ICE and a Fun Date!

The other weekend we decided to go over to the Gaylord hotel and do the ICE exhibit.  Grams and Pops came along and Mel and Greg met us there too.  It was a lot of fun.  

Once you enter the exhibit it is 9 degrees!  So they give you this awesome huge blue coats to put on so you don't freeze!!!  Lucy got to basically get in mine with me and her poor little nose was still so cold....but she was so cute!!!

The entire exhibit is ice sculptures!  At the beginning there is several slides that you can go down.  The boys...well actually all of us loved it!  It was a whole lot of fun.

Then we had some picture taking time for mom's christmas card.....

love this one.....she melts me :)

Last weekend we had our Cross Custom Homes Christmas party.....or that's what I told Logan we were doing.  We don't have any employees so it was just me and him :).  I planned this one and we went to eat at Carrabbas because that is the greatest place EVER.  Then we went ice skating!  It was a lot of fun but I'm just not that great :)  We laughed a lot and that's what we needed.  And good ol Santa Claus was at the ice skating rink!!  Then we went to downtown Fort Worth and got some dessert and saw the huge Christmas tree.  It was a very fun night together.  We need these more often :)

My Papaw Platt

I lost my Papaw Platt last Wednesday morning.  My dad called me first thing while I was getting ready and said that he was already gone.  He had fallen during the night and my parents had gone next door to help him back to bed.  My mom had taken his blood pressure when they were over there and it was totally normal.  He was talking to them and seemed ok.  That was around midnight.  My Mamaw woke up next to him that next morning and he had already passed sometime before.  Although it hurts and it so sad it is exactly what we prayed for....him to go peacefully and at home where he wanted to be.  He was 92 years old and an amazing man.  He was left an amazing legacy of faith and family for me.  

Here are some pictures of him with his joy and delight....Lucy :)  He loved seeing her and tears would just fall down his face when he got to see her.  My mom said he'd ask about her every time she went over there.  I think it's pretty awesome that he got to meet all 26 of his great-grandchildren!

Here's him and Weston....

And Caleb......who is actually named after him.  Caleb's middle name is Franklin and that was his middle name too.

I have a pictures of him and Tyson but I can't find them right now.  Tyson loved to give Papaw his snacks....he'd always share with him :)  I love this picture of him and my Mamaw.....they would've been married for 70 years in April....that is pretty amazing!!!

He served his country as a technical sergeant in the Army Air Force during WWII.  He flew over 35 missions in the European theater, including Germany, Italy and France.  

It has been really hard to say goodbye.  Since they lived next door to my parents we saw them all the time.  They were always nearby growing up.  They came to our stuff and I remember going to their house a lot.  He had a stroke about 3 years ago and things have been different since.  He had to be in several different care facilities and finally begged to go live at home.  They had a care giver and really did pretty well.  I actually got to cut his hair the 2 years we've been moved back.  I have always loved his big, floppy ears so it gave me time to play with them :).  He had such quick wit and humor even in his last months.  My Mamaw is so very sad and this is going to be very difficult on her.  I have realized again how very thankful I am for my family.  It is hard to lose any of them but we have peace knowing he is not hurting and is home with the Lord.

Operation Christmas Child, Lucy Turns 9 Months, Thanksgiving, Field Trip, Christmas Decorations, and Mimi & Pawpaw's Visit

Every year we fill boxes for Operation Christmas child.  We always do ones that correspond with the boys ages.  Well I have to say it was really fun to actually get to pack a GIRL box this year!!!  We found out this that all of our boxes are going to Togo, a country in West Africa.

Lucy turned 9 months on the 25th...she is growing and changing so much!!!  She is crawling everywhere fast!!  She is climbing stairs and pulling up on everything.  She is SO much fun.  She went for her checkup and weighed 19lbs and 13oz and was 26.25". 

This might be one of my all time favorites :)  Not even sure how they are ALL looking!!!!

Weston had a Thanksgiving music performance at school.  He was an indian :)

Thanksgiving morning....

Lucy was helping me cook Thanksgiving lunch.  She was gnawing on a raw sweet potato :)

Sadly I didn't really take many pictures....but here's a few of Lucy.

If only turkey tasted as good as it looks.  I'm just reminded again that turkey just isn't that great.....doesn't matter how great you cook it :)

Some intense game playing after lunch.....that grandma of mine is a hoot!

We've been having lots of fun in the leaves!!!

They've been having so much fun in our backyard.  There is a creek way down behind our house and they've been going "exploring" down there.  

I went on a field trip with Weston's class to Main Stay farm in Burleson.  It was cold and rainy but it was just fun to be with him.  

This is his "special" friend this year...Aubrie.

They got to cook smores and he cracked me up because he was such a perfectionist!  He had to get it cooked just right.  

Tyson and his buddy Max....they are awesome wrestling partners :)

Fun decorating the Christmas tree.....I had lots of helpers..

That is a lot of stockings.....and do you know I actually bought all of these right after we had Weston. I got them at target and went ahead and got 6 of them.  I remember thinking that we wanted 4 kids but didn't think that would actually happen....well it did!

Mimi and Pawpaw came and spent the night with us.  It was so fun to be with them.  

Mimi got Lucy to drink some smoothie.  She loved it!

More fun in the leaves.....

And some baseball practice with Pawpaw

and even Mimi got some practicing in :)

Lucy got an early Christmas present since they were coming down they went ahead and brought it.  It was pretty funny to watch them all trying to figure out how to put it together.  C'mon Dad.......aren't you a homebuilder????  It's just a kid's kitchen :)

She was pretty excited.....

But I think her brothers might be enjoying it a little bit too....