Christmas At The Star

We have found another perk of living in Dallas (that helps with my homesickness for LBK) and that is this: we are minutes away from everything Cowboys! The Star (which is the Cowboys new-ish practice facility) hosts a "Christmas Spectacular" every weekend during December, so we headed out with the kids last Friday afternoon for a very fun (and cold!) evening.

Our night began with reservations to take photos with Santa in the "Cowboys Cottage". Our time slot lasted for five minutes and I was so impressed at how well the kids did talking and (semi) smiling for the photos. Parker told Santa he wanted a robot and Legos and Hayes said he wanted a race car (which Santa did NOT know and will need to remedy ASAP). Lily wouldn't tell him what she wanted and mostly just showed him her reindeer shirt and blankie.  

I was also very impressed with the big guy himself--he was really kind and really good at getting the kids to warm up and sit on his lap--which they did for our entire time slot! No tears! A Christmas miracle for sure.

The final product.

Cutie patooties!

After we got our photo, we walked over to Raising Cane's (which is in the same giant complex) to eat dinner. There are like 24 other fancy/cool restuarants to eat at but we went the kiddie route since chicken and french fries are a pretty safe bet in our household. 

It had rained all morning and most of the day, so I was thankful that it stopped in time for the show!

In January, The Star will be hosting a giant Lego building weekend so they had a few Lego "statues" around the campus to advertise. Parker, our Lego expert, was of course very excited about this (and we will of course be attending!) 

P with Lego Jason Witten, which ended up being super cool because we got to meet him later in the evening! (YAH! More below!)

 After dinner and our Lego excursion, we watched the boys "play" football with random kids, fought with Lily over keeping her hat on, and froze our hineys off while waiting for the show to start. 

Once it got started, we quickly realized that it was QUITE the production!!

We got to see the cheerleaders up close (like literally standing right in front of us) which was very cool and I was very star struck as I am a long-standing fan of "Making The Team" on CMT.

The show had soooooo much going on and included performances from the cheerleaders, hip hop team, a kids hip hop team, the drumline, the grand entrance of Santa himself, and fireworks!

They counted down to light the tree and then to my probably really nerdy excitement, Jason Witten walked over and shook my hand and gave the boys high fives!! (He was the "special guest" who lit the tree.) It was so cool and I don't have any photo evidence of this but I DO have a video on YouTube (which totally misses his interaction with the boys because I was so in shock I forgot to point the camera in their direction.)

A bad photo of the grand finale....

And this is the kind of photo you get with three sugar-highed, over-stimulated kids. Hayes looks miserable in all of these photos, but I promise he was super cute and happy (most of the time).  

After the show was over, we walked over to one of the coffee shops and got hot chocolate and cookies and headed home. It was great night! 

Our Week In Photos (And A Recipe!)

Last week was a sweet and normal little week over here at the Roberts household. We did a few Christmas-y things (on Friday night we went to Christmas At The Star but I'll do another post for that whole thing later), and have been having so much fun!

And now on to my random photos.

Last weekend I stayed up late to make these babies....

Buttermilk pie is probably my favorite dessert and definitely my favorite pie. Also, it's super easy! Here is the quick recipe:

Ingredients: (Makes 2 pies)

-6 eggs, beaten

-3 1/4 cups sugar

-1/2 cup butter, melted

-1 tsp vanilla

-1 cup buttermilk

-1/2 cup flour

-1/2 tsp salt

-2 unbaked 9" pie crusts

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Mix all ingredients and pour into pie crusts. Bake for one hour or until pies are solid all the way through. Enjoy with a big cup of coffee! 

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While they were in the oven, I finally sat down and watched the last two episodes (insert crying face) of Poldark. All I will say is: EMOTIONAL. And: DRAMATIC. I am so sad that I have to wait a whole stinkin' year to see Ross and Demelza again (and my favorite good guy, Dwight!)

We made a chilly trip to the park early in the week and watched Hayes be cute and Lily be crazy and helped Parker find GIANT acorns that now live in a pretty bowl on my nightstand. 

I made oven-baked tacos on Tuesday night (one of my favorite easy Taco Tuesday recipes) and just had to take a photo of our Christmas plates (from Target, of course.) This is our second year with these plates and the kids love them and go around the table at every meal time talking about which design they got. I can see them becoming little sentimental treasures for Christmases way in the future!

Lilybug was a busy-bug all week. I couldn't resist taking a photo of this little moment. Cudding and "co-win" as she says (aka: coloring).

Hayes has loved waking up to find new presents under the tree and inspects each and every one of them every morning. It is super cute and he is so happy that he has TWO presents (he really has three under there, but he doesn't believe me). 

