Home Again

We had a pretty uneventful trip home- which is nice! No throwing up, no getting pulled over, great driving weather (until we hit the last 2 hours of driving in Michigan), and an almost encounter with two deer. We could have had a very eventful trip if we were even 100 feet farther along on the highway- 2 deer ran out ( I think it was Ohio) in front of me while I was driving, and the poor guy beside me had to come to a squealing stop to avoid them, but I was just far enough back that I could gradually stop to miss them. Ryan and I talked about how bad it could have been- they were HUGE deer and would have totally demolished the van if we had hit them. God is good!!!!

So we came back to these "piles and feet of snow" that everyone told us about- NOT! We came home to a yard full of grass- no snow to be seen! I don't know whether everyone was teasing us about the feet of snow they got while we were gone or not, but there is no evidence of piles of snow left. :-) haha I know it happened, but it was really nice to be out of town the whole time and then for it all to be gone when we got home. Our main road though is completely flooded- worse than I have ever seen it from the rain and melting of snow.

We got home last night around 6:30, unpacked and hit the sack. Today we had to get some groceries and run some errands. We are having a New Year's Eve party here, so there were costumes to be found, accessories to buy, food to stock up on, etc. Ryan and I usually do not do a thing on New Year's- for many years, we were always in NC. Last year was the first year in awhile we were home, and I had bronchitis and was super sick, so whatever we did have planned, we had to back out of. So this year, we are going to do it up right! We are having a 70's/80's party, and I have had a ton of fun looking for outfits and planning hairdo's, etc. I can crack up just thinking about what Ryan is going to wear. His hair and beard are PERFECT for the outfit I got him today. I can't wait to see everyone's outfits- I have heard there are some doozies being found at Goodwills throughout Michigan! :-)There will definitely be a picture post on January 1st to show off the stylish clothes worn by our guests.

I have this nagging feeling that I should be getting the kids in bed, getting my work clothes ready, packing backpacks, etc. Usually we go to NC the second half of break and when we get home, school is the next day. It is sort of nice having a whole week still at home before having to get back into the school/work routine. We have some fun things planned this week, so I'm sure it will go quickly. Cobe has a birthday party to go to tomorrow that he is excited about, so I am taking the younger two to do something fun while he's gone. The boys may have a sleepover with a few of their buddies Tuesday night (I am still trying to decide if I want to try that the night before our party!- two late nights in a row won't be good for this old woman!). I feel bad because during school, there is always soccer on Sat. mornings and church on Sundays, and they have been begging for their buddies to sleepover. So I'll probaby cave and let them do it. Sis is begging for a night at her Spotties' house, so she has been invited there Tuesday, so it would be a good time to do it. Ugh! I think it is inevitable! haha Wednesday night is our party, Thursday is the annual Huizenga Christmas party, and Friday we have plans with a few friends to go bowling/have dinner, etc. Fun week of vacation!

Well, even though it IS vacation, three little kids need to get in bed. They really needed baths tonight, but what's one more night when you're on vacation, right? Right!

A Baby to Love and Spoil

It has been so nice this last few days having McRae to kiss on and get my fill of that wonderful baby smell. If only that smell could be bottled.... someone would be a millionaire! As you can see from the pictures, this little peanut is not lacking for love!

Isn't he a doll?????

The prize Christmas gifts

If you have been a blog reader since this summer, you'll remember that Cobe got the experience of a lifetime when he met, ran routes, and hung out with David Garrard- the QB of the Jacksonville Jaguars. He signed a NFL football card and a football for him as well. My mom got Cobe, Brooks and Miles Garrard jerseys for Christmas that he will eventually sign when he is back in town. She tried to get them signed before Christmas, but even though Ellen tried her best, they will have to get them signed in the off season when he is back at the lake. They have not taken them off since they got them. They wore them yesterday, slept in them last night, and wore them all day today. The SAYiWONT hats from Brent were also a hit- they haven't taken them off either.

Cobe and David this summer.

Cobe in his hat and jersey.

Brooks proud as can be to sport his hat and jersey.

The three grandboys in their jerseys and hats.

We are heading home tomorrow- please pray for safe travels for us!

Merry Christmas!

I wish each reader a very Merry Christmas this year! I hope everyone takes the time to reflect on the many ways God has blessed you and your family this year. Even in the midst of tragedy, heartache and loss, blessings abound.

