December 2019

Sun. 1st--This was Fast Sunday. Which has been really hard for JJ to do since turning 8 years old. Which is the biggest irony of all because the kid doesn't eat. (We have our 8-11 year old children fast breakfast and then when they go into Young Men/Women, they start fasting two meals.) He was whining and complaining about not having breakfast. I tried to persuade and comfort him. But after several minutes of him not being pacified, I told him that we weren't going to force him to fast. It was his decision. He went away and came back after a little while and we had a chat. I suggested that maybe Jake could give him a blessing of comfort and strength to help him make it through his morning fast. JJ liked that idea so that's what he did. And JJ made it the entire morning (through church and up until 12:30pm) without food or water. 

*The first day of our Christmas Chain had us setting up and decorating the Christmas tree. We never wanted an artificial tree, but just by having it these past two years, we have already felt it's worth in financial and practical ways.

The kids helping to fluff the tree.

Time for the ornaments. The kids all have a box with their own personal ornaments. I have two boxes and could fill the tree with them, so I leave mine tucked away. Cooper isn't pictured because he was napping during this activity.

Ta-da! Finished product that Karcyn helped Jared slide back into place.

Mon. 2nd--Day two of the Christmas Chain--delivering a tabletop tree and treats to our friend, Dayton and her little boy, Thomas. She wasn't home and right as we were taking a group picture to send as "proof" to her, a car pulled up in front of her house and just waited. We were parked in the driveway and assumed it was Dayton. We started to wave excitedly, when we realized it wasn't Dayton. Haha! But close enough--it was her mom bringing Thomas home. Dayton teaches at the middle school where Karcyn attends and she had a function that night. We told her mom we had left goodies and sent Dayton our selfie. She loved it!

Tues. 3rd--Our master bathroom and closet are the coldest places in the house or the hottest, depending on what's happening with the outside temperatures. So as it started getting (relatively) colder, I reminded Jared that it's a bit of a shock to sit on a cold toilet seat--which I have to do every time I use the bathroom. A couple weeks later, Jared said he got me a gift--a soft, blue toilet seat cover. I was a little skeptical at first, but I am now a believer! :) It's sooo warm!

After enjoying this new perk, for several days, I was struck with an inspired rhyme that I sent to Jared in the text below to express my gratitude for his thoughtful gift. Nothing says "love" after 22 1/2 years of marriage like a toilet seat cover does!

Every time I sit to pee or poo,
My thoughts turn to only you.
The cozy seat that's colored blue,
Is such a joy, when relieving, I do.

*It was Karcyn's day to have lunch with mom. And since Jake was home, I invited him along. We had Chick-fil-A and Karcyn had two friends who joined us at the table with their lunches. This was our selfie attempt.

One of Karcyn's friends was kind enough to offer to take our picture for us.

*Jared had a medical provider Christmas dinner scheduled that evening. We attended these dinners the first three years we were in Texas. But after realizing the first year that they spend time honoring doctors and nurses *only* (excluding PAs and NPs) and after I brought up the aforementioned observation to one of the head nuns casually the second year who happened to be sitting next to me at dinner, only to find out nothing had changed the third year, we decided to boycott. Sometimes even a really nice, free dinner is not worth your time to feel more unappreciated. But...this was Jared's fifth year with the hospital and since they *did* tell Jared just a week prior that they would move him out of Normangee and into the Bryan express care at the first of the year, Jared felt it might look bad if we didn't show up. Though, they would never know why. Technically, Jared would be receiving recognition for being an employee for five years. But this was also the night Jake was going to be reporting on his mission to Stake Council. The dinner was at 6pm, the meeting at church began at 8pm. Sadly, we had to leave before the verbal recognition was received, but oh well. Dinner was delicious.

The gathering was held at a hotel up by the university that I've never heard of. It's pretty prestigious, that's why. :) This display made up one of the walls in the lobby. It's the Texas flag, of course, but guess what it's made out of?

Books!! So dang cool!

We were really digging the bathrooms too. Anyone can go in, there isn't a men or women distinction because behind each door is a private toilet and sink/mirror. Kind of like an airplane lavatory, only bigger, cleaner, and classier. "Make Hay While the Sun Shines" was tiled on the bathroom floor. Only in Texas. :)

*Jake gave a great report at Stake Council. He had met us at church since we had driven over straight from dinner. When Jake's part was over, we left the meeting together and headed to our respective vehicles. We had just pulled into our driveway, when I got a call from Jake. The Mazda car battery was dead. He's just now figuring that out? What'd he been doing for the last 12 minutes? *sigh* Unfortunately, the stores where you can swap out batteries was closing soon. There wouldn't be enough time for a jump start. So Jared went to buy a battery and they came home and got it swapped out. (And now we have a dead car battery sitting in front of our garage...)

Wed. 4th--I didn't want to let another day go by without thanking Dr. Cheng (the CMO and Jared's supervising physician) who relayed Jared's points and concerns about working in Normangee to the head administrators.

And one for Mark, who is the head administrator. He and I actually met (again) and shook hands at the party the night before, but by the time I realized who he was, I had missed my chance to thank him in person.

Thurs. 5th--I was subbing at Consol High School. At 12:40, at the end of my lunch break, I got a call from JJ's school nurse. She told me that she saw JJ earlier for a headache. He didn't have a fever and it was close to lunch so she had him go try and eat. But he came back again saying he still had the headache. She said she's never even seen him before in her office so he's probably coming down with something. *sigh* I don't mind being with my sick kids, but it kills me how whenever I happen to get a sub job here or there, someone gets sick or hurt. I told the nurse I was subbing at the high school and asked if my college age son or mother-in-law could come get JJ. She said yes, and I started making phone calls. Jake had *just* left for an appointment. But Karole was happy and willing to pick him up for me even though she'd never done it before. They came back to our house and he crashed on the couch. Still no fever, but it was obvious, he was definitely under the weather.

