February 2016 update

2/28 - We slept in some, then when we were all taking showers the fun began. Landon't toilet overflowed while he was in the shower. There was about 1/2 to 3/4 inches of water in his bathroom, going onto carpet outside of his bathroom and it was coming from the ceiling in my closet and 1/2 bath. It was a mess. We had every towel in the house out, turning water off, etc.

We cleaned up for a while, Greg and kids got some big fans from Grandma and Pops. We both spent some time with steam vac trying to get water up. That afternoon Landon had soccer practice. After we tried to get him in cub scout uniform to see Weeblos II cross over. We got there right as they finished. Greg came home and we had early dinner watching Clue movie before football game.

Tonights Titan football game was different. The boys ended up winning 27 to 7. Landon pulled 2 flags, he caught an extra point and blocked at least 1 pass for the other team. He played some on offense and defense. The boys had fun tonight

2/27 - We got up and Landon spend some good time on his Alamo project. He basically finished it with flags, labels and roof on the cathedral. Overall I think he did a great job.

We went to lunch and then got ready for Landon's football game. The boys played hard, but got beat pretty bad. Landon's feet were hurting but he played offense most of the game.

After the game we came home so boys could change quick. Then we headed to Plano to meet the Dowdy's for dinner on Patio at Katy Trail Outpost. We had a good time chatting, eating and having a few drinks. The kids ran around and got to eat as well. Landon even said he had a ton of fun which he doesn't say to often :)

2/26 - I came home a bit early so I could buy teacher books at the book fair. Only a few teachers had their requests but we got some books. We had our last girl scout cookie booth from 4-6pm. The girls had a tough time getting through 2 hours but we made it with some snacks. Over the weekend we ended up selling or trading the rest of our cookies to other troops. Overall the girls did well.

After that Kasey and I went to get a table at Mi Cocina for dinner. The boys came to join us after first baseball practice. Then we went home to get kids to bed.

2/22 - Landon's basketball team Warhawks had a game at middle school. They played a really tough game, but ended up losing by 3 points. The boys played hard. Coach Ken had a board meeting so Greg had to coach. He did a good job.

2/21 - We worked some more on project, ate later breakfast. We went to freebirds late for lunch since Landon had his first flag football game at 4. The Titans played in Murphy. Unfortunately they lost. Landon pulled 2 flags during the game. He said he wanted to play defense more than office. He played some of both.

We went to Grimaldi's for dinner on the way home. Then we went to Paciugo for some dessert.

2/20 - We had a pretty busy day. Landon had a basketball playoff game. The boys played hard, played 2 overtimes but ended up losing. So close. They still had at least 1 more game to play in the tournament. After the game we went to have some cheesesteaks. We were going to go with all the grandparents but Greg wasn't to happy after the game. We spent a good bit of the afternoon working on Landon's Alamo project. He got several walls up on the compound so it was coming along

that night we had a girl scout event. It was world thinking day. Several troops set up booths to represent different countries like Germany, France, Italy, Hong Kong, Costa Rica, Japan etc. At each booth they had info about the country, info about girl guides/girl scouts in that country, they had a stamp for passports, a swap for each girl and a snack from that country. The girls had fun and hopefully learned a few things. I asked several of the girls what was the most interesting thing they learned about the country. One girl told me it was interesting that one of European countries called soccer football. I informed her that the rest of the world calls it football and US is the only country that calls it soccer. Overall it was fun. We will see if the girls want to make a booth next year.

Greg and Landon went to dinner and to see Kung Fu Panda 3. After the movie they came home with Braums, but somehow I didn't get any :-(

2/19 - The 4th grade boys decided they didn't want to go to the mother son dance this year. So a few of us decided to do a mother son night. We went bowling at splitzville and had dinner. We had our own two lanes and had a good time. Landon got red pin at top a few times but didn't get a strike (if they see it and you get a strike you get a free game). There were 14 of us so we only got to play 1 game, but it was fun. Moms got to visit and have a few drinks, and boys hung out. We had fun all cheering for each other.

Greg had taken Kasey to Mi Cocina and Paciugo. So fun night for all

2/18 - Kind of a weird day. It started out with one of school teachers giving Greg and heads up that Kasey shouldn't hang out with another child in her class. Then Greg gets a call from the school saying that someone spit in Kasey's face. Greg went to have lunch with her and she seemed ok. She's only in first grade, it will be interesting as she gets older

2/15 - I slept on the couch in case Greg was really sick. Kids and I had to go get more paint and get donuts for breakfast. I took the day off since kids were off school. good thing I did since Greg wasn't feeling great. He was better in the morning but not 100%.

Kasey started wearing a bra today. She doesn't totally need one, but in a few shirts it doesn't hurt. She's been asking for a little while about this so when shopping for Valentines dresses we bought a few. She's very excited to wear them. We'll see how it goes. I hadn't really told Greg yet, wasn't sure he was ready for the news

Kasey told me I needed to tell Daddy so that night I told him. He still wasn't feeling great and when I told him he said his chest was starting to tighten. He'll be ok. Kids are growing up fast.

