CHRISTMAS CELEBRATION

Disclaimer: It was Colson's idea to lay on the ground like this so don't think I was trying to be a supermodel family.

In keeping with traditions, we celebrated Christmas Eve at my mom's. We attended our church service and then headed over to Hearthstone Assisted Living where my mom serves every Sunday and Christmas Eve. Calli and Colson usually help sing a few songs and then pass out Birthday Cake (for Jesus). Then we head over to my mom's for dinner and gift exchange. Colson's highlight was the bow that Grammie and Grandpa got him. Calli's hightlight was the Flip Video and it's been well broken in...she video's everything. Today she put a banana in the toilet, made up a song to it and videoed it....yes it's strange. And Hudson's highlight was having Calli and Colson help him open his gifts.

Christmas morning Calli climbed into our bed at 7:08 and I held her off until 7:44 when I told her she could wake up Colson, who was on the other side of me. Santa delivered some motorized scooters and a tetherball. Colson was really excited to get a DSI and a Ripstix and gosh darnit if he's not pretty good on that Ripstix. Calli opened up several things from us that excited her.

Around lunchtime we went over to Wes' parents where we opened up more gifts. Wes and I fit in a nap before we cracked open all the gifts to test them out. Boy did I need it.

Yes Colson is crying in this picture and I don't remember why which means it wasn't anything significant.

We are headed to Breckenridge tomorrow for a few days of bitter cold and snow. I hope to blog throughout the trip while everything is fresh on my mind but I'm thinking we won't have internet access. You can be sure we'll have access to fun though!

TRADITIONS

The Christmas season always sparks conversations about different traditions families have. I think we have lots of little ones that are insignificant in my eyes but that may mean something to my kids someday. Things like we eat Bubble Bread every Christmas morning, we put our tree up the weekend after Thanksgiving, and I always buy them coordinating pj's every year seem like a habit more than a tradition but I'll go with whatever.

There are a few things that I have been intentional about doing year after year.

1. My kids pick out an ornament every year. I try to steer them towards something that signifies the year. Like the year Calli was really into Veggie Tales, she got a Veggie Tale ornament. This year Calli chose a Nutcracker ornament and Colson chose a baseball player. He wasn't caucasion so you can't say that it totally represents him but the sport of baseball certainly does.

2. I buy Calli a Christmas snowglobe and Colson an animated Christmas toy. And can I just say I love giving Calli presents. She gets so excited and is so grateful. Calli opened her snowglobe this year and thought it was the coolest thing! It was a Nutcracker snowglobe. She immediately turned the dial to let it play music and did the dance from her musical to it. Colson on the other hand opened his and exclaimed "Really? You really got me this?" I don't think he knows how to accept a gift and tries to act really cool. Of course later after he pushed the button and saw it dance and twirl around he thought it was cool.

3. This one we just started about 3 years ago. I wrap 24 Christmas books up and each night the kids pick out a book and we read it. Each year I buy them a new very nice Christmas book and they open that one on Christmas Eve along with the actual Christmas story from the Bible. The new books help weed out those Christmas books in our stash that aren't as nice (you know like Clifford's first Christmas).

Those are the 3 things that I think are worth writing about and ones my kids ask about every year.

SANTA'S WONDERLAND

I realize Christmas has come and gone but I didn't get a chance to highlight some of the other important events that went on before Christmas. On Christmas Eve Eve (as Calli termed it) Calli, Hudson, Stina and I ventured to College Station to marvel at the 2.5 MILLION Christmas lights (give or take a few) in Santa's Wonderland. It's a drive through Christmas light show with different scenes and displays of lights over a mile long. There is also Santa's Town with live music, campfires, food, stores, petting zoo, pony rides and Santa himself. This place is becoming more and more well known and they've added on a lot since the first time we went. It opens at 6 pm and I told Christina we needed to get there early so we wouldn't have to wait in a long line to start the tour. I didn't think that would bode well with a 2 1/2 year old. So we got there about 6:20 and Christina and I both looked at each other in disbelief and couldn't help but laugh when we saw the line. 200+ cars (I made Calli count as we drove by them).

With little convincing, I talked Christina into just going to Santa's Town and luckily for us Calli was totally cool with that and Hudson didn't know any better. So we spent the evening listening to some music around a campfire, feeding the animals it the petting zoo (which Hudson wanted NOTHING to do with) and roasting our own hot dogs and smores. Hudson wasn't too into the hot dogs but slurped up the smores.

