Traveling Nativity

Here is the cast of our traveling nativity

This year for Christmas Eve, Teressa decided that it would be more fun to take our nativity out to the public rather than just keeping it inside the walls of our home. Even though we had Mark and Heather Hill and their kids over to the house for Christmas Eve dinner, there weren't any extra people to watch the performance after all of the parts had been taken. So we travelled to a couple of different houses, performed the nativity and sang Christmas carols. Even though it was cold and windy (well, cold for San Antonio, anyway), it was a lot of fun and brought us some great Christmas spirit.

Mason and Spencer were wise men, Teressa was a wise woman and Sam and I were shepherds. The parts of Mary and Joseph were played by Olivia and Luke Hill while Mark was the angel and Heather was the narrator and the star of Bethlehem.

Pasta surprise

This pasta replica of Jamestown took hours to create


The worst part of the project was putting the walls together

Mason recently came home with the assignment to build a model of Jamestown for school. One of the criteria for grading was creative use of materials, so we came up with the bright idea to build the model out of different types of pasta. At least it seemed like a bright idea until I started putting the walls together out of fettucini. Many hours later, the model was finally done. Monday, we sent the model to class, and guess what: No other kid had made their model out of pasta, so at least we have that creative use of materials down.

Game day update

Mason's basketball team, the Timberwolves, played their first game today. Mason even played against Cameron, his good friend from kindergarten. Mason's team won 20-4 with a combination of good offense and stifling defense. Spencer plays his first game this afternoon, so I'll try to update again.

Essence of Andy

As you can see, Andy is having a great time visiting us

Teressa's brother Andy is here again visiting us for Thanksgiving. The kids love having Andy here, and he seems to enjoy being around them, too. And if we get overwhelming, Andy just heads outside for a smoke, a swing and his own personal concert (as seen in the photo above). Even Sam loves having his uncle here, though he has taken to calling him "Uncle Rooster," much to Andy's chagrin. Cock-a-doodle-doo.

Lights, camera, action!

Sam does his best impression of 'Blue Steel' here in this promotional photo

It's the time of year again for us to put on our Halloween costumes and make our family holiday video. This year, we decided to call in some help, so we could get the filming done in record time. So we called Lindsay Mullen. Lindsay shoots more video and makes more films than anyone else we know, so we knew she would do a great job with the filming. After the production was over, she stayed to play with the boys and help Teressa out around the house. The boys always love to be around Lindsay (as you can see from the photos below).


When we say "fight like lions," I didn't think they would take it literally


Lindsay and Mason pose for the paparazzi


Spencer was sharing his pretzels with Lindsay

Party time

One party activity required the kids to decorate a cake in a pioneer style, then transport it to another house in the neighborhood


Unfortunately for the boys' team, their cake didn't survive the trek.

The year is drawing to a close, so Teressa decided to hold a party for her Primary class. They came over to our house, enjoyed some breakfast and then split up into teams to participate in a series of challenges. Her challenges included decorating a pioneer-themed cake and then transporting it to another house in the neighborhood, a wheelbarrow relay race, an object search and a tent building contest. Overall, the girls won, but everyone seemed to have a pretty good time. First prize was the opportunity to choose a breakfast treat for church on Sunday. The girls selected donuts and bacon. Interesting combination.

Better than ultrasound

My siblings are going through a bit of a baby boom. One sister and both of my brothers are expecting children, all within a few months of each other. One night I was talking with my mother on the phone when the subject of all these babies came up. She mentioned what gender several of them were predicting for these babies.

"No," I said, "this is how it's going to be. Jon and Annie will have a girl; Andrea and Seth will have a girl; and Tyson and McKall will have a boy."

Now, this may sound like I was going out on a limb, but I knew what I was doing. (Boy, did I know what I was doing.) Sure enough, the first ultrasound comes back and Jon and Annie are having a girl. Then the second ultrasound comes back and Tyson and McKall are having a boy. Then, finally, Andrea calls this week and tells me they are having a girl. In case anyone was counting, that makes three-for-three. Boo yeah. If anyone is interested in my methods of deduction, you can send a self-addressed stamped envelope with a check for $49.95. I'll see what I can get back to you.