The Mayflower Tent

I made a boat out of masking tape on the carpet for preschool. I was teaching about the Mayflower. Gavin, with the help of his friends Olivia and Paige, built The Mayflower Tent out of kitchen chairs (that he drug up the stairs) sheets, pillows, and towels. The kids played in it for the rest of the night and Gavin even made up this song about it. I am really not sure what the stacked stools were. Sam took these pictures.

Mom is Great

Sam taught the kids the, "Dad is great. He feeds us chocolate cake." song. Gavin changed it to this.

Soccer Party

We hosted Gavin’s team’s soccer party. I we had ice cream and cake, which I made. After cake the coach handed out their trophies. Gavin sure loves his! The Warriors from left to right: Austin, Gavin, and Caleb. Jacob and JJ weren’t able to make it.

Cinderella

Renée offered to help me clean to get ready for Gavin’s soccer party. I cracked up when I found her scrubbing in her princess dress.

Free Tree

I signed up to receive a free curb tree from the city of Fort Worth. The city came and marked where we had to plant it. We got to pick out the type. I chose a redbud because of its flowers. When we picked up the tree on Saturday, I had to laugh. It is a stick and there isn’t a single leaf on it. Hopefully it will survive.

Last Soccer Game of the Season

It had been in the 70s all week but on Saturday, it only hit 54. The wind was intense, so it made it feel even colder. Gavin’s last soccer game was a little rough on us. Carter hated it and cried the last half of the game. Sam had to hold the goal post up. Gavin still had a great time and even scored again. I love his tongue in the first picture.

YMCA Festival

The new YMCA is right next to Gavin’s soccer field, so Renée, Carter, and I went over to the YMCA festival before the game started. It was really cold, but Renée still enjoyed the bounce house.

King Tut

Sam had off for Veterans Day, so we went to the Tutankhamen Golden Age of the Pharaoh exhibit at the Dallas Museum of Art. I had never spent so much on tickets for an exhibition before, but they were cheaper than flying to Egypt. It really was a great exhibit, not only do you get to see items from King Tut’s tomb, but you get to see many of his ancestors’ artifacts. Seeing art that was made 3000 years ago was truly incredible. Here are some of the highlights including Sam and I in the gift shop.

Bathing Suits in November

We usually eat dinner at Alycia’s house after church. She goes to church from 8:30-11:30 and we go to church from 2-5. Her house is only a few blocks from our church building, so it makes it really nice for us to go there after we finish.

After a great dinner, we sent the kids outside to play. Alycia hasn’t packed up Sydney’s bathing suits, so Renée and Sydney used them to play dress up. Now it isn’t really cold here in Texas, but it certainly isn’t bathing suit weather. My guess was it was 60 degrees that night. Silly girls!

Ward Split

Our ward split on Sunday. We had a combined meeting with the Keller 2nd ward at the stake center. Alycia graciously agreed to let Carter take his name at her house so we wouldn’t have to bring him. From the Keller 1st ward they broke off a big chunk to make the Heritage ward. They then added some people from the Keller 2nd ward to the Keller 1st. We are now in the Heritage Ward. While it is sad to not be with some of our friends, it is fun to be in a smaller ward where we can get to know people better.

I took some pictures of the kids before church. It started with just Renée, but then they all wanted in.

The After Enrichment Party

After Enrichment, a few of my friends decided that we still wanted some more girl time. We decided to go to my house and play games. Michalann brought Imagine if, which was really fun. We stayed up way to late talking, but it sure was fun. Starting from the left and around the table: Michelle O., Michelle D., Michalann, Lisa, and Sharee.

Fort Worth Zoo

We went to the Fort Worth Zoo today. Gavin only had a half day of half day kindergarten, so I didn’t send him today. My ward play group was meeting at the zoo and I invited Alycia. Jen Whiteside was the only other person there from the ward, but we had a great day together. The weather was perfect! It was in the high 70s and the leaves were just starting to change colors and were falling. Renée’s favorite animal was, of course, the horse. Gavin really liked the snakes. Carter hated being in the stroller but didn’t want to walk, so we had a few fights. He did enjoy growling at the animals. Other than fighting Carter it was an ideal day together.

Book Club

Our book club, from front left: Susan, Michelle, Lisa, Rachel, Gena, Debbie, JoLynn, and Tiffany. Not pictured: Sheree, Jen

Michelle and I took over the ward book club when Darla left town. It has been super fun because of the great group of ladies that come. Sometime it can get a little crazy when we get as many as 17 people.

This month Michalann hosted and she not only made a yummy dessert, but she treated us to a fantastic dinner. The table was set so pretty that I thought Thanksgiving had come early. We had a great time discussing The Prize Winner of Defiance, Ohio: How My Mother Raised 10 Kids on 25 Words or Less by Terry Ryan.

He Scores!

Gavin has been doing really well this year in soccer. He scored two goals at his game on Saturday. Here are some highlights. Several shots with Gavin controlling the ball, Gavin after scoring, a congratulations hug from Jacob, and a team huddle with their coach.