I let the kids play with play-doh a few times last week so I guess I'm feeling really good about my Mom status right now. Nonnie got Hayes a play-doh set for his birthday that included tiny soldier molds, but he calls them "babies". Hayes is OBSESSED with them and let me tell you, it is hilarious to hear him talk about "making babies". "I'm good at making babies!", "Aw Lily, you made a girl baby!", "Mom, can you make a baby?" (I'm sorry, is this inappropriate? I hope not! I just think it's so cute and gives me a good laugh during the day!)

We've been getting our first Christmas cards in this week and Lily took some time to gaze at her Lubbock "baby boyfriend", Easton. We miss his cute little face!

On Thursday night, we listened to Christmas music (mostly the "Christmas Eve" song by Trans-Siberian Orchestra which is quickly becoming my LEAST favorite song because it is all the kids want to listen to) and made salt dough ornaments for the kids Christmas tree. This made my list of "semi-stressful experiences", but we got it done and no one cried. Ha!

And that's all I've got! Oh, I also had my Mom to Mom Christmas Brunch on Wednesday morning which was a really sweet time. I am so thankful to have been welcomed into this group--it is at this point, my only real "girl time" each week and I need every bit I can get!

Sanity-Saving Lunch System and Podcasts I Love.

Bryan came by for lunch (hallelujah!) and is currently playing Sonic with Hayes so I said to myself, "HEY, I should use this time to write a blog post!" 

I thought it might be fun to share a couple of things that have been saving my ever-loving-sanity lately. The first has to do with my "lunch-packing system" and the second is a list of my current favorite podcasts. Yes, these are the exciting things in my life. ;) 

A very, very big part of my day consists of walking in and out and around the kitchen---cooking, cleaning, wiping, refilling, doing dishes, more cleaning, making grocery lists, complaining about cleaning, and PACKING LUNCHES. When you pack at least 14 lunches a week (I just counted--that is a minimum and will only get worse), it gets old quick, but thanks to a good ole' Instagram creep, I have adopted a nice little system that makes my mornings so much easier (and me a lot less grumpy!)

I make about 3 weeks worth of sandwiches at once and then bag and freeze them in their own little bin in the freezer. I do PB&J (with the peanut butter on both sides to keep it from getting soggy---literally how did it take me 30 years to figure this out), PB& Nutella (or "chocolate sandwich" as Hayes would say), and then turkey and cheese sandwiches on Hawaiian rolls. I love making that last one because it is super quick! I just slice the whole loaf of Hawaiian rolls in half, layer on turkey and cheese, place the top back on, and then cut them into individual squares. I ordered the "hoarders box" of Miracle Whip packets from Amazon so that the sandwich-eater can grab one to add later.  

I know none of this is rocket science and is probably pretty obvious but it literally makes me SO happy to finally be in on the secret and not be so rushed in the mornings. Thank you, Super Moms of Instagram!

For the "sides", I designated different boxes and drawers in the pantry and fridge to hold everything, and then grouped them by fresh fruit, dried fruit/ applesauce, dairy, salty, and sweet. I numbered them from 1-7 so Parker could pack his own lunch in the morning and just follow the numbers (he rarely does this but it works when we need it!)

ALSO: Our fridge is NEVER this clean--I had just cleaned it out because a coke got too cold and exploded. 

To get everything in our (very fancy cardboard) bins, I either buy prepackaged lunch snacks (like the little bags of chips or string cheese), or separate a big bag or box of something into little baggies. I also have a bin for straws (for yogurt smoothies), juice boxes, and those little lidded condiment cups (also from Amazon) for dips/dressing, if needed. 

The foods currently on rotation in the bins:

Fresh fruit/veggies: bananas, apples, grapes, broccoli 

Dried fruit/applesauce: dried mangos from Costco, raisins, applesauce pouches (Lily could live off these....so could Bryan ;)

Dairy: string cheese, go-gurt, drinkable yogurt smoothies

Salty: Chips, pretzels, Goldfish

Sweet: Famous Amos snack cookie bags, cheap-o striped fudge or oatmeal cookies, fruit snacks

I grab one from most every bin for each lunch (according to what each person prefers) and then we are good to go!

I've done this for two months now and IT WORKS. It's so weird that things actually happen when you plan in advance! Who knew?!

Other things that are giving me life:

These memes. 

Don't deny it!! I served my time! (I'm kidding! Usually.)

Literally every summer from 2002-2009. 

