12 Days of Christmas (my version)

12 hours driving
11 presents hauled (including a pink beach cruiser bike)
10 days of antibiotics (prescribed to Will for strep throat on Monday)
9 bottles of wine (we were with lots of family and friends...really!)
8 family/friend encounters
7 bags filled with toys brought home
6 nights away
5 State Football Championships in a row (Go Lake Travis!)
4 Christmas exchanges
3 Grandmas' houses
2 cars driven there and back (how else do you haul the gifts and bike and kids?)
and 1 happy family back in Austin!

Lab Rats

During the Turkey Trot the other week, we were approached by a desperate grad student looking for 4, 6, and 8 year olds to participate in a cycle study. It must have been her lucky day since those are now the exact ages of my kids. After hauling each kid downtown to campus for over 2 hours, we are hoping to help her research "improving physical therapy for the cerebral palsy patient."

Cookies for Christopher

There is the sweetest kid up at our elementary school that Alex has been in class with for the past 2 years. For his 7th birthday, his parents are hosting a walk in our neighborhood to raise awareness for the Hunter's Hope Foundation and Universal Newborn Screening. Since we are unable to walk, we decided to have a cookie sale this weekend and donate all the money to the Foundation. 170 homemade sugar cookies and 2 hours later, we raised $343.50! The boys and I were too busy to take photos during our bake sale, but here is my "sweet shop" in progress and the sign the boys made.

8 years!

Just a few more freckles and some big boy teeth...otherwise he looks the exact same! Here is to another 8 fantastic years and you my son will be driving!!

Chocolate Chess

My first try on chocolate molds and definitely need some practice. A little something special for our last day of Chess Club and a super sweet, freckle faced 8 year old!

6 years, 11 houses, 13 kids!

This year I KNOW more candy made in into mouths and on the floor rather than on the houses! A rainy, cold Sunday afternoon brought our guests inside for our annual Gingerbread House decorating party. A house full of sugar-filled, rowdy kids made it a successful Sunday and began the season of holiday cheer!

He found us!

While we were out doing some Christmas shopping, Santa found us! I left my kids on a bench outside while I was making a few purchases in a store (yes Mom, you read that correctly...ALONE!) This is what I saw when I came out. Nothing but huge grins ear-to-ear.