Thanksgiving holiday

This Thanksgiving we wanted to enjoy a slower pace and stay home for the holiday. We invited my sister Carmen and enjoyed her company for the week. Lucky them, they get a whole week off! I love spending this quality time to catch up with no worries about schedules or rushing to get anywhere. We spent our days exploring things in and around Austin. The girls adore their cousins and entertained themselves every minute of every day. They play amazingly together which gives me a break too. I often wonder how my mom managed with 7 children. It's hard enough work with just 3. But I have lots of memories of being around my cousins frequently while the adults did their own thing. I rarely remember constant supervision but we never got into trouble, and I dont' remember quarrelling with my siblings when cousins were around. I can now understand the phrase, "it takes a village to raise child" and I while I sometimes wish we were closer to family, I am thankful we are this close. This is really the closest we have ever been. Now onto our week. We went for a very short hike near the Austin Science and Nature Center. Omar had to work so he stayed with Karina while she napped. The hike was just perfect for the kiddos and the reward came quick--a view of the city. We also went to Cabela's. Ever been there? It's just a short drive south in Buda. This store always amazes me, I personally think it's over the top, but it's neat to experience with the kids especially because Omar always adds a learning element to it. The girls enjoy the giant fish tanks. On Thanksgiving day my youngest sister and her family joined us too. She lives in Austin now. She is north, but still closer than Laredo. I can't remember the last time we got a picture of us or that all three of us were together like this. It was a nice treat and a nice way to spend the holiday . After Carmen left, Omar and I headed to College Station to watch the Aggies play. Would you believe this was my first game as an alumni despite the fact that I lived in College Station for 4 years!! as an alumni? It was a gift for Omar's birthday from his sister. We really enjoyed it and my favorite part was not being forced to stand. Coincidently we sat right next to the band on the first deck which brought back memories because that is where I sat in my college days with my band boyfriend...well of course it was Omar!! Aggie game