Fri. 6th--Jared, Jake and I were going to attend the temple while the kids were at school. Unfortunately, JJ's fever popped up Friday morning. We gave him Motrin and Tylenol and just monitored him. JJ kept saying a prayer every time he was conscious enough to feel miserable. So I stayed home with JJ, but I got to go to the temple twice in November, so I'm glad the guys could still go together.

Sat. 7th--Best laid plans...we all kind of dispersed in several different directions. Calvin was working hard to attend the One Act Play Festival, starring as Hamlet to compete for UIL awards. But it got cancelled at his school because they couldn't get enough people to commit. Such a bummer! He would have rocked it. But the fact that he had his last Dungeons and Dragons gathering that morning, made up for it. It was our family's turn to clean the branch building again. But Jared needed to get JJ flu tested since he was still puny and feverish. Cooper had his end of the year bowling league party and Jake was taking Calvin to D&D. So that left me and Karcyn to drive to Caldwell and clean the building to get it ready for Sunday. Only took the two of us about 90 minutes. Not too shabby, but from start to finish, round-trip took 3 hours. I got her home just in time for her to shower and get ready for her piano Christmas Concert. JJ tested positive for flu B, so I stayed home with him while Jared took her to that. I think I got the better end of the deal. It wasn't a quick recital. There are 45+ students!!

*At Cooper's bowling party, he found out how he did at State that summer. He took 8th place in singles in his division! He earned $60 for that.

His league "Spare Parts" with his friend, Coleman, won first place for the fall semester. He earned $30 for that. And Cooper had the high series scratch score and he won $25 for that. $115 in scholarship money for doing what he loves. He's only been bowling for 15 months and is already around $500 in scholarships. Pretty dang awesome!

Sun. 8th--The Bryan College Station marathon was taking place that morning, so there were certain roads blocked which impacted the institute building up by campus. As a result, the Young Single Adult ward (YSA) where Jake attends wasn't meeting for church until 2pm, instead of 10am like usual. Which meant he could blessedly stay home with JJ and I could go to church with the family. I'm so grateful too because we had awesome high council talks and there were so many other people out sick...which can cause big blows to a branch with limited numbers to begin with.

*We watched the First Presidency Christmas Devotional later that night. I loved seeing our tree all lit up. We forgot to add the tree topper star, but we decided it still looked good even without it.

I caught JJ gazing up at the tree. 

The beautiful backdrop of the devotional at the Conference Center. We found my friend Will Lanier in the choir a few times. The kids love looking for him. It's a bit like "Where's Waldo?" He's changed locations between conferences.

Mon. 9th--We were blessed to sneak JJ in to the urgent care to get flu tested on Sat. And blessed to get a round of Tamiflu for him. But after the first two doses, which he said were "dee.skust.ing," he refused to take it. I had to bribe him with a pizza for lunch one day for him to take a dose. I get that it's nasty, but it's only 5 ml and it's only twice a day for five days. It could be worse. Like three times for ten days. And he kept bouncing between fevers, too. It was a brutal bug. He'd been battling this for four days. But remained too darn stubborn to do what would actually make him feel better. Okay, that's not entirely true. It would just help the virus to be eliminated. Calvin even tried a tactic where he took JJ his medicine and told him it was Gatorade. I can't believe it, but JJ actually fell for it. The next time we saw JJ downstairs, however, he was glaring daggers at Calvin for the trick. Haha! But there was one more dose in his system. (Yes!) Karcyn was really concerned for JJ and so she got a medicine cup and poured some milk in it (on the left) so that she could pretend she was taking some with JJ (his dose is on the right) cause you know, misery loves company. But he wouldn't do it and never did finish those meds. Just got two days worth. *sigh* 

*The forecast for Monday was high of 81 degrees F (83 was the record in 2007).  As such, the A/C clicked on. Just crazy! Especially since the forecast for the very next day was 46 degrees F as the high, 90% chance of rain and a wind chill of 30 degrees. Oi. 

*Jake had a follow up appointment in Austin with the sleep specialists. His nighttime med (Lunesta) was working well, but the daytime med (super modafinil) was still falling short. So they discussed a fairly new med on the market called Sunosi. They've had LOTS of patient success with it. They gave him samples to try it at 75 mg. for a few days and to see how it goes before doubling it to 150 mg. which he could do if he needed it. 

*Karcyn had her winter choir concert later that evening. All the boys except JJ and Jared came with me. Karcyn had actually started to have a pretty consistent cough right before we left for the school. Great. It's really hard to sing and cough at the same time. We spoke to her teacher before the concert. The last thing we wanted was for Karcyn to go into a coughing fit and ruin the concert. Mrs. Lewis told her to just step away and get some water and then come back when the song was done. So we had a plan. I also told Karcyn to pray that Heavenly Father would help her not to cough and get through her concert. She smiled and said she already did. 

As her performance got underway, there was no coughing. I felt like I was sitting on a ticking time bomb waiting for it to go off because once Karcyn's coughing started, it didn't stop. Her choir sang about seven songs, too. While there was a soft cough here and there in between songs, she didn't cough once during her performance. It was a true miracle! When we got home, she came to me for help with the zipper on the back of her concert dress and said that her head started hurting. No fever, but we had a good idea about what was coming. We didn't even wake her up the next morning.