2/14 - Greg and I tried sleeping in some. Kasey was up making us a valentine book and card. By the time we got up and going it was a little late for breakfast. Landon came home around 9:30 and by the time we got ready it was time for lunch. We ended up going to Uncle Julios and kids got lunch but Greg and I got brunch items. We spent time working on Landon's Alamo project (including some tears, some frustration, and later some reasoning). Kasey and I watched some of Grease while the boys went to football and soccer practice. Then some more Alamo. Greg started feeling sick and ended up getting sick most of the evening. We assume food poisoning. We spent more time on Landon's project and he got to play some of his new Lego Avengers game while paint was drying and Kasey had already gone to bed.

2/13 - We got up and had cookie booth sale for Daisy Scouts. The girls did well and sole 91 boxes of cookies. Got to hear from Grammy to say hi on her birthday. After cookie sale we went to Elke's for lunch. It was Elke's birthday so her special was a chicken schnitzel sandwich. All 4 of us got it and it was really good. After lunch we came home to work on Landon's Alamo project. We cut out a lot of cardboard for walls, then got paint for the walls and ground.

Then we went to Landon's basketball game. The boys won, but it was a tough game. Fun to watch. After the game Landon went home with Colin to spend the night. We took Kasey out to dinner. Things close to home were pretty full and long waits. We headed to Pan Vino. We ate on the patio even though it was a bit chilly outside. We had a good dinner and got to spend some time with just Kasey.

2/12 - Greg and I decided to celebrate Valentines a little early. We decided to go have some Surf and Turf at Del Friscos. We decided to Uber there. We were a few minutes late, but when we got there they sat us at the same table we got engaged at. We joked that when they move to their new location that we wanted to buy the table. We had a good meal, good wine and some laughs. We finished up getting an after dinner drink and going to sit at the piano. We enjoyed some music. He played some Pink Floyd for Greg and we enjoyed the music. We took Uber home. Fun Valentine's night

2/7 - Greg and I tried to sleep in even though the kids were up at 7. We let them play some Xbox and watch 1 short show while eating breakfast. Then we had to get busy. Landon had school projects, we had to clean for housekeepers, and at least the adults needed a shower. We got through piano practice and school projects in time to head to lunch. We decided on burgers. The kids colored their own burgers while we waited. After that Landon and Greg had to pass out food for scouts flyers, go to football and soccer practice. Kasey and i cleaned up, finished her valentines, went to Target to get teacher valentines. We also picked up Pappa Murphy's pizza with Pepperoni in the shape of a football. We came home cleaned up some more. The boys got home. Kasey and I went to get some more cookies and deliver them.

Kids got showers, I did newsletter, Greg cooked pizza and then we were ready for for Super Bowl 50. Somehow we were all on our electroinics during the game, but it was still fun. Patch was even watching with us. It was nice to chill out after a long weekend.

2/6 - What a day! We got up and got ready and headed out to the Girl Scout Pinewood Derby. We left a little early so we went to our favorite donut shop to get some hot chocolate and tea. Then we headed to check Kasey in. 4 girls from my troop were competing. For girl scout pinewood derby they have wooden track that they borrow from a cub scout pack (happens to be from pack that my friend from work is in). The way they run is 2 cars at time. They have a sensor that determines the winner, then 2 dads are at the end and mark who was the winner and who was the loser. A car has to lose 3 times to be disqualified. Kasey lost 1 race and then won several others. She ended up winning the Daisy category in first place. One of my other girls Laney got 3rd place in Daisies. That meant that both of them would be in the final competition from all ages. We stayed around. Kasey and a few of the other kids got to hang out with one of the older girls which helped move the time. It was a little while. Greg had to take Landon to basketball game and left him with Grandparents. He decided to come back to see the final competition. It was first, 2nd and 3rd for Daisies, Brownies, Juniors and older girls. They started competition. Kasey lost her first race, and we figured that some of the cars might be faster. They didn't have times so we didn't really know. After Kasey's first race one of her wheels also came off. We just put it back on. Then after that she didn't lose a race and ended up winning the whole girl scout pinewood derby. Go Kasey. She was so excited and smiling from ear to ear. Greg got to see her win then had to run to get to setup of cubscout pinewood derby.

After pictures we had to head out. It was 1/2 time of Landons basketball game and they were winning. Kasey was so excited and told the Grandparents that she won it all. It was fun to watch basketball game. The boys were winning and having fun playing. I think Landon played a good game and got to play a few different positions. Go Warhawks.

After basketball Pops took Landon to Cub Scout pinewood derby and Kasey and I went to get lunch for all 4 of us. At cub scout pinewood derby it's a whole different world. They have a metal track. They also have sensors that determine first, second and 3rd and record time to at least hundredth of a second. Winning is really based on time. Cub Scouts has a great group of parents helping. The races were fun. The races were very close - some withing hundredths of seconds. Landon got 3rd place in all Weeblos (I and II) and then he got 3rd place for overall pack. It was really close. At the end Landon and Mike figured out that they were 2nd and 3rd place they hugged each other and jumped up and down. It was cute! Landon has decided that next year his goal is to beat Mike :) The first place guy will be gone next year and Landon has gotten 3rd place overall for 2 years now :)

After all that we came home, practiced piano, Kasey had bit of melt down for being tired. We chilled out a bit. Doug came over to pick up Greg, and we watched the end of the A&M basketball game - they lost. Greg and Doug went to Stars game (they lost too). The kids and I went to dinner with Grammy and Gramps to celebrate their 50th anniversary. We went to BJs which is a hit. We had good drinks, good food, and fun time hanging out together. We always enjoy family time.