Enjoy each moment with family and friends, and may God surround each of you with His peace, love and grace during 2009. Much love, Sarah

Night Out with Friends

I headed to Raleigh yesterday afternoon to spend time with friends that I haven't seen in WAY too long. I first went by my brother's house to see his family, then headed over to Allison's to hang out. We had a good time gabbing and catching up, then left to go meet some folks at Michael Dean's. It was great to see some old friends- it is amazing to me that even though you can go years without seeing someone, it is like no time has passed in some ways. My high school friends know me well, and we grew up together, so it doesn't take long to jump back into that comfortable friendship. I hope to be able to make an effort to see them more often in the future. Thanks Allison, Lori, Sandee, Meg, Lynn, Mary Clare, and Mark for meeting me out- enjoyed our time together!

WHEW!!!! A Hurried Decision Paid Off!

We were supposed to leave today around 4:30 to come to my mom and dad's in NC. We were a little worried about the predicted snowfall and storm, but really I thought, they have been wrong this whole season, so we'll probably be okay. If worse comes to worse, we'd just leave Saturday to come after the storm dissipated. Ryan called me last night and said we should leave last night before the storm set in. Well.... I had packed a little, but still had a lot to do. He called me around 5pm and we were on the road by 7:30pm, so needless to say, I forgot a few things. Two big things being Brooks' inhalers for his asthma and my camera. Both are hard to do without. ;-) I threw a bunch of clothes in a suitcase, so who knows what else we forgot- yet to be discovered. And those of you who have followed our travels over the years, know that someone always throws up in the car. I was pretty proud of myself that I remembered to give each kid Dramimine before the trip, but poor little Brooksie....it didn't work. He was throwing up before we even got to Ann Arbor. He gets SO carsick! He was better once he threw up, so the rest of the trip was okay. And Jennifer, Ryan did not even get pulled over this time at all!!!! Both of us probably looked like drunk drivers because neither of us could hardly keep our eyes open. It was a long trip- we had to keep switching off since we couldn't stay awake. Around 1:30am, we pulled into a rest stop and both slept for an hour or so, but it didn't help all that much. We got in a huge traffic jam outside of DC because we hit the morning commuter traffic. But with all that being said, WE ARE HERE safe and sound! Lots of fog and rain too- but no snow! Soooo,,,,, I had alerted the kids' teachers to give them a heads up that if there was school today, my kids would be absent. Have I ever mentioned a fabulous kindergarten teacher named Tracey Willemstein before? She even gave Brooks a call before we left to wish him a Merry Christmas since he'd be missing school today. He was proud as punch! My only dilemma was that if we had school, I would be missing work as well. Hmmmm.... thank goodness I didn't end up having to deal with that. But I had an excellent substitute teacher on standby just in case! ;-) She got to sleep in.

I am already enjoying the fact that I have had plenty of computer time, the kids have already been outside playing withOUT coats in short sleeves, and now my mom is feeding them lunch. Ready for some relaxation this week!!!!!!!

The Pageant

The following pictures will tell the story of Sadie's adventure in the Christmas pageant last night. As you can see in the first picture, 3 things are happening. One, the choir director (hey Tracey!) had to come sit right beside Sadie because she couldn't be quiet (she had 150 kids to direct, yet my daughter (and a few girls behind her) demanded her undivided attention just so they'd be quiet) ; two, she decided to perform some tricks for the benefit of the audience and see if she could put her head between her legs upside down and three, she had shed her shoes long before and decided to go barefoot.
The second picture was taken to show how much bigger the kid beside her was. Didn't matter to Sadie. She proceeded to tell him OVER and OVER and OVER again that she was bigger than him. He got irate with her and kept saying, "You're only 3 and I'm 5 and a half, so I am bigger than you." Or, "You are in preschool, and I'm in kindergarten, so I am bigger than you." To which Sadie would reply, "I don't care. I'm bigger than you." She tormented him for so long that he got loud and the poor thing got moved to another seat on the bleachers. Even though she is naughty, I doubt we'll ever have to worry about her getting pushed around by any boy! How funny is it that she WANTS to be bigger than everyone- I keep trying to tell her that one day that will change!!!!!!