Tues. 10th--Karcyn stayed home from school sick with a fever when she woke up. We didn't take her in to get tested. With one positive flu case, it was pretty much a no-brainer. Jared had Tamiflu called in for her. She has to take the liquid because she's not quite proficient at taking pills yet and these are not ones you can toss and keep practicing with like Motrin. JJ was still not 100% but he had been fever-free that day, at least. When I picked up Calvin from school that afternoon, he said his throat felt like there were daggers in it. Hmm. He usually gets strep throat twice a year. I was also developing a cough and headache so I started taking Tamiflu that we had on standby from our cruise two years ago. 

Wed. 11th--After six days of being sick, JJ finally went back to school, but Karcyn wasn't fever free for 24 hours, so she was home again. Calvin still wasn't feeling well when he woke up, but still didn't have a fever. I made an appointment for him at the doctor's office to get tested anyway. He was a bit of an anomaly because he didn't have a fever. Just a really bad sore throat. So it might be strep. It could just be the flu. It could also be both. Yikes. Obviously, it was important for us to get him tested for both, just to be sure. Interestingly enough, but not surprising, he tested negative for strep and positive for flu. 

If he still didn't present with a fever, it could be that he would only get a mild case of it with just the sore throat, but the NP said she would be surprised if he didn't spike a fever later that night. It only took running to the pharmacy to pick up his meds and another pharmacy for Jake's narcolepsy meds before it really hit him.

Thurs. 12th--I wasn't feeling so hot myself, but I didn't have a fever either. I crossed my fingers that the Tamiflu was keeping that part at bay. I had already committed to subbing at the high school for the same teacher on Thurs. and Friday. I was grateful that I was able to go despite the fact we had entertained influenza in our home for a week at that point. Karcyn and Calvin weren't going to be doing much but sleeping and maybe watching TV while I was gone and Jake was there to make sure JJ got home from the bus stop that afternoon. I saw Cooper earlier that day in the hall and later he asked for my credit card so he could get his hair cut after school. However, before school ended he felt miserable. His winter choir concert (as well as his last high school choir concert because he decided not to do choir next semester) was that night. But he didn't make it.

Friday, 13th--Jared, Jake and Karole left for Snyder, Texas for the weekend to see cousin Connor who had recently returned home from his mission. He and Cole were going to be leaving for BYU shortly after Christmas so this would be the only chance Jake and Karole would be able to see him. Jared was going because he had an informal interview with the hospital. The recruiter there has already tried getting Jared to come work for them when Jared's brother, Kevin, first started working there last year. But he graciously declined. However, back in November, Jared wasn't sure how long the hospital here in CS would string him along so he told the Snyder hospital he'd be in town on the 13th to meet with them. As it turns out, Jared didn't need to find another job (thankfully), but it's nice to know that could be an option.

*Karcyn was still not feeling 100%, but she was fever free, so she went back to school. Missing one day is hard enough. Miss two or more and you're toast. So it was just Cooper and Calvin at home together. I barely saw Calvin before I left to sub. But Jared called home from the road and checked in on Cooper around 9:30. He still wasn't up so he had Calvin go to his room to make sure he was still breathing. He was. He didn't get up until close to 11am. But that's okay. Rest is the best medicine.

*I got up from the teacher's desk at lunch and as I walked to the door, the shoe on my right foot felt funny. That's because the top part had disconnected from the heel part. I know they're trashed, but I was determined to make them last. So I got online and looked for some shoe glue. :) Shoes are SO hard for me to find. I don't know why, they just are and I hate it. I'd rather wear ratty, worn out shoes than go shopping for new ones. I'd rather have a root canal than go shopping for any clothes or shoes for myself.

*I came home with Karcyn after school and I was feeling pretty wiped. We decided to watch the animated Grinch movie together that came out last year. I had never seen it. What I did see was funny, but I could not stay awake for the whole thing and fell asleep in the chair around 7:30pm.

Sat. 14th--We were all just laying low and resting or watching TV and making sure we were taking Tamiflu twice a day and checking temperatures and recording them on the white board. I never got a fever but I felt like I had one. Chills, aches. Not much happened that day.

Sun. 15th--We obviously stayed home from church because Calvin wasn't fever free until noon. It was a harder day because JJ was feeling much better and didn't like that Calvin wasn't. So he was wired (with nothing to do) and Calvin was getting cabin fever too. It wasn't a very enjoyable day as people started getting on each other's nerves.

*We had previously committed to participating in Blessings in Bags--an opportunity to bag food for kids and families who don't have access to the free meals at school during break (which was one day short of three weeks in length). The service time would count for Karcyn's NJHS requirements, but most of all, we loved doing it last year for the first time. I was bummed Jared and Jake couldn't be there, but we went anyway, minus Cooper who still wasn't feeling well.

It was at a different facility this year and set up just a little bit differently, but JJ knew what to do. I think he got 15 bags done in 35 minutes.

Karcyn after taking her bag to quality control.

Karcyn with a thumb's up and Calvin stuffing his bag.

These bags were heavier this year and JJ handled the load well. I had to sneak pictures because he said he didn't want me doing that. He and Calvin somehow got the idea that this was a competition and that started some unwanted sibling rivalry. *sigh*

JJ didn't even make it five minutes in the car before he was out like trout. Still not 100%.

Mon. 16th--Everyone was back in school without fevers (finally!). Wowzers, that was crazy. Hopefully the kids would survive the last four days of the grading period having missed several days. We worried about Calvin the most, mainly because of an essay he missed writing in class and consequently had to complete for homework. And he loathes the physical task of writing.

