Snow What Fun

 

 

 

Thanksgiving in Colorado

We went to Colorado to celebrate Thanksgiving and to witness Isabel's baptism. (I believe my dad has baptized all four of his grand-babies!  What a great picture of our covenant making God.) 

Santa suckers from Grandma.

 Hot chocolate in Grandma's new mug from Kellen.

 Baby Isabel

Decorating

 Smoking the turkey.

 

 Thanksgiving dinner on china from various grandparents, great-grandparents and great-great-grandparents.

  There were numerous photo ops on the stairs with Grandma and Grandpa. 

 

 We cannot put into words how much we love them!! 

Thank you for more wonderful memories!

Today I am Thankful for...

• s'mores in the broiler
• getting to style my little girl's hair
• cuddly dog
• feta cheese
• being there for every moment of my son learning to read
• night time pull ups
• changing seasons
• a God who sees Jesus when he looks at me
• fuzzy blankets
• vows with a man who has more patience (with me) than i will ever hope to have 
• so many happy memories with mema and poppy
• two healthy, beautiful biological children
• internet
• downy unstopables in-wash scent booster
• my kindle
• family who desires to stay connected
• warm showers (the only truly quiet time of my day)
• indelible grace
• open communication with God through prayer
• Chick-fil-a within driving distance
• adoption--physical and spiritual
• workout pants
• food preservation/fruits of our labors in the garden last summer
• the privilege of voting
• a new niece
• the transparency of our church body
• Omaha public library
• giggles in the background as I type this :o)

Random Pics from my Phone

We never know who Kellen will be each morning.  He is always in a different outfit, requiring us to call him by a different name to match his clothing.  It's pretty entertaining!  One day he insisted on being called Francesco--and then wanted to know what language he was speaking when he said Francesco. 

 Pretty Lady

A Chick-fil-a opened about 30 miles from our house.  Woohoo!!  We drove down for opening weekend.  The cow was a fun idea until he walked by our table.  Anna was not thrilled to have him so close. I agree with Anna...mascots are creepy!   We're still waiting patiently for a Chick-fil-a to open in Omaha--maybe we should buy a franchise...  ;)

 

 Me and my girl

Success

two hooded towels for my nieces are officially complete

but not without much frustration, lots of rip outs, and 2 do-overs

probably going to steer clear of terry cloth for my next sewing project

but at least the cheesy smile model is pretty cute



Thankful Jar

Started a new tradition this year--The Thankful Jar.  Each evening in November after dinner we write one thing we are thankful for and place it in the jar.  I thought this would be a light, fun way to recognize our blessings.  However, it has been like pulling teeth to get the kids to come up with something to write down that is not a toy. Now the exercise has different parameters each evening--family member, friend, food, skill God has given you, etcetera--so as to avoid a jar overflowing with thankfulness for each individual toy.

Today at lunch, Kellen announced that he already knew what he was going to write on his paper, "My baby sister."  Glad that he is thinking about thankfulness throughout the day!  And glad that, at least for today, he is recognizing something/someone other than toys to be thankful for.  I pray that this exercise each year will develop a lifestyle of thankfulness in our family. 

Annie's First Hair Cut

 I probably would have waited a few more months before cutting Annie's hair.

However, she has been asking to get it cut for numerous weeks--mostly because Kellen comes home with a sucker when he gets his hair cut. 

 So, I took her with me to my appointment on Saturday and let them trim 2 inches off the back. 

And much to her delight, she also got pink streaks. (Don't worry grandmas, it washed out that night).  :)

Homemade Auntie Annes Pretzels

Found this recipe on Pinterest. 

 The kids made their beginning letter and Kellen also made a cross. 

 They were super yummy!

Pumpkins

K-Man humored his mother by sticking his hand in the pumpkin, but he refused to touch the seeds and slime. 

 His sister, on the other hand, loved pulling and cleaning the seeds. 

 Daddy creating his masterpiece.

Optimus Prime Pumpkin

The smiley guy is clearly better than Optimus Pumpkin--don't you think? ;o)

The Pumpkin Patch

We Came

We Rode

We Conquered

 

We Reenacted

2011

 

 

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