Not quite December...

Yeah, so it's been almost a month. I KNOW!!! Did you ever consider that maybe there just wasn't anything going on around here, so I had nothing to write??? Ok, you know me too well for that. The truth is, we've had TOO MUCH going on around here. So, you combine that with this annoying "pop up" computer that keeps knocking me off of everything I try to do, and you know what you get? Yup, that's right, YOU GET NOTHING! As in, no blogs, no updates, no pictures, no nothing!!! But here I am...so quit your whining and read:

First, I still had some old pictures to put on here from Rodgers' school trunk-or-treat. Kylie handed out the the treats for us.

I took the three kids and headed down to Columbia for William's birthday party on Sunday the 11th while Rod worked the Panthers game. He had his party at the indoor sports plex and the kids had a ball...I know, bad pun. But, they did...they played soccer and then kick ball. Kylie was the only girl and the youngest besides little Walker and Eli, but she had a great time anyway. Of course the kids also loved getting time with Uncle Will and "Aunt" Megan. By the way, I have spent much time recently trying to explain why she is not officially Aunt Megan, but it is not working, because now Kylie just wants to know, "well, then when ARE they gonna get married? And can I go to the wedding? Will it be at a castle like Cinderella's wedding?" So from now on I am leaving it alone and she will forever be called Aunt Megan.

All the family came in Thursday night and Friday to get ready for Rodgers' birthday party. He had a Thanksgiving feast at school Friday morning. His class dressed up in indian costumes they made; Miss Jane's class were the pilgrims. They all sang songs together and put on a cute little show. Then we all ate our first Thanksgiving meal of the year, which was quite an interesting mix thanks to the diversity of his little school. We all had a blast!

Saturday morning, Mom and I braved the ridiculous crowds at the CMS Magnet School Fair to get information for schools for Rodgers. We did pretty well, hitting all the schools I had marked from my research and finding a couple new options while we were there. What we originally had marked as our first choice slid way down our list through talking with people at the fair, so it definitely was worth our time to talk with people and get a better feel for the schools. The discouraging thing was that the schools we like for him would end up being too far of a commute...about 45 minutes one way, so there still aren't any options that are sitting too well with me. We'll have to wait and see what God has in store for our little Rodgers.

We got back home in time to decorate and prepare for the pirate invasion! Hard to believe Rodgers had his 5th birthday party! Aunt Patti made the cutest cannons and hung nets on the wall with star fish and shells. We even had a parrot, but to the dismay of many of the kids, he wasn't a talker. I will say, it was the most fun I have had at one of the kids' parties. They started out playing musical islands. Then they all got their pirate hats and had to follow the treasure hunt to different locations around the house to find other clues and other pieces of their costumes. They loved it, and it was so much fun to watch! In the end, it led them to the dining room table where their individual treasure chests were waiting with their names on them. Then they took their chests and walked "pirate booty plank" to raid more treasure chests and add to their loot. They had a cannon ball war with balloons and tried to sink the other team's ship...fun, loud, times. Then we all had pizza, a cookie cake, and cannonball cakes (they would be the whoopie pies or 'gobs' for all you PA readers). Captain Hook even made an appearance; great costume Papa B! I will have to get more party pictures from the attendees to add because I don't have many from during the festivities since I was running the games...

Most of the crew had to head back home Sunday, but Mom and Dad stayed down. Rod took Rodgers and Kylie down to Columbia Sunday afternoon for Bennett's puppy birthday party. The kids all made floppy puppy ears to wear and got their faces painted. I hated to miss it, but the kids loved it and filled me in on all the festivities.

Kylie went with Nana Kathy and Papa Fred to Pinehurst on Monday while they took care of some house stuff. Tuesday was Bible study for the girls and Eli while Papa Fred worked from the house, then we picked up Rodgers from school and went for lunch and shopping at the mall. Fun times. Nana Kathy and Papa Fred headed to Pittsburgh for the Thanksgiving holiday, and we got ready to go to Lake City, SC! We, or should I say I, got up early Thursday morning and cooked sweet potato casserole and macaroni & cheese, then we loaded up in the car and drove to Columbia to pick up Uncle Will, then on to Lake City. Nana Stewart and Papa Rock were already there getting things ready for us. Tripp, Becky and the boys, Aunt Truluck, Charlene, and Lindsey and her fiance all joined us, too. Elijah did not enjoy the car ride to Gaga's house, but he had fun once he got there. He found a chair he especially liked, and after playing there for a while, he took a long nap in it! We had a great afternoon at GaGa's house. I wasn't sure how it would feel to be there without him this year, but it was great having all the family together. The kids loved playing in his beautiful yard, just as they always have. We got some cute pictures of Kathy with all her boys and Kylie.