*I had Jake weigh himself. Fully clothed with a jacket on, he weighs 122 lbs. He's lost 20 pounds since the beginning of May. That is no bueno. This mama has to help him gain weight. Which is difficult when we're trying to eat the opposite way. And without gluten. But I won't give up!

*Jared was looking at the guide on our TV later that night and the middle show "Holidays with the Houghs" jumped out at him. It's kind of weird seeing your uncommon last name on TV. :)

Wed. 18th--I was in the car with Karcyn, Calvin and JJ after school. That's when Calvin told me he had an imaginary girlfriend. "Oh?" I asked. "Yup. But don't worry, we won't do anything bad." While I appreciated his sentiments, I responded, "But why even have an imaginary girlfriend when you're not supposed to be in a relationship like that at your age?" Calvin commented, "She's just pretend." "Well, we're not supposed to be smoking cigarettes, either, but you don't see us pretend smoking do you?" Silence. Then Calvin said, "Okay, we'll break up." Haha! "That sounds like a good plan."

*Jake trying to teach JJ some Hungarian. It means "Merry Christmas!"

*It was the last youth activity of the year and right before Christmas. The young men and young women made these INCREDIBLE gingerbread houses and yards. This was Karcyn's.

This was Cooper's. I love the arch doorway. And the candy cane light pole.

Thurs. 19th--The kids only had a half day of school before being released for Christmas Break so we did our chain activity--making homemade ornaments. They were a different kind of Christmas tree from last year. We had fun and they did a great job!

*Jake had a second date with a young woman named Jennifer from the YSA ward. She's a convert to the church, 21 years old, and a junior at Texas A&M, studying elementary/special education. Jake didn't have any money so he planned a date inspired by a Christmas Chain activity of the past: "We love your lights!" We go around looking at other people's lights and when we find a house that wows us, we take them a card that thanks them for their great holiday cheer with a candy bar treat. Jake found some homemade Christmas cards that Karole had made, so he colored them and wrote his own messages inside. JJ got to help color them and did a great job while the rest of us watched "Christmas Break-in" on Netflix. Since Jake was making an effort to be a creative and frugal date planner, I picked up some candy bars for them to use, my treat.

The cards turned out really cute!

*This meme is definitely Jared--as the patient. But instead of pork, change it to turkey. :) We were gearing up to smoke our first brisket for the Branch Christmas Party on the 21st.

Fri. 20th--What could be better than cuddling up with a good book and popcorn? It's taken Calvin until this past summer (11 years) to find some books he's actually interested in. Now he's picking them up on his own and devouring them! He's even read books that Jake and Cooper are reading.

*Jared, Jake and Cooper went to go see the last STAR WARS movie that morning and when they got home, we did our Christmas Chain activity that afternoon: Altitude Jump Park, a family gift from the McCulloughs that they gave us a year ago. I've had good intentions to use it before then, but my stake calling and a last minute responsibility over Youth Conference between February and April kept me really busy. Then Jake came home a month later. I thought about using it while he was home, but then I worried about him getting hurt (like breaking something) and that potential injury interfering with any chance he would have at getting back out in the mission field. So I postponed using the gift certificate until Jake went back out on his mission. But since he went out and came home again before Thanksgiving, it just seemed fitting that it be a super activity on our Christmas Chain this year. We've gone once before and had a great time, playing and working out! It's actually the gift that keeps on giving, because you feel your muscles for days afterwards! :)

The BEFORE picture.

Cooper at the basketball court.

Jake giving it a try.

JJ at the dodgeball arena.

Jake swinging on the trapeze bar.

And flipping.

And tucking. Nice execution!

Cooper couldn't even flip. Haha! And he did a face plant the next time he tried.

Calvin jumping into a pit.

JJ making it up to a ledge.

Cooper joining him.

Jared jumping between trampolines.

JJ climbing up a side wall trampoline.

Jake flipping midair.

BATTLES: (winners are in bold)

Jake vs. Calvin

Cooper vs. Jared

Jake vs. Jared 

Foam pit vs. Jared

Jared vs. Karcyn

Jake vs. Cooper

Jake (aka Spider Man) could scale one side of the rock wall on the far left and fly around it to the end on the right in less than a minute's time. 

JJ and I were just happy to start at the bottom and make our way to the top before falling. JJ did a good job. I have a hard time on the footholds without shoes.

I got as high as I could go.

I did it twice, in fact, because no one was watching the first time! We gotta have photographic proof for posterity!

And then we had an epic game of Hough family dodge ball. With the seven of us, we were really close to having two even teams. There was another young couple in there so they joined us. Would you believe Karcyn was the last one standing!? Haha! I wish we could have filmed it. I wanted to watch and play. Haven't figured out how to do that yet, though.

This is Jared AFTER the dodge ball game. He wants to personally thank Wes for trying to kill him. :)

JJ is in the red shirt. He went back into the dodge ball arena with Cooper.

It's hard to see in this picture below, but there's a girl on the middle in a gray shirt and if you look closely, Cooper is on the right, ducking and covering his face. She was letting him have it and it was a beautiful sight!!

Cooper trying to dish it back out to her.

But failing miserably! She nailed him again!

JJ trying to help.

I don't know who this girl is, but I LIKE her!! ;)

Nailed him again!

Calvin and Jake shooting hoops by playing horse until our time ran out. Soooo much fun!!

