Dinner at Denise's

While I was at work yesterday, Toni took the boys to Livingston with her while she checked on Granny Ottie. Before they left, Hunter had his three year old check up over at the doctor. Everything was good with Hunter and he is 38" tall and weighs 36 lbs. After the rushing around of the day, we went over to Denise's house for dinner and Kenny came over too. We had a good dinner and exchanged gifts with everyone.
Hunter wanted to play with everything he got right away. I was excited to take the left over lasagna home since Denise is going to NY today. I am trying to fit in a little morning duck hunt before Christmas, but I am not sure if it is going to come together. At least we are off of work for two days this week. Now it is time to get the day started.

More Christmas

Yesterday was a fun day around here. We started out by working the nursery at church and then there was a brunch for everyone at church. I have no idea how many people they fed, but there were a bunch of people there eating. The food was good and we had a good time. We got home and watched some of the Titans game, and then I tried to put Hunter down for a nap. Hunter has frog that he sleeps with and I could not find frog yesterday. I laid down with him and I think I was the only one who fell asleep while watching TV. We did wake up in time to see the Titans pull it out in overtime over the Dolphins. After starting the season 0-6, the Titans have their record at 7-7 now. I made some beef jerky yesterday, but I think I let it cook a little too long. I hope it turns out OK.
Last night, we did Christmas with the Hubbards over at Aunt Barbara's house. Hunter was excited to be playing with all of his cousins. There are now 13 kids from 17 yrs old to 4 months that were there. Dinner was good, chicken from Hog Heaven and the sides were real good too. After dirty santa, the kids went downstairs to play football. Since Hunter's favorite thing is football, he was in the middle of the action the whole time. He did not care who had the ball, but he would tackle anyone close to him. He will grab on to someone and just go for the ride until they are down on the ground. He had a blast playing with everyone and did not want to leave. We got home after nine and he was up until almost 10:30 last night. I am sure that he will sleep for a while this morning. It was a busy fun day yesterday, and now it is back to work for a few days before Christmas holidays.

Christmas Light Tour

It was a busy day around here yesterday. Toni woke up early to go to a sale at Belk and she got there around six. I would like to say it was a rough morning with the boys, but they were asleep the whole time she was gone. I cooked up some sausage and biscuits for breakfast and they were good. After breakfast, Hunter and I went to run some errands. I put his seat in Topper and that was the first time he got to cruise around in Topper sitting in the front seat. He got a sucker at the gas station and was enjoying that while we went on our errands. We went to the Home Depot to get some gifts for Dirty Santa games that we have coming up. We also wound up running to Academy sports and he wanted all of the football helmets there.
He was real good while we shopped and ran our errands. When we got home and I was unloading Topper, he got on the Gator and chased Maddie around the yard. It was getting cold outside, but he wanted to stay on the Gator. I finally got him to come inside where we could eat some lunch. I watched the boys while Toni ran another errand and Hunter went down for a nap. When I had a chance, I marinated some beef jerky and need to get that on the dehydrator this morning. I also had the pleasure of splitting some firewood out by the pile. Ganna came down for the evening, and we got ready to go look at Christmas lights.
This house over in Sunnyside was the highlight of our trip. We did not take as long a trip as we have in the past, but it was a nice drive. We got home and had a great dinner of filets, mushrooms, potatoes au gratin, pea salad, and bread. After a great late dinner, I was ready for bed, but Hunter wanted to stay up longer than eight, so I waited until it was his bedtime. It was a great day and I slept like a rock last night. Now it is time to get another day started and see if Maddie is ready to go outside.

Weekend Plans

I am doing my routine of watching the news while surfing on the computer. It looks like my plans are going to depend on how much rain we get today. Last night after Hunter went to sleep, I put his bicycle together and hid it in the trunk of the car.
I cannot work on Dad's leaves since it is raining, but I will try to get the cardboard over to the recycling and I need to run to the home depot to get a gift for dirty Santa. I am going to put Hunter's seat in Topper and let him run around with me today. I was going to try and get a little work done around the yard, but I do not know if the weather will let me. I guess I will just start with some sausage and biscuit and see where the day takes us.

Random Nights

An old picture from Thanksgiving of Hunter and me outside. I need to get Toni to upload some pictures from her camera. Hunter did great at his Christmas program yesterday and he sang and did good. John Loyd was awake most of the time and he did good also. When I got home, it was dark, but there must have been a full moon out because Hunter got on his four wheeler and cruised around until the battery wore out. It was a nice quiet evening around here and we just stayed in after our four wheeler ride. I need to get ready for Christmas since it is only one week away. Toni did most of my shopping, but I have one or two gifts to get and then we will be done. I hope everyone else is ready for Christmas and some time off work will be nice.