It was sad thinking the kids may not remember him and that he never got to meet sweet little Elijah, but we walked Eli around to all the pictures in the house. -even the one of Uncle Elijah who he is named after. It was also the first time you knew which Rodgers everyone was calling! But we sure did miss GaGa and Uncle Bill. Ann Rodgers and her kids were all up in Richmond for the holiday, so we missed having them there as well. Change is hard sometimes. Anyway, after eating too much (of course), and then eating more, we headed back to Columbia for the night. Friday, Rodgers and Kylie went to play at Tripp and Becky's while Rod, Elijah and I had lunch with an old friend and his wife and kids. We spent the afternoon with the cousins, and had dinner with everyone at McAlisters.

We decided last minute to get a head start on our trip to Pittsburgh and loaded the kids into the car in their pajamas and drove til midnight and stopped at a hotel. All of us in the hotel room actually worked fine, probably because we were all exhausted. Saturday morning we grabbed breakfast in the car and drove until we found a Walmart where we took our first break while shopping for construction paper, scissors, glue sticks, crayons, and stickers. Once back in the car, the kids made good use of their purchases while making a royal mess of the backseat of the van. ALL WORTH IT for the hours of distraction for them and peaceful riding for us...too bad Eli hasn't figured out how to draw yet...but I tried my best to distract him with toys. He really was a trooper.

When craft time got old, we moved on to Curious George. Gotta love movie time. I will say, it is much nicer to have movie time in the car when you actually get to watch the movie instead of just hearing it, so there were some perks to having to sit next to Elijah on the ride. Thanks again to chauffeur Rod! :)

So we finally made it to Pittsburgh and we had a great time at Nana Irwin's house! I'm pretty sure she was happy about her birthday surprise visit! All the family came over to her house Sunday afternoon and evening to visit and meet baby Elijah. We had a wonderful time! Once again, I have no pictures, but will try to get some from Mom. Rodgers, Kylie, and Elijah received some of their Christmas presents from the Aunts and Uncles up there, too. Kylie got a princess set with a mirror, brush, comb, PERFUME AND POWDER WITH A PUFF (let me tell you about the smells that are now forever stuck in my nose), and she loves them! She also got a little Christmas purse and necklace that have gone everywhere with us.

Anyway, Rod, Mom and Dad went into the city on Monday and then on to the Steelers game Monday night. -in style, I might add...they were in a hoity-toity box compete with wine and crab cakes! I, on the other hand, got to stay home with the kids. Not that staying home with the kids is not normal for me, but it actually wasn't normal, since Kylie waited until I was alone with them to throw up all over Nana Irwin's carpet, rug, walls, and bathroom. That led to me hunting everywhere for cleaning supplies, throwing Kylie in the tub, sticking a movie in for Rodgers, and Elijah crying on the floor until Aunt Kim came over and rescued him. The excitement only lasted so long; then Kylie fell asleep for 2 hours, after which she woke up and acted as though nothing had happened. So I finally got everything cleaned up in time for Rodgers to get a nose-bleed all over the guest room bed, so then I washed all the bedding down to the matress pad. For the love, people! It was vacation!!! Anyway, later that night Nana Irwin and I relaxed in front of the tv before crashing long before the others got home from the game.

Tuesday morning came way too soon, and we had to load up and head home. It was a long day of riding, but the kids did amazingly well. We stopped in Birkdale for dinner to avoid rush hour traffic here in Charlotte, and made it home for bedtime. Hobbes was very happy to see us, though he received wonderful care from our awesome neighbors.

Rodgers was missed at school on Monday and Tuesday; his teacher actually called us on our way home on Tuesday. He missed being there, too, and was pumped to go Wednesday morning. Wednesday afternoon we made big cookies decorated to spell out "HAPPY BIRTHDAY" for him to take to school on Thursday.

Wednesday night I went out with the girls to celebrate Paige's birthday. It was at a new wine restaurant (yum!) I had never been to. Our group did the wine tasting which included 3 glasses of wine and appetizers. We had a great time. It was fun to be out with friends!

We celebrated Rodgers' birthday as a family Thursday night with a Mickey Mouse party with pork chops and lima beans (his favorites) and a cake made to order: "chocolate cake with chocolate icing and lots of sprinkles!" It might have been the ugliest cake I have ever made, but he loved it, and that is all that matters! After the cake, Kylie gave Rodgers the present she had for him: Mousetrap. Let me tell you, it is still just as much fun as it was when I was little!

So here we are back in the swing of things, and I do mean "swing" as Kylie has been living out there even in the cold.I am finally caught up on the laundry. We brought the Christmas decorations down from the attic last night and are hoping to get started on them this weekend.

I am sure I have left out a lot...oh, like the fact that Elijah has started giggling! So cute! -And that the stuffed dog Aunt Cathy gave him is now one of his favorite little buddies. But I will try to add things as I think of them. Hope you all had a wonderful Thanksgiving!