Here is another photo below just showing how the girls in the picture were having a grand 'ole time playing with each other and giggling instead of paying attention and doing what they were supposed to do. They all had quite the game of "rock, paper, scissors" going at one point before they got scolded. And I didn't even get any pics of Sadie sticking out her tongue when other parents were trying to take pictures of their kids around her.

And then I have to end on a positive note: when Sadie went on stage at the beginning of the pageant- she was all smiles and was singing like she was supposed to as you can see in the picture below. Waiting for her turn just must not be her thing. ;-)

And here is Cobe before the pageant with all the fellas dog-piling on top of him. He has some great church buddies, and they were old enough to tone it down and do EXACTLY what they were supposed to as soon as the pageant was underway! Please join me in prayer that Sadie will eventually grow out of the stage she is in and grow up to be a well-mannered, pleasant young lady.

And I am pubically apologizing Tracey for Sadie's disruptions last night!!!!! Just wait til you have her in kindergarten!!!!! ha ha

Christmas Photos

Here are a few pics of my kids before the Christmas pageant at church tonight. I'll have to post tomorrow about the actual pageant- Cobe did exactly what he was supposed to- did a great job; Brooks opted not to be in it (shock!) and Sadie.... well I will have to post tomorrow about Miss Sadie Claire and all the stunts she pulled during the performance. That girl is NAUGHTY I tell ya! A hoot, but naughty! I don't have time to write it all out now b/c I'm off to watch the Survivor finale- woo hoo!

More pictures from last night

Ho Ho Ho- Justin and Santa having a jolly old time! :-)

All the kids wanted their present first!

Kyle just got home from practice- good thing he made the party in time!

The grandparents opening their tote full of gifts.

Sadie opening her slippers from Santa.

Josh in his Lions gear from his grandparents.

Gracyn and her present from Santa- she looks intrigued!

Josh and his surfboard from Santa.

Miss B receiving her gift.

Gracyn wasn't too sure of Santa.

And neither was Josh.

But Selah sidled right up to him!

Jakey boy maxing and relaxing in Santa's lap.

Told you Santa comes early!!!!

A few pictures from our Huizenga family Christmas tonight. I have a ton more, but I am tired so I am going to hit the sack and post more tomorrow.

Santa was scolding MJ and Jim for having an artificial tree- he moonlights as a Christmas tree salesman! :-)

Santa entering with his sack of goodies for the kids.

Sadie was a little too nervous to sit in Santa's lap, so he had to kneel beside her for the picture.

Brooks was all smiles though!

And so was Cobe.

Christmas Festivities

We are deep into Christmas at this point in December. We start celebrating early in MI since we head to NC for Christmas. We had a Christmas party last night with the Boeves, and we had a great time. Tons of food and tons of great presents! Thanks Boeves for all of our nice gifts!
Then Santa visited our house last night. He always comes early to the Huizengas! Isn't he nice to make a special trip just for us???? :-) Tonight is a Christmas party with Ryan's family, so I cooked/baked this afternoon for that after Cobe's soccer game. He had a great game- his team won 9-3, and Cobe scored 5 of the goals! I, of course, was gabbing and missed 4 of the 5, but Ryan videotaped the game, so I can watch the highlights later. Here are a few pics of some Christmas fun so far.


Sadie and her new Barbie guitar. She can hook up my Ipod to it and jam to real tunes too- we all had fun with that this morning.

Sadie pushing her new double stroller from Santa.

Brooks (making a crazy face!!!) on his Powerwings from Santa.

Sadie's loot from jolly St. Nick.

Brooks and his Copter he got- it can carry cars.

Brooks' pile from Santy Claus.

One of the hit gifts that Cobe got from Santa- the boys have had fun competing against each other and Ryan.

Cobe with his new Fusion carving scooter.

And Cobe's haul from Santa.

The stockings hung by the entertainment center with care.

And these were my one burst of creativity for the season- teacher gifts. I made milk chocolate and white chocolate spoons and put them in tins with hot chocolate for the kids' 6 teachers. I made a few extras for bus drivers, principals, etc.

The spoons before packaging.

Well, that is our festive season so far in a nutshell. I'm sure I'll be back soon with more pictures- from the party tonight as well as the church Christmas program tomorrow night. All 3 kids will sing and recite verses in that. (I should say 2 definites and 1 maybe- guess who the maybe will be!!!!! :-) )

Hope you all are having a very merry and blessed Christmas so far!