Less Words Wednesday

Carson did an excellent job sweeping the garage the other day. Knowing he gets to play on the computer afterwards is the best motivation.

Sonic cheeseburgers are currently his favorite food.

There aren't many things Miles loves more than hitting lessons.

Carson asked if he could do extra homework the other day. He said he wanted to be the smartest person in his class. I think his teacher is highly motivating for him.

We ran into one of Carson's best friends on Thanksgiving day and his day was made.

More of the excitement from picking up our inflatable Santa.

Carson is still obsessed with music (as is everyone in our house). Right before this picture he said, "this song is about to get spicy."

Thanksgiving Wrap Up

Thanksgiving looked different this year. The men in Darrin's family have been going to Missouri for 50+ years on Thanksgiving weekend. They have some land in Missouri and every year they have shooting, axe throwing, and knife throwing competitions. You have to be 13 to go. Miles had a cast last year, so they made plans to go for the first time this year. 

Darrin and Miles went to his family's Thanksgiving at his cousin's house in Kentucky. They were able to eat with his mom before the two of them and his dad left for Missouri. 

Carson and I stayed home and went to Cracker Barrell with my mom. 

We enjoyed our simple lunch together.

After lunch, we took Marmee home and Carson and I chilled at home for the rest of the day with nothing to do. He watched a lot of TV and I read all day. I finished Happy Place by Emily Henry. It was a little slow, but I was completely sucked in for the 3 days in took me to read it. 

Darrin, Miles, and Pa had a good time together. 

They stayed at the local motel which Darrin said was nice. The motel was full with his family, 35 people total.

Miles was frustrated he didn't do better in the competition, but the rest of the people do this kind of stuff a lot. We reminded him that he practices other things a lot, but this can still be fun. 

It was up on a mountain and pretty cold. Miles said our packing was good. We didn't have all the hunting and cold weather clothes, so he layered up with baseball gear :)

There was a cousin that is Miles' age, so they had a good time together.

Memories were made. I don't know if they will go every year, but I would not be opposed. I love spending time with Darrin's family, but I also thrive with downtime. It was nice to spend time with my mom and have a loose schedule for three days straight. I was able to get some little things done around the house too. I just never seem to have that kind of time. 

On Saturday morning, I told Carson that I had a surprise from him. He put on his shoes and jumped in the car. We pulled up to Lowes and walked in to the pick up lockers. I scanned the code and when the door popped open and he saw an inflatable Santa, he said, "NO WAY!!!"

On the way home, he said, "I'm almost going to cry." He has always wanted one and kept hugging him.

We didn't tell Darrin and Miles. We just let them pull up to a 12 foot Santa. They loved it. 

We finished off the weekend with church this morning. Carson loves his buddies.

After church we set up for Christmas. I like my tree better this year since we redecorated the living room. 

We had nachos on the counter for dinner. It was a big hit and completely gone in less than 10 minutes. 

Big news around here...Darrin starts a new job tomorrow. He is still a territory manager, but it's a new company and a different product. He'll be selling HVAC units and parts to companies that sell & service them. His territory is much smaller which means less driving. He doesn't really mind driving, but so much time on the interstate can be tiring (and dangerous IMO). After his first 1.5 years in sales, he's learned some things about what he likes in a sales job. He thinks this new company will be a great fit. We're are excited for him and know we will do great. 

20 Pictures

Time to catch up with 20 pictures. Miles decided not to try out for basketball this year. I was afraid he would miss it, but he has enjoyed being part of the student section more than I could have imagined. It has been really fun to watch him. 

We wrapped up the fall travel ball season. It will be nice to have a break, but we'll all be ready for it to start up in a couple months. In the spring, both boys will be playing on travel teams. 

Carson is having a great school year. He loves his teacher and he's thriving in her class.

Basketball is not my favorite sport and so watching Miles' friends play while talking with my friends is more fun than the stress of having a player. 

We finally finished our living room redo. It's the perfect amount of decoration, function, and clean for us. It's a calming room for me especially when it's this clean :)

One of Miles' teammates rode home with us from a tournament. Carson was living his best life hanging out with the big boys. He looks like he's conducting a meeting which I'm sure he will one day!

Miles is writing his first paper, so I've been having to help him. He was extremely overwhelmed with it at first, but he's learning a lot and getting it done.

We got Carson's new bed set up. I need to touch up the paint and redecorate the walls, but we are all happy with the change. The loft bed was fun, but I am so tired of changing the sheets and to be honest, we didn't wash them as often as I like. The desk under his bed was functional, but Carson likes stuff. All kinds of stuff. The desk and shelves just enabled him to gather more stuff and junk. 

He's never really had to make his bed since it was out of sight. He's learning. This was his finished product a couple days again. An example of his stuff. I do not like stuff. The struggle is real. His bed gives me anxiety.

I got to see one of my best friends recently. Angie and I worked together for over 15 years and traveled together a lot. She lives 2 hours away and works for a different company now, so we don't get to see each other much even thought we talk a LOT. Unfortunately we had to attend a funeral :( 

Carson spent the night with Marmee. She spoiled him with Redi Whip on a spoon. That's what grandmothers are for!

Miles hit a home run at his last tournament of the season. All the fans thought it bounced over and was a ground rule double so none of us cheered until he rounded second. It was weird and I don't know how we all missed it. 

Now that the MLB season is over it's back to reading for me. 

It's a new season of life parenting a teenager.

Halloween looked a lot like last year for Carson. He told me that he didn't need a new costume because the one from last year still fit him. Ummm, okay. Say no more. 

I realized when we got home, I even took a picture in front of this same house last year because I love their decorations.

Miles had a Halloween party. It was a really cold night. I don't think they moved from this spot. They had hot dogs and smores. I would love to be the house where kids hang out, but Miles doesn't like to put himself out there as a host. I told him to try it once and if it isn't fun, he doesn't have to do it anymore. I guess we'll see if he does it again...

Brothers.

Hanging out before the game because his coach told him to rest during warm ups. 

Carson and I baked cookies together while Darrin and Miles were gone one night. It took minimal effort and our cookies didn't look great, but he had so much fun. He keeps asking me when we can do it again.