Definitely a good day, but was nice to get the kids to bed and relax with a glass of wine.

2/5 - I really needed to leave work early. Somehow I ended up talking to a few people on the way out and was almost late. Greg dropped Landon off with his soccer coach then headed to the school to set up and run Cub Scout pinewood derby. I took Kasey to where her pinewood derby was to weigh her car on their scale and try it out. We started out at the wrong church, but ended up in the right place. We ran Kasey's car next to one of her daisy friends and hers won. From there on out, she was pretty excited. Then Kasey and I drove to Landon's soccer game. Love the FC Knights and the families. The kids won and had a good time doing it. They got a good picture of the team. This is their last game of the season and we aren't sure we'll be able to play again as a team.

After the game we went straight to Norton so Landon and several other team members could check their cars in for Cub Scout pinewood derby.

2/1 - Kasey woke up and made me a little note that said Happy First Day of February and Happy Valentines. The back said Be my Valentine Love Kasey. So sweet.

January 2016

1/31 - We slept in some. By the time we got up for showers etc it was about time for lunch. Somehow while resting kids got breakfast, practiced piano and read for the day.

We went to Freebirds watching some girls set up a cookie booth.

After lunch we worked on painting pinewood derby cars. Then the boys went to soccer and football practice. Kasey and I went to see my friend Marisa and her new baby Aubrey and family. Aubrey is about the size Kasey was when she was born. So little and sweet.

1/30 - We tried to sleep in some, but didn't work very well. The car dealership called at 7:30 to tell us the 4runner was ready. We got up, got ready, took Nanny's car back to Grandma and Pops, then went to get 4runner. The kids and I went to drop off cookies and went to Walgreens for a few things. We all went to lunch. After lunch I was crunching number for girl scout cookies, Greg and Landon went to practice football and Kasey was playing with her toys. Then we got ready for basketball. Landon's team had a tough game and loss, but overall I felt Landon played stronger than he had been.

Landon got to go home with Colin for dinner and some boy time. Kasey and I got to have dinner at Zorbas with Tracy and Elisabeth and then we went to Pacuigo. It was fun, but a little different without some wine. The girls had a good time at Pacuigo drawing on napkins and making a fort with kids tables and chairs.

Greg, Dave and Doug went out for boys night. They tried a new place called Knife.

1/29 - Landon had a soccer game. I barely got home in time to go with them to the game, but I made it. FC Knights won the game. It's fun, but wish we could have dinner with friends on a Friday night. Soon.

1/24 - Greg and I got to sleep in some. Went to get the kids. At my parents house we had some fun playing with Alexa (my parents Echo). Pretty cool. Then we went to get Kasey at Grandma and pops. Kasey had gone to church to sell and distribute girl scout cookies.

We got some lunch and got ready for pinewood derby workshop. We went to lucy's house to work on Kasey's car. Landon got to do some with power sander. Kasey got to help Greg use dremel tool, scroll saw, and hammer nails

At the end we took Landon to football practice, then Kasey and I rode bike/walked to practice with Patch. After practice we let Patch run in practice area - she was going crazy.

1/23 - Greg had all day scout university. He had to get up about 6 and left about 7. He left his wallet so came back for me to meet him at the front door. Of course the dog went crazy barking even though it was just Greg. Needless to say that woke up both kiddos. We all got up. I got showered as the kids played piano and got ready. There was some issue with my plan to go to starbucks for breakfast. Landon didn't want to go, then he didn't want breakfast, then he didn't want to get dressed. We discussed/argued until he got dressed and we went to get simple drink (hot chocolate for kids) and small breakfast. We got home to eat let the kids watch a show. We got ready for Landon to head to cub scouts and Kasey and I ran a few errands. Then we came home. Kasey and I started to play a game til Landon got home. We all played together. Then we decided to head to lunch. After a bit of argument we agreed on La Madeleine. We had a good lunch. In the morning the kids practiced piano, but they still needed to read. So they did. Then it was about time to get ready for soccer and packing for overnight at grandparents.

We left for basketball game with everything for overnight with grandparents. We got everything distributed. The kids went home with grandparents, I went shopping a little from Kohls, and Greg finished up university was mentioned.

We went out that evening to a friends 40th birthday party. It was fun to catch up with friends and be out with just adults. After the party a few of us went to have a drink at Mi Cocina - we had a nightcap and closed down the place.

1/22 - We had another Friday night soccer game. We had dinner at home, I got home from work and ate quick before we left. We were short a few people at the game. During the game, Sutton hit head to head with one of the boys from another team. They hit pretty hard. She was crying, but got right up ready to play. The other kid was down for a bit and walked off the field. Strong girl. She had a pretty good black eye the day after. Needless to say the kids won their game (love this team and families). It was Micah's birthday so his parents brought cupcakes for all the kids. One of 4th grad teachers Ms Wheeler also showed up to cheer on the team.

1/17 - of course kids didn't sleep in. I tried to :) We finally got up and showered so we could have lunch. After lunch Landon had a friend over. Kasey and I went selling some more girls scout cookies. Several people were home so that was good. Greg went to help with pinewood derby and kids and I hung out at the house. We ate dinner at home and just chilled.

