Happy Pukesgiving

I know I'm behind, so here's the wrap up. Swimming is done for now. Mason passed level 3 and 4! Kyra needs to repeat level 2 and work on her back stroke. Kyleigh needs to repeat Level 1 just because she's too young to do well in Level 2. Basketball has started. The three older kids seem to be enjoying it. It makes for long Saturday mornings with basketball three hours in a row, but then we at least get the rest of the day off. Valynn and Mason have made some baskets. Kyra isn't quite strong enough to get the ball high enough. It's chaos for me coaching three hours in a row. Last week I even got to play with Valynn's team, they are short numbers and had the coaches play. I am out of shape (at least sprinting up and down the basketball court). I might also be a little out of practice shooting.

On the 20th I worked the PTO Teacher's Appreciation Luncheon. Mark and Mason had a Cub Scout meeting that night. And somewhere in the midst of it all we got packed. We left the morning of the 21st for Minnesota.  The kids enjoyed helping with the cows and we had a nice Thanksgiving. The cousins spent the night one night and they got to see a newborn calf.

We left for home on the 25th. About two hours from home Kyleigh got sick in the suburban. She puked four times before we got home. After we got home we got her cleaned up, supper for the rest of us and put her to bed. It was a long night, she got sick a couple more times, she had a fever, and she thought she needed to sleep as close as possible to me, while Lucky liked how warm she was and wanted to sleep as close to Kyleigh as possible. Needless to say, I gave Mark a choice, either he takes the couch or I will because I was hot and claustrophobic. Monday everyone, including Mark stayed home. We got unpacked, cleaned the house, and rested. Tuesday everyone went to work or school. Wednesday morning around 3 am Kyra and I came down with the flu. At 6 am Valynn woke up not feeling well. At 10 am on my way to get Mason I called Mark and had him come home. It was a long miserable day for everyone. Thursday was better, everyone stayed home from school and I had Valynn and Mason do their baking for the pumpkin baking contest in Princeville. Friday Mason was the only one left at home, his stomach still wasn't 100%. He also had a GI appointment that day. He has graduated to being seen every 6 months unless we decide to have him retested for a food allergy.

Saturday was basketball games. Valynn, Mason, and I headed up to Princeville to see how they did in the baking contest. Mason placed first in his pumpkin dessert category and Valynn placed second in the other category. Mason made pumpkin cheesecake bars and won $50. Valynn made cranberry pumpkin muffins and won $25.  Sunday we went to mass, kids to CCD, went up to St. Timothy for Christmas program practice, then went to the CAT Holiday Show. This year it was an illusionist and the kids really enjoyed it. Yesterday Kyleigh went back to school and we can hopefully get back into our routine. Today Kyleigh started story time at the library as well.

Somewhere in all this craziness Mark put a ceiling in the office so our office is now complete except for  a pole Mark is going to enclose. Don't worry, I've already got his next project lined up. I've also had a chance to play around with my embroidery machine, I think I'm going to have fun with it, I just need to decide what to make first. We also got our Christmas lights and decorations put up.

Finally, Zippers had returned! Zippers was sitting on the kitchen table when we arrived home from Thanksgiving!  Zippers hasn't caused any trouble in fact, we think he was trying to help when everyone was sick. He's been found on a ceiling fan, mixer, he toilet papered the Christmas tree, he was trying to hang Christmas lights on the roof and fell off. Today he got himself trapped in the piano bench. That crazy elf.