Christmas at Home 2009

This was such a nice Christmas. I wanted to make sure the true meaning of Christmas wasn't lost with commercialization of gifts, gifts, and gifts expected by the kids, so we give gifts based on keeping the JOY (Jesus, Others, & You) in Christmas. Yep, that means our kids only get 3 gifts, just like Jesus did. It was nice not hearing the kids complain when their dad opened more presents than they did because it wasn't about how many they got. We also make sure the kids know that Christmas is Jesus' birthday. Here are a few pictures from our morning.

He loves costumes.

His Christmas morning selection. Transformers. Although he's only seen a short clip of them transforming, he hasn't seen the movie and probably won't for a while.

K opening his stocking

K helping L open her stocking.

Christmas with Granny Nee

Merry Christmas!

The New Year

I know! I know! I still need to post pics from Christmas and I will. Hopefully I can get to it today, but it all depends on if I take a nap when the kids do. I didn't get too much solid sleep last night and am desiring a nap, so just be patient.

With the upcoming New Year, lots of resolutions will be broken, lots of habits will be formed, and lots of changes and new adventures await.

I'm really looking forward to the busyness of the upcoming new year. Mike is going on a hunt a few days into the new year and has a week long elk hunt planned for September as well as at least one or two bow tournaments that he will participate in.

My brother and a few cousins are organizing a 92nd birthday party for my grandfather in Austin. Mike will be working, so I might be taking the 6 hour trip by myself with the two kids. That should be fun. There are going to be relatives that I haven't seen since K was crawling and some that I'm sure I've never met. Hopefully those that don't get to make it will be able to attend my cousin's wedding in August. I'm looking forward to it as well as I know she's going to be a beautiful bride.

We will be welcoming a new blessing into our family. I'd be really surprised if this baby isn't bigger than my other two were. Although I haven't gained as much weight, this baby seems to take up a lot more room than the other two did. Of course, I'm not eating as many pizzas or chocolate as I did with my other two either. That might make a difference. :-) With the newest blessing arriving, sleeping arrangements will be altered and L will start sleeping in a "real" bed since we'll need the crib for the baby.

Then, there's potty training. L is going to be 2 this year and with that, she will stop using diapers at some point. K will "officially" start kindergarten (according to his age).

I can't forget vacations! We are going on a cruise in May and will return on my 31st birthday. At some point, we are planning on taking the kids on their first plane trip (they don't know it yet), and we are also going on another vacation toward the end of the summer/fall if all goes as planned. Oh, and I can't forget our newest annual tradition of camping with my family in the Ozarks.

Of course, we will keep K in gymnastics, but I'm also considering putting him in baseball/t-ball, depending on what is available for his age. I thought about soccer, but would really like to wait until it becomes more than just running around on the field. Does anyone know what age actual training/teaching starts? K just informed me he'd rather do baseball because it's easier. Hopefully, I'll be able to find a league that isn't too time consuming or isn't run by the parents.

Oh yeah, and we're going to finish remodeling our house and maybe start house plans for when we build in the next couple of years.

2010 is guaranteed to be full of life, adventure, and love. With all the great things that it will bring, I also know there will be unexpected trials and tribulations that I can only pray that I will fully depend on God to get me through and make me stronger and better.

Here's to the New Year and ALL is has to offer. God Bless!

Potty-Training

I got to do the "pee-pee dance" with L today! She peed on the potty 2 times. YEAH!!! Once in the morning, right after waking up, and once in the evening right before bed time. She kept a diaper on the rest of the day b/c I was running errands. I didn't realize she had used the bathroom this morning until later, but I was in the bathroom the second time when she went, so I got to celebrate with her.

I found a couple of books that she likes and I sit on the floor and read to her while she sits on the potty. Tomorrow we are going to start full on potty training by using the bare bottom approach. You know, where they don't wear anything except a long shirt so they're not flashing or exposing any private parts. I let her wear panties and pull-ups around the house the other day, but she thought they were too much like diapers and treated them like such.

I'm sure there are going to be plenty of messes to clean up around the house, but I'm hoping it works. We did it with K, but was able to let him play outside b/c we had a fenced back yard. For the most part it did work with him, but once we put him in pull-ups for outings, he started having accidents because he knew he could potty in diapers and pull-ups are like diapers. Since we have tile floor in most of our house, cleaning should be pretty easy. It would be so nice to have her trained before the new baby arrives. Wish us luck!

A Clean House

At times when I go to a friend's house, I can't help but wonder how they keep their house so clean. It seems as though it's always immaculate, even when they say, "it's dirty". I can't help but wonder what they would think of mine and I smile. The other day I went over to a friend's house for a Christmas party and aside from the dirty dishes we had created and a few toys on the floor that the kids had put aside to help clean up, the house was considerably clean when we left. The next day she mentioned she was cleaning and I couldn't help but wonder what exactly she was cleaning.