As we left we even had a few seconds of snow fall on us (fake of course...we live in Texas). Colson didn't join us because he wanted to get in one more hunt with Wes before the season ends. I'm kinda glad because I'm fairly certain he would have been uncooperative in the "let's skip the drive through lights and just go to Santa's town" plan.

CHRISTMAS WITH THE CRAZIES

Last weekend we gathered all my extended kin folk together at my aunt’s house for our Christmas. We used to do this on Christmas day but with so many of us and we kept having kids…it got difficult. I much prefer the before Christmas celebration. It elongates the festivities! My three cousins and their families, along with my aunt and uncle and all of my family enjoy some good food, laughs and hunting story exchanges if you have testosterone in your system. The kids enjoy some hide and seek and some act wild and crazy time together.

  

The kids all exchange real gifts and then all of us do a white elephant exchange. We’ve gotten better over the years with our gifts. My cousins wife Jenna has started a tradition (2 years running) of bringing animals. I hope I remember next year to notice which gifts come in with her and NOT pick them. Last year we won 3 beta fish. This year she really outdid herself. She brought a mouse. And guess who just had to have it? CALLI! She stole it from sweet little Georgia who willingly gave it up only after Harris said he would go buy her another one. Who thinks that was ever executed? Not me!

Kids from left to right: Georgia (Harris's) holding Charlie (Mark's), Bailey (Harris's), Layne (Mark's), Calli and Colson...not sure where Hudson was.

After a few hours she tried to give it back to Georgia because she realized that it’s chances of staying alive at our house were slim. Remember the hamsters? Harris wouldn’t take it and Mark wouldn’t take it for Layne so we still ended up with it.

Colson ended up with one of the gifts we brought (that he didn't know about). The Santa Snuggie! We fit 4 of Santa's elves in it!

Calli, Georgie, Bailey and Colson

Except for the additional passenger (the mouse) that came home with us, we had a great time. And Colson is ready for Saturday!

I HOPE THIS IS COLSON'S FIRST AND LAST RUN IN WITH THE LAW!

So tell me what about this gun makes it look real. Is it the star embedded in the faux wooden handle? Or maybe it's the speckled painted barrel. Or maybe you are smarter than most Chuck E Cheese workers and recognize that in fact it is NOT a real gun. I'm hoping on the latter.

Colson got this cap gun the other day out with his Grandpa Schubert. It was actually a hunt for one because Grandpa Schubert says that every little boy needs a cap gun. So they called around found one at Tractor Supply went and made the big purchase and made this 7 year olds day! He thought it was the coolest thing. He was so excited to shoot it at daddy and scare him. "He's gonna be scared." He told me. "I'm talking about REALLY scared".

Fast forward a couple of days and Colson is still taking his gun everywhere to show new people he encounters. My mom took Calli, Colson and Hudson to Chuck E Cheese's yesterday because she is that crazy...just kidding...she wanted an afternoon of fun! As the kids are playing she hears "Barbara Murdock, please come to the check in counter". She wonders why someone is calling her by her real name and for that split second thought 'maybe I lost a kid...nope they are all here'.

She proceeds to the check in counter only to find out that an employee had walked by my mom's car, saw Colson's FAKE gun in the front seat and thought it was real. So Colson and my mom had to go outside to talk to the 4 police cars that were surrounding her car. Of course Colson is crying because he thought he was going to be arrested and the policemen felt bad. They kept telling him "It's ok buddy. You aren't in trouble. You only get in trouble if you do something bad and you didn't do anything bad." I told my mom he probably started crying harder as he was recalling all the bad he had done in his mind and really thinking he may go to jail. And how did they find out the gun was FAKE? They broke into my mom's car...well they jimmied the lock. I would have thought that they would have come and gotten her to say can you please open your door so we can look at your gun. At which time she would have said it's fake you idiots. Hmmm I just realized something. Not only did the Chuck E Cheese worker think it was real but 4 expert policemen must have thought it too to break into her car.

So now Colson's Christmas story when he goes back to school will be "I got the cops called on me". He's already saying it now!

A NEEDED BREAK

No homework for 2 weeks. No mandatory early mornings for 2 weeks. No after school activities for 2 weeks. No lunch packing for 2 weeks. One happy mother for 2 weeks. There was much celebration on the last day of school and guess what? I didn't have to pry my kids off of their nice cozy pillows because it was PARTY DAY! Colson played a little Christmas Bingo and a few guessing games.

Calli's class was just crazy and of course both classes had pizzza and junk!

