Our November

We took a little family trip to Manhattan for an important college tour and visit in early November. While we were there, we ran into one of Lindsee's best friends, and my good friend Melissa.

Silas had a big cheering section at two of his basketball games in early November. I love having family members that live close... Family that loves our children as much as we do and are part of their support and cheering section, not because they have to be, but because they each want to be. Thank you, Dad, (Mom), Lindsee, EP, and Will!

We went shopping one day at a new store near our house. While searching through the bins there, Sarah came across a full "Buddy the ELF" costume.... Of course we had to get it! As soon as we came home we made Eric try it on and do some Buddy impressions. Of course he went right along with it... I LOVE laughing with my husband! And, who doesn't LOVE the Christmas movie ELF?!?!?! 

"The best way to spread Christmas cheer is singing loud for all to hear." "Does somebody need a hug?" "Good news. I saw a dog today." "I just like to smile. Smilings my favorite." "Bye Buddy! I hope you find you Dad." "I'm a Cotton-Headed-Ninny-Muggins." "Santa, I know him!" "Congratulations! You did it. World's best cup of coffee." "Did you hear that?!?"

We went to dinner one night at the Mango Tree with Lindsee, EP, Will, Dad, and Justin.

The girls went to the end-of-the-season volleyball team gathering. Freshmen and JV players got certificates of participation and the varsity girls were all presented with their letters.

Phoebe turned 15 in early November. She loves to eat cheeseburgers and shrimp. Her favorite color has always been yellow. She is the sweetest girl that you will ever meet. She is the best helper around. She has big dreams of becoming a doctor. She is creative and taught herself to crochet. She likes to cook and is the best bacon cook in our house. She cares so much about our animals and takes very good care of them. She has always loved the Grinch. She is intelligent, pretty, so funny, and has a heart of gold.

We moved our three new chicks into the shop. They outgrew the smaller brooder box and moved to the next big, heated, enclosed area. They are doing well out there and growing lots of big girl feathers.

I saw a Buck in our yard one sunny afternoon. He was enjoying eating all the crabapples that had fallen off the tree and some that were still hanging from the branches.

We went to the movie "The Best Christmas Pageant Ever". It was so good and funny. I would tell all of our friends to take their families and go see it. GOOD, CLEAN, FUNNY, FMILY FUN. I remember seeing the original movie from the 1980's when I was in elementary school. It was a tradition of sorts at the elementary school that I attended. Each year, right before our Christmas break, our class would watch the movie together.

Occasionally Silas is asked to be in a skit at our church. A few Sundays ago, he was part of one that he had to dress as a cowboy. He did great, even using an accent for his speaking parts.

I went with my Dad to one of his doctor appointments in Topeka. As we drove around Topeka, I found myself saying "look at those leaves", "look at how pretty that tree is" over and over. I only got one picture, but it was like this everywhere we drove...reds, yellows, oranges, seriously so beautiful!

Both of our girls made the high school basketball team. Sarah will be on varsity and Phoebe will start on the freshmen team with possibilities of getting to play some JV as well. There are only three seniors this year on the team, Brooke, Alia, and Sarah. These three girls have played together for a lot of years.

We went to Texas for Thanksgiving. We got to see and spend a couple days with all of Eric's family that lives there.

Sarah wanted to get up super early and go Black Friday shopping at the closest JCPenny to Grandma Sharon's house in Texas. She really wanted to get the FREE "ELF" snow globe that was being given away as the store opened at 5:00 am to everyone in line. When we got to the store a little before 5:00 am, there were already over 300, yes, I said THREE HUNDRED, people in line waiting to get in and get a snow globe too. So crazy! We waited until the doors opened and the line started moving before we got out of the vehicle and joined the masses. We got our snow globes and found a few more deals while we were there as well. Then we went back to Sharon's house and went to sleep for a couple hours before getting up and leaving to go to a Thanksgiving gathering in Oklahoma and then on home.

We stopped at Cabela's/Bass Pro Shop and Buc-ee's on our way to Oklahoma and home.

We saw and visited with a lot of relatives while in Oklahoma.

While shopping, I found the cutest Buddy the Elf mug for Eric to give to Will. They have always had this little saying between them, when saying "good-bye" to each other.... instead of just a plain ole good-bye, it's always a "BYE BUDDY, HOPE YOU FIND YOUR DAD".

I got a text from a friend towards the end of November asking if we wanted another chicken.... Long story short a predator had gotten into a coop and killed all the chickens but one, so this girl needed a new flock. Eric and I picked her up on a Saturday morning and we began the integration process. Penny is a Buff Orpington (the same breed as our three new chicks). She is about six months old so may start laying in the next month or so, but because of the trauma she experienced in her previous coop, egg laying may be delayed. Our girls are doing alright with Penny so far, there has been some pecking and chasing, but nothing unexpected as they establish some pecking orders amongst themselves and their new coop mate. Eric added a ladder roost and another shelf roost in our run so that there are move places for the girls to jump to and sit.