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And last but certainly not least: my current favorite (new to me) podcasts. They make me laugh and think about hard things and talk to myself and probably look even more like a crazy person than I already am! I love them.

First up is the Journey Women Podcast. I love the host and wish I could be her friend! The "When The Holidays Are Hard" episode was eye opening and so good for many reasons. 

That Sounds Fun with Annie F. Downs. Yet another girl I want to be friends with! I just listened to her episodes with Banning Leibsher (I'm sure I butchered that last name) who is the lead pastor at the Jesus Culture church, and with John Crist (basically my fave instagram comedian) and was obsessed with both.

Coffee and Crumbs Podcast (have I mentioned this before?) A few weeks ago a friend texted the link to the "This Is How We Don't" epidsode and it made me feel like I am not alone in the world after all! It also made me laugh. Highly recommend that one and all of the "This Is How We Do" episodes (I've listened to every single one!)

The Rise Podcast with Rachel Hollis. I've read a bunch of controversy on her book but went ahead and  listened to part of it and think she has some great advice on pulling yourself up by your bootstraps and not feeling sorry for yourself. Her podcast is the same and while I maybe want to roll my eyes at some parts (probably because I'm envious of her and her drive!), I do think there are A LOT of takeaways!

And that's all I've got! Byyyyyyye. 

Wednesday Phone Dump!

I haven't been the most detailed photographer in the last two weeks, but I need to get up a blog post to continue on my semi-consitent blogging streak so here we go....

We had our first Christmas movie night last week and watched Home Alone, ate cookies, and marveled at the tree (okay that last one was only me).

Me and the kids went to the park and Hayes was so funny standing in the wind catching leaves. It was super cute and made me happy. Hayes also told me that Bryan is "stwonger than a bear", as well as this adorable nugget:

"Mom, I'm so pwoud of you."

Me: "Awww, thank you. Why do you say that?"

Hayes: "Cuz you make me happy!"

(Please remember that he also tells me things like, "I don't like your face", and has at least one melt down  a day, so there is lots of sweet and sour from those big pouty lips of his.

My Dad and Lily (the crazy lady) last week.

Before my parents left town after Grandmommy's funeral we were able to take a trip to the Gaddie family farm, which is where my Grandmommy was raised and where my Granny (great-grandmother) lived until right before she died. I had no idea the land was still in the family until my Dad mentioned it. It was so neat to see!

The only time I remember coming here was with my Grandmommy right after my great-grandmother passed away. I remember that we picked pears and got some cute little yellow flowered dishes out of the kitchen. 

The house is obviously in complete disrepair. I can't believe that my great-grandmother raised four children in such a small place! And mostly on her own! (Grandmommy's Dad passed away when she was 9 or 10 in a farming accident. It makes me happy to think that she is with him right now--she was very close to him and always talked about how she still missed him when I was growing up.)

My Dad said there were many Thanksgiving turkeys cooked in this little kitchen (with the Cowboys playing in the background.) It was sad to see it this way, I wish it could be fixed up!

Isn't it pretty?

I was so happy we got to see my family and spend some one-on-one time with my Dad even though it was for a sad reason. Lily was all about Pops! And spaghetti! 

The rest of the last week was mostly spent doing our usual things: making messes (sooooooo many messes), getting the van washed (a terrifying experience according to Lily), going to and from all the schools, doing a few quiet little Christmas things, AND....

making my FAVORITE CHRISTMAS COOKIES EVER! I cannot thank my MIL enough for the gift of this recipe. It is the best cookie recipe. The end.

I was feeling adventurous and wore my new scarf that I got at Holiday Happening to church on Sunday. I felt a little like my middle school self wearing capris for the first time and am not sure if  I am brave enough to try this trend again! The girls that I've seen wear these look so cute, but the jury is still out on whether I will continue supporting it. I felt like a flight attendant!

We ate lunch at Uncle Julio's, which as always, was MUY BUENO. Lily also rocked one of her 50 Christmas dresses I bought last year at the New Year's Day sale. I HAVE PROBLEMS. 

And I took this random photo of my favorite house we drive by on our way home. We live in a neighborhood but it feels like you're driving out to the boonies for a bit. I like that, though--you know me and my farm dream! 

And lastly: My Current Favorite Memes

YOU'RE WELCOME!

Bryan and I have gone to bed TWO NIGHTS IN A ROW before 11pm. This is unheard of, people of the internet!!! I don't even know who I am anymore. 

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Before I go, and in the chance that anyone may read this before tomorrow at 2:30pm, can you please say a prayer for my Papaw? He is going in for some pretty scary scans and needs some healing and peace! Thank you!

Good night!