1/16 - We tried sleeping in, but kids didn't sleep in to much. We got up and Kasey and I got started selling girl scout cookies in the neighborhood. Most people weren't home, but we still sold several. We came home so we could go to Elke's for lunch. She was making yummy burger special so we all got it. Kasey and I shared one. We went and did a little Kohls shopping to get Landon more sweatpants since he keeps tearing holes in them. After that we went to Grandma and Pops for a bit so Greg and Pops could shop for pinewood derby stuff. Landon worked on lego and Kasey played a game with Grandma while I tried to sort cookie money :)

Then we went home and I took kids to friends house. A family that used to live near us and played sports and scouts with us was visiting from Austin. The kids got to visit and so did the adults. It was fun to catch up some until we had to leave for basketball. The boys played hard and won the game. Go Warhawks. Of course the game started an hour late and we hadn't eaten yet. We settled on Spazo for family Italian dinner. Again we got kids to bed little late.

1/15 - I left the office in Shanghai at 3 to head to the airport. I couldn't get connected at the airport to tell anyone I was leaving, but I did. Almost 13 hour flight on the way back. I got to see a few good movies. I saw the Martian, Ricki and the Flash, Trainwreck, We are your Friends. When I got back a car service picked me up and took me to Landon's indoor soccer game. Our team played good and won. Fun game to watch. After the game most of the families from the team went to a burger wing place. We all ate and then they started karaoke. Landon and Kasey didn't, but several of the kids got up to sing. Landon and Kasey sang too, but from watching. At any rate, we all had a great time. Love the families from our neighborhood and school. Kids went to bed late, but it was fun.

1/11 - I was flying to China. We took the kids to school and Greg took me to the airport. Its almost a 16 hour flight to Shanghai, but its direct. I was on new plane so had lots of good movies I haven't seen, I got to see the Intern, Straight out of Compton, Magic Mike XXL and a few others. I even got some work done.

1/10 - We had a good day. We slept in some. Went to Bonnie Ruth for brunch which we always love. Then we went to do some shopping. Kids bought a few things with Christmas money and got Landon some football gloves. That afternoon the boys had flag football practice. Kasey and I walked/rode bike to the park. We played with patch on the blacktop. I had to fix bike chain for a boy out there. After I fixed it Kasey said, both of my parents are engineers - made me smile :)

Landon and I walked Patch back home. We hung out and ended up just eating left overs at home for dinner.

1/9 - Landon had a basketball game later in the day. Kasey was starving even before the game. We made it through. The boys played hard, but lost this one by a bit. After the game we went to dinner the 4 of us at Cotton Patch Cafe. We had a few laughs and all split chicken fried steak and grilled chicken with sides. It was yummy. We spurged and got chocolate cake for dessert - yum!

1/8 - Landon had a Friday night indoor soccer game. FC Nights won 4 to 0. It got a little rough at times, but kids played hard and had fun. After the game, Landon and I went to dinner at Roman Cocina for dinner. We waited for a while, but had a good dinner and enjoyed it. We had to wait a while and the kids were tired, but it was nice :)

1/4 - We had a busy day. We woke up and Landon and I decided to go see Star Wars: The Force Awakens in IMAX 3D. It was really cool of course. We came home and went to lunch. Then Kasey and I had girl scout meeting with her troop - we practiced selling cookies :) The boys were at basketball. After that we finally went bowling. The kids had been asking all break. We went to Splitsville, bowled a few games and had some dinner. Good times to end holiday vacation!

1/2 - The dog woke me up about 5am. I wasn't sure I could go back to sleep, but then later woke up and it was 9am. Greg had made eggs with the kids. I had a meeting with my co-leader for Daisy scouts. We met at Startbucks and did good planning for the spring. Of course the family was texting for me to come home, but they didn't like that I smelled like Starbucks. Oh well. I picked them up and we went to lunch together. The kids wanted to go bowling, but Kasey didn't have socks on. So we came home and instructed her to always wear socks with closed shoes.

Greg and I spent some time looking at some vacation options for 2016 and the kids got bored. They did spend some time playing, but mainly complaining :). Then we did some bowling in the house and made some dinner. Kids picked okra which I roasted and celery for vegetables (neither of which Greg will eat). But they went well with Greg's chicken enchiladas.  

1/1 - We all slept in. Landon slept til 8:30, Kasey slept til 9:38 and they woke us up after that. We got up and showered and decided to go to lunch out. We watched some football in the afternoon, played some Clue and Greg and I enjoyed some wine. The kids went to play outside some and Greg made his chicken enchiladas since the kids asked him to. We had enchiladas, homemade guacamole, black eyed peas and baked okra. Good dinner and good start to the new year.

December 2015

12/31 - I had to get up in the morning and go to work for 1/2 day. I had to get my office ready to move and work on a few things without distractions. I met the kids and Greg for lunch. I ended up taking a nap in the afternoon. We were going to New Years Eve parties and taking the kids with us. As we were about to leave Kasey told Greg that I might kiss him at midnight. It was funny. We all went to neighborhood party for a while, then Greg went to McKinney to another friends. We enjoyed food, football, friends and few drinks. Greg came back around 11. The kids were around watching movies, playing games and hanging out. A little later the ladies started dancing which is always fun. Greg thought we were funny and for some reason the kids didn't want to dance with us. Close to midnight we got out hats, noise makers, leis. We gave the kids some sparkling cider and the adults got some champagne. We counted down to midnight and I got to kiss the kids and Greg. :) Fun to bring in the new year with the kids.

