Loyalty

A boy and his dog, Charlie Murphy. Loyalty with a hue of red...

Limo Christmas Lights & Christmas 2015

December is a big month; not only is it Christmas but we have 4 very important birthdays ... well, 5 including Jesus! We have Nate's mom's birthday on 12/3, George & Papa on 12/23, and Griffin on 12/27. This year we decided to combine Bobbi and George's birthday and go on a Limo ride around Eugene, something none of us have done.

It was George's first time in a limo so the boys thought they'd be the ones to tell him all about things. We had taken Papa and Sherrill on a limo ride in Las Vegas, so the boys have been in one and of course, were pros. 

There are a lot of people in Eugene that have a) a LOT of money budgeted for lights and b) have waaaaay too much time on their hands. I will take it, though, because it allows us such great beauty to look at. It's one of my favorite things to do during the holidays. I can remember climbing into the car with hot chocolate and blankets as children and driving around looking at the lights of Dighton, Kansas.

We have a Scovil tradition with the "other" Scovils. Usually on 12/23, Danielle and Andy will have an "Open House" where people can come and enjoy pot luck time. After the Open House, Josh and Jessica come and spend the night at our house before going to Bobbi and George's for Christmas Eve. I don't remember when it started, but Josh started making breakfast for everyone the morning of Christmas Eve Day. The year, he made home-made donuts!!! Chocolate and Maple. They were A-MAZING! He really out did himself this year. He was awake at 6:00am working on these. We were very grateful and our belly's also were very thankful.

No, that's not an "dad" that snuck in the picture there. That's DeShawn!! He's grown into such a wonderful delight. His younger cousins enjoy him just as much. Following right behind DeShawn is Jonas ... who is "only" about 4 years younger! He'll be towering over all of us in a few years!

Griffin was so excited to get Pixels from Grandma and Poppy so he was in hug-mode. Always nice to get hugs from Griffin!!

This was our gift to the Bauers this year. I think it matches their house perfectly! Can't wait to wipe my feet on it ... haha! 

We usually have Jenn with us on Christmas morning at our house, but she was in the Netherlands this year so it was nice and quiet on Christmas morning. 

Santa left these hummers in the garage this year. Gear bikes!!! They'll be getting lots of use when the rain stops and the sun comes out!!!

We had a blessed Holiday Season. Looking forward to what 2016 will bring!

Griffin's Wunderland 8th birthday

If there's one thing that Griffin loves more than his Momma (yeah right...) is video games. I had taken Griffin to Salem to the nickel arcade during our Momma & Me trip and he loved it so much he wanted to come back for his 8th birthday party.

The one thing that stinks about having your birthday right after Christmas isn't the loss of presents that some people think, but its the IMPOSSIBLE task of gathering friends over the Christmas Break. I need to learn how to pre-invite his friends because as a mom, I certainly would appreciate a mid-Christmas Break BREAK for the boys. So, note to self: do pre-invites next year before the actual break gets here.

We were able to borrow Andy and Danielle's 15-passenger van and hauled cousins and a few friends up to Salem, stopping of course in Albany for Burgerville! I didn't even have to come up with baking a cake or cupcakes - we treated everyone to Burgerville Shakes. It doesn't get much better than that!

Linus & Lucy

The fighting. Ohhhhh, the fighting. You'd think I was pulling toenails out with tweezers. I don't even get "Maysen it's time to pract-..." before I hear "Noooooooo!!!!!!!" like I've just told him that government put a ban on internet and therefore it was banished.

His relationship with his piano is love/hate. I haven't figured out the ratio yet. If I've heard it once, I've heard it 948 times "He'll never regret it ..... if he quits now he will wish he never quit ..... I used to play but quit and now I wished I hadn't." I know all of this. I tell him all of this. He does not believe me because I am, after all, an idiot in his eyes I'm sure.

However. Before we left on vacation in October, he was given the music to Charlie Brown's "Linus & Lucy". When we got back he started practicing it. He could play about one measure before losing his mind. Then one night, we sat, together and worked through it. Then he just "got it!" From that moment on I'd hear that song coming out of the spare room. Then as he got more into it, the faster he would try and go. For his birthday in November we took his friends to see The Charlie Brown Movie and when that song came on, he caught his breath, leaned forward and looked at me with a beaming smile.

Then my heart broke. I mistakenly booked our winter vacation to Eagle Crest on the same weekend of his recital. How could I tell him? He'd been so excited to go to Eagle Crest. He'd worked so hard on his songs. The look on his face when I told him my goof-up was so tragic. We were NOT missing this recital! Thankfully I was able to re-arrange a day and we came home early in time for his recital. He did amazing!!

I could not have been more proud of him. A big improvement from his recital last year.