Thanksgiving 2014

We spent Thanksgiving day with my parents and enjoyed wonderful food, good company, and beautiful weather! I didn't manage to snap any photos of our Thanksgiving feast, but we devoured turkey and stuffing, cranberry sauce, green beans, sweet potatoes, mashed potatoes, homemade rolls, and two pies: apple and pumpkin! It was all delicious!

After lunch, we lounged around playing games and the piano and reading.

And then we headed out to the park. This is my parents' first year in their new house and we thought we might miss the Kingwood house and its ideal location across the street from a park, but this year we visited nearby Hermann Park instead and had just as much fun! The boys ran up and down the hill and played some frisbee.

We visited the Japanese Garden and watched leaves float down a lazy stream. 

 

We snapped a few family photos. It was gorgeous.

First attempt of our foursome: goofy boys.

The second try was better!

More shots at the Japanese Garden:

We wandered around the rest of the park. It was so beautiful!

We even saw a nutria swimming in the lake!

I love these two. 

We have so much for which to be thankful for, with family at the top of the list. Thanksgiving 2014 was fantastic from start to finish.

Field Day 2014

The boys' school holds Field Day the week of Thanksgiving and it works out well for the short (1 1/2 day) school week. The weather this year was perfect for Field Day fun.

Henry's Field Day was first, at 8:30 a.m. Go Perkins' Panthers!

Dad even came by this year to cheer on his boys!

Henry participated in the hurdles, obstacle course, spin cycle and baton relay.

Go, Henry!

Will's Field Day started at 11:45. His class was McClintock's Mustached Martians!

My favorite martian!

Will participated in the hurdles, bean bag toss relay, spin cycle and tug-of- war.

 

The blow-up martian was a huge hit!

Gene stopped by on his lunch hour, just in time to cheer on the tug-of-war team!

Field Day is always so much fun!

Lately

We have been busy lately spending time with family, working on Cub Scout requirements, and completing school projects. Here's a look into what we've been up to for the past two weeks:

Gene's aunt and cousin visited Houston! We think it had been 10 years since their last visit to Houston, and they had never met Will and Henry. We enjoyed a delightful evening with them at our house and are sad that their visits to Houston are rare.

We are also excited to have Gramma and Grampa back in Houston for the winter. They've come over for dinner a couple of times and we always break out the games when they're here. Grampa taught Will how to play bridge. Now Will cannot wait for another game night with his grandparents!

With both boys in Cub Scouts this year, it seems like we are always busy running to meetings or working on requirements, but we all enjoy it. The boys have made some wonderful friends through Scouts, and we have too! Henry's den visited the West U Fire Station last week.

I feel lucky that I have so many opportunities to volunteer at the boys' school. This year, I'm helping teach some of the Hands On Art classes and I love it! The boys learned all about repousse and metal working in their last class.

Henry's class visited the zoo on their first field trip last week. I got to tag along as a chaperone and had the best time with my group of seven first-graders!

We visited the science museum Friday night for a members' preview party of the new Samurai exhibit, which was fantastic! The boys made Samurai helmets of their own.

I snapped this picture of Gene and Henry after church yesterday. There are lots of hugs around here these days.

And with Thanksgiving week here, I snapped this picture of Will's thankful turkey at school. He wrote a beautiful composition about all that he is thankful for; family is at the top of his list.

And finally, I decided to take my own family portraits this year with the help of a tripod. We only took three sets of shots, but I'm pleased with the pictures we got. This isn't the one that's on our Christmas card, but it's a sneak peak! 

This Thanksgiving, I have so very much for which to be thankful, but I am most thankful for these three who keep me on my toes, hug me often, and fill my days with laughter.