That was the same day my grandpa was getting a pacemaker put in, so that afternoon we went to the hospital to see him. They were having trouble getting the bleeding stopped so we only saw him for a few minutes, but we spent a good hour with Grandma.

After we left the hospital we went to my mom’s house where we all get together for Noel’s birthday and spend time as a family.

I was off work yesterday (December 7th). I take that day off in remembrance of my younger brother Noel who died. It’s his birthday.

That was the same day my grandpa was getting a pacemaker put in, so that afternoon we went to the hospital to see him. They were having trouble getting the bleeding stopped so we only saw him for a few minutes, but we spent a good hour with Grandma.

After we left the hospital we went to my mom’s house where we all get together for Noel’s birthday and spend time as a family.

For the last few years we have made it the day we go to Chickasha to see the Festival of Light display. Noel always loved putting up the Christmas lights every year so it’s fitting.

We were getting a late start heading out after we ate, and getting that “start” was the most comical event of the evening.

First of all we have to take two cars because, with all the kids, we can’t get everyone into one car anymore. Parker, my two year old, asked Joe, my sister’s husband, if he could ride with them in their car. So Joe put him in to the one car seat they had and Kennady, their two year old daughter, would ride with us in the van. We have three car seats in the van.

Well this didn’t set right with Alex, my four year old, who wanted also to ride with Joe and Kristen. He was very upset about it, as if the world had ended that he couldn’t ride in there. We were doing all we could to calm the situation and work it out, but everything revolved around him not being able to ride in their car.

We finally got it situated that we would take one car seat from the van and put it in Kristen and Joe’s car and Alex could then ride with them. Mom would ride in there with them also.

About that time Kennady realized she wasn’t going to be riding with the boys and she started crying for her daddy (Joe). So we decided that Joe would ride with us in the van but it turns out she only wanted to ride with them to ride with the boys. Well that wasn’t going to happen at this point so Kristen said if we get going she will fall asleep anyway.

When Joe got in our van, Kennady calmed down some, but then my mom realized that Alex and Parker didn’t care if she road with them after all so she could ride anywhere she wanted and she headed over to the van to help with Kennady and let Joe go back to his car and drive. Mom didn’t want Kristen to drive because she thinks she is too reckless.

Joe was all confused, but went back to his car and we all started to pull out as Kennady got really upset that not only was she not riding in the car with the two boys she also wasn’t with her daddy.

As we headed towards Chickasha we did all we could to calm Kennady and for the most part she did calm down.

We were all a bit frazzled at this point and couldn’t wait to get there.

I was envisioning the lights being turned off the minute we arrive which would have been a hilarious ending to the evening.

But we arrived by 8:30 with plenty of time to see everything and walk around.

It seemed like there were more lights this year, but it could just be me. The kid loved the ducks and geese that are on the pond, and at one point, Alex was chasing them until they chased back.

The kids really do love seeing all the lights and everyone had a great time. It wasn’t even that cold like it had been in previous years, so that was a plus.