we are home ..

we made it home last night from NYC

as soon as i dig myself out from the piles of laundry i will tell you all about it 

thanksgiving eve ..

 usually the kids and i spend thanksgiving eve baking pies ..

this year we spent it watching them blow up the balloons for the Macy's Thanksgiving Day parade ..

i will have to say .. this was just a little more fun than baking pies .. 

even though it was raining/snowing just a bit it was quite an experience ..

they had a semi trailer with huge helium tanks on it .. 

you would hear the blast of helium and watch the balloon begin to inflate ..

i will have to say it was magical ..

to watch those huge balloons come to life ..

the wind would pick up and the balloons would sway and move pulling at the lines attached to the sandbags holding them to the ground ..

almost as if they couldn't wait for the parade on thanksgiving day ..

we are going to go to the parade this morning and then will hop on a plane home this afternoon ..

yes we will spend thanksgiving in the airport all day ..

but we will spend it as a family .. reliving the memories of this magical city .. 

retelling the stories of our week with kim and patrick and molly ..

we will be thinking of all our families and friends as they celebrate thanksgiving today ..

thank you jeff for this experience .. 

i promise it will never be forgotten and will be talked about for a very long time 

happy thanksgiving from new york !!!

the napkin contest ..

the kids and i play this game called napkins ..

it goes like this ..

i tell them what kind of event and they design a napkin and flatware layout ..

i know .. crazy .. i am surprised that i am even sharing this ..

 but it leads to interesting questions ..

besides the layout they also have to explain why . .

* this game is best played at a nice restaurant where there is lots of silverware *

challenge #1: outdoor bbq at 1 pm

questions asked: C - what food is being served .. bbq chicken, bologna, brisket and ribs .. so i will need my steak knife he says .. 

cash says that outdoor bbq's are simple .. all about the food .. everyone just cares about the meat so the napkin doesn't have to be fancy .. 

spoken like a meat loving man .. 

ellie's is made to look like the sun rays at the top to represent the outdoor location .. 

challenge #2: formal funeral reception at 7pm

cash .. the forks represent the tears because people are sad .. 

ellie .. the napkin is hugging the silverware like the family is being hugged by all their friends .. 

challenge #3: 60th wedding anniversary formal reception with sit down dinner .. 

cash .. the diamond represents the love the man has for his wife because he bought her a big new diamond for their anniversary .. thank you Mrs. Pool for teaching cash shapes !!!

ellie .. the napkin is shaped like a boat because he is surprising her with a first class cruise around the world 

it is amazing how much time this little activity will buy you at a nice restaurant .. 

i also count this as presentation and public speaking skills ..

i know super corny ..

i have to go and eat another cannoli now !

norman ..

while in norman we played a little football ..

we went to the great reading room in the library ..

i showed the kids the decks ..

rows and rows of books ..

they thought that it was pretty neat ..

especially the clear floors .. 

we found a book titled how to turn people into gold ..

we checked it out for uncle greg !

dinner in new york ..

field trip ...

last week cash's class had a field trip to the cherokee cultural center in tahlequah ..

it was a pretty day to be outside with friends ..

make your own waffles ..

this morning it was design your own waffle day .. 

you could use the following ..

strawberries .. as many as you wanted

syrup .. as much as mom said

whip cream .. as much as mom said 

sprinkles .. as many as you could put in a teaspoon 

cash made a robot .. 

he poured syrup for hair ..

when he turned his plate up for the picture the "hair" ran down his plate ..

he tried to get more syrup .. 

it didn't work ..

ellie made a flower ..

tomorrow ..

more of design your own waffle .. 

uncle greg and his phone ..

we went to norman for the iowa state game on saturday …

it seems that every time i went to take a picture uncle greg was on his phone ..

despite all uncle greg's phone calls we had a great day !!

Happy Veteran's Day ..

yesterday the 5th grade had a Veteran's day assembly

they explained how Veteran's day came to be 

they talked about the different branches of the armed forces ..

we honored the Veteran's who came to celebrate with us .. 

Thank you Mrs. Lee for a wonderful assembly ..

Job well done !

sunday afternoon ..

we took advantage of being home on a sunday ..

we built forts in the living room .. 

we played american girls ..

we ate fondue .. 

and we were saved by captain america and his side kick .. 

it was a great sunday !!

7 ..

happy 7th birthday cash !!!

happy halloween ..

hermione and army man cash hope that you had a candy filled halloween !