Sparkle

Last Christmas, our youngest received an Elf on the Shelf.  It was a girl Elf, and we named her Sparkle.  Since Sparkle had to return to the North Pole that same day we opened her, this is the first holiday season that we have experienced her flights.  Below are some of our favorite moments we've captured on camera:

Semester Break

We have our oldest home now for two weeks.  Her first semester at USC went very well.  However, she brought home with her some new ideals that she decided to impart on the family.



For one week, the family is going waste-free.  No trash, no food waste, no plastic bags.  Everything must either be recycled or composted.

Other than this, we've enjoyed having her company again.  The house is always clean, there's fresh fruit in the fridge, and we have an extra driver to run errands.  

It's so great to have all my children home!  I may not have many years of this left, so I'm truly loving it!

9th Birthday

It's finally here!  I can't even begin to tell you all the discussions, planning, and non-stop thinking we've had about this amazing day!  We counted down the months, then days, weeks, hours, and even minutes, as our little one drove us absolutely crazy.  But, we wouldn't have it any other way.

It all went perfectly according to the schedule that was pre-set 11 months ago......

Breakfast in bed with 3 waffles, milk, and a fruit medly of strawberries, blueberries, and cantelope.

Since peanut products cannot be brought into the school, we ordered donuts.  But not just any donuts.  Two dozen!  The first dozen where white frosting with sprinkles, and the second dozen were chocolate frosting with sprinkles.  Grandma has these pretend donuts at her house, and it is one of her favorite stores to play.

Next was lunch.  Daddy and Sissy met her at the school and were to surprise her with one of these three restaurant choices:  McDonalds, Subway, or Nagoya (a Japaneze take-out place).  They chose Subway since it was on the way and actually served lunch at 10:45am.

After school, we had our family dentist appointment.  This was no coincidence of course, because back in June when it was time to schedule the next cleaning, she wanted it on her birthday.  What kid loves the dentist?!!  Apparantly mine.  They were so impressed with her planning this (our little one felt the need to share this story with all the staff there), that one of them gave her a $5 Dunkin Donuts gift card for her birthday. 

For dinner, she chose Outback, where all five of us ate for $43.00.  It was then time to head home for the birthday celebration.  Daddy got her an Olaf pinata, we ate pumpkin pie, then opened presents.

Some of her favorite gifts were a hoola hoop, robe, beanie boo girraffe, nice church coat, a jacket to go with her soccer sweats, and a gingerbread house kit.  

Whew!  That little one is sleeping now, but she'll start planning the next one tomorrow morning.

Christmas Parade

One of Eric's favorite holiday traditions is dragging the family to the local Christmas parade.  This one has a small town country feel, and the best part is that you can arrive 5 min. before it starts and still find a great seat.

We usually have to bring at least one grocery bag to gather all the candy, which is just what we need only 6 weeks after Halloween.  The mayor leads it off at 11am, followed by a band, some teen beauty queens, a few hot rod cars, boy scouts troops, a tractor or two, girl scout troops, one more high school band, and then the grand finale...Santa! 

We're usually headed back home by 11:15.  Crossed that one off the list.  Now back to my nap.

North Pole Musical

Our youngest had a leading role in the 3rd grade performance last week.

Here's our little reindeer just before the program began.  If you have 2-3 min to watch the clip highlights, click this link: 

                 https://youtu.be/tMItewK-2NA

Holiday Season

Our oldest was home for Thanksgiving, so I was happy to have all my babies together.  She added a few healthy dishes to our traditional meal, like broiled carrots & brussel sprouts and a beet & feta salad.  She also organized the cabinets!



Daddy did the dishes after our big meal.

That night, our Elf on the Shelf named "Sparkle" arrived bearing candy from the North Pole.

Our little one couldn't wait to put up the tree, especially with Sparkle watching. The entire conversation involved her favorite topic.  I mean, who wouldn't like having the Christmas tree up on their birthday?  Of all the children who feel cheated having a December birthday, this one sure doens't.  God knew what he was doing.  She LOVES it!

The little one then decided to set out syrup for Sparkle as a welcome gift to the McConnell house.  We had no idea how much elves like syrup.  She drank the whole bottle!  Good thing we had more in the pantry.  It was time for waffle weekend!