12/30 - We had a bit of a lazy morning. Kids were playing, Greg and I slept in. We had some crackers, sausage and cheese for lunch (thanks to aunt Mary). Kasey and I really liked the spicy honey mustard that went with it as well. After lunch Landon had a friend over who had been out of town for a while, and Greg was watching football in the bedroom. So Kasey and I headed to the salon. She got two color mani and pedi and I got a nice Pedicure. Kasey had gotten a present from aunt and uncle that was a silver necklace and it came with an oyster in a shell with an oyster inside. We had to crack open the oyster and get the pearl out. Then we put the pearl in necklace so she can wear it. Kind of cool.

12/29 - We got up early so we could get ready. Landon was going to have a play date for the morning and Kasey and I were going to see early showing of Star Wars: the Force Awakens. Greg was going to go with us, but of course we have 3 wine shipments coming today so he had to stay home. I loved the movie, Kasey thought it was to scary, but think she was over reacting. Kasey and I went to chick fil a for lunch just the two of us. When we got home Greg was able to shower, Landon came home, and then a few friends stopped by for play date with the kids.

That afternoon we had some of Greg's cousins come over to the house. They didn't have a car so Greg went to pick them up. Kasey had fun playing with her younger cousin Macey. They played with babydolls, chased Landon around and had a great time. Landon tried to stay out of the way. The adults chatted and enjoyed a bottle of wine. Then we planned a family dinner. There were 17 of us. They couldn't fit us in at Abuelos so we went to Paesanos for some Italian which is always good. It was a bit late for the kids, but we had a nice dinner. Its fun to get to see and catch up with family. We got the kids home and in bed even if a little late.

12/28 - We had to get up because the house keepers were coming. We had a few options for us to see Star Wars today - I was so excited. Kasey and I wore our Star War shirts, and Greg even wore his new darth vader shirt under his other shirt. So I decided Kasey and I wouldn't go to early show so we could go with Greg. Landon had a BDay party and we weren't sure we could make the time work, but a few moms at the party said they would take him home if we wanted to go. So Kasey, Greg and I went to lunch and were going to see it. Then we got a text that cousins were coming in town for lunch so plans changed. We picked up Landon and eventually and then headed to Nanny's to visit Greg's cousins. The kids had fun horsing around, squishing each other, and making each other laugh. To bad they don't get to see each other more.

On the way home we stopped off for an earlier dinner at Chuy's - YUM. Kids got showers and we got Kasey to bed. Landon, Greg and I started watching Indiana Jones and the Raiders of the Lost Arc - kind of weird watching moving that's not in hi def, but fun to watch all together.

12/27 - We decided to sleep in again some, got up late, went to lunch then headed back home for more cleaning out :). We finished cleaning out the playroom upstairs. The kids organized the play kitchen and food. We cleaned out 2 shelves of Landon's Legos. We had boxes and boxes of recycle that we had to put in back of the 4runner. We also had several bags of toys to donate. It's not done but we made some good progress. I can see the floor under most of the pool table, we've seen the floors in both kids closets. It rained all day long and was getting cooler.

12/26 - The day after Christmas was a bit crazy in Texas. We slept in some, wore shorts and tshirts, went to lunch and then I was on a mission to start cleaning up the house. I started with Kasey in her closet and room, we made room for her new Callico Critters and reorganized all of her stuffed animales, and cleaned out some of the playroom upstairs. We also started organizing some of Landon's Legos (which is a big project) and cleaned out his closet and desk. By dinner time we really just had a bigger mess but I was determined to make some progress. About this time there were some severe weather storms coming through the area. We had a tornado warning. Kasey was sitting beside the toilet in the 1/2 bath scared, I was sitting on the toilet seat and Landon was on my lap. Greg was sitting in the hallway with the dog and ipad. It wasn't to long when it passed. We all sat down to eat some dinner. We had some yummy leftovers. Not long after dinner we had another tornado warning. This time Landon had bing bag chairs and both kiddos were doing note trainers on their ipads. We were watching the weather and waiting it out. Luckily nothing major happened in Allen. Unfortunately that night there were multiple tornadoes and quite a bit of destruction in Garland and Rowlett.

12/25 - We had a bit of a rough night. Kasey came down about midnight not feeling well. I got ready for bed and went to sleep with Kasey in case she got sick. Well she did. She got sick multiple times during the night. Poor thing. Needless to say I didn't sleep much. Then at 7:41 she woke me up and said we should go see what Santa had brought like nothing had happened. We went downstairs and Landon and Kasey were excited about what Santa had brought. Landon had been up but hadn't come to wake any of us up. The kids started opening Santa gifts and playing with them while I went to rest for a bit. Greg got up a bit later and made some breakfast. We all had breakfast together as the kids played with their toys from Santa. Then we all opened presents at home. What a mess the kids made but they enjoyed it. Patch even got a huge candy cane bone.

