Keith, Debbie, Allison and Sarah Carroll: December 2013

November was one of those months where we may have overdone it. We had several things on the calendar and were able to make it to several fun events. However, sometimes if you have too much on your plate, it can be difficult to enjoy getting a night away. Not to say that we weren’t excited for all of the things mentioned below, but sometimes things can accumulate and a quiet weekend of nothing is required.

Randy and Anna came for a visit this month so Randy could have a partial shoulder replacement surgery. They arrived a few days early so he could do some work in our kitchen to prepare for the new appliances we had purchased. He did well at surgery and they stayed for about a week so Deb could help with his therapy and they had a 1-week follow-up appointment. Everyone did pretty well with the extended visit and the girls really enjoyed the time with their grandparents.

We had Thanksgiving at my mom’s condo and the Wahmans, Beth and Matt, Dick and Marie, Mark and Mom were in attendance. We slacked on our usual free throw game we play on the holidays, and the tradition would have ended if Laura wouldn’t have given us a pep talk over the phone. Chelsea, Frank, Matt and I went out and shot in the dark to continue the tradition. Beth and I ran the Drumstick Dash on Thanksgiving morning, which is a fundraiser for local food banks. I hadn’t run 4.5 miles in a while, but I enjoyed it. We were fortunate enough to be invited to head downtown for the “tree” lighting on the circle. We went Josh Mile’s office and were able to see the tree lighting from the windows. All the kids loved it and of course the parents loved it because it kept us warm and we could enjoy some adult beverages while the kids ran around.

Allison and I went to a Disney show with some friends from work. She was very well behaved, but I think she was overwhelmed by the size of the arena. She usually watches Mickey Mouse Clubhouse, and since the show was based on some different Disney cartoons, she wasn’t as familiar with the characters. Deb and I were both able to attend the Thanksgiving lunch at her daycare. It went well, but Allison wasn’t happy that we were leaving to go back to work!

Sarah is continuing to be more social and more interactive with all of us. She got to take a bath with Allison and they were laughing and carrying on the entire time. It is truly fun to watch the 2 girls interact. We did have our first incident. Sarah had rolled onto her stomach and her foot touched Allison, which caused her to say, “Sarah kicked me!” I thought we had a few more months before that started.

Sarah’s Thing of the Month

Sarah is starting to sit up a little more. She is behind where Allison was at this point when it comes to leg strength and sitting up, but ahead of her when it comes to rolling over. I get the impression she can sit up, but chooses to lay down because it is easier! She also cut her first teeth!

Allison’s Thing of the Month

Allison is at a very impressionable age. I’ve chosen this stage of her life to teach her different lyrics from songs. It started with me singing to the song and making up some words, but sometimes the real words came out and she picked up on them. So if you say to Allison, “Hotel, Motel” she will say back “Holiday Inn, say what?”

A few more items from this month:

· I went to Bonges with some friends. I’ve mentioned this place in the past, but it is a restaurant where you tailgate before you eat. It has become an annual tradition organized by the Steffey’s.

· I went to a Pacers game with Jeremy and Colts game with Ferrand.