A hunt, a meet, and a run…

"My doctor told me that jogging could add years to my life. I think he was right. I feel ten years older already."
-Milton Berle

In this week’s episode of “What did Isla do now?” we heard a crash from the book room.  Running in to make sure everything was ok, we saw an unashamed Isla playing with a box of pencils that she somehow was able to pull down off a shelf we thought was too tall for her to reach.  Time to reorganize.

 

We discovered something new this weekend that I suspect will be something we’ll do for many weekends to come.  It’s called Geocaching.  We’ve heard of it before but never tried it.  Essentially people hide little caches that contain a log of everyone that’s been there and little trinkets.  You find the general area through GPS and then hunt for it.  The kids had a really fun time searching around the park for the caches and got really excited when they found one.  We took a trinket, left a trinket (Ashlyn got a gecko and left a scuba diver) and they already want to go again.  I like it because it’s an adventure each time you go out and will encourage them to explore places they would have never seen otherwise.

This week Ashlyn’s gym had a practice meet.  It was held in a traditional meet format with the teachers as the judges and the girls got to go around in rotations showing their skills at each event.  To get a trophy and move up in ranking the girls had to get a 9.0 or higher in each event.  Not all the girls did, but Ashlyn completed her skills at each event and got her first trophy.  She was really excited, and we’re proud of her.  Way to go Ashlyn!

I’ll start this next section by saying this is something I normally wouldn’t post.  When I saw the pictures on the camera though, I had to post it because I was touched.  I ran the Dallas Half Marathon this weekend, which I’ve never done before.  It was cold and rainy and I wouldn’t let Heather drag the kids out to the race.  So she did the next best thing by putting the race on TV and having the kids hold up signs to cheer me on.  That’s Ashlyn and James holding “Go Daddy” signs that Ashlyn made (James is holding his upside down).  It must have worked because I not only completed the race, but I finished it in under 2 hours which was my stretch goal.  Every runner out there who had a family waiting for them back home, myself included, owes their families a big thank you for supporting them along the way.

Legoland, boxes, and breakfast…

"I thought boxes were the best toy. When my parents got a new car,
I ran to my mother and said, 'Did it come in a box?'"
-Colin Angle

This week there were several examples of Isla getting in trouble.  I chose these two.  The first is Isla sitting on the dishwasher door trying to take out all the dishes, which is a big no no and she knows it.  The second is her taking out all the Tupperware, which was my fault for leaving the door open after getting one out.

With the holiday season in full swing the kids have been busy making decorations for the house.  This year both of them could help, last year James wasn’t quite coordinated enough.

Speaking of Christmas, or rather the toys that inevitably fill our house after the presents are open, it’s always funny to me how you can surround kids with all sorts of toys and games and they will ignore all of them to play with a simple box.  James had a fun time hiding from Isla, who kept trying to break in without much success.

PePa came over for breakfast this morning and taught Ashlyn one of the key roles played during a Flinn family breakfast:  the bacon thief.  Ashlyn thought sneaking bacon was hilarious.

We made our first trip to Legoland this weekend.  It was not quite what we were expecting, but we bought season passes to the aquarium that included Legoland so we decided to give it a shot.  The kids had a pretty fun time with it all, they had some rides that they both could go on and Isla got to play in a toddler area.  I don’t know if we’ll go back that often but I guess we can’t complain since it’s pretty much free at this point.

Gobble gobble, 2015!

"Thanksgiving just gets me all warm and tingly and all kinds of wonderful inside."
-Willard Scott

We got too busy this year to hire a professional family photographer but that didn’t stop us from getting the kids dressed up and out to the park for some pictures before all the leaves fell.  I think the pictures came out pretty well.

Thanksgiving is my favorite holiday.  It’s a holiday whose sole purpose is to spend time with friends and family and be thankful for what you have.  There’s no pretense of presents, parties, or anything else.  It’s simply good food and good company.  Our Thanksgiving weekend started at the Wolfe’s where we got our first helping of turkey, pie, and sweet potatoes.

The next day it was time to put up the Christmas tree.  The kids were eager to help this year and actually did a pretty good job putting up the ornaments.  Even Isla go it on the mix, although she took down one ornament for every two she handed to Ashlyn or James to put up.  The end result was good and our home is definitely starting to feel a bit like Christmas.

It’s a good think all the decorating worked up an appetite, because Turkey Round 2 was the following day at Nina and Papa’s.  More turkey, yams, and pie ensued along with some excellent champagne and wine.  Unlike previous years we didn’t do it on Wednesday which meant we got to spend much more time as a family.  The cousins don’t get to see each other as often as they should and they took full advantage of the extra time.

Happy Thanksgiving everyone!