Not Christmas at the Carroll's yet . . . but coming this week

Well, Thanksgiving was great! Love the Carroll drink and all the wonderful food and family. John finally let us watch Ironman (No one was allowed until actual Thanksgiving Day to watch it at our house). It ended up being a good movie so that was okay. I have to say my heart was so full as we all sat downstairs in the newly finished basement to watch it. There we were all of us sitting on the sectional with our feet up, hanging out, laughing together. It was just priceless. My husband John absolutely loves to have people over. He was in his element. I love to have people over but am a little OCD about everything being clean and perfect. I am trying to get over that but haven't really been able to. Thanks to everyone who brought a dish and made it such a special memory for us.

Christmas decorating is not one of my favorite things! Even with the help of my wonderful mother-in-law, Rita it takes a long time. I LOVE the house when it is decorated for Christmas, but getting there is a different story. I might procrastinate a little! This week is the week however . . . all the kids are anxious about getting it done. I have heard a few whispers about a Christmas party for Maddy and her friends. A bunch of 15 year olds (never just a few) in my house for a big party . . . well we'll see. Then the inevitable, if Maddy is having a Christmas party why can't I have one from Katie. We are still thinking on that . . .

Basketbal, Basketball and more Basketball . . .

Wow! How things change in just a few weeks! The Carroll girls have been playing alot of basketball. Kaitlin and John won their first game this week. YEAH! Kaitlin scored and was a great rebounder for the team. She seems to calm them down on the court and keeps things moving! Great job Kaitlin!

Madison has unfortunately not gotten to ride the pine as much as she had hoped. She has been playing 3 quarters of varsity consistently and the last game played 1 quarter of JV and 4 quarters of varsity. It is a big jump but it will be invaluable experience down the road. The team is young, they don't have any seniors and only 2 of the juniors have any varsity experience. Could be a long season for them but we love to watch them play! Keep up the good work Maddy!

Happy Thanksgiving . . .

I just want to let all the out of town Carroll's know we will miss you and wish you could be with us on Thanksgiving. Hope you all have a fantastic time with you families and have a safe and blessed holiday. Our family is actually hosting the traditional Carroll Thanksgiving this year. Can't wait for the Carroll holiday drink! We are so honored to be hosting. I have to admit I am a little bit SCARED! Grandma and Cynthia are such great cooks and hosts. They must have felt a little sorry for me because Cynthia is making the turkey and stuffing. Yeah! Enjoy . . .

One Month Later . . .

Well, here it is a month later and I still cannot find the connector so I can add pictures!!!! Unbelievable! I guess I'll just tell you a little bit of what has been going on with the Carroll Chaos. Madison is now driving (with a permit of course) I can hardly believe it. She has two more hours of driving with her instructor and then she is cut loose for a year to practice. We can hardly believe how fast the time goes.
Both of the girls made the basketball team and have their first games this Tuesday. John is in his second year of coaching the 7th grade team and has the pleasure of coaching his favorite middle daughter Kaitlin. Katie will be playing forward for John. Madison has made the JV team and has also received a Varsity jersey. She hopes to ride the pine till she gets up to speed with the varsity. Varsity girls basketball is a little different that 8th grade. We told her just do your best that's all anybody can ask. Madison has been playing alot of point guard. We'll just have to see how that all goes.
Last weekend John traveled with Madison's soccer team to a tournament in Evansville. This year is a little different because you go to showcases to be seen by college coaches. No pressure there!!! They did not play very well the third game and got knocked out of the tournament (I hear it was super cold on Sunday when they played).
Kaitlin also had tryouts for her travel volleyball team the past two weekends. We find out tonight if she made a team or not. There were 35 girls trying out for about 24 positions. Good luck Katie we are rooting for you!
Johnny is currently OBSESSED with his yo-yo!! It's a huge thing at his school this year and he loves it.
Johnny has also started playing basketball. He will be participating in AAU this year for the first time and is super excited. John will also be coaching his team in January. Where in the world does he have time? John is just such a great dad and is so involved with kids. I really appreciate that about him.
I have been kept busy lately with my mom who had a total left knee replacement. She is getting along really well and keeping up with her therapy. She watches my nephew and I have been kept busy watching his a few days a week. I love that I get to spend so much time with him. I would love to watch my other nephews but . . . YOU ALL NEED TO MOVE CLOSER!!!
John has finished farming and is now coaching. Luckily we all love basketball so it works out great.
I promise to update more often and find my connector!!

I Michele Carroll swore . . . . . .

This past summer I swore to my beautiful sister-in-laws that I would start a blog to keep everyone in the loop of the Carroll Chaos. Finally, I am doing it with alot of help from my computer literate daughters. Unfortunately, I am technology challenged so bear with me! Technology does not seem to like me either. As I start this blog my computer is now saying low battery . . . typical!