 Calli's friend, Lauren, who moved here from North Carolina this year.

So the kids are excited and enjoying the play time. Calli kicked her vacation of Friday night with a lock in at the gym with her team and a sleep over Christmas Tea at Kenzi's on Sunday night. Her social calendar is always full and I do say "no" sometimes. Colson was so excited to have Karson spend the night with him on Friday night only Karson didn't make it through the night. He was very disappointed when he woke up the next day to find that Karson had went home. In all fairness to him, his mom had had surgery and he really hadn't seen her all week. He missed her.

Let the festivities begin (or continue)!

CLARA

So last night Calli transformed into Clara...I knew she had a split personality....to lead her grade in the 5th grade musical "The Nutcracker". It turns out that Calli was the singing Clara and another little girl was the dancing Clara. I'm really not sure why we had to buy this costume because she did no dancing in it. It seems to me that if they were both the same person at that moment, that they should have worn the same thing. Oh well this was just a public school musical I guess I can't expect too much. And in public school musicals you play multiple parts because Clara was also one of the Chinese dancers.

They all did great though and they were so excited (even the boys) to perform this! Listen to Calli's solo and notice how poised she is.

She even had a fan afterwards that followed her around and wanted her picture with her. 

The 4 muskateers....Calli, Lauren, Michaela and Kenzi

And Calli's biggest fan is Hudson....his Gotchie did good!

Lydia and Rachel came to see Calli's star performance which made Calli feel very special!

And Grammie brought her flowers which made her feel like a movie star.

CATCH UP

So I realize that I've been MIA for a little while but I am still alive. The IA (in action) is very real but the M (missing) is (unfortunately for you) not so real. This time of year is always busy. When I sit down at this lovely laptop and I'm not doing work I have been trying to get my Christmas card wrapped up and done. I usually have it (mostly) done before Thanksgiving and at Thanksgiving my aunt and cousins all come down for some family time and my aunt, who lucky for us, is a photographer, takes family and kid pictures. This year they decided to do something else for Thanksgiving and therefore ruined my whole rhythm. Yes I'm blaming it all on them and they don't read this blog so they'll never know. Along with Christmas card deadlines we've also made several batches of Buffalo Balls. Calli and Colson had an argument in the car the other day because he said one of his friends tasted one at lunch the other day and wanted the recipe. Calli went into the spill that we can't give the recipe out because it's a family recipe and we want people to look forward to getting them and if they knew how to make them they would make them themselves and then they wouldn't look forward to getting them....my mom would have been so proud! Colson immediately scoffed at that theory and said he was going to give the recipe away. After much "discussion" where Calli kept pushing the "logic" on him he gave in and said he was just going to give the recipe to Jax, Lucy (our dogs) and Grandma. Calli was okay with him giving it to the dogs but she was still upset about Grandma getting it. I finally looked at her and said "Calli, he doesn't have the recipe to give out, it's ok".

I've also been tied up with school stuff...but that's not unusual I guess. We've made reindeer run shirts and then we had the reindeer run. Calli got 4th out of the girls which is a great accomplishment over previous years. She told me that morning that her goal was to get in the top 5 and she worked hard to do it. Colson got 29th....not sure what happened to him. I took Santa pictures one day at Turner and decorated for the 5th grade musical which is tonight.

Probably the biggest 2 events that have taken place over the last couple of weeks occurred over the weekend. We left for VEGAS last Thursday for 4 days and it was really great. I only lost $2...I only gambled $2 as well so I didn't have much success. We went for the National Finals Rodeo and there were several people in our group which made for a lot of fun. I wasn't sure how the weekend would go because I only knew 2 of the 15 or so people in the group but I loved everyone in the group so it made for a fun trip!

This was one of the guys, Martin (don't know his last name) that actually was with our group that had made the finals and was in the rodeo as a team roper. And not only that but he won the average for the 10 days so he was a stud. This was a cut out of him that was at the Mirage...thought it was cute!

And finally, last Tuesday night, Danielle Bacon lost her fight with Cancer. Man did she hang on. She had been in the hospital for about 4 weeks and was unresponsive for almost 3 of those weeks before God finally took her away. I was really disappointed that I couldn't be a the funeral and Calli couldn't even go because they had a cheer competition. Jennifer did take them to the viewing on Friday night and Calli called me as they were leaving. She was very somber but said she was ok. I told Calli the night she died that she probably got to heaven and did about 50 back handsprings in a row and without even breathing heavy replied "I've been waiting to do that for a long time". She's been so sick....but no longer!

