Giving Thanks

Two sleepy babies are snuggled up in their beds, and their Momma isn't far behind them!  We had a wonderful Thanksgiving, happily serving our family in our home and welcoming Uncle Matt to stay for a few days.  Take a peek at some of the highlights:

Personally, I was never much of a Macy's Parade fan.  After the first couple of minutes, I always ambled away, bored and ready for more action.  Ben loved it this year, though maybe he was a bit lethargic from his cold.  

Of course, more than a little of our day was spent cooking.  I assure you that the PlayDoh was only for the kids. :) We did the turkey in the pizza oven for the first time, and it was wonderful!  While the cauliflower dish wasn't quite a hit, everything else was awesome.

Uncle Matt arrived with Christmas gifts, which we were allowed to open.  To anyone who knows Matt, this won't be a surprise.  The boy just can't wait to tell you what he got for you!  Ben and Mia were thrilled with Uncle Matt's impatience!  He did really well this year; Mia is sure that he knows everything about her.

 Nana made Mia the most adorable skirt will lots of layers of tulle for twirling.  Mia's more than happy to oblige Nana's requests, as you can plainly see.  Unfortunately, she's also sure this shirt matches exactly.

 And, lastly, here's our newest addition, Wooly.  Our Elf on the Shelf is an exciting development around here.  The kids can't wait to find him every morning!

Autumn Fun 2011

I have to say now that all the cliches are true. Time DOES fly. They DO grow up in a flash. I can't believe how quickly we've gone from babies to children. They're not even toddlers anymore! It seems like just yesterday we were taking our first trip down to the orchard to buy pumpkins! 

This year we brought Sunny along with us to the pumpkin patch.  We actually made two trips out there this year; once for apples and once for pumpkins.  The kids love the slide and the animals (goats and chickens and rabbits, oh my!).  We love picking apples right off the tree!  We've certainly been blessed with some beautiful weekends this fall.

Our Halloween weekend was packed with things to do too.  Mia as Rapunzel, in the dress my mother made, was adorable.  She loved swirling her satin dress around and pretending to "throw down" her hair.  Of course I forgot their costumes for their actual parties and had to have Gary run them in.  She didn't have her hair that day, though she wore it for "trunk-or-treating" and the Halloween party at Aunt Jenny and Uncle Doug's house.

 

Our "finished" trunk.



Gary with Jango Fett.








A little catching up to do...

We've had such a busy fall!  After a relaxing (though busy) summer, we jumped into fall.  New school for the kids, new grade level for me, new puppy in the house.  It's been a crazy time, but we're having a lot of fun.

At first, it was a little weird having Ben and Mia at my district.  However, it's really nice for them to be so close and to be in touch with what's going on in their district.  They're loving preschool and being a "star" and it seems like they're adjusting well.  This is the first time that they've been seperated, and while it's tough on them, I feel like it's the right decision too.  They're loving being little broncos!

The other big thing at home is Sunny.  I'm still a little surprised that Gary talked me into it, but we have adopted a little lab into our home.  Her name suits her well; she's bright and cheerful.  She pees in the house a little more than I'd like, leaving us to remove all our rugs, but is otherwise a pleasant pup.  And she's SO adorable!

My little explorers...

Inspired by a hefty dose of Backyardigans (our netflix show of choice right now), Ben and Mia love to go exploring.  There is a little line of bushes at the very back of the yard just perfect for our back-yard explorers.  Half the time I have no idea what they're actually saying back there, but they're having fun!

Team Up: Black and White

Why are some weeks so tough for us?  You'd think that we worked full time or something.  :) 

With our trip to visit my grandmother and conferences to reschedule, our team up from a few weeks ago was pushed back.  So of course now I'm backdating this one!  Here's our effort: