HodgePodge Barage!

(boring alert!)

Thanksgiving break is over, and to use the words of Shawn, "this has been a GREAT holiday!" We did so many things, that I decided to just write about them all in one random post ...I never remember my camera, so I have just a few random photos!

The kids started the break with half days, the first one Dale and I spent in parent teacher conferences...with four kids in one school it takes a few hours...the next day I took the kids ice skating. I have been taking them regularly so David can get some practice time for hockey, and because Mel;issa really wants to do figure skating and needs some practice..the other three just like skating. David has been moved up with the 1st and 2nd graders on his hockey team.

On wednesday, we moved my sister and her family out of their house...they didn't know where they were going yet, so the plan was to keep the stuff on the truck and stay with family over the holiday...Dale's mom and sister took the younger three kids for a sleepover Wednesday night, so we dropped off the older two at my brother's and decided to go to dinner and a movie...then we found out that my sister got a house, yeah!! so we went and moved her in! it didn't take that long, so we still managed to catch dinner and a movie..

We spent Thanksgiving Day with Dale's family. Cindy hosted at her house and we had a great time and the food was incredible! (Thank you Alison and Cindy and Wendy!) We played games and hung out, it was very nice!

Dale, Shawn and Alex went to the Wizards game that night. My neice Sydney and nephew Drew came over to our house for a sleepover.

Friday we put up our Christmas tree and all the Christmas decorations! I did manage to get a few pictures of that!

Melissa and Alex hanging decorations on the tree




Drew and Greg setting the train up under the tree....


Dale on the ladder trimming out the top of the tree....

I have such a good time each year looking at all the ornaments and taking in the little memories that each one represents...we have homemade ones from the kids, ones from mine and Dale's first Christmas together. We were so excited to decorate our house so we went and bought out a dollar store full of ornaments. I have gotten rid of most of them , but saved just enough to keep the memory of that first year! We have ornaments from when I was a teenager, we have photos of the kids on ornaments from Christmas' past. Each year we add more to the collection. Last year my foster mom gave me a little box of special ornaments from when I lived with her. She had made an ornament for me and my sister Theresa the first Christmas we lived with her. When my sister was younger we called her Tara, she hated that name, but my dad always called her that. My foster mom couldn't fit "Theresa" on the little ornament, so my foster mom just wrote "Tara". Last year when my foster mom gave this ornament back to me it not only represented the memories I have of my sister, but also of my father. Our tree is really big, and has so much space for so many special ornaments, and I placed this very special ornament on the tree at my eye level so I can enjoy the special memories that it represents...

On Friday night, Dale took David to a Capitals game and they had a great time. It was a great game and David has been all smiles about it since!

On Saturday, I took Shawn and Alex and played paintball with my 4 foster brothers as a last "hurrah" for my foster brother Brennen, who is leaving for his mission in a week. We had a blast and can't wait to go back!

On Sunday, we drove over to Delaware for the Davis family thanksgiving. we had a great time watching footballl and playing games. the kids LOVE being with all their cousins and friends...I am not sure how many people were there, but I would have to say at least 50...my family is a big crew when we all get together...once again I forgot to take pictures, so I will try and get some from my brother!

So there it is, a weeks worth of posts crammed into one!