Thankful Thursday

Wow!  That week went by so fast.

And to be honest I'm glad it is over.

 December 25th through February 13th is always such a roller coaster for me.  So many memories, so much happiness, and so much sadness fill those weeks.  

I am filled with relief and thanksgiving when I make it past February 13.  I feel like I can be normal again.  I'm sure Andrew is thankful for that too.  LOL.

The first chapter of my research paper was due Friday.  This semester has actually felt like I am in grad school.  That stinkin' research paper is kinda stressin' me out.  I'm thankful to have that first chapter behind me.  I feel like it has helped me start to figure out what I'm doing.

And I'm presenting for the first time ever at a conference next week.  I'm starting to feel a little better about that.  I am so thankful for all the people who have told me I'm going to do awesome.  That encouragement has been a huge blessing.

So yeah...I feel like everything hit all at once and I'm thankful to be coming out on the other side of this past week.

Speaking of presenting next week...

I have to bring my own projector and all the technology things.  This has me a bit nervous and I'm terrified that I will blank out and forget how to hook something up.

I borrowed a projector from school and Tuesday night Andrew gave me projector lessons.

I am so thankful he knows all about this stuff and is willing to help me.

He has been a huge encouragement when it comes to this presenting thing.

You can translate that as he hasn't let me cancel my plans to present.

Because there has been more than one occasion where I wanted to chicken out.

And on a totally different note...

The thing I'm most thankful for this week is a better than expected surgery outcome for my Daddy.

He had surgery on his left shoulder Monday.  

His shoulder was not as bad as they originally thought.  Surgery was pretty quick and recovery should be less painful than originally anticipated.

He is doing well and for that I praise God.

Be sure to hope over to Miranda's blog and read her post as well. :)

Weekend Recap

This time of the year is BUSY BUSY for the Weavers.  It seems like we have something on our calendar for every day.

I love it and am completely exhausted by it all at the same time.

This past weekend was filled with family, friends, and fun.

On Friday afternoon my parents along with my niece and nephew drove up for a visit.  We had plans to go see the Christmas lights at Silver Dollar City but the weather kept us away.  Instead they came over to the house for dinner and left Mikey & Ellie for a sleepover.  

Ellie was not too sure about Lib & Lincoln.

And Mikey wanted to be Lib & Lincoln.

Aunt E was sleepy so we all piled into the bed to watch a Christmas movie.

 He could not look any more like his daddy!

I hope she always plays with his hair.

Mikey was the first one awake Saturday morning and he was super cuddly.  I LOVED it!

Ellie was not ready to wake up quite so early.

She popped right up when she heard me say breakfast but she didn't last long.

They are now 3 1/2 and we had a first on Saturday.  I've never taken these two to the store by myself but we got brave and ventured out to Dollar Tree.

We had to do something.  Aunt E's toys are all in storage somewhere.

They were really well behaved and picked out lots of fun toys.

After lunch and more play time my parents came and picked up the kiddos and said goodbye.

I instantly missed them but I also instantly took a nap.  

Saturday evening we headed to hang out with some friends.  One of the best parts of this move has been living less than an hour away from Andrew and Heather.  Her Andrew and my Andrew were college roommates.  We have loved picking up where we left off all those years ago.

We made homemade pizzas and visited until way too late.  Their kids had never made homemade pizzas so it was fun to watch them assemble their masterpieces.

These are the only two pictures I got of the night.  We are too busy talking and laughing and I forget to snap one of the adults.  Maybe next time.

Also...can I just say how much I love watching my husband with our friends' kids.  Melts my heart every time!!

We rounded off the weekend with a fabulous play put on by the kids at church.

It was sweet and funny and all the things a kids Christmas play should be.  We especially loved seeing our three neighbor girls on stage.  

And now it is one more week of work and then the travelling begins.

Weekend Recap

We had a very busy weekend.

But it was such a good weekend.

Friday evening Andrew grilled for us and then I pretty much went straight to bed.  We had testing Thursday and Friday which his exhausting for teachers and students and all involved.

Our oldest nephew married his beautiful bride Saturday night.

Sunday was a slow start after all the wedding fun, but was a very productive day.

We got a lot of things done in Heber Springs including meeting with an agent and signing papers to sell our house.

We also snapped a few pictures of The Liberty Belle is preparation for letting go of her as well.

I cannot even talk about selling our house or our boat.  It breaks my heart!  But I know it is the right decision.  

Adulting is hard!

Christmas Eve

We always spend Christmas Eve with my mom's side of the family.  

This means time with my aunts, uncles, & cousins.

My Mommom moved her piano into the dining room which means there was an ongoing performance all afternoon.

After we finished celebrating at Mommom's house we gathered our things and headed to my parents place to celebrate with them and my brother and his fam.

I immediately changed into my pajamas and made Mikey & Ellie change into their matching pajamas.  Needless to say I was a little more excited about it than they were.

They were a little happier once we started opening presents.  They were so fun to watch this year.  They are old enough to have their own interest and to actually enjoy opening presents.

Mikey loves his hot wheels.

And Ellie LOVES her "Ninnie".  As soon as she opened a Minnie dress from Grammy & Poppy that old nightgown HAD TO GO!!

Grammy & Poppy got them a mini roller coaster.  Ellie was too busy playing with all things Minnie Mouse but Mikey loved it!

 He couldn't wait on Daddy to finish putting it together to play with it.  

These are my people and I love them dearly!

She's learning to love her Drew. :)