  K-State Wins!  K-State Wins!  61 - 56 ~  Go Wildcats!

After the game, Silas and the girls wanted to go down by the court to see Willie.  I hoped we could get a quick picture with him.  We walked down and got in the line to see him.  There was one family left in front of us to see Willie when one of the yell leaders told Willie it was time to leave.  WHAT????  NOOOOOOOO!!!!  Silas was SO sad.  He may have even shed a tear or two.  The rest of us were disappointed.  We did however find a nice cheerleader who talked to the kids a little bit and let us take her picture with them.

Silas found a quarter in the parking lot close to our vehicle.  That and his new K-State pom-pom and beads made him smile.

It was a fun afternoon.  It was good to see another Wildcat VICTORY and share in the Wildcat excitement with our kids and the sea of purple.

Merry Christmas 2015

Merry Christmas from our family to YOU!

O come all ye faithful

Joyful and triumphant,

O come ye, O come ye to Bethlehem.

Come and behold Him,

Born the King of angels;

O come, let us adore Him,

O come, let us adore Him,

O come, let us adore Him,

Christ the Lord.

Sarah's November and December School Happenings

Sarah had another great two months of school.  I think I may sound like a broken record when I talk about Sarah and her schoolwork and school activities, but she does well academically, tries her hardest consistently, is kind, respects her teachers, and is a good friend to others at school daily.  This does not change.  She is a good student, good friend, good sister, and good daughter.  We are thankful for her and the effort she shows at school with her work and friendships.

"You should eat hot dogs on Thanksgiving because they taste really good.  You can put toppings on them.  There already seasoned.  They are a finger food.  They don't cost much at the store.  Hot dogs are not much work.  You just heat them, then eat them.  There a healthy meat.  They don't take long to cook.  It only takes like 30 seconds." - Sarah

Below, Sarah typed in her computer class, what she is thankful for.... "I am thankful for family and friends.  I am also thankful for a good life.  I am thankful for pets, I am thankful for snow I hope we have a lot of snow days."

You got to take a class field trip at the beginning of December.  Tell me about it.
Sarah:  "We went to a Shockers women's basketball game.  We took a bus to get there.  We walked to the entrance and then we went in and sat down.  We ate our lunch there first.  Then the game started.  There were dance cams and a lot of people were dancing.  I liked that part.  I think the Shockers won but we didn't get to stay there for the whole game because we had to be back at school by a certain time."

The girls got to enjoy a school lunch one day in December with Popee and Nanee.  The school held a "eat with your grandchild" day, for any grandparents to come visit the school and eat lunch with their grandchildren.  All four of them ate a school hot lunch together.

Below, is Sarah's Christmas list that she typed at school, then added one thing in pencil that she forgot while typing.  "Sarah's Christmas List - 1. Unicorn 2. Phone 3. Puppy 4. Computer 5. Money 6. Another bunkbed 7. Blanket 8. Big Barbie Doll head to decorate."

Did you get to make some special Christmas projects or crafts?  What were they?
Sarah: "The gingerbread house, two reindeer ornaments, a reindeer candy cane, an ornament with hot cocoa in it, and a sock snowman."

What were your favorite songs from the School Christmas Sing-A-Long?
Sarah:  "Go Tell It On the Mountain, Children Go Where I Send Thee, and We Will Jingle, and Silent Night."

What did your class do at the Christmas party on the last day before Christmas break?
Sarah:  "We ate a lot of sweets.  We played a game where our teacher wrapped a present.  It had five layers of wrapping paper and each person at our table got to open one layer, but they had to do it with oven mitts on.  The last one who opened a layer was Kyler, and it was the hardest one because it was all wrapped with tape.  He made our whole table laugh!  He couldn't open it.  We couldn't get the box open so we all punched the box.  Then it opened and there was bags of candy it it.  There were only four bags of candy.  One off.  Xander didn't get one so I gave mine to him.  Then my teacher noticed that I didn't have one so she gave me one."