Sat. 21st--Jared worked an extra shift from 8-4 at the Bryan Urgent Care that he'd soon be transferring to. He got up at 4am to start the brisket for the branch activity and I kept an eye on it for him since it finished a a couple hours before he got home. Cooper had to work until 6pm, but he drove out to Caldwell and met us there when he was done. The brisket was beautiful and super tasty! It was the first thing to go at the Branch Party.

We had the party at the Caldwell Civic Center just up the road from the branch building. It was bigger than our branch building, gave us access to a kitchen, and they provided tables and chairs. They also took stuff down and cleaned up for us. I loved these sweet and simple centerpieces that were on the dinner tables provided by members of the branch.

Cooper's dinner. We set some brisket aside for him to make sure he got some since he'd be coming later. To it, he added a big brownie and a roll. Sounds about right.

Jake excited over the jello treat that was in the colors of the Hungarian flag.

Karcyn played a Christmas song as part of the program (while Calvin held her music). Cooper sang a solo and Jake accompanied him (on that tiny keyboard when he needed a full blown piano, I don't know HOW he did it! and I turned pages, which is why we have no pictures). JJ told Christmas jokes and I read "Gerald Giraffe." There were a couple other people who shared talents, but it was mostly our family. We didn't mean for it to be that way, but everyone seemed to enjoy it! We're always proud when our kids share their talents.

Sun. 22nd--Before the Christmas party the day before, Karcyn spent six hours with my friend, Allison, sewing a skirt to finish up her one of her personal progress goals about modesty. The beige-colored linen skirt turned out beautifully. All the young women and the leaders were so impressed!

Mon. 23rd--Time for Bo-Ho-Holing!

I think we're missing someone...

There's JJ!!!

Watching Daddio bowl.

All of my Houghlings together. Such a blessing this year.

Where it all began. :)

We decided to get a family picture out in the lobby of Grand Station. Funny how JJ isn't smiling because it was his idea.

Then we decided to add moustaches. Bahaha! I'm surprised we even got THIS picture.

Because we couldn't stop laughing and making jokes. In fact, Dylan, Cooper's friend from work taking the picture, couldn't stop laughing at us.

But we managed a semi-serious pose.
"We moustache you to have a VERY Merry Christmas!!"

Tues. 24th--We enjoyed our traditional candlelight spaghetti dinner with Karole. We actually don't eat this meal very often so it was a fun treat. After we had our helpings, Jake decided to finish off the sauce, but to save time he just threw some spaghetti into the pan!

*After dinner, we went for a walk around the neighborhood (1.1 miles) to get some "fresh" air, but it wasn't as crisp as I was hoping. Even still, getting outside and walking after the meal felt good. JJ is wearing a helmet that Jake created in Hungary with the inner lining of a hat to keep him warmer while biking.

*We video recorded our Christmas Eve program. It was wonderful and made most memorable by Calvin playing "Angels We Have Heard on High" with his nose. You have to see it to believe it, but it was most impressive!! Best part of the entire night!

After we enjoyed our chocolate fondue treat, we sat down and watched "Happy Face" a Netflix original by Latter-day Saint comedian, Ryan Hamilton. O.my.gosh. Get ready to laugh your face off. It was hilarious. This was actually the second time Jared, the older boys, and I saw it and we still laughed just as hard the second time. Look it up!!

*I made Pecan Tile cookies to leave for Santa. We haven't left cookies for Santa in a while, but JJ wanted to, so we did. There aren't a whole lot of gifts under the tree because our gift to each other is a "stay-cation." For four years now, when the idea of buying our kids gifts for Christmas, from us AND Santa, and perhaps each other, became something that was more of a burden because we couldn't think of meaningful things to get them, we decided to make memories the gift instead. We did a "stay-cation" in Houston, in two separate trips in 2016. Had a blast! We had our family cruise in 2017 with my parents. Also epic. We had a wonderful trip to Branson, Missouri between Christmas and New Years last year and this year, as a family, we chose to take a day trip up to Dallas (Arlington) and then do an overnight trip to San Antonio. So they already knew what they were getting long before Christmas ever came.

Wed. 25th--Merry Christmas!! People didn't start stirring until 7am and we all moseyed out to find JJ watching a movie. So those of us who were awake joined him until 8:00 when the movie was over and decided to get Cooper up, who was the last person still sleeping.

As luck would have it, my parents called from Iceland right as we were getting ready to open the presents they sent us, so we were able to make them a part of our Christmas morning and they could see the kids opening their gifts.

Like last year, Santa Claus brought a board game as a gift for us to play as a family. Tsuro. Super fun, but hard to pronounce. It's quick and about eliminating your opponents, which of course appeals to our crowd. Santa also brought each kid their own box of sugar cereal. Cooper was texting one of his female friends from school later that morning. She apparently got a BMW for Christmas. Used, but still. Cooper texted her, "I got a box of cereal for Christmas." She was like, "Wait--what??" But then he explained that we were taking two small family trips later in the week and she said that made more sense. He thought her reaction was hilarious.

I tried a new recipe for breakfast that I had cooked the day before--blender roll-up pancakes. Similar to crepes. Those of us who can indulge in gluten enjoyed them very much, especially with Nutella and powdered sugar. I got gluten-free double chocolate chip waffles for Karcyn which she also enjoyed with her own container of Nutella.

