Be, Be, Be My BFF

Grace loves to sing and dance.  Last night she put on a concert for Mommy and Daddy. 

Wrestling vs. Trinity

 Gabriel had a wrestling meet Tuesday evening against Trinity.

 He was excited to get to wrestle in another meet.

 He had two matches and lost both.  He seemed to get some good pointers from the coaches.

Most importantly, he had fun.

Polar Express

 Last night, we trekked to French Lick, Indiana to ride The Polar Express.

 We stopped at the activities tent where the kids could write a message to Santa on the wall.

 The McAfee family rode in the same car we did.

 Of course, the kids wanted to sit together.

 The train ride began with the conductor, Gabe, showing the book The Polar Express as it was read aloud over the speakers.

 Next, the kids were served hot chocolate and cookies, just like in the movie.

 Dan was so excited to be there too . . . NOT.

 Grandma and Papaw went with us.  It really does feel like Christmas once you're on the Polar Express.

 Grace and Gabriel danced with Elf Janessa.

 Hmmm . . . This was supposed to be a picture of Grace.  Photo Bomber had good timing on that one!

As soon as we got off the train, the kids wanted to go back to the activity tent to write a letter to Santa.  We were told that if the letters had addresses on them, then Santa would write back.  We hope to hear from Santa soon!

It's Beginning to Look a Lot Like Christmas

 We decorated the Christmas tree Friday morning.  The kids were actually very helpful this year.

Now that the decorations are out, the kids are super excited for Santa to visit.

Chillaxin'

Gabriel and Hershey love each other so much!  Gabriel chilled out on the couch with a mug of warm apple cider and his favorite furry boy.

Thanksgiving

 Aunt Erin loved on Evie.

 Grace tried out the baby swing that had been set out for Evie.

Thanksgiving Fun

Uncle Ed and Aunt Stacey came from Indy Wednesday to stay the night with us. It was so fun visiting with them. We were so lucky to get to spend Evie's first Thanksgiving with her.

Thursday morning Gabriel came upstairs to see Evie.  He had his lion in his hand, and when Evie reached for it, he pulled it away.  He will share anything but Lion with his baby cousin.  When Gabe wasn't looking, Evie got a hold of Lion, and I had to snap a pic to show him.

The weather was gorgeous and warm, so we went to Grandma and Papaw's house to play at the park.  Evie and Grace wore their matching hats . . . so cute!

This was Evie's first time in a swing.  She loved it!

Gabriel and Grace love their Aunt Stacey and Uncle Ed.

The sun kept getting in Evie's eyes, Stacey gave her a different hat.

It was so cute seeing Grace and Evie swinging together.  Ha!

Uncle Ed and Gabriel went to the basketball court to shoot some hoops.

It was a little tough for Gabriel to play defense against Uncle Ed.

Uncle Ed did some moves like he was a Harlem Globetrotter.

Next, we went across the street to play on the play set.

Gabriel took Evie down her first slide.

Sweet girl!

Photography by Grace

Thanksgiving Feast

I was off work Wednesday and able to take Grace to preschool for her Thanksgiving feast.  We contributed mashed potatoes and rolls.  Grace was excited to show off her turkey that she colored and her pumpkin that was hanging on the wall outside the classroom.

Birthday Celebration

It was about eight months ago when I decided that I wanted to go out with friends to celebrate my birthday.  I texted and e-mailed some friends and had them put it on their calendars. . . and being the good friends they are, they did.  My goal was to have a kid-free dinner somewhere on 4th Street and then go dancing at Howl at the Moon.

When the big day finally came, I had a busy day ahead of me.  There was basketball, grocery shopping, preparing for wrestling on Sunday, finishing laundry, and Dan was gone for the day.  I was feeling tired all day and a little queasy, but I didn't think much of it.  I wanted a nap so badly, but there was just too much to do.  By the time Dan got home and kids the were delivered to Grampy and Barbara, I was not really feeling like celebrating.  The party was planned though.  Dan was driving all the ladies, so we trekked out to pick everyone up.  By the time we made the last stop, I was not feeling queasy, I was feeling vomitrocious (Yeah, I made that word up.)  I wasn't ready to give in though; I was thinking that I was car sick.  By the time we made it to the restaurant, I wanted nothing to do with food.  The smell was making me feel worse.

