End of 2013 - Part 4

September 2013

 We started September with a bought of head lice.  This was our first time ever getting them.  It was ridiculous and I cried many times as I was having to go through their long blonde hair to dig the little suckers out.  I ended up chopping Kinsley's hair off.  It was her first haircut.  

 8 Weeks pregnant and my baby looks like an alien tadpole...LOL.

Katie's first spirit day at school.

October 2013

 We've waited 3 years for The Bears to play the Indians near our house.  We may be Bears by day, but we're Bulldogs by night and Indians by blood.  My kids were so confused on who to cheer for.

 Katie with her sign.  The Bears won and daddy's heart was broken.

 Carving pumpkins and stickerin' them up.

 Storybook Character Parade at school.  Katie is Little Red Riding Hood and I'm Skeleton Hiccups.

 Halloween at school was ridiculous.  We had a bad storm blow in and were under a tornado warning.  We spent 45 minutes under our desks.  Not fun!

 Getting ready for Trunk or Treat at church.

At church playing games.  I swear Katie never smiles in public.

November 2013

 My girls got to take professional photos with their cousin, Britton.  Thanks Grammy.  

 50th day at school.  I was Lucy and Katie was a car hop.

 We got to find out what our bundle of joy was going to be.  This is the survey my co-workers did at school.

 It's a boy!

 Eben and I sharing the reveal at our reveal party.  I will never forget the screams and hollers.

 We got Luke's bear in the mail.

 Our family of 5 stockings.

 Time to put up the tree!

The day after Thanksgiving, my family got to see Dustin's headstone for the first time.  I was so honored to have a part in creating it.  My hubby did a fantastic job.

The back of his headstone is beautiful!

December 2013

 Brode Christmas party.  The girls (and Luke) talking to TaTa via Skype.

 Brode Family photo.

 Katie's first school performance.  She was an elf and the first day of Christmas.

 Grammy and Sarge drove a long way to watch our big girl perform in her Christmas play.

 Cousins' Night 2013.

 Thank you for the trampoline, Grammy and Sarge.

 Michael Jackson pulling a prank.

 Pajama Day during Polar Express.

 Celebrating Maw Maw's 50th birthday.

 Katie and her BFF at her Christmas party at school.

 Our failed attempt at making a Gingerbread house.

 Hard at work.

 Messy, messy, messy!

 Luke says hi!

 Waiting for a surprise from momma.

 Hot cocoa, cookies, and new blankets to go look at Christmas lights.

 Making cookies for our Christmas lights trip.

 Ready to go!  Kinsley lasted 10 minutes.

 Our advent calendar is now complete.  It's Christmas Eve!

 Cousins at MiMaw's house.

 Our family.

 Santa stopped by with lots of new toys!

 Christmas morning at Maw Maw's house.

Luke's gifts from MiMi and Paw Paw Terry.

MIA Post - December 2012 Part 2

We ended our very eventful weekend with Katie's very first Nutcracker experience.  We dressed up in our finest clothes and went to the ballet.

I have been waiting for 6 years to bring Katie to see the Nutcracker.  She wasn't too thrilled about it.  I even got her a gift to open in the car on our way to see it.  It was The Nutcracker book.

I bought her a Nutcracker.  We're going to get a new one every year.  I got Kinsley a small Nutcracker snowglobe even thought she didn't get to go with us.

We ended up leaving early.  She was STARVING. 

We stopped by Spoon It on our way home for some yogurt.

That same week we attended the Lighted Christmas Parade.  We rode on our dance studio's float.  We threw candy and people watched.

Daddy and Kinsley came by to wish us much fun.  Isn't he handsome?

That following weekend my little sister graduated from college.  She's the newest teacher in the family.

We had a party for her that evening.  My other sister, Tasha, was in from Oklahoma.

Since she wasn't going to be in for Christmas, she let the girls open their Christmas gifts.

We left the party early to stop by Journey's birthday party.  Her original party date had to be cancelled because they all had the flu.

She looks like a Disney princess with those big eyes and perfect lips.

The week before we got out for Christmas break, Katie started getting sick.  She was running a fever and complaining of her ear hurting.  One day after school, I had a faculty meeting to attend.  Katie was in my room.  The meeting last approximately 45 minutes.  When I returned to my room, I called Katie's name and she didn't answer.  I scanned the room quickly, but didn't see her.  I checked the bathrooms, the gym, and the Pre-K and Kindergarten halls.  No one had seen her.  I walk back to my room with a group of other teachers to see if we had possibly crossed paths and she had headed back.  When I got in there, I looked over at my reading center and there she was...passed out on the bean bag chairs.  Poor baby!  She felt horrible.  She ended up having a really bad ear infection.

The weekend before Christmas we had our Brode Family Christmas at my dad's house.  Tasha and Josh Skyped with us from Oklahoma and we all opened presents together. 

Our family picture.

We've had a baby boom in our family the past couple of years.  We're missing 5...they got there late, and there was no way we were going to attemp this again.  Trying to get the two little ones in the front to stay put was like pulling teeth.  It was actually hilarious.

We needed some Ritalin!

My sweet baby.

My mom's family.

Journey's tongue is always out, so we thought we'd join her.

Me and my love.  Goodness, he's hot!

We lost a special person a couple of days before Christmas.  My Paw Paw Matte passed away.  Maw Maw Matte came to our family Christmas party. My heart was hurting for her.  They had been married for 60 something years.  His funeral had to be held after Christmas.  RIP Pop.  We'll miss you.

Kinsley and MiMaw.

Cousins and BFFs.

Cousins and BFFs.

My little diva.

See Part 3 for more.