Our Christmas Day chain activity is the same every year: go see a movie together. However, we had all seen "Frozen 2" around Thanksgiving and there really wasn't anything else. Since we missed "Abominable," Jared suggested we stay in and watch that at home instead. He purchased it online, I made sure to get "movie treat" orders ahead of time so the kids could have whatever candy they would like, in addition to popcorn. And we waited until about noon, when Karole came over, to watch it with her. Nobody seemed to mind skipping the movie at the theater, which was a pleasant surprise, but my only modification would be to wait and watch it after the sun goes down. Otherwise, there's a really bad glare from our back door from the sun! It's a great problem to have. But annoying none the less. Even with our blinds closed on the windows, there was a lesser glare coming from those too. We tried to jimmy-rig putting up a blanket in the door to block the light. As you can see, it sort of worked.

You can't tell from these faces, but we enjoyed "Abominable" a lot. 

Thurs. 26th--We left for Arlington around 7:30am. It was super foggy! Especially the first couple of hours.

The AT&T stadium where the Dallas Cowboys play football.

The International Bowling Museum and Hall of Fame, was right down the road from the stadium and Six Flags.

When we asked the kids this summer what activities they wanted to do for our Christmas Family experience, they each shared their thoughts. Some were repeats of things we've done before. Others wouldn't work very well in December, like the beach. Cooper said he wanted to see the International Bowling Museum. I had no idea such a place even existed. We wanted to do a day trip after Christmas (since Jake's birthday is the 27th) so this fit the bill!

A cute statue out front.

The museum was very inexpensive. Our whole family got in for $54. It was a bonus that we had the entire place to ourselves! We didn't read every single exhibit and sign, but what we did read was really interesting.

A very old bowling ball with limited finger holes.

Ancient bowling artifacts. The first known forms of bowling date back to ancient Egypt. There are many types of bowling and different shaped pins. "Bowling" just means it's a target sport or recreation activity where the player rolls or throws a ball toward pins or another target, depending on where you live. And when.

I didn't realize how old bowling really was--the oldest known sport. So it makes sense that someone would have to set those pins back up. Doesn't seem like much of a job, though.

The first commercial pinspotter was installed in 1951. That's cool and all, but what caught our attention is where it was installed. Mount Clemens, Michigan is where Jared was born!

Our resident bowling expert.

Another great bowler!

We saw a video on bowling and halfway through the film, the screen lifted and exposed this "alley" behind it giving us some information. Then the screen lowered down and the movie continued. Super cool.

I'm not sure how I feel about those bowling heels. Surely those are just for show, right?

There was an interactive kids area where they got to answer questions and play some bowling games.

We also got to watch videos about how bowling balls were made from start to finish and learned about the core. The physics and science behind it is fascinating and way over my head.

The BEST part of the entire museum, however, was the mini bowling alley. There are two lanes and you bowl with mini balls, a little less than twice the size of a skee ball. And you roll them down the lane to hit 10 pins that are connected to cables above. When the ball hits the pins, the cables lift only the pins that didn't fall. And if the pins get tangled up, the cables just lift and lower until they're untangled. It's an ingenious operation and fun to watch. I think Jake said there's a bowling alley he's been to that still operates that way.

The computer scoreboard allowed you to play either a five-frame or ten-frame game and you could have up to ten people on each lane.

Calvin and Cooper going at it on their own lanes.

The spectator couches were a nice touch! We certainly appreciated them as we enjoyed our family time in this part of the museum--all by ourselves!

Jake taking a gander at it.

JJ too. The kids loved this so much (as did the adults) that they looked up the price of this entertainment system and decided to save their pennies to buy one. Haha! Not sure where they think it's going to go...

*We went to Chipotle for lunch, then headed to a surprise activity that the kids didn't know about. We spent two hours at the bowling museum and wanted to see if we could find something else to do while we were in the area. I had researched and found a roller skating rink not too far away.  When we pulled up to the Arlington Skatium, some kids were more excited about this than others. But hey--life is about trying new things! I can't remember the last time I went roller skating--long before half my kids were born, so in some ways, it was new to me, too!

Show us your wheels!

Karcyn started crying before she even got her roller skates on. She was really scared. But by golly, that girl got out there and tried. She hugged the wall the entire time, but her confidence grew and by the time we left, she was hugging the wall with less intensity. :) She was proud of herself knowing she did something hard.

Calvin decided he didn't want the inline skates after all so we went and got them swapped out for the original skates.

Cooper was on inline skates too and did really well for his third time. He only fell once. And I missed it.

Jake was also doing well. He passed me and went around this curve, when all of a sudden he fell. Big time! Fortunately, I was recording the whole thing! Haha!

Jake entered the "Red Light, Green Light" competition and won!! He got a free soda.

Jared did great, too, but had his "system," which did not including holding my hand while skating. Sooo, we got a picture together instead. :)

Cooper with JJ.

JJ was a rockstar on several levels. He started at the wall, but gradually figured it out and was making his way around in no time and often by himself. Then, whenever he saw a little kid fall down, he would slowly make his way over to help them, even though he wasn't very stable himself.

JJ fell many times. But what's great about his falls are that he's super close to the ground to begin with! Jared went around with Calvin as he got used to the 4-wheeled skates. Calvin liked skating least of all.

The engine and caboose.

Guess who didn't fall once?! This girl!! Don't get me wrong, I came close to falling a couple times.

*We were about 45 minutes away from my dear friend, Melodee Cooper, who moved to Frisco about a year ago. She's battling cancer in her bones now. I asked her if we could swing by for a quick hello. Her husband, Stephen, was working and her son, who is Calvin's age was at swim practice, but we had a wonderful 90 minute visit with Mel and the kids had fun playing together. It was a very mild day.

I got the ten cent tour of their beautiful home. This is Mel's closet and up on the shelf are all her "girls" that she rotates wearing. I got a kick out of seeing that!

