I Found My Camera!!

In other words, really long post here.  Be warned.  But that's what happens when you haven't cleaned your house in a month, you get a backlog.

So first up are some pictures from our night at the Arboretum and their new 12 Days of Christmas display.  Awesome, awesome displays and we had a great time, even if it was on the coldest November day on record!

Lords a Leaping

We took all 3 strollers so that they could stay bundled up.  For the girls it was great, William still wanted to walk. 

Yes that's my old Strawberry Shortcake hat.  He loves hats.

My favorite display of course -- Nine Ladies Dancing.  It was funny though because of the crowd that was around this display, I think that every woman was oohing and ahhing over the dresses.  They were divine. 

The pumpkins are still out!!

William literally walked around with the hat over his eyes the entire time.  He was would watch the ground but couldn't see anything else so he bumped into a lot of stuff and when we would call to him to stay with us he would turn around and lift the hat up to see where we were and then pull it back down and start walking again.  It was cute. 

Cold Texas air + no humidity + lots of layers = great static hair!

Ok quick spiel on Thanksgiving.  We invited 2 families over to join us but only had about 13 people which was just about perfect.  Chopper smoked a turkey again and again, it turned out really delicious.  Hmmmm what else?  Sports, eating, talking.  That's about it!  No pictures.

Yesterday we had to get the kids out of the house so we went to the Fort Worth Botanical Gardens since we'll be back at the Arboretum with Grandma this week (yay!).  I could not get over how BEAUTIFUL the fall colors were -- especially in the Japanese Garden.  I'm pretty sure that they were the best I've seen since we've lived in Texas.  And it was 70 degrees.  Wonderful!!! 

This picture is totally staged.  Still melts my heart.

Turtles!!  William did not want to leave this spot.  Even after they swam away because he started throwing things at them (acorns, leaves, nothing serious).

12 years in a week!!!  Yay!!  And Abby in the background trying to show us a leaf.

Because they were cool!  I don't know what kind of tree this was but all the leaves were a combination of colors -- bright orangey-red, green, and purple.  They were beautiful.

Throwing leaves . . .  

 And making leaf angels.

Ok Japaense Gardens -- I'm telling you it was divine. 

 

We bought some fish food to feed the koi.  William liked to get right up to them (they come out of the water with their mouths open) and drop it right in.  I was worried his fingers were going to get eaten.  We spent a lot of time here!

 

We're walking up a path and Abby runs up to this tree and gives it a random hug and shouts, "I love magnolias!!!!!"  She wants a magnolia party for her birthday.  Not sure how I'm going to pull that one off . . . 

Of course we've also been decorating for Christmas.  I've been seeing the beautifully decorated trees in stores and online and have been feeling a little wistful (?) that that's not our tree but it's expensive to deck one out.  Then yesterday I had an epiphany watching the kids play and turn the lights off and on and that is that they love it.  Maybe someday I'll have a beautifully decorated tree (all stars and silver and white!), but for now, it's pretty much their favorite part of Christmas with our random ornaments and spotlight lights and drapey things that don't match.  And that's wonderful.

Not staged and super cute.  Megan didn't want to be in the picture.  Too bad!

I Can't Find My Camera

I just had it about a week ago because we went to see a new holiday display at the Arboretum AT NIGHT.  Can I tell you how excited the girls were to go to the Arboretum at night?  Nevermind that it was the coldest day Dallas has seen at this time of year in possibly ever, we still went.  And had a great, short, family outing.

But I can't find my camera to show you the details!!

Part of the problem is that I'm getting ready for my first ever craft show selling giant potholder/pads and possibly fabric flag bunting and so every moment that I'm not involved in kid care, I'm sewing.  The house is a wreck and things are out of wack anyway because of the move that didn't happen.  The craft fair is Dec. 1st so I'm hoping to get everything done by next Wednesday.  That will give me one day to clean and prepare for Thanksgiving because we're having friends over again.  Then Friday I can figure out my display, Saturday is set up the Christmas decorations, Sunday is Sunday, Monday is clean the house AGAIN because my mom is coming to visit on Tuesday!!  Whew!!  Yeah I've been busy.  But it's of my own making so I can't complain.

Except about not being able to find the camera.

Huh?!

I'm just going to say it because it's mostly out there anyway.

I guess we're not moving.

Several months back, Chopper's bosses/managers/people that he works for -- told him about a job in Phoenix that they thought he would be a good fit for.  They, in fact, were recommending him for the position.  We waited a few months for the job to open and Chopper applied.  Then it was several more weeks before he interviewed.  In all this time too we've been fixing up the house to sell.  Not that it needs a lot of TLC, but we've been doing things that we've wanted to do over the years and just haven't -- replace the back door so it doesn't leak, tile the kitchen, clean the house.  Oh wait, I should do that one just because!

His interview went really really well.  And the investigation for his clearance is happening.  We so thought this was in the bag.

Now we think it's not.  We found out today he's not the first pick.  So if first pick turns the job down, we'll get the offer.  But how likely is that?  Ok who really knows.  But I think now it's more likely to not happen.

And I'm irritated!!  Partly because it's government and I shouldn't have gotten my hopes up.  Shouldn't have started preparing -- I mean, at least my house is clean right?  Ok not right in this moment anyway but you know what I mean.  

I don't necessarily want to leave Dallas mind you, but when you think something's going to happen you start preparing and then when it falls through, you're left . . . just left.

Maybe I'm focusing too much on the what-ifs and should be more immersed in the here and now.  And since I hate the unknown, I should probably be grateful that now we know something.  Still, I feel a little bit disappointed and a little bit cheated.

And a Week Later

You get the official Halloween pictures.  Chopper took the three out trick-or-treating but said about 90% of houses didn't participate.  We only had maybe 5 groups of kids to our house as well.  Makes me sad but it is what it is I guess and the kids still like it.

 

 I think this one is my favorite because of Abby's face and William is looking at a plane.  We live under a flight path.

 Look!  Another one!