Merry Halloween???

Saturday was a big day at our house...just three days before Halloween and we were surprising the kids with their Christmas present. Ryan took the kids on an important errand to the Munson's while I  set everything up and called Ryan to let him know "he forgot something at home."

When then kids arrived Ryan and I proceeded with our well laid plan...

Me: Ummm... so the thing got delivered TODAY.

Ryan: Today?

Me: Yes...so I wrapped it for them.

Ryan: Ok... well... let's go inside...

Kids: WHAT IS GOING ON?

I explained that a gift we purchased for Christmas accidentally got delivered today instead of Christmas and we couldn't send it back and they HAD to open it or it would go bad. We let them know it's for CHRISTMAS so this may mean they won't get gifts on Christmas day.

They all went along with this CRAZY thing I just said and wanted to go open this amazing gift. 

The ripped into the paper...

opened the box... 

and...

"ARE WE GOING TO DISNEY WORLD?!?!"

"DISNEY WOWLD DISNEY WOWLD!!"

And guess when we are going....

NEXT WEEK!!!

I went ahead and wrapped their magic bands, too and they couldn't get over that they each get one.

We have been planning this trip forever it seems and all the waiting and anticipation and nerves was more than worth it!

We're going to DISNEY WORLD!

InstaKings...

Here's a look at our week from my phone's view...

We started our week celebrating one of our very favorite's birthdays! I don't know if you can ever find two besties more precious than these two!

We shook off our case of the Monday's by kicking off Red Ribbon Week ... and I'm pretty proud that we managed to celebrate (and take a picture) the theme every day!

Some of my best parenting choices have been made by watching someone else. I'm in constant awe of the ways my village loves on their kids. Whether it's encouraging talent, creating space to say "yes" to crazy ideas or finding time to hang out with them as individuals. I take my cues from loving, committed parents doing their best to raise a generation of humans that are going to change the narrative of the world we live in.

Cindy and Josh, thanks for showing me that 15 minutes "extra" one night can become the most meaningful time of their week and mine.

Cindy and Josh have been doing this for a year (or more!)... and I love hearing about how their girls spend their extra 15 minutes each week. We started this a little over a month ago and our kids' special nights coincide with their activities. Emmy gets her extra time on art days, Rad on his Wednesday soccer days and Landry on her gymnastics day. On this particular Tuesday, besides the extra 15 minutes, Emmy was so excited that I used her recent artwork in our fall mantle decorations. :)

We are on a pick up sticks KICK around here. Seriously, I can't count the hours they have spent playing this game. I'm thinking that we may need to order this for Christmas. This game got a little crazy when I flipped the yellow stick and it landed perfectly in Landry's hair! I'm still laughing!

Gigi came to town on Thursday so she could watch the Book Character Parade on Friday morning... we got to watch Landry at gymnastics and instead of asking the girls where they wanted to eat dinner, we headed to our favorite spot to share bread, pasta, wine and dessert! We had the perfect girls night out!

On Saturday morning, we woke up to the most amazing sunrise. Landry was walking past our front door and said, "Oh, Mommy!! Look at the sky!" Good morning, indeed!

And then Christmas came early at the King's house...

but I'll save that for another post...

Red Ribbon Week...

Schools all across the lands of College Station were celebrating Red Ribbon Week last week. You know, the week that educates our youth on all the negative effects of drugs and alcohol through the wearing of themed clothing that pretty much has nothing to do with drugs and alcohol.  If you'd like to see how moms EVERYWHERE feel about this time honored tradition, watch this. 

Monday:

They were "RED"dy to say "NO" to drugs! (Well, Emmy was ready to move on to the phase of her life where fashion is more important than a theme day...)

Tuesday

What? You can't tell that the days theme was TEAM up against drugs!
.
Rad - Cavalry Soccer/Cubbies tee
L - Pops' Tigers and Aggie shorts (bc I wuv bof, Mommy)
E - CHE Tiger Cubs with added flair (bc Emmy!)

Wednesday

We give drugs THE BOOT! (Radley gave drugs the lesser known indoor soccer shoes so he was not pictured). 

Thursday

I can't remember if they were on the hunt for drug users or hiding from them... either way they were supposed to wear camo and this is as good as it gets in our house. Perhaps I'm not as Texan as I claim to be!

Friday

Show good CHARACTER and just say NO!

