Monday, November 29, 2010

Movembeard

As part of raising awareness of cancer and issues related to cancer, the men on the faculty decided to grow some facial hair as part of a "Movembeard."  Here is Doug's progression over the month -- but WOW, it is nice to now have a clean-shaven face.

The end of the month (week 4)

Week 3

Week 2

Week 1

Week 0 (Start)

We didn't really follow the official rules, but here they are if you want information on Movember




Putting up the Christmas Tree

After seeing the fun Tangled movie, we returned to enjoy the fun of putting up the Christmas tree.

It is always fun to see the ornaments that the kids made in previous years and this year, more than any previous, the kids were big helpers -- though of course Tracy is the expert when it comes to putting everything together.  But it is sure fun to get the Christmas music out and listen to our favorite songs.




Thanksgiving with Family

SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 27, 2010

How wonderful to get to celebrate Thanksgiving with my parents.  Indeed, it is a lot of work getting everything together for a second Thanksgiving celebration, but we greatly enjoyed having friends over and having more delicious turkey.

Despite forgetting our camera, grandpa was kind enough to send us pictures of our family in an attempt to get a family picture after the girls got new outfits to wear for Thanksgiving.





Thanksgiving @ ISKL

THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 25, 2010

One of the great middle school traditions is all of the faculty (and families) coming together for a feast on the middle school deck.  We were relieved to have cooler weather this year.  Nothing quite like arriving for Thanksgiving at the conclusion of a tropical downpour.

It is also a great treat to be able to sit with grandpa and grandma as part of our school Thanksgiving festivities.

After the dinner, there was even a Charlie Brown Thanksgiving to keep the kids interested.  One of the classic lines. . . as the kids are on their way to grandma's house singing, "Over the River and through the woods, to Grandmother's house we go. . . "  After a pause, Charlie Brown says, "There's only one problem with that. . . my grandmother lives in a condominium."







A Visit from Ms. V

THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 18, 2010

What an absolute treat to have one of Doug's friends from Peru -- Carolyn Verhoye visit as part of her vacation. She is living in Qatar and made the trip to Kuala Lumpur and Singapore as part of her break as part of the hajj holiday.

We had an absolutely wonderful time as she absolutely took to the kids and controlled the room with her magic.  It was fun to catch up on our adventures -- though not nearly enough time to remember all of the fun from our time in Peru or to think about all the great people that we worked with.



Another special benefit was the rare feat of an actual Woodward family photo where everyone is happy!

Birthday Tea

WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 17, 2010

We had a mid-week holiday as part of the global celebration of the hajj.  We took advantage of the day off to enjoy a birthday tea with Rob & Julie and their family.  It was part of a birthday celebration and what a delightful celebration.  We had a tea party, which the kids really enjoyed.

And again, a great day with friends, and always enjoyable to get time with family.


Reeve the Reader

Part of our evening routine includes getting pajamas, brushing teeth, reading stories, reading the Bible, saying prayers, good night kisses and getting a drink of water are all part of the routine.

Reeve is definitely enjoying reading and re-reading and re-reading again the Diary of the Wimpy Kids books.  Not all of them even fit in the picture.

Feffy's Kids Spa

SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 13, 2010

As further evidence that the end is near, we attended a 5th birthday party held at Feffy's Kids Spa.   Yes, a spa for kids.   Believe me, as a dad, I definitely felt a bit out of place, but the kids had an absolute blast.

From getting their feet washed


To getting lipstick...


To getting hair highlights....


To pretending to do each others' hair...


To getting a fun tattoo. 


To having a cake decorated by the best decorator in the country. 


It was all great fun for the girls. 

The Downtown Visit

SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 6, 2010

On Saturday we had a fun play-date and dinner with our friends Rob & Julie and their family.  In addition to yummy food, homemade ice cream and great conversation, we also got to visit their swimming pool for some fun in the spacious pool in their downtown condo.  We enjoyed the spectacular views of the city from their condo more than a dozen floors up.


Brewin' Up Some Folktale Soup

WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 3, 2010

Reeve had a great role as an Indian prince in the retelling of the Cinderella tale -- the Indian version.  He was very handsome and extremely eloquent in the 3rd grade presentation on Folktales.


AFC South Rivalries

TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 2, 2010

As part of a friendly rivalry, Doug (a loyal Colts fan) and his good friend Billy Thomas (a loyal Texans fan) had a friendly wager over the Monday night football game between the Texans and the Colts.

The loser had to wear a shirt (or tie) from the rivals.

Fortunately for Doug, we didn't get our act together by Week 1 when the Texans put a beatdown on the Colts.  This time, Lucas Oil and the home confines of Indianapolis was much more conducive to the Colts finding their winning formula with a 30-17 victory helped by some key turnovers and Houston avoiding the running game that was so devastating to the Colts in the opening of the season.

Sunway Lagoon

FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 5, 2010

As part of the Deepavali Holiday, we decided to stay in town, but treat our kids to a fun day at a local theme & water park.  We had a great time, and our first visit to Sunway Lagoon certainly exceeded our expectations.

There was lots of room for the kids to play, there were rides to go on, and there were HUGE water slides that were lots of fun for the more adventurous -- though Gabi certainly was the most eager as others were a bit reluctant to experience that feeling when the stomach drops.