Starring Role

Our little one just found out that she got one of the starring roles in this year's school play.  Out of 215 students, she received the part with the most lines.  Now, whenever we are together in the car ride to school, going home, running errands, or playing games, we rehearse her lines.

I know this casting list is difficult to read, but it shows the shear volume of parts.  Several have understudies as well.  The Christmas play should be interesting!

After we practiced her lines, we decided to make friendship bread so that their mornings will be quick over the next few days when Daddy is driving them to school.  While baking, we switched topics to her other favorite subject....her birthday.

Did you know that she will be 8 years 11 months on the 15th?  Also, guess how many days are NOT her birthday each year?  That's right, 364 unless it's leap year, then it's 365.  Do you know what she wants for breakfast on her birthday?  Waffles with cantelope and blueberries and a glass of milk.  For lunch, she wants me to surprise her with either McDonalds, Subway, or Sonic.  For dessert, I'm supposed to bring 2 dozen donuts to school.  The first dozen should have white frosting with sprinkles.  The second dozen should have chocolate frosting with sprinkles.  For her family cake, she wants pumpkin pie.

And we're still over a month away....

Volleyball

Our youngest finally agreed to try a sport other than soccer or gymnastics.  

Back row, middle player

She was the smallest one on the team, and the youngest, but she improved the most.  So proud of her!

The end-of-season party is always the best part of any sport.

The coach did a nice job complimenting all the players and presenting them with their trophy.

Surgery

Eric had surgery this week for his artial fibrillation.  Prior to going in, he did so much research on the internet that it was driving me crazy.  He watched YouTube video after video on all the types of procedures possible, and the outcomes of each.  I think he was more versed on the procedure than  the medical staff.


Before the IVs were hooked up, we took one quick selfie.

Once the IVs were hooked up and a little gas started through his air tubes, the true engineer came out in him:Nurse:   Are you allergic to latex?Eric:  I don't believe that the compound properties of latex create an adverse reaction on my skin.Nurse:  Ok, I'll take that as a no.   

Once in recovery, the hospital had a "code orange" or a "fire warning" on the first floor.  Although still groggy from the medication, Eric instinctively replied that they needed to  "transfer power from the electrical outlet to a battery".  He doesn't remember saying any of this, which is quite funny.

The doctor said the procedure went really well, and he couldn't even force a-fib when he tried!  Eric has been doing great at home, lectored in church this weekend, and even went for a long walk today.  Very thankful and blessed!  

Unexpected Homecoming

Our oldest was kicked out of USC with the floods, so we were blessed with an unexpected visit!

It was her first time home since leaving for college.  The little one especially enjoyed her big sis being home.

It was great to have all my babies around the dinner table.After a long shower and a wash of her clothes, she headed back to school.

Parents' Weekend at USC

It was finally time to visit our daughter at USC!  We hadn't seen her in over a month since we dropped her off, and we could hardly wait.

She met us at the welcome reception, and we were all starving.  After grabbing some wonderful Southern food, we enjoyed lots of catching up.  Mommy, Daddy, and the little one couldn't stop hugging her!

The next day we went to a tailgate before the big football game.  Although the weather was drizzle and damp, we enjoyed the food, conversations, and experience.

The little one wasn't too interested in the game, but sure enjoyed the cotton candy.  Our oldest sat in the student section with her friends.

After the game, we looked over the top of the stadium railing and saw this red train.  As we exited, we got a closer look.  These rail cars make up the South Carolina Cockaboose Railroad, and they are beautifully painted train cars that fans rent for parties before & after games.  This would be a really cool business perk or birthday bash!

Our final day was spent hanging out at the dorms, enjoying the food on campus, and playing games.  In her dorm, we all fit under her bed loft on her futon.  The guys had a great time playing with her roommate's play station.

During the trip home, our Little One logged a page in her journal.....There's nothing quite like reading her perpective!

Happy Fall!

It's the first day of fall, and the cooler weather was timed perfectly!  Mornings are wonderful with highs in the 70's.  Nice change from the summer heat.

We celebrated the season by decorating the house and baking an apple pie.  The little one also requested a small blueberry pie.

Giving Blood

After 8 years, I was finally able to give blood again!!  I've just given my 31st gallon, and it felt great.  My hemoglobin was 12.8 and blood pressure 104/60.  Few people would celebrate an occasion like this, but for me, it's confirmation that I'm healthy again.