Z Sisters

We have a partial sister update this week from Annee, Rachel, and me.  I think we're all pretty busy with Christmas coming up.  I look forward to hearing from the other sisters later!  Love to you all.

IE LI

Last Week:

• Stephen turned four.  We celebrated with balloons, blueberry muffins, and presents on his actual birthday.  Then there was bowling, a football field cake, ice cream, and cousins the day after.  His greatest birthday wish was a motorcycle helmet.  So we got him one.   It's a black, full-faced helmet he can use while riding his bike.  He feels awesome when he wears it.  I love that kid.
• Hosted Thanksgiving.  It was my first time and I would love to do it again.  It was stressful, but so much fun too.  I love any excuse to cook lots of food and have family stay with us.  Thanks for coming, family!
• Bought a washer and dryer on Black Friday.
• Went to the National Zoo on Friday.  The weather was so perfect.
• Went to the US Botanic Garden on Saturday, then Hard times Cafe for food with Christine and the Earnests.
• Cleaned up my sewing closet.
• Purchased the Wiley Christmas gift.  It's on its way now, Sarah.  And it's wrapped (in Amazon wrapping paper). ;)
• Bought our Christmas tree.

This Week:

• Pediatrician visit
• Run
• Make a sewing comeback
• Decorate the Christmas tree
• Wrap up Christmas books for our Christmas book advent
• Clean the house
• Ward Christmas party
• Christmas shopping and creating continues

ANNEE

Last Week:

• Substitute taught all day Monday for 3rd grade.
• Substitute taught a half-day on Tuesday.  This was also the last day of the school week before fall break.  Ran a million errands before the kids got home.  Once everyone was home, we started packing and doing laundry and strategizing for our trip.
• Packed and did laundry late into the night.  Darin set his alarm for 5am Wednesday morning.  Or was it 4:30?  I can't remember.  We were all sitting in the car driving away from the house at 5:36am!  Though Virginia is not a huge car trip, the rumors about how bad traffic was between our two states during this particular week of November was not something the Major was going to take lightly.  We aimed for Breakfast at Ikea in VA at 9:30am.  We felt even a little bit surprised ourselves when we pulled up at 9:50am!
• Arrived at Steve and Ie Li's house around 1:30 or 2.  We had plans to go celebrate Stephen's 4th birthday at a local bowling alley.  Aunties Rachel and Christine met us there, along with uncle Ken.  The adults and the kids alike all bowled.  The competition was fierce.  I think Stephen won on his lane!  I know I lost on mine!
• Back to Steve's house for cake and ice cream, presents, and bedtime.  A late night trip to the grocery store, and even later night of cooking my chocolate cream pie that needed to chill over night!  Ie Li was keeping me company in the kitchen as she and Steve were in charge of the turkey, among other things!
• Missed the Thanksgiving day Turkey Trot.  I still feel kind of sad about that. But it was complicated, and super early.  But we did make it over to The Fitzgeralds for their after-race-breakfast.  Lovely morning spent there.  The boys stayed to watch football.  The girls and I headed back to work on getting Thanksgiving dinner on the table.
• Friday was spent engaging in some Black Friday mayhem.  And then napping in a movie theater during "The Muppet Movie".  Was it good?  I don't remember.
• Saturday we all ventured downtown to the National Botanic Garden, holiday display.  It was perfect!  The weather was amazing.  I love our downtown DC sightseeing trips all together as a family.  They are the best.
• Part of the group went on to Old Town Alexandria to eat the famous chili at Hard Times Cafe.  After saying good bye to everyone we were back on the road heading south.  It was the perfect Thanksgiving trip!

This Week:

• Decorate for Christmas.  We'll buy our tree on Wednesday, that's the next time the tree farm is open.  I'll try to get out all of the boxes and decorate everything else between now and Wednesday.  I might need to take the week off from subbing if I think I'm actually going to get this done!
• Basketball starts this week!  Four kids on three different teams.  I'm not sure if we're ready for this!!
• Book club.
• Return to running.  Darin has issued himself a challenge to run 1-mile everyday from now until Christmas.  I will join him.  Everyday!  That's pretty hardcore.
• Darin and I are taking the girls to the Nutcracker ballet this weekend.  I'm so excited!!
• Start Christmas shopping.  Seriously!!  I'm about to start panicking just thinking about it.  What's our plan?!
• Ward Christmas party/service project.  We'll be visiting a nursing home with all of the primary kids from our ward.  We've also adopted a few needy families as a ward.  I need to get organized and see what I can contribute for that.  I love this idea for a Christmas party.  Our focus is the service.  The celebration is in the fact that we all worked together as a ward to render love and service.  It seems perfect.

RACHEL

Last Week:

• Stayed home all week.  Shouldn't have made such a long could-do list because that created this slightly guilty taste in the back of my throat all week.  Oh well.
• Ran outside every day!  It was amazingly warm.  Thank you Virginia.
• Got to go downtown with Ken when he went to work on Tuesday.  Had dinner together and spent time in Georgetown.  I never get to do that when I'm working so that was a treat.
• Met up with CZ for some time at Anthropologie.  Then met up with Annee for the Black Friday madness.  Seriously never seen a line so long in my life!  Who knew!
• Wednesday was a lunch date and then bowling for Stephen's birthday in Leesburg.  Put my new hot pink pants to use. Spent the evening cooking up a storm in preparation for T-day.
• Thursday morning started painfully early with a turkey trot.  Then brunch with the family at our house.  Sorry we have such tight quarters everyone!  My pie crust must have had way too much butter because when I pre-cooked it the dough literally melted into a blob in the pie pan.  It was so weird.  Butter got all over the oven and proceeded to seriously smoke us out so we had to abort any more cooking and transfer over to Steve's to finish the stuffing balls.
• Lovely Thanksgiving dinner with everyone in Ashburn.  It was fun to gather and a perfectly delicious meal.  Thanks to all for your contributions.
• Saw the Muppet movie and watched a lot of Parenthood Season 1 on Netflix.  Great show.  I think I'm a big Lauren Graham fan.  
• Botanic Gardens with the family on Saturday!  Finally checked that off my Christmas in DC Bucket List.  
• Bought our Christmas tree!!!

This Week:

• Back to work.  It's nice to have structure to the day, but I miss the opportunity to have personal productivity during daylight hours.
• Everybody Wins on Monday.
• Finish decorating our tree.
• Finish our Christmas advent activity list and stuff our little hats and mittens.  
• Hang the lights and wreath outside.  
• Meet with the decorating ladies on Wednesday to talk about our plan for the Christmas party.  This activity is proving not to be as fun as the Halloween party.  I think the narrow focus of Halloween is easier than the broad options of Christmas decor.  Also people have more specific requests for what we do for the decor so we can't really execute our own vision.  
• See the Langley ward musical on Tuesday night.  
• Hot Chocolate 15k on Saturday at the National Harbor.  I really want to do it, we'll see if we make it up that early.  
• Alexandria Christmas home tour on Saturday along with the Scottish walk.
• First Presidency message on Sunday.
• Start Christmas shopping??