Then, I realized that they (the ones with immaculate houses) probably spend a good amount of time cleaning or don't have kids. Although I do teach and have taught my kids to clean up after themselves, most nights there are a few toys left on the floor and my kitchen ALWAYS needs to be swept.

There was a time that I had a hard time going to bed if there were dishes in the sink. Now, I'm just grateful that I have a family that dirties the dishes and will put their dishes in the dishwasher if they're able to.

There was a time when I didn't have to do loads of laundry every week, but then we had kids.

There was a time when I never had toys on the floor, but the my son learned how to walk and I was more interested in him playing and learning than in stressing over how clean my house was.

There was a time when my floors didn't need to be swept everyday, but then our son starting playing outside more.

There was a time when I didn't need to mop every other day, but then my kids started learning how to feed themselves and drink from cups.

There was a time when my bathtub didn't stay full of toys, but then I had kids that started bathing themselves.

There was a time when I could could cook without having to worry about burning anything, but then I had kids that could talk and I wanted to listen.

There was a time when I could read a book or watch a movie in silence, but then I had kids that became interested and had questions. I want to answer their questions.

There was a time when we could take a vacation without having to worry about getting sitters.

There was a time when my counter tops were always clean and void of mail, but then we started getting Christmas cards and letters from the church.

There was a time when I could go to the store when I wanted without having to worry about if I had enough diapers in the diaper bag, but then God blessed me with the responsibility of caring for His children.

Once again, there will be a time when I do the dishes every night before I go to bed. There will be a time that I don't have to do loads of laundry every week. There will be a time that I won't have toys all over my floor. There will be a time that I don't have to sweep every day. There will be a time that I don't have to mop every other day. There will be a time when I don't have a bathtub full of toys every night. There will be a time when I can cook without burning the food. There will be a time that I can read a book or watch a movie in silence anytime of the day I want. There will be a time when my husband and I can take vacations again without having to worry about sitters. There will be a time that I will have clean countertops again. There will be a time when I can go to the store without loading up kids and all their necessary supplies. As for now, I count my blessings and what others may think of as interruptions each and every time they happen, for I truly delight in the gift God has given me, the gifts I call children.

I'm okay with the fact that my house never looks like it came out of a Southern Living magazine nor will it ever be chosen as a "Featured Home". I am proud of the fact that my children are not afraid to be kids, but still know and understand the responsibility of cleanliness. My kids aren't afraid to make a mess, but they do know how to clean one up too. I've never yelled at my kids for spilling milk, but instead I hand them a towel and taught them how to clean it up.

So, if you ever come to my house, don't be offended if I don't apologize for the mess, because I'm too busy thinking of all the memories we've created by the things we've done.

Don't become so busy doing things for your kids that you forget to do things with them.

Although Mary and Martha both served Jesus in their own style, Mary is the one who got to spend time with Him because Martha was too busy cleaning and doing housework. Don't be so busy that you miss out on wonderful opportunities and chances to share Jesus with your kids and with others. Don't get distracted like Martha did. Luke 10:40-41

Enjoy the blessings God gave you, because one day, the kids will grow up and the house, although full of memories, will be quiet.

Ambulance Ride

K took his first (and hopefully last) ride in an ambulance this evening. While I was doing laundry, he decided to try to do a front flip from our nightstand to our bed (I didn't realize what he was doing) and he fell a little short, hitting his head on the corner of the nightstand. Although it bled for a little while, by the time the ambulance got to the house, the bleeding had stopped. He did GREAT getting on the stretcher and doing everything they asked him to do. The paramedic even gave him a bear which he named Teddy that you can see in one of the pictures.

The attending physician is a friend of ours from church, so the visit was quick and pleasant. We did not have to do a CT scan b/c K never lost consciousness. I took him to the ER because I just wanted to be safe and really wasn't sure what to do with a head wound. K was very brave as the Dr. scrubbed the wound to clean the blood off. He never once complained or cried. The Dr. said he's fine, (of course) and that he probably won't even hurt in the morning.

Apparently, this wasn't the first time he had done a flip from the nightstand onto the bed, just the first time he didn't succeed.

On the way home, K told us that he had fun in the ambulance.

.

