Pre Christmas - Pre Zambia!

We finished up our Thanksgiving week with the Tidwell Family Christmas celebration!  We will be in Zambia over the holidays, Cloud and his family (along with Paw and Bmaw) will be in Costa Rica, and Shade's family will be here in Brownwood.  So since we were all together, we decided to celebrate Christmas a little bit early!  

Blu created a redneck Frisbee Golf course in our backyard - we had a blast!

Bmaw is a pro!

So is he. :)

Cason and AJ opted to keep working in the fort!

But ugh..it was such a dreary day!

A little Nerf gun action!

We were watching the fun - love this picture of our 3 generations!

Shade and Paw

Caedmon

Cambree - she was so sick but plugged on through the day!

This year we did stockings for each other!

Everyone was so sweet to include my Grandma Marie!

Dad's thoughts about pictures. :)

We had a feast!

Our appetizer table!

Paw and Bmaw

Cambree felt so bad!  Mama Dee gave her some sympathy ;)  And will probably now get her sickness!

The annual Christmas story reading by Bmaw!

Shade and Caity - Shade looked VERY into the Christmas story!

Cambree, Andie, and Cason

After presents it was time for our annual Christmas caroling down our road on the back of the trailer!  Pumpkin and cinnamon bread handouts this year!

A good pic of them!

One of the best pics of my Grandma Marie! (apparently the side braid is a genetic thing...now she only needs a hat and a green Bangs Dragon shirt! ;)

A little family alone time - catching up on Survivor!

On Saturday, we went to Blu's Uncle Robin's house (down at the end of our road) for one last Tidwell/Howell Thanksgiving meal!

We love our new Tidwell shirts!  (Cambree was still sick - she stayed home and we went and picked her up for this picture and then took her back home!)

Tidwell girls!

Tidwell Boys (minus Brenden!)

Cason and his second cousin Isaiah!

And then this happened...Cambree had a very bad cold, Caedmon caught it and it became the flu and strep for him, Cason got it and it was a bad cold, and now I'm sick.  Boo.  6 days until we leave for Zambia with so much to do!  And Caedmon missing 4 days of school and 4 basketball games!  Boo.

Speaking of basketball...

Cambree and Emily - the "Bash Sisters!"

The UIL Academic competition was last week!!!!  They work SO hard for their events!  They ended up with these awards/medals:  Cason - 2nd Social Studies, 5th Number Sense, 6th Listening Skills.  Cambree:  1st Modern Oratory, 2nd Spelling, 6th Ready Writing!  And Bangs won the entire meet (by a LOT...)!!

My UIL chalk sign for the day!

They go to UIL more for the socialization... ;)

Ok, it's Saturday!!!  We fly out one week from today!!  We are trying to figure out how to pack for snow and rain in New York, heat/drought in Zambia, and wet cold in Paris!  It's a mad house around here..but we're excited!