We slowly got showers and got ready for the day. Then we headed to Richardson to celebrate Christmas with Greg's family. We had great lunch with ham, turkey and all the fixings. Kasey had helped to make apple and pecan pies. She even put a K in the top of the apple pie. After that we opened presents as a family. Landon got some Legos he really wanted, cool Star Wars shirt, indoor basketball and FIFA 2016. He was excited. Kasey got a few of the Calico Critter sets. She was really excited, opened them all and played with them for a while. She also got some fun gifts to make jewelry and a bunk bed for her baby dolls.

We came home to clean up the mess some. The kids played a little and we decided we wanted to go out to dinner. Not the best idea on Christmas. We ended up going to Durkins which is one of our favorite pizza places. We ate dinner and headed home for the night. We got Kasey to bed then Landon and I played Disney infinity until it was time for him to go to bed.

We had a very blessed Christmas. I continue to feel that way as it seems many friends and family around us have lost someone close to them recently and I'm sure that's difficult on those families.

12/24 - Started off the day with a text from Landon that he missed us and couldn’t wait to see us.  Can’t wait to get home and celebrate with the family.    We got up early and took 6:19am shuttle to the airport.  We got bags checked and through priority security in time to sit down for breakfast.  We enjoyed a mimosa and yummy breakfast.

Our flight was a bit bumpy but we survived. I was able to write the blog some from our trip, then I took a nap. Greg played candy crush at least while I was awake. We got in a little early. Greg went to get the car and I waited on luggage. We ended up done about the same time. We went to pick up Kasey and Patch and headed to Grammy's to celebrate Christmas.

Kasey came right to me hugged me big and said she really missed me. She's not feeling great and wanted to hang out all evening.

We got to Grammy's and had nachos and margaritas. Then we got to open presents. The kids really enjoyed what they got. Landon got BB8, some Legos he wanted, a new book in a series he's read and a few smaller things. Kasey got a few fun things for Callico Critters, a purple unicorn she calls rainbow, and a few other things. She was excited but wanted to lay with her tiger under her frozen blanket.

Grammy and I got to give each other earings which is always fun. We also made calendars for each other which is always fun. We got Grammy and Gramps some new mugs with pictures from our Disney Trip and a blanket with pictures of kids from young til now. I also got a nice gift certificate to Salon which I love. We had a great Christmas.

After that Grammy and I finished getting tacos ready so we could eat. We all love Grammy's tacos and its our Christmas Eve tradition. Then we had some yummy dessert Grammy made apple strudel and had a yummy pumpkin strudel pie.

12/23 - We had to get up packed and check out when we left.  We had another yummy breakfast, packed the car with all of our wine and suitcases, and headed to Miner.  We had done a tasting once before at Miner.  This time we did a tour and tasting.  We basically had a private tour.   Miner wines are good, but they grow very little of their grapes on their property mainly because they legally can’t (mountain is to steep).    They get grapes from neighbor and other regions for different varietals.   We enjoyed the tasting and tour.  We ended up getting 4 bottles to make our total to ship 1 ½ cases.   We also joined the Miner wine club getting 4 bottles 3 x a year.  We are thinking of reducing or dropping one of our other wine clubs :)

Today was also the first beautiful day since we’d been there.  We did our tasting on the patio and enjoyed the sun and nice weather.

After that we went to Buffalo shipping to send our wine to our house.    We still had chicken from Ad Hoc and peach preserves from Frog’s Leap and breadsticks.   We sat at a park and had that for lunch.   Then we headed to our last appointment - we had decided to do Tapas pairing with Artesa wines (recommended by a friend). 

This winery is Spanish owned by people that have very large wineries in Spain.  They make a few different varietals that most others don’t.  We enjoyed the tasting with a Taiwanese family.  The dad told us that when he started speaking English well that he’s had enough or to much to drink :)   We decided to get a few bottle of their Tempornillo wine because it was different.    Before we left we tried a few of their cabs and sat on the patio enjoying the weather and wine.

After that we headed back to San Francisco.  There was some traffic, and I fell asleep for a while.   We got to town, got gas, checked into our hotel, then went to return the rental car.  After that we walked around trying to find the best spot to get Uber to take us downtown.    We ended up traming to the international terminal for pickup.   Uber took us to Schroeders.  Its a cool German place co-owned by one of my high school friends.  Greg had never been there.  We enjoyed a few beers and some yummy Jager Schnitzle.   After dinner we Ubered back.  The driver was from Poland.  He knew more than Greg about MLS and talked about it the whole way back.  He even tried to drop us at the airport instead of the hotel.  Funny though he really likes FC Dallas, watches almost every MLS game, and even is thinking about moving to Texas.

We tried to stay up for a while but we were just tired and he had to get up early.   We went to bed before 10 which is crazy, but we have sort of been staying on Dallas time (at least where bedtime is concerned).

12/22 - We got up about the same time, yummy breakfast and headed out for the day.  We started at a bar tasting at Del Dotto.  One that we’ve been to multiple times and enjoyed every time.    We didn’t do cave tour like we have in the past because we didn’t want quite that much wine.  They did let us taste a few extra things though like a Cab from Spring Mountain that we had bought before and Cave blend.    We weren’t able to stick to our 2 bottle plan here.  We bought a few bottles of various wines and look forward to enjoying them.