Yoga

Aside from walks around the neighborhood with the kids, after a long absence from "working out" consistently, I've decided to start doing Yoga. Yes, I know I'm pregnant, but why not start now and start preparing my body and mind so I won't have any excuses once the baby arrives. Upon my decision, I got online and did a search for Pregnancy Yoga. I wanted a video that I could use throughout my pregnancy and not just prior to being pregnant or post pregnancy. I found a few online and told M that I wanted a Pregnancy Yoga DVD, for Christmas. Needless to say, after reading reviews and doing a little research, I went ahead and ordered one. I was so ready for it to come in so I could start right after Christmas and before the New Year began. Much to my dismay, I got an e-mail letting me know it was on back order and would be shipped out when it came it, but I didn't get an ETA. Naturally, I finally decided to get myself in gear and there's a minor bump (no pun intended). So, I got online and was going to order another one from a different place when I thought to look on Netflix. They had it! With Netflix I can watch it on our computer for FREE... anytime! The only drawback is when the computer goes into sleep mode and I have to move the mouse around, but other than that, it's great!

Well, I decided this was going to be my day to start. I didn't want to wait, because I knew I would procrastinate longer. Although I didn't get to bed until after 1 a.m., I set my alarm for 6:30 a.m. in hopes of waking up an hour before the kids so I could be done before they woke up. Lucky for me, L decided to wake up at 5:30 a.m. for no apparent reason. I was able to comfort her and put her back to bed pretty quickly, so I decided to go ahead and stay up and do some Yoga. I was ready!

15 minutes into the workout and I hear a bedroom door open. It was K wanting to know what I was doing. I know he didn't hear me because I could barely hear the lady myself. I'm not sure what happened, but he wanted me to lay with him, so I did. I couldn't pass that up. After that, I wasn't really in the mood to finish, so after he fell asleep I crawled back in my bed for about 30 minutes until he woke up again to let me know it was time to eat.

About 1:00 p.m., M decided to go work out at the gym and he took the kids with him. I was able to finish my first full Yoga session and it feels great, but I'm ready to go back to bed (again). I'm looking forward to continuing my journey to a better feeling me.

Balance

Earlier today, as I was checking my e-mail, I heard a little commotion behind me that sounded like someone was up to something. When I turned around this is what I saw. I quickly grabbed my camera to take a picture, because in case you didn't see it, one of the legs was hanging off the table. I have NO idea how she balanced it, but she did! Once I made sure all the legs were on the table, I had to take a couple of more pictures before I made her get off.

My Apron

I had asked my mother-in-law if she could make me an apron for Christmas and she was going to, but when I found out that I new someone in town that made aprons, I realized I didn't want to wait. When she asked me what I wanted my conditions were something bright, fun, no flowers, and no brown. Here's what I got. I LOVE it! The backing is a solid lime green. The picture doesn't really do it much justice, it is SO cute.

Nap Time

After I laid L down for her nap, I decided to take one too. K asked if he could play his Spanish game on the computer while we took our naps and I told him yes, but when he got bored he needed to come lay down with me. 2 hours later I woke up to L talking in her crib and the picture below....

He had gone into our home theater and drug this comforter out so he could sleep on the couch. Getting him to take a nap is a lot easier when it's his decision.

Conversations with K

I've had some very laughable conversations with K today and wanted to share them.

While K was taking a bath this morning, he made a comment that wasn't very nice, so I told him.

He started laughing.

Me: I'm not laughing.

K: Well, I am so laugh with me.

(I didn't laugh, but it was hard. Thank goodness the shower curtain was closed and he didn't see my face, because I really wanted to laugh.)

Here's another one:

As I sat on the couch, K showed me where to sit so he wouldn't jump on the baby. He told me where I could sit and then winked at me.

Really? My son winked at me. LOL

The other day as I was wearing my Santa hat around the house, K decided he wanted to give me a hug. As I bent down, he gave me a quick hug, stole my hat off my head, and then took of running. I couldn't help but laugh at the little stinker for his thinking. I did tell him it wasn't nice to steal, but I couldn't help but laugh at his quick ways. I guess he knows I wouldn't have given it to him if he wouldn't have asked, but I let him know he still should have asked.

A Different Kind of Sickness

For those of you that have read my blog within the past few days, know that K got sick Wednesday night, told me about it Thursday, and got sick again later that afternoon. When I called the nurse to ask her thoughts on it, she suggested that he probably had a bug and not to give him any stomach medicine because we wanted him to get diarrhea because that meant his body was getting rid of whatever virus he had. Well, he got diarrhea, but never really complained and it only lasted a short time. That seemed pretty harmless and was easy.

The next day, Friday, I decided to get up early so I can have my quiet time before the kids woke up. It was nice, until I got sick. It hit me so quick that I wasn't able to make it to the bathroom, but headed straight for the kitchen sink. Good thing I had put the dishes in the dishwasher that night. Since I didn't really have time to be sick because I had to be somewhere in a matter of hours, I did my thing, got ready, got the kids up and ready, and left. I felt fine the rest of the day and had normal energy.

Saturday was a good relaxing day.