As we were talking, I turned and THIS made me jump out of my chair. Not scary, but very unexpected. Thanks, JJ.

Me and Mel.

*After our short visit, we went to go get dinner at Steak and Shake. The poor lady who was the waitress was also the server and cashier. She was a one woman show. We had to wait a little more than normal for our order, but we were okay waiting. Another group of five who came in and sat down after us however, did not appreciate it, and they left. The waitress was very stressed, but we tried to reassure her kindly that she was doing a great job.

As we were leaving the restaurant, Jake, our very grateful, grounded, self-driven, happy, faithful, go-with-the-flow, kid commented: "Today was really fun. I was looking at our Christmas tree yesterday, barren underneath with just a few gifts under it and thought, Gee, I hope this trip is worth it. Annnd it totally was!"

Fri. 27th--Happy 20th Birthday to Jake!

*Jake took a couple of the kids and went to cash in some of the gift cards they got for Christmas. Karcyn received an acrylics paint set from my parents and she got a canvas and small table easel so she could start right away.

She is such a creator!

*I invited a couple of Jake's buddies to come over after dinner around 7pm for cake and games to celebrate. However, Jared and I took Karole to see a movie for our Christmas gift to her and it went longer than we thought which meant that dinner wasn't going to be ready until 7pm. Jake's friend, Will, showed up a few minutes before 7pm. I asked if he had eaten dinner and he hesitated, which was the only answer I needed. I had made seven green chile burgers (dinner at Jake's request) but there would be eight people eating (because JJ isn't included in that tally). I made sure Will had a burger and I went without that night. Karole and Jared noticed and said something, but I kindly shushed them because I didn't want Will or Jake to know. I'd survive. Starving college students might not.

Will brought Jake a nerf gun--naturally. It's one of the things they do best.

Cooper bought, with his own money, a remote control attachment for Jake's laptop for a Star Wars computer game they like to play.

Jake was uber excited about the book my parents gave him--the biography of our prophet, Russell M. Nelson.

The little kids got him a Better Life Mat that you can lay on and it helps eliminate pain in your body. Jake's been struggling with pain frequently, so we hope that helps. The mat was delayed and hadn't arrived yet. And the parental gift to Jake he's known about since he came home from Ohio. He and I are flying out to Utah in February so he can be there when his MTC sisters come home from Hungary.

And sticking with tradition, I failed to get candles for Jake's birthday cake. Though in my defense I DID look this time. I found a two but not a zero at the time and then forgot to go back. However, I improvised with Cooper's leftover 17 and added 3 candles to it. Boom!

*When JJ was at Walmart earlier with Jake, JJ bought himself several nerf guns. Before Will came over, he told me "ask Will if he can bring his dart guns with him." Apparently, Will ALSO got some new nerf guns and planned to bring them anyway, so it was meant to be. The boys geared up for an all out brawl.

This one is as big as JJ.

We quickly tidied up the dining room and kitchen and told Karole that she might want to vacate the premises. Which she did. Jared, Karcyn and I were going to be in our respective rooms taking cover.

Jake built this Mandalorian helmet in high school--long before Mandalorian was a thing!

"I'm ready."

And...the line up. We earmarked 30 minutes for an "every man for himself" battle, the study being the only room where you could "recharge" three times but after that you were dead for good. I thought Calvin and JJ did really, really well considering they were fighting against experienced opponents twice their size. Sounds like Cooper monopolized the stairs. And I was happy that they did not spend hours picking up darts. Only a few minutes.

*While I was hunkered down in my room during the ensuing battle, this picture showed up on my phone. That is my friend Evy. She was a single sister in my ward when I was Relief Society president. She had been married in the temple, but a bitter divorce made her wary of making that a priority again with any future relationship. I liked Evy a lot! Enjoyed her company and personality. She's super fun to be around. Sadly she moved away, but she did marry her boyfriend, Josh. What little posts I saw of her on FaceBook, I learned that she had a baby girl, too. I was stunned however, when I got this picture and she told me that her husband got baptized a couple months ago and that very day, Dec. 27th, he had gone to the temple for the first time. She wanted to thank me for all my patience because that night was a dream come true for her. She was super grateful for the ward's help as well and said we were the best! I was over the moon excited for her! But really, all I did was love her. She and Josh and the Lord did the rest. Even so, I was deeply touched she remembered me and reached out to share her joy. There's nothing like hearing you did some good for someone during your time as a leader.

Sat. 28th--Trying to think less of ourselves and more about others, we went to the Brazos Valley Food Bank and filled "backpack" bags of food for children. The kids did awesome!

Calvin even offered to help break down boxes.

Not sure why Jake is squatting in this picture. Unless he thought his head would block some of the sign.

JJ still in nerf war mode. 

*Jake sent this picture and a letter to the Brazos Valley Share Group (basically Relief Society sisters across the stake) letting people know that he was a returned missionary and available to do any odd jobs they might have for him before he leaves for Utah in six weeks. He got immediate responses for yard work and babysitting. He's since built and mended chicken coops, barns, and raked up 41 bags of leaves and has helped move things to storage. In addition, he has recurring piano students as well as high school kids he is tutoring in physics and chemistry and some window washing to do. Nothing is below him. However, after 12+ hours of raking and bagging leaves (not including the 3 hours Jared stepped in when Jake had to go somewhere else), Jake declared he's never living near trees! Nothing is below him, except for raking. Haha!