After that we headed to another favorite Frank Family Winery.   We found this winery based on recommendation at bed and breakfast the first time we went to Napa.  We did reserve tasting.  The gentleman doing the tasting (Liam) was very dynamic and fun.  We were tasting with another couple celebrating their 20th anniversary. They had 4 kids and a driver that day, but this was their first time in Napa.   We talked about how on our Anniversary that we had a 2003 Winston Hill which was really nice.   We bought a few bottles and headed to favorite lunch spot Taylors Refresher.  It’s a really good burger place that’s just outdoor seating.  Luckily it was dry enough.

We had some time before our appointment and so we did a little shopping in St Helena.   Then we headed up to Spring Mountain.  We had decided for our anniversary to treat ourselves to an Ellivette tasting - this is the top wine at Spring Mountain Winery and one of our favorites.   We got to see the caves some, then have tasting in the big dining room of the house.   We got to taste 2001, 2004, 2005, 2009 and 2012 Ellivettes.  There were 2 other guys there tasting one was a wine club member as well.   We had planned on buying more wine there as well because it gave us free tasting (which wasn’t cheap).   We got some more Ellevettes, Cabs and Syrah as well.

After that we headed back to shop at the Bottega area for a bit.  Then we headed back to face time with the kids before heading to dinner.  Always fun to see their smiling faces.  Landon has also been texting some which is fun.

That night at Bottega for dinner we had a 4 course fish dinner.  We both tried a few different things.  I had sushi served on a cold rock which was good, Greg had a salad, we both had small crab cake, Greg had lobster pasta and I had another small fish dish.  Then we both had salted Trout.  It was all really good and filling for sure.  

We then headed back to the room and watched episode 2 of star wars.

12/21 - After going to bed early and sleeping in some.  I woke up on my own 6 something and rested until close to the alarm at 7:50.  We got ready for the day and headed to breakfast.  We had yummy omlettes, spanish casserole, fruit and pastries.  Then we headed back to head our for our first tasting.  We started out at Frog’s Leap which was recommended by a few friends.  It was raining but still nice out.  They put us at a little table on the back patio.  The grounds were nice with barn, garden and some vinyards in site.    One of the differences with this winery is that they dont do irrigation.  Meaning that the vines have to go deep to find water especially in the drought they have been having the last few years.  She said the roots of their vines go about 25 feet vs around 8 of other that have irrigation.   We enjoyed a few of the wines. They had a Zin that we didn’t hate, and we ended up getting a few bottles of the petit Syrah.   We had decided we would get just a few bottles at each place and then ship them home all together at the end.   After Frog’s leap it was still raining and we headed to another winery also suggested by friends to Alpha Omega.  They had a bigger tasting room and it was pooring rain and windy outside.  We enjoyed some of their red wines and he even let us taste a few of their single vinyard and top wines.  We again got a few nice bottles and headed to lunch.   We ate at Travigne pizzeria where we shared a good pizza and salad.   Greg didn’t complain to much about the Gorganzola cheese (which he doesn’t like).   After lunch we had a tour and tasting at Chappelett - another new winery to us recommended by friends.   It was still raining so we didn’t get much of a tour other than the barrell room.  Cool history to the family starting out in that spot in the 50s, and starting to do something that others hadn’t done much.  They are know more for their cabs, but we tasted several varietals.  The tour and wine guide was really funny. She reminded us of Mrs Szeryk.  She had moved around many places and kept things lively.   The other people tasting with us were playing hooky from work to go tasting.    By the tasting room they had library of wines from back to 1970.    The building was also really cool with a staircase in the middle leading up to the office which was pretty high with skylights.    

After Chappelette we decided to do one more quick tasting at a favorite Silver Oak.  I’ve always loved Alexander Valley Silver oak.  We tasted a few, got our picture in front of the Christmas Tree made of lights and all Silver Oak wine bottles.  They had some library wines and 2007 were $5 more than what they were tasting so we got a few of those :)

Then we went back to hotel for a bit to talk to the kids.  We got to facetime and see them.  That night we had dinner reservations at  a place called Ad Hoc.  It’s Thomas Keller restaurant where the menu changes daily.  This was a bit of a risk since Greg is pickier, but we survived.  It started with an amazing salad that had rice, lettuce, squash (what Greg didn’t like).   Then we had buttermilk Fried chicken - yum, we had to take some with us.  Followed by cheese and foccasia bread.  We finished off with a blueberry tart with sour cream ice cream (Greg didn’t like the ice cream either).  Overall it was great experience.

We headed back to the hotel, lit a fire, watched part of Star Wars 2 and actually went to bed pretty early.

12/20 - We had to get up a little early to drop Landon off and head to the airport.  Greg and I were headed to Napa to celebrate our 15 year wedding anniversary.   The kids were spending 2 nights each at the Grandparents.   We dropped Landon off, had to Tell Grammy a few things we forgot and headed to the airport.   We had some Starbucks at the airport.

Grammy kept kids for a little while that morning.  Later Landon went to see the new Star Wars with Pops.  I haven't seen it yet, but glad he got to.  Hopefully he'll go see if again with me.