The party gang had dinner --- I had water --- at Gordon Biersch.  I hear the food was really good.  As soon as dinner left the table, we headed back home.  You can get Alicia's side of the story on her blog.  That is where I stole these pictures.

Oh, yeah . . . this was me on the way home . . .  vomiting.  I was home and in bed by 10 o'clock on my big birthday celebration night.  Awesome!

Sunday Dan and Gabriel went to the wrestling meet in Madison.  I stayed home with Grace.  She and I had movie day together.

I don't intend to sound like a whiner.  I am SO grateful for my friends who made plans and ended up with a really disappointing evening.  I am grateful for my wonderful husband who drove the "non-drunk bus" and cleaned vomit off the outside of the van when we got home.  I am grateful to have been able to spend the day Sunday cuddling with my little girl and resting. 

Birthday at Buca

Aunt Erin, Grandma, and I all share birthdays within the same week, so we celebrate with a family dinner together. One of our favorite places to celebrate is Buca di Beppo.

Grace loves her Aunt Erin, and I think Erin is kinda fond of Grace too.

They brought us three candles for three birthdays.  We each got to take a turn blowing out a candle.  Grace helped Aunt Erin.

After dinner we headed back to our house to open presents.  Papaw gave Grandma a Kindle Fire HD.

The kids were enthralled in Uncle Brian's phone.  He was playing some racing, crashing game, and they were so into it!

Lazy Train

 The Lazy Train overtook the Ellnor house a couple of Sundays ago.  Gabriel proclaimed it mismatch day first thing in the morning.  He came upstairs dressed in this crazy outfit.  Ha ha!

The weather outside was pretty warm for November.  Dan and I sat out on the porch and read.  Dan had set up the kerosene heater for us.  The kids built a blanket fort and played.  I love laid back days like these.

Basketball Game

 Gabriel's basketball team played their first game a few weeks ago.  It is so funny to watch them play.

 Half the time when a kiddo gets the ball, rather than dribbling down the court, they grab the ball and run.  This has been a great instructional league for the kids.  It is all about teaching and having fun.

I was trying to get another shot of the kiddos when someone photo bombed the picture.  Oh my!

Louisville Stoneware

Grandma, Aunt Barbara, and I took the kiddos over to Louisville Stoneware to paint pottery.  Letting the kids paint Christmas ornaments makes a nice personal gift for teachers or family members.  This year I made a name plate for Gabriel's teacher's desk, and the kids painted ornaments for their teachers.  It would have been enjoyable had Grace not been such an impatient little turkey.

Freezer Meal Club

For about three months now, I've been involved in a meal club with a Alicia McAfee and a friend of hers. Each month, we make three recipes for three families. Then we meet and trade meals, so we each end up with nine different recipes to stock our freezers with.

For November, Dan and I made chicken enchiladas, Dinner in a Dish, and stuffed pasta shells.

Dan made the filling for the chicken enchiladas.  It is smelled so good while it cooked.  I found the recipe for this enchilada filling at Skinny Mom's Kitchen. 

Here are the finished chicken enchiladas.  They were quite good, if I do say so myself.

The stuffed shells are a family favorite.  The recipe makes a TON, so I only had to double the recipe to get five casserole dishes made. 

The third recipe is Grace's favorite dinner.  It is called Dinner in a Dish.  It is a combination of ground beef, green beans, tomatoes, and corn (with seasonings) served with rice. It is something that Dan's mom made for her family, and now Dan makes it for us.

I have enjoyed trading meals with friends and having a good variety of meals in the freezer.  They have been a life-saver on many occasions the past few months.