New Sheriff in Town

There is a new sheriff in town and he is hanging out in his exersaucer. I just realized that I have no idea how to spell exersaucer, but I am going with that spelling.
Hunter knocked over his coat rack last night and when I was picking it up, I wondered if that hat would fit John Loyd. It fit, but I am not sure that JL liked wearing it. Last night was an easy night around the house and about the only thing I accomplished was starting a fire to warm us up. Today Hunter has his Christmas program over at school so I will go to work for a little while and then head over to school for his program. Maddie is ready to go out and freeze me, so I have to cut this short.

Back to Winter

Yesterday was a busy day around the office and then Hunter got to hang out with me for a little while. John Loyd had a regular doctors appointment and I picked up Hunter from school and took him back to the office with me. JL is up to 14 lbs 5 oz and everything is going good with him. After Hunter and I finished some work we ran some errands. The ladies at the bank loved him and he asked them for a sucker and was happy to get one.
When I took him home, we got a fire started to knock the chill off. It is funny how much firewood you think you have until you start using it. We have enough to make it through the year, but I need to start thinking about next year. I have to get the area cleaned out behind the barn this winter and I do not know where I am going to take all of the junk. Once I get that area cleaned up, I can set up a few different firewood piles and know what to use first. I need to find the time to get this done, and since I have said this for four or five years, this might be the year that I can get it done.

Was that Spring Time?

Yesterday, it got up to 66 degrees and it felt great outside. It was only here for one day and the cold weather is coming back, but it was nice for a one day break. Yesterday was a little busy at work and then I helped with the boys when I got home where Toni could finish her chores. Hunter has his classroom Christmas party today and she had to get the goodie bags together for that. She also made some Chex mix, fudge, and chocolate for some of the teachers. I grilled some chicken for dinner and it was good. I am going to pick Hunter up from the party since Toni is taking JL to the doctor for a check up, so I do not know how much work I will get done this afternoon. Maybe it will be slow at the office and I can get caught up today.

Another Busy Day

Yesterday was a busy rushed day, but we had a great time. We went to church in Livingston with Ganna, James, Ginger, and Ava and then hit the road to get ready for the Titans game.
Dad, Dave, Hunter, and me went to watch the Titans take on the Rams. We got to our seats in time to see Lady Antebellum sing the national anthem. I mention that because Hunter is a big fan of two of their songs, and I let him know what they sing. The Rams are struggling this year, and the Titans let them have it. The first half was all Titans and we jumped up to a 23-0 lead by halftime.
Vince Young got hurt during the first half, but Kerry Collins came in and played good. Chris Johnson was fun to watch as he has been all year. He only had 117 rushing yards, but he also had a 66 yard reception that went for a touchdown. It is amazing how fast he is and how good he is playing this year. We only saw a little bit of the third quarter and then had to leave and rush to Church for dinner at Bethleham.
Here are all of the grandkids trying to get their picture made. Heather was in it with Lizzy, and the kids were good for a short time, so I do not know how the picture will turn out. All of the kids made some crafts and got to see the animals outside. There was a cow, llama, sheep, goats, donkey, and camel that the kids could feed and pet. The dinner was good and the kids had a good time. By the time we made it home, everyone was worn out and we watched a little TV before bedtime. It was a busy weekend with the Christmas lunch, parade, Titans game, and dinner at Bethleham, but it was a fun weekend. Now I need a day or two to catch up on my rest.

Christmas Parade

Yesterday we had a Christmas lunch over at Ganna and Papa's house with the Sadlers. It was a great lunch and Hunter kept wanting to play football in the house with all of the tables set up around the den. We were lucky enough that he did not knock anything over before lunch. Right after lunch, we left to get on the Mule wagon and get ready for the parade.
Po, Denise, Papa and Tori were on horses and we rode in the wagon pictured here. Koy was our driver and it was his wagon that we were on. We got in line and had to wait for the parade to start, but the good news was that we had a heater in the back of the wagon with us. Hunter wanted to eat all of the candy that we had to throw out for the spectators. We started to get moving and he laid his head down on my leg and fell asleep. He slept for the first hour on the wagon ride whil Ava and Annabeth threw out most of the candy.
It was my first Livingston parade and I was impressed how many people were in the parade and how many people were lining the streets. This picture is the lineup before the parade started and I still could not get everyone in the picture. We did get to see Toni and John Loyd and the rest of the Sadlers as we drove by the square. After the parade, we went back to Ganna's and got to visit with everyone. We did make it over to another Christmas party at Curtis' house and saw a bunch of people there. It was a good evening and Hunter is worn out from the busy day. Hopefully he can get some good sleep before another busy day with the Titans game and Dinner at Bethleham over at church tonight.