Once Greg and I got to San Francisco we drove up to Napa, checked into the Villagio in Yountville, and then headed to our first winery.  This trip we wanted to try a few new ones.  We started at Pine Ridge.  Which was pretty nice.   We liked a few of the wines.  Our goal was to get a couple bottles at each place and then combine them to ship home.  Next we went to Maisonrey in Yountville,  This place is really cool.  Its an art gallery and a wine tasting place for very small wineries.   They had a really cool sculpture for rock paper scissors that I loved.  Of course it was $4500 so Greg wouldn't get it for me.   :)  We tried a few different wines.  We liked a Syrah and I liked one of the Cabs.  Greg didn't like any of the cabs he tried. 

After that we went back to hotel for a bit before dinner.  We got to facetime with the kids.  That night we went to dinner at a new place to us called R&D Kitchen.  The food was pretty good.  We had deviled eggs (we didn't like as much as our families deviled eggs)   We shared some sushi and Filet with broccoli and mashed potatoes.  Dinner was good but the service was a bit weird.  They brought us eggs twice, brought our steaks with no silverware.   After dinner we went back lit a fire and went to bed early :)

12/19 - Landon had a soccer game.  We ended up with a tie game.  The kids played hard and were up 2 to 0 but the other team came back.  We were able to hold them and had several more shots on goal Kasey decided she wanted to stay with Grammy so she didn't have to get up early.  Grandma and Pops were nice enough to take Patch home.  That meant Landon got to spend the evening with us and not Kasey.  We went to Spazo for dinner which is always good.   And we got to hang out a bit too.

12/6 - We went to pick up the kids because we had to get ready for the Allen Parade.   We had lunch and then had to be there around 1pm.  Greg was helping to get Pack 708 situated - they were 8th in line.   We were with Girl Scouts service unit 108 - We didn't really know we needed to bring candy or anything else.  Some of the girls didn't really want to walk in the parade, but they survived.  Luckily and somehow we kept them all together.  We basically walked a large block plug some in our Santa hats and girls had on Daisy vests.   

Needless to say we were a little tired when we got home.  That's a lot to do in a weekend.

12/5 - Landon had an 8am basketball game - ugh.   We made it all together even.  The boys played hard but lost the game.  Landon got a basket, several rebounds and I think played pretty well.

After that we went home for a bit to shower and get ready.  We had an early lunch at Elkes.  Landon, Greg and I all got the special buffalo chicken wrap.  After lunch Kasey and I had ice skating with Santa event with the girl scouts.  They gave us some treats and reindeer food to put on our lawn on christmas eve to get them to come quicker.  Cute!  We went to get our ice skates on.  We ended up staying on the edge for a while then we had some pictures with Santa and then we started ice skating in the middle of the ice.  I didn't really get any pictures because I didn't trust carrying my phone around in case I fell.

Then we headed home from there to get the boys and head for indoor soccer.  They moved stands around so they are downstairs now.  The kids had a really good time playing.  They won and had a good time.  They were a bit tired after running all game, but came out smiling.  Go FC Knights!

The grandparents took the kids home afterwards because we had an adult party to go to.  We enjoyed some catered Babes, margaritas, wine and good company.   And of course there were some dessert pudding shots!  Yum   good times with fun friends.    The boys were mainly watching football and the ladies were talking and enjoying ourselves.

12/4  - started off one of the busiest weekends we've had in a long time.   I worked, kids had school, and then we had Kasey's friend Bday party at 4pm.  She had it at a paint and pottery place.  Kasey had picked to do animals.  So the girls got to pick an animal.  Kasey wanted a monkey, a few did dogs, cat, turtle.   Some of the girls wanted 1 or 2 colors and to make the animals close to real life.  I told them they could paint it anyway they wanted.  Kasey got 6 colors and made her monkey a bit crazy :)

The girls had fun painting.  Then we had a snack, some monkey cake, and seemed to finish up in record time.  So we improvised and played a few games.  We played iSpy then had the girls talk about themselves and tell us something new.

After Kasey's party we took Mattie Grace with us, Kristina dropped off Carter and Landon and we headed to the neighborhood party.  There was supposed to be a Taco food truck but it cancelled last minute so they got Pizza.  We enjoyed some good local beer, pizza, pretzels.  The kids got hot chocolate and got to take pictures in the photo booth.   they also got to see Santa.  Several 4th graders were there so we got their picture together with Santa.  The kids were telling him what they wanted.  Somehow several of the 4th graders wanted hooverboards.  We told Landon Santa doesn't have enough.  Santa asked Landon if he still believed and he said Yes.  Kasey told Santa that daddy touched Chip (our elf on the shelf).   It was fun.

The 4th graders - boys and girls - were walking around in a big group hanging out.  They went into the tennis courts for a little while.  I commented that it's probably ok right now, but in a couple years we won't want them going into dark tennis courts.   Wow they are growing up fast.  It's time to start discussing the birds and the bees with them - how time flies.  We all had a really good time.

12/3 - It was almost Kasey's friend bday party time.  We had decided that Greg and I would make a monkey cake.  Greg made the cake and icing and it took me about 4 hours after Landon went to bed to decorate it.   It was fun but a lot of work.  Kasey loved it though

12/1 - I officially got my promotion and started in new job as the WW Product Training manager for all of TI.  New role, great team, and I'm very excited about what next year brings.