Then there was Sunday. As usual, the kids and I went to church. Ms. Alex picked K up from church early and took him to a friend's house where they spent the afternoon watching the Saints game and playing with friends and then went to a church Christmas program in the evening. From what Alex and K said, K had a blast and was so worn out that he fell asleep during the program and only woke up to eat before going back to sleep and sleeping until the next morning. L was already asleep when K got home so, M and I had a nice and quiet evening until about 11:30 when we finally decided to go to bed. On the way to bed, I decided to take a peek at the kids and I'm glad I did. Much to my dismay, L was sleeping in her own vomit. GROSS! Had we not checked on her, she might have slept through the night. My darling husband, who I am so grateful for, helped me clean everything up. After we cleaned her up and changed her sheets, she went right back to sleep as though nothing had happened. Then, as soon as I fell asleep, I heard L crying. M and I agreed that the wash machine had woke her up since her crying and the spin cycle started about the same time. I got up to check on her and try to comfort her back to sleep when I realized it wasn't the spin cycle that had awaken her. She had thrown up again. Here it was midnight, M had to be up in 4 hours to get ready for work and yet he was gracious enough to help me clean up the mess, comfort our daughter back to sleep, and start another load of laundry, without complaining. I was fortunate enough that I was able to rock our darling daughter back to sleep (even though I didn't need to).

The next day, aside from the few extreme dirty diapers L had, all was well again. Everyone had their energy back and things were back to "normal", just in time for me to back 7 dozen cookies for 2 different cookie exchanges I had in the evening. Motherhood.... I wouldn't trade it for anything.

L's First Hair Cut

M has been suggesting for some time that I need to trim L's hair because it was always hanging in her face. I tried to keep bows and rubber bands in it, but her hair is so fine that they never stayed in long. The other day, a friend of mine told me I needed to bring L over to her house so she could cut her bangs for me. I was trying to let her hair grow out, but poor thing could never see. I wish I had an official before picture because it was getting pretty bad and although these pics didn't turn out too good, you get the idea. I took these while she was trying to eat and nothing should ever come between my baby girl and her food. I don't know what I was thinking.

She got a little upset with me because I was taking her pictures and not feeding her.

Just Another Day

I have to say that Thursday started out as any other day, but seemed to grow more interesting by the moment. After the kids ate breakfast, we went outside to play in the cold. They were all bundled up in their jackets and I was in a sweater. I stayed in the garage and watched them play as their noses and checks turned red. They were having so much fun, but about 45 minutes was about all I could take of being outside in the wind guarded garage, so we went inside.

After being inside for about an hour and the kids having been awake for about 2-2.5 hours, K proceeded to tell me that he threw up last night. Yep, my 4 year old woke up in the middle of the night to throw up and I didn't know anything about it until the next morning. Apparently, he had woken up, went into the living room, threw up in our fireplace bucket (the one that we use to empty out the ashes), and threw up. The evidence was still there. I was a little saddened by the fact that he didn't feel the need to wake me up or tell me when it happened so I could comfort him and lay with him until he went back to sleep. My boy is growing up.

At some point shortly thereafter, as I was checking my e-mail, K let me know that his sister had climbed on top of the stove. I'm such a good mom! At least it wasn't hot.

Then, we did a little school. K is breezing through his schoolwork, but he enjoys it. As of now, we've done 6 weeks of school (no more than 30 minutes a day) in 13 days. Of course, it's the beginning of a kindergarten curriculum and so it's just review, but it's preparing him for the more detailed lessons of reading. He likes it.

A little after lunch, I got a text message from a friend offering to give me a breast pump. We arranged for me to pick it up before I went to my 2:15 Dr. appt. A few minutes before we were about to leave, K informed me that he wanted to stay home because his stomach was hurting. Since his daddy was at work and he's only 4 that really wasn't an option. So, we got ready to leave. As we were walking toward the door, K threw up, not just a little this time and not in a bucket, but all over the kitchen floor near the entrance way, in front of his sister, and all over himself. Nice! Needless to say, I called the Dr. to reschedule my appt. After I realized he was done, I took him to the bathroom to give him a bath. When I realized his sister didn't follow us, I ran back into the kitchen to find her standing next to the vomit about to clean up the mess with her white blanket that she sleeps with. JOY! I caught her as she was leaning down to "mop" it up. It was such a nice and thoughtful gesture, but had the potential for an even bigger mess. While K took his bath and L played in and around the bathtub, creating a mess in the bathroom, I cleaned up the kitchen.

After K finished his bath, he said he felt fine and continued to play when he got the wonderful idea to clean the living room for me. YEAH!?! He did a very good job and even got his sister involved. I have such wonderful kids.

In the midst of cleaning, L decided to try to eat one of our VCR cases and ended up cutting her lip (or tongue) and of course it started bleeding. At this point, I had one kid that had thrown up a couple of times, vomit that I had cleaned up, a missed Dr. appt, and a young one with another busted lip, almost