So that's what's been going on in our world, I hope yours is going just as well. Only 9 more days until Christmas yet it doesn't feel like it to me. Maybe I'll get more in the mood this weekend....I don't have much longer!

DEAR SANTA

DEAR SANTA,
I have been good this year! So this is what I want for Christmas...
1. a flip video
2. nano hex bug
3. giant stuffed puppy
4. a motor razer scooter
5. style savy DSI game
6. a pottery wheel (with clay)
7. Something from Cake Boss
8. Selena Gomez CD
9. Those things that are a ripstix on the bottom and a scooter on the top
10. IPad

Sorry that this is so much stuff. But remember the reason we celebrate Christmas is because Jesus was born!
I love you Santa,
Calli Grace age 10


DEAR SANTA,
I would like a
1. reindeer bell
2. DSI
3. A new knife-a big knife
4. remote control helicopter
5. ripstix
6. motorcycle-little motorcycle
7. paper guitar
8. any toy-just one
The End

Oops I have more
9. new fishing rod
10. new gun
11. bike
12. yo-yo
13. balls
14. computer
I love you Santa Clause. Done
Love Colson

PRETTY IMPRESSIVE

What one thing comes to mind when you see this?

If you can't tell it's a hole and if you didn't think "Baby Jessica" then you are too young and why are you reading some old persons blog. But remember...I'M NOT OLD! Colson dug this and I'm not even sure if it took him a whole hour. I thought it was pretty impressive. He may have watched Madagascar one too many times and he's doing like the penguins did and digging is way out of this joint.

FAMILY, FUN, FOOD, FERTILITY, FIRE, FOOTBALL

Did everyone's long weekend go by as fast as ours did? It's one of those 4 days when I think I did a lot but I'm not really sure what I did. I wish I had gone Black Friday shopping and I didn't but oh well!

Our Thanksgiving this year was a little better on our wasteline because we didn't have two feasts within 4 hours like we normally do. My aunt, uncle and cousins usually come to our house for Thanksgiving dinner but this year they had someplace else to be. That meant we had a little more room at my house and the Schubert's didn't have any plans for people coming to theirs so they came to ours! Along with my parents and Christina's family. That's where the family, fun and food (we had enough for 4 more feasts) came in. Here's Colson with his very favorite doubled eggs (as he calls them) that Grandma Schubert makes.

And in keeping with the "let's announce we're going to have a baby at Thankgiving" theme, this little turkey had something to say

We'll have a new Spinella face to kiss on around July 2011. Don't you think the world needs another one of these? And had Calli not read the t-shirt 30 minutes after their arrival, we might have found out of their expectancy on facebook. When the kid comes running to you and jumps in your arms are you really going to say "wait let me read your shirt"? Calli asked her Grammie if she thought Hudson's shirt meant anything. My mom said "well what does it say?"  And that's when the secret was out! We are all very excited and in case you are wondering...this news falls under the "fertility" in my heading...sorry, I had to keep with the F's.

I usually describe most of my long weekends, holidays, feasts etc with uneventful. This one had a few seconds of crazy when my mom's napkin caught on fire as we all sat down to look at Black Friday ads. Calli went into pure panic mode and I went into one step abover that panic to the call 911 mode. I went straight for the kitchen fire extenguisher that I didn't know how to use. That turned out to be a good thing though because apparantly had I gotten it to work, we would have been evacuated from the smell and mess. It's probably a good thing I had this "dry run" because I have now read the directions and THINK I know how to use it. Also lucky for me we had a level headed male standing by who grabbed the napkin when he saw that my mom wasn't going to be able to control it and dumped it into a glass of water. I really did panic but it's because I've seen how fast a fire can get out of control. By the time you get to...oh my gosh what do I do...it's too late! So thank you Jason (Scott's brother) for being our fireman. Calli told me Monday that he was her hero! I don't have a picture of Jason but I have (yet another) really cute one of Hudson.

And of course the night ended perfectly with the Aggie win over Texas...WHOOP! Nice win Ags! Too bad my longhorn cousins weren't there with us this year. You think they had a preminition?

One of the traditions that I started in my family a few years ago is to sign this quilted blanket every year telling what you are thankful for. Whoever comes to eat at my house on Thankgiving, signs the quilt. Or they are supposed to...we just found out that this was the first year that my dad has signed it. And he only signed it because we all hovered over him until he did and my mom had the keys so he knew he wasn't going anywhere. Anyways, as soon as the news was announced about Christina being pregnant, Colson went over unknown to us and signed the quilt. Remember he spells phonetically.