Christmas Starts

Yesterday, I worked a half day and then we hit the road to go to Livingston. Hunter was playing outside before we left, and of course, he found the mud. I washed his hands up and Toni did not find out about it until we were on the road and she saw his pants were dirty.
Here is another picture of us putting the angel on the tree. After looking at this picture I know that people are asking, do you always get that dressed up at home? Yes I do, I figured we were going to take a picture so I put a nice shirt on and combed my little bit of hair for it. I look like I am going to be starring in the next episode of Cops in my fancy outfit. Today, we have lunch over at Ganna and Papa's house with the Sadler side of the family. It got moved up a week since John is in town and it worked out good with the Christmas parade today. The kids should have a good time and I will get to eat a good meal so it will be a good day as long as I can keep Hunter out of the mud. At least John Loyd does not get in the mud yet.

Shooting Hoops

Last night, Toni had an ornament exchange party with the moms from church, so Hunter and I went over to Lipscomb for the basketball game.
We got there in time to see the introductions and the crowd was pretty weak. I think the college kids had gone home from exams, so the crowd was real small. Stewart, Doree, Cole and Channie were at the game also, but Hunter was more into the game than socializing. He watched the first part of it pretty good, but I had to remind him to root for Lipscomb. About midway through the first half, he saw the little play area for the kids and wanted to go shoot basketball up there.
We went up there and let him play for a little while, and then grabbed a snack and went back to our seats. At halftime, he wanted to go back and play basketball, so we went back. An elementary school dribble team performed at halftime, and he wanted to keep his eye on that while he was shooting hoops. We got back to our seats at the start of the second half and watched some more. Hunter had not had a nap yesterday, so about 8:30 he was getting tired and we left the game. Lipscomb really pulled it out and even though they were up by one point when we left, they won by 20. We got home in time to watch some TV and then Hunter fell asleep in my bed. It was a fun evening and we will have to go to some more basketball games this year.

It is Cold

The high today is barely going to get above freezing, so it is a cold one out there today. I keep putting off walking Maddie this morning, but I am going to bundle up and take her out. It could be worse since snow is hitting some areas real bad.
We are not expecting any snow, so that is at least a good sign. Last night Toni had her boss over for dinner, so I think she was trying to brown nose. Actually, Denise brought a baseball glove and baseball for Hunter's birthday gift and stayed for dinner with us. We had a meatloaf, corn, and mashed potatoes and it was a good dinner. Hunter has missed the last two days of school with an eye cold, but I think he is going to school today. Tonight, we are going over to Lipscomb to catch a basketball game. He had a good time at the basketball game last year, so hopefully, he can sit through another one this year. Maddie is letting me know that it is time to bundle up and take her.

Dinner at Pizza Perfect

Last night, all of the Brandts went out to Pizza Perfect in Bellevue for dinner since it was Hunter's birthday. They have a game room for the kids to play and plenty of big tables to fit all 15 of us.
Hunter played some of the racing games and all of the kids liked sitting on the motorcycle game. I do not think he will be getting a motorcycle anytime soon, but he did enjoy trying to ride the motorcycle game. He played a racing car game, and had to sit in my lap since he could not reach the gas pedal, and also played the boat racing game since the shifter was easy to reach.
Lizzy even tried to play the racing game, but I do not think there was any money in the game. The kids enjoyed playing the air hockey tables that they had there. The place was not too crowded, so the kids could run around and not get in anyone's way too much. The food was great as usual and Mom even brought an ice cream cake for all of us to enjoy. The cake had blue ice cream, so Hunter looked like a smurf when he got done eating his slice.
Hunter also found the bubble gum machine, and kept wanting gum to eat. It was a great evening, and we were wired up when we got home. Hopefully, Hunter will get to go to school today because he got sent home yesterday with his eye cold. We got some medicine for him, so maybe he can make it to school today.

Happy Birthday Hunter

I know that we have already had all of the birthday parties, but today is Hunter's third birthday. About this time three years ago, we were sitting in the hospital playing the waiting game. He was not born until 7:41 at night so it was a long day at the hospital.
The Brandt's are going to Pizza Perfect to eat together tonight, but we are not going to call that another party. The two parties he had have been enough, so this is just dinner with the family. I feel asleep in Hunter's bed last night and it is hard when he hogs the bed and it is only a twin bed. For a little while, Maddie slept with us also, so I was all twisted trying to make room for the two of them. I guess that I am ready for him to wake up and wish him a happy birthday.