The Brown Brick Road

Capturing our adventures one photo at a time...

Christmas Morning

The kids were up bright and early – but they had to wait until the first number was a 6 before coming into our room! They were there exactly at 6:00! Excitement was high!!

xmas morning

Santa delivered on just about everything – with a few surprises too!

xmas morning

xmas morning

It was so fun to watch while they checked everything out!

xmas morning

xmas morning

xmas morning

xmas morning

When Samantha noticed the Ms. Pac-Man Machine!

paceman

paceman

clapper

I think this was Maxwell’s favorite present despite his face here – his new Greenlight card!

greenlight

Samantha’s new dress up shoes!

dress up

Authentic 1980s Totally Hair Barbie!

barbie

Everyone had fun with Ms. Pac-Man!

paceman

paceman

We then opened the presents from each other. Maxwell was very proud of the gigantic present he wrapped for Dad…

present

present

which turned out to be a tiny chapstick! ha!

present

Robert and I provide our middle-ageness by getting each other Theragun products! Our aching bodies need help!!

xmas morn

Samantha wasn’t excited at all about her present from us…

lol

and that’s when she thought it was just LOL pajamas! Then she saw that she got tickets to see LOL Live on Stage!! Woohoo!

lol

lol

The boys then opened one of our presents and they got tickets too! Tickets to see the Falcons play the next day in Atlanta!! Rise up!

falcons

They then watched a special video from Boban Marjanović, a player for the Dallas Mavericks telling them they’ve got tickets to see the Cavs play the Magic in Dallas in January!! Headed to the Big D!

dallas

It was a fantastic Christmas morning with lots of smiling, happy faces…like this one!

makeup

That’s Samantha with some of her new makeup out of her caboodle!!

Merry merry indeed!

Christmas Eve

We had a really great Christmas Eve with some pretty perfect weather! After much back and forth, I did convince Samantha to wear this precious dress and it made me so happy.

xmas eve

xmas eve

We stuck with the noon church service again this year and, given the rise in covid cases, we were glad to be the only ones sitting up in the balcony.

church

church

After church we had lunch up at the club and decided to sit outside to avoid covid. It was a beautiful day for it! We then got lots and lots of photos – many of which make me laugh pretty hard!!

xmas eve

xmas eve

xmas eve

xmas eve

Samantha was on fire with the silliness!

xmas eve

sky

xmas eve

xmas eve

xmas eve

xmas eve

xmas eve

I was being silly here but I love it. Just a picture of me doing the most! It wasn’t easy this Christmas season but I feel like I made some Christmas magic happen for the kids and I’m proud of it. So, cheers to me! Maxwell’s expression sums up everyone else’s feelings. ha!

me

We did manage to get some “normal” photos which aren’t nearly as fun!

xmas eve

xmas eve

xmas eve

I sure do love this crew and am so grateful we got to have a wonderful Christmas Eve together!

Christmas program

We made it to the last week before Christmas! It’s been busy busy already with fun holiday activities – and a little sick thrown in. Boo! First Robert got sick with some kind of fever virus that took him down. Then Maxwell got hit with a respiratory virus and we ended up at the doc to get some steroids. Finally, Spencer started running a low grade fever that he couldn’t shake so we again ended up at the doc and got a dreaded flu diagnosis. Noooo! Thankfully he wasn’t that sick but did have to miss 4 whole days of school. He was out Monday through Thursday of last week but did get to go on Friday for the final day before Christmas break. Everyone is feeling good now and hopefully we are sick-free until 2022!!

Before everyone got sick, the kids had their Christmas program up at school. I was so happy to have it back as the traditional in-person program this year. 5th graders don’t participate so it was just Spencer and Samantha but they both did great! Robert was supposed to be out of town so I had another special date with me to see the program  – Mrs. Susan!

Samantha was looking cute as always…

xmas program

As was Spencer! 3rd grade was supposed to wear an “ugly holiday sweater” but this is the best we could do. Not ugly but clever! I also made him put a collar shirt on under it much to his chagrin. There might have been some bribing involved. No shame in my parent game!

spencer

Love my trio!

trio

Each grade K through 3rd came on and sang a few songs. It was very well done and very cute!

xmas program

program

program

Spencer is full of enthusiasm and energy on stage, just like his brother. Please read that sentence with all the sarcasm intended! ha!

program

He did a nice job and did everything just as he was supposed to!

The kids had to do two performances a day for two days. Robert was supposed to be out of town for both but, since he got sick, his trip got cancelled! He didn’t have the flu and felt better by the second day so he got to go up and catch the next day’s performance! Hooray!

Samantha opted for an outfit change…

sky

and Spence just stuck with what worked!

spencer

They both did a great job both days! This is Spencer’s last year for the Christmas program and I’ll be sad when the days of Christmas programs are all over. Enjoying it while is lasts! Merry merry!

Santa

After the Christmas parade and basketball game last weekend, we did a quick change and put on our Christmas finest to go see the big man himself! My crew was looking extra sharp…

xmas crew

There weren’t any asks for Santa this year, just taking a photo and off to run around with friends!!

santa

santa

It was a fun night at the club with plenty of friends to run around with!

xmas

xmas

xmas

xmas

santa

Christmas with these cute people is the best!

xmas

friends

xmas

They are definitely on the nice list! Merry merry!

More highlands

On Friday morning I woke ready for an adventure and, boy did we find one! It was really cold – not getting out of the 30s! – so we bundled up and headed to hike Chinquapin Mountain. It was a steep hike 2 miles up and then 2 miles down. There were several times we had to cross over the creek and then lots of zig zagging back and forth near the top. My crew were absolute troopers and handled it all like champs!

hike

hike

hike

The views at the top were worth it!

hike

hike

hike

Best way to spend Black Friday!!

hike

hike

hike

hike

hike

hike

One of my favorite hikes we’ve done. Thumbs up all around and they for sure earned the burrito we went and got after!!

hike

That night Robert and I met my childhood friend, Frank, and his wife for a drink and then had dinner at Wild Thyme with Mary Beth and Holland. The kids stayed home and played Clue!

clue

Saturday we met up with Patrick and Henry to hike Satulah…

clue

clue

and had lunch, complete with milk shakes.

milkshake

That night we watched a very exciting Iron Bowl game. Roll Tide! That one was a little too exciting and we were all exhausted by the time it was over. Glad it ended up the way it did though!! We got up and headed back early Sunday. It was a wonderful break and we are so thankful for so many things, including the fact that the state trooper that pulled Robert over on the way home let him off with just a warning! Thankful indeed!!