 Well we survived another food filled Thanksgiving! Now off to Christmas! It's a crazy yet fun week for me as I'm jumping into the Christmas holiday with both feet celebrating!

AS TOLD BY COLSON SCHUBERT

Here is the story of Colson's first deer as told by him. Colson dictated the story to me and I typed just as he spoke it.

We went to the deer lease and saw one deer and it was too little to shoot. And then this other one comes out and then another and those two were the same size and they were both too little. And then one HUGE, HUGE doe comes out, that’s the one that I shot and this other HUGE doe came out too. And Daddy wanted me to shoot the one that I did shoot because the other one wasn’t far enough out yet. And then once it was facing forward the other one came out and Daddy wanted me to shoot it. And when I went to shoot it, it went into the woods. And then daddy told me to shoot the other one and I shot and it went diagonal through the shoulder, into the heart and through the gut. And then we got out of our stand and we went to go look for it and it was only 40 yards away . And then me and daddy saw it and we jumped up and down. And then we drug it back and once Daddy dragged it back he was going like this (heavy panting). We went to the camp and cut up the deer. It was bl-ud-dy!

I was so glad he got this doe because he had his chance on Friday. He shot one and they tracked it until they only had one flashlight left. Wes looked for it Saturday too and never found it. Colson pouted all weekend about it.

Today Colson and Calli went over and cut the meat up with Grandpa to make sausage. I think these pictures are funny with Calli and her gloves. Colson was thinking 'I don't need gloves! I want to get as dirty and slimy as I can'

And if Colson's deer wasn't enough excitement...Wes shot this monster this week too! This is the biggest buck he's ever shot and he was really, really, really, really excited (and I think I'm understating his excitement). This is a big deal in a hunters life!

DING DING DING!

Competition season is back in session. Fasten your seatbelts lets hope for a great year! Calli is now on level 3 Youth...Lieutenents. All that means is that noone on the team can do any higher tumbling skill than a tuck and they don't have as many limitations on the stunts. The higher up you go the crazier you can get with stunts but they restrict the younger levels for safety reasons.

Last weekend we had parents show where we all cram into a High School gym and watch all of the Woodlands Elite teams show their routines for the first time. The girls were excited and did well. Yesterday was our first competition and Woodlands Elite swept the whole thing. Every team got first place except one and that was apparently because their whole pyramid collapsed which gave them lots of points off. The crazy thing is that even though that happened they still got second out of three. In my eyes it wasn't even a competition because our teams looked like they were in another league. And maybe they did that on purpose to get the girls feet wet again and feel confident with their dominance.

Even if there were some good teams there our girls would have done really well against them. The Lieutenents rocked it! They got first place in their division (Youth level 3). They got grand champion in the entire level 3 division (youth, junior and senior teams) and they got best coreography of the whole competition.

Great job girls!

This was at the parents show last weekend where Colson was reunited with his pal Michaela from PDS. He didn't want to have anything to do with this picture and then after it was taken he couldn't stop talking about her. When was she performing? Where would she sit when she was done? Could he go sit with her? (No) Why couldn't he sit with her? Could he at least go sit with her mom? and on and on and on.

REMEMBERING 11/18/1999

THE PROOF IS IN THE PUDDING

I've told you how into his work Colson has been this year in the big first grade. Well, yesterday was the 2nd 6 weeks academic pep rally super heroes style! These things are packed with excitement and keep you at the edge of your seat. Ok not really but yesterday was an exciting day for our family. Because Colson got an award.....

The ACADEMIC AWARD for his excellence in his schoolwork in the classroom. He consistently makes good grades, works hard at his desk and stays focused. Pretty good for one of MY kids! Just kidding, I was always an excellent student!

And if that wasn't excitement enough....Calli also got an award.....

 The CITIZENSHIP AWARD for being....a good citizen? Maybe she voted? I've never really heard the definition of this award and of course I was talking when they said it at the pep rally but I know it's something good.

Colson was SOOOOOOOOOO proud! He slept with the medal and wore it to school today. On our ride home yesterday he told me all the reasons he thought he got the award. One of them was "when someone talks to me I just ignore them and I do my work. That sets a good example for everyone else right?" Calli responded with "when someone talks to me I say (whispering) What? What do you want. I just make sure I don't get caught." Calli is going to corrupt my very studious 1st grader. I need to have the "don't tell your brother all your bad habits" talk.....soon!