My FAVORITE day of the week and one of my favorite days of the year - the Book Character Parade! We try to stick to characters of books that they are loving at the moment so I present...

Diary of a Wimpy Kid, Amelia Bedelia (circa 2017), and Eloise at the Plaza

I took the morning off to stay for the parade and snagged some pre-parade shots of my favorite characters... 

Rad and one of his buddies both picked DOAWK so he talked his friend into being a different character as him...

I love seeing her smile with her new friends!

And as usual, the parade kicked off with our local fire station...

and former College Hills kiddos from AMCHS!

Y'all - the staff completely knock it out of the park for this day!

And the kids do a pretty great job, too!

4th Grade staff were 101 Dalmations and Ms. Cook was the cutest!

I need to borrow this wig from Kayla!

The office staff went with Snow White and Mr. Hatfield was "Doc"...

3rd grade teachers captured the Magic School Bus...

complete with an awesome Ms. Frizzle!

She really wants us to move to the Plaza...

I agree with her life choices! :) 

And then Kindergarten rounded out the show with the CUTEST tiniest readers of all!

I mean, can you even with the cute?!?!?!

Amelia Bedelia is known for her spice cake, so Landry thought to bring this favorite toy as a prop!

And that rounded out another successful Red Ribbon Week... Rad's last one as a Tiger Cub.

So now I'm going to grab some tissues because...

this school HAS taught him about character. Through friendships and love of learning and through lots and lots of reading, he's learned so many things. From facts about sharks and visiting historical events through a magic treehouse, to being silly and learning about loyalty and friendship and bravery and truth. I've watched him flourish through the safety of these walls and through the joy of watching pages come to life... one kid down these hallowed halls... how do I push reset? 

Dinner with friends...

I'm not trying to brag, but I have some pretty awesome friends. In the mile-long list of things to be thankful for, I could the friendships of my life in the top. My friends have sustained me, challenged me, nourished me, supported me and most importantly loved me. Because of that, we prioritize making time for our friendships. We have a group of dear people that have formed our CK dinner club that we try to break some bread with every few months. Our October date had to shift a little to accommodate a few extra friends because our buddies Jimmy, George, Bill, George Jr. and Barak were in town. Turns out they invited 1000s to their party and we clearly wanted a seat at THAT table!

As we were waiting in line to grab a quick refreshment we heard one of the entertainment guests warming up... we didn't pay too much attention until someone basically declared a stop in all activity with "HOLY COW THAT'S LADY GAGA!" We decided the drinks could wait, made our way to our fabulous seats and enjoyed the view. 

Since the event was high security ticket holders were encouraged to arrive early. Like 3 hours early. And when you are anywhere 3 hours early you need to figure out how to entertain yourself. For Cindy and I this meant practicing selfie skills and "woooo girl" faces. We clearly have them down. 

And what's dinner club without dinner... I present the most expensive pizza rolls you will ever taste. And honestly, they were awesome. 

My dear husband did not listen to the same music as I did growing up. I was giving him a quick history lesson on all things country. I'm a lucky girl - I can take him anywhere and he's always happy to just be with me. The feeling is mutual. 

And then the show began and we were on our feet. We were obnoxious, and loud and sang along with every single word and I loved every single minute of it. 

Cheers to good friends, good food, cold beer and America. 

We decided that no dinner party will ever top this night. You picked a fabulous theme, Fords. I mean, you didn't need to go to all this trouble, but we really appreciated the fun!

Next time, though, can we get seats at the "head table?"

This has been an awesome year of music for me. In November Cindy, Angie, Melinda and I got to see Adele and then we were graced with Gaga. Y'all. She is amazing. Her heart is so grand. She is graceful and dear and full of love. She addressed each President, she showed a message of respect and she set the most beautiful example for us all to be kinder whenever we can. 

My sweet Mom and Dad stayed home with the kids and I got this message when Gag made her debut. My mom was watching the show from her phone and sending me messages from my Dad's phone. 

I didn't think the night could get better, and Gaga is really really awesome. But y'all....

ALABAMA!!

I remember listening to Alabama and Ronnie Milsap in my dad's gold Corsica on our morning drives out to Rosenthal. Music was always on in our car and still in our home and the sounds of Alabama are some of my favorite. Even Ryan was rocking out with me. 

The night was one for the record books. What an honor to be part of such an amazing event. To stand united despite our differences and come together to focus on the similarity of helping our neighbor.