December

December was as busy as it always is, but we got it all (or mostly all) done! We celebrated Christmas Tree Cake Day on the 1st.



Anna had a fun time attending the annual "Silent Night" basketball tailgate and games on the 3rd. The 4 Gibbons jv/varsity teams each play a game back-to-back all evening. On the 4th, she, Bob, and I went to a very exciting football state semifinal playoff game that sadly we lost in a very close game with Clayton. I am happy to report that Clayton proceeded to lose to Grimsley in the state finals the following weekend! Erin had a fun holiday-themed musician's meetup on the evening of the 5th, Bob helped cook with the Knights at the annual Christmas Jam, and I went to a fun neighbor ladies' holiday party that evening. 

Bob and I met up with Tim and his son Patrick for lunch and then a fun basketball game against UNC-Asheville on the 6th. The game wasn't as one-sided as we would have hoped, but we did win. The kids enjoyed two "snow days" on the 8th and 9th with very minimal snow and some at-home exam prep work to do. Erin still had piano on the evening of the 9th. Bob and I enjoyed a much more dominating victory against Liberty on the evening of the 10th. We celebrated Finley's 7th birthday on the 12th!

We had a busy and early day on the 13th; Anna helped welcome 8th graders who took the HSPT at Gibbons, and Erin took the ACT at Broughton. We all recovered from that and had a fun evening at home wrapping Christmas presents. Bob and his friend Dave went to a very exciting Wolfpack/Kansas game that went into overtime but sadly didn't go out way. Anna had a fun Christmas party with youth group on the night of the 14th, including Tropical Smoothie delivery and hide and seek in the StMM academic building! 

After a final regular day of classes on the 15th, they had their fall semester exams Tuesday-Friday that week. The exam schedule is nice because they're only at school from 8:30am-12pm and then have the afternoons to prepare for other exams. Anna enjoyed babysitting for her favorite family, the Lemons, on Monday evening. The exams went smoothly, and they were relieved when they were finished! 

I started a new thing with my scholarship job; moderating group interviews. I had 4 time slots scheduled between the 19th and 23rd, and they all went well (despite taking up a lot of time in an already-crazy time of year). We watched a solid Wolfpack football Gasparilla Bowl game win over Memphis on Friday the 19th. Anna had a blast making cookies and hanging out at Joe's house on the 20th. They went to see Zootopia 2 and had pizza on Sunday, too! Meanwhile, Erin did a little baking after work and dinner out with her parents.

Erin had her 17-year-old checkup on the morning of the 22nd, and it went well. She saw Dr. Lorensten for the first time, and they got along well. Bob and I enjoyed a really fun dinner with Liz, David, Josh, and Kati at the Angus Barn that evening. We had a blast catching up and enjoying the food and holiday atmosphere! On the 23rd, Bob took the girls to meet Ansley in Asheboro for a pre-Christmas sleepover at Grandma and Grandpa's. They had lots of fun, went out to Mexican for dinner, and prepared lasagna for the next day. Ben joined them, too! We had a fun hike with Finley and game night. We headed to Concord on the 24th for a really nice day with lunch, presents, and catching up with the California cousins via FaceTime! 

We drove back later that day and got dressed up for 7pm Christmas Eve Mass at StMM. This year, we decided to do that instead of attend the Tierney party. It was nice to go in the evening and not be rushed the next morning. 

Santa did indeed come to our house that night, even for Finley, and we had a relaxing (and warm!) Christmas with a skillet ham and Mac and cheese dinner. 

The 26th was relaxing; Joe came over to hang out and helped make our taco dinner. Erin and I had a great time at her annual Friendsmas, this year at Zophia's house on the 27th. Uncle Tom came over for a nice visit on the 28th. We also went out to lunch with the McGee ladies (including grandma Donna) at Colletta in Cary on the 29th for Dawn's birthday. We had special visitors, Grandma and Ansley, from the evening of the 29th through midday on the 31st. We had our piano Christmas sing-a-long, and they got to meet Joe! 

Erin worked until 8am on New Year's Eve, and Anna had a fun party/sleepover with friends at Lyla's. 

So, it was wild but lots of fun! We have enjoyed the down time over the holiday break and lots of time together before it's back to reality. Happy New Year!