Sun. 29th--Cooper was stunned to learn that he had been scheduled to work that day. In the 13 months he's been an employee at Grand Station Entertainment, that has never happened because from the beginning, his unavailable days have always been Wednesdays (youth activities) and Sundays (to keep the Sabbath holy). He was really upset about it. He tried to get someone to cover for him, but no one would. Jared and I assured Cooper that the Lord knew his heart and that Cooper didn't want to be there. We told him that it would be okay, that sometimes you have to work on Sundays, and it's out of your control. If he didn't work that shift, he'd lose his job. It certainly wasn't the same at church without him.

*A month or so ago, Jake lead a family home evening lesson about setting goals and the eternal principle that it is. And it was wonderful! I suggested to Jared that before the new year begins, perhaps the youth would benefit from such a discussion. He said he'd mention it to President Foster, who liked the idea so much, he wondered if Jake would give the lesson during Sunday School on the 5th Sunday to the adults and invite all the youth and the ones who would be advancing up the next week to join them. Jake agreed and so he did! These are just some of his notes. I was in nursery and missed the lesson, but heard great things about it.

*Calvin was sustained in his advancement to the office of a Deacon. After church, I noticed Ben Foster (Pres. Foster's son) in the hall and had Calvin join him. I wanted to take a picture because they were wearing similar clothes!

*Less than a minute after leaving the church building for the drive home, I felt the prompting to go see Cooper at work. So we took a detour and drove to Grand Station. I think we were probably a pretty peculiar and perhaps neat sight to see...a family group of five walking into the building wearing church clothes. Jake caught a glimpse of Cooper heading down the far hall to the bathrooms. The work room is also that way, so that's where we went. We couldn't find him, but Jake said he had to use the bathroom so he went in and the rest of us went to look in the arcade area and then used the bathrooms there. When they were done, we found Jake and Cooper back out in the bowling area. We went up to Cooper to say hi. He gave us all hugs. One of his co-workers teased him from the bar area saying, "Ohhh, how sweet." We just smiled. Then another one waved and said, "Hi Mom!" I waved and said hi back. We just wanted him to know we were thinking about him. We didn't stay long because we didn't want to get him in trouble. And then we left. Jake said our ministering efforts meant a lot to Cooper and that it was a pick-me-up he needed. Unfortunately, Cooper was scheduled to work the following Sunday, Jan. 5th as well! But we think that it was done at the same time as the 29th because he spoke to his manager before the 29th and told him that he really prefers not to work on Wed. and Sun. In their defense, Cooper did approach them when school got out for the holiday break and said he'd be happy to work more shifts if they needed the help. He just *assumed* (as would I) that they would know to NOT schedule him on the days that he's put in as unavailable. However, there is a new girl doing the scheduling and likely didn't look at his weekly exceptions. Oh well, lesson learned.

Mon. 30th--Jared sent these two pictures in a text that said, "Your dad and main squeeze has skills." Except I read it quickly and for a second thought that HE did that to himself! Fortunately, not. This injury came to the clinic in Normangee. Jared wasn't sure he could suture it, because it had to be done in layers, but that's something he actually learned when he was with the ENT surgeons. If Jared didn't do it, they'd have to go to the hospital which would have been difficult for these 80 year olds, so he tried. And the result was stitching that even we lay people could appreciate!

The man was very old and on blood thinners, so Jared sent those pics and the history to his supervising physician to make sure he didn't do anything wrong. Even Dr. Cheng thought Jared did a good job!

*This was the last day to pay for winter semester classes at BYU. Jake had three that he was going to be doing online. But later that night I heard that he dropped them or cancelled his cart because the classes cost more than he thought they would. They would be cheaper to do in the spring term in April. He had recently decided to go out to Utah in February and rent a room from our friends in South Jordan while taking online classes and finding a job before he goes on a month long trip to Alaska with my parents this summer. But with the unexpected choice to drop his classes, Jake decided to stay here at home, work a job that will appreciate having him for five months instead of six weeks and go out to Utah the end of May when my parents come home from their mission to help them get ready for their trip. Lots of changes in a short amount of time. Jake is definitely teaching his parents to just "roll with it." :) But we trust him. He's great at researching his options and praying about them and planning.

*Several months ago, Calvin watched our neighbor's dog, Mishka. As payment, Logan, who is the manager of the Cracker Barrel, gave Calvin a gift card for two complimentary meals. Jake took Calvin on New Year's Eve and they had a great time. Logan came out and made sure they got special treatment. Look at all that food!

*My parents called around 5:45pm...almost midnight their time. The fireworks in Reykjavik, Iceland had been going off for almost an hour and would continue for another two hours--from past experience. We had a wonderful chit chat and even got a picture of us together!

*Jake and Cooper and their friends, Spencer Larson and Colton Decell, came over to watch "The Ring" in our game room that night. Spencer just got off his mission recently and hadn't seen it yet.

*Karole came over and we enjoyed some treats and a couple movies that she had brought with her for the little kids to watch. JJ vowed to stay up til midnight. He got to about 10:45. Pretty close!

Before Karole left at 11:20, we got our New Year's Eve picture with everyone...if you look reallly closely! :)

Then we played our New Year's family game (we gotta do at least one!) with Jared, which is rare. But to add an even more awesome dimension to our game and family conversation, we were listening to epic songs (80s love songs) on Pandora. It was under "easy listening" but I had never heard these songs on that channel before so Jared and I were LOVING it. Such a blast to the past, since that was like 40 years ago!!! :o

What's even triple awesome is that, for better or for worse, I video recorded this entire 25 minute game incognito. Just a small glimpse into our crazy life.

Proof that Calvin was awake and made it from one decade to another!! HAPPY 2020!!!!