Thanksgiving Break :)

The boys and I got to spend 5 whole days together for our Thanksgiving Break.  I started out by watching Zander perform a Thanksgiving program at his preschool.  I took way too many videos and loved being mommy for the morning since I was out of school/work on Wednesday.  I even got to pick up the pizza for his class!  I am so impressed with all he memorized..... he said multiple bible verses, the books of the Bible to Lamentations, and sang many "Thanksgiving" themed songs!

We had the Williams and Kennedys over on Wednesday night for dinner.  It was fun to get all the kids together and hang out before heading out of town for the holiday!

 Zander ran his first race with me on Thanksgiving morning.  He has been wanting to run a race for a long time so we signed up for a local fun run!  We have been "training" by running around our neighborhood.  Our little guy had some of his biggest fans to cheer him on and ran most of the one mile.  His time was around 10:14 which I think is pretty impressive for his little 4-year old legs!  I might have a new running partner as he gets older!

Mommy brought a medal from home since I knew my little running buddy would ask where his was as soon as the run was over!  Aunt Lindsey helped me think of that idea! :)

 Then, we headed to visit with the Cantrell/Houston bunch for Thanksgiving dinner.  The boys got to spend some time with their newest cousin, Henry and even attempted some pictures in their matching pumpkin hats!

 Maddox keeps stretching out his birthday! He opened up presents from the Stanwoods and Badens which provided new entertainment while we were at home!

 We headed to the science center with Grammy for the day on Friday. 

 On Saturday, I took Zander to a Wake Forest football game while Maddox took a nap.  It was fun doing something with my big boy and I didn't have to carry a bag with me or anything!! It is crazy to think what we will be able to do as Maddox gets a little older!

 We stopped for an ice cream treat on the way home.  Ironically, this is the only money I spent the whole time.... the tickets were free, and we found free parking so instead of waiting in line at the concession stands... we opted for a frozen treat on our way home!

 Last night, we celebrated the Bakewell Thanksgiving! It was so fun to have family at our house.  Zack did most of the cooking and my mom and sister did most of the cleaning up!  It was a team effort and we had a blast!

 Can't believe what a difference a year makes.....

Tried to get Grammy and the grandkids..... The cousins were done with pictures I think!

I am definitely thankful.... especially this time of year for family and friends (that are like family) to have in my life.  It is such a blessing to have others around us supporting us and encouraging us as we go through "life".  As I mentioned in my previous post, I am trying to find more time for my little family of four (ok... five since Burke is back on my "good side")... this Thanksgiving break provided just that.  I'm looking forward to spending more time with family and friends as we continue in this holiday season.

Finding time for Family

I've been really struggling lately..... there has just been so much going on....balancing two full time jobs, two kids and our busy schedule have left me worn out..... I literally got sick last week I think from all of the stuff that has been "weighing" on me.  As I type this blog, my dog decided to pee on our guest bed..... he hasn't had an accident indoors in about 7 years so I don't know what is going on but at 9:00 p.m. on a Sunday night, I have had to strip a bed that didn't need stripped and I am in the process of washing everything.  I know we are very blessed and I have many things to be thankful for especially at this time of year... but I am just overwhelmed and tired and still feeling sick.  With my mysterious sickness, I lost my voice... cough like crazy.... have a sore throat, feel very tired.... have a major, constant headache.... right now I can't turn my neck to the left... and I just feel achy all over.  I can tell I am sick because I had to turn down the one run I can get in for the week with  my sister because I knew I needed to rest.  Due to the recent "ailment", it has forced me to start saying "no" to things I would really like to do but know I need to just focus on my family instead.... and so that is what this blog post is all about.  I am discovering that my little family of four (or five when I am no longer mad at my dog!) needs me more than the other "stuff" I had to say "no" to or the things I will need to say "no" to in the future.  I feel like our little unit is struggling from the constant "go" of our schedule and mommy's constant feeling that we should be on the go.  I am feeling that I need to make them more of a priority and show this in my actions... not just in my thoughts.  So this blog post is a way to try to challenge me to do just that... so if you are reading this ..... please pray I can focus on my little family of four (or five when I am no longer mad at my dog!;))  Here are some pictures from our week when we tried to fit in some family time.

Grammy gave us a date night to see the new Thor movie and we got to go for a 3 mile run the following morning since the boys spent the night at their house!  Fortunately, this all happened before I got sick! :)

 When we picked the boys up after our run, Zander wanted to wear my "turtle" that I use to keep my neck and face warm during a very cold morning!

 When Burke is not getting in trouble, I love snuggling with him after the boys are in bed!

 Zander is successfully writing his name all by himself! He needed no reminder on the order of the letters and he even kept it on the line!

 Zander has been getting into some trouble at preschool.  He had his first office referral this week (another reason I need to focus on spending more time with my boys!)  He had a temper tantrum during chapel and was very disruptive to everyone's worship.  I have no idea what is going on with our oldest... part of it I think is the age and the gender but his behavior was unacceptable, nonetheless, so he had to go to timeout while Maddox and I played after school.  I told him he had to sit on his bed and not touch anything!  I would like to say his behavior miraculously changed the next day but he had a few days of "sad faces" which means he is still having a hard time in a few areas:  not keeping his hands to himself, not listening when the teacher is talking, and getting very upset when he gets in trouble.  Any suggestions on what we should do next would be greatly appreciated!  We have taken "tv time", given spankings and other consequences already.  I do like that the teacher says it is not a defiance concern... more a self control issue... but how do you help a four year old better understand self control and patience?!

 We went to my grandparents' Thanksgiving dinner this past week... my favorite part was getting to sing Christmas songs with both boys on my lap! I wish these moments lasted a lot longer!

 Trying to find some time for our family to do something fun, we went to the science center yesterday to check out their new dinosaur exhibit and meet up with some friends, the Whites.  I still couldn't really talk and didn't feel 100% but I figured mommy doesn't really get a sick day so it might be easier entertaining the kids at the science center rather than at home! The boys loved the change of scenery!

 Today we put up our Christmas tree.  We have a pretty busy week coming up and I like having the tree up around Thanksgiving so we went ahead and put up the tree today!  Zack was a trooper putting the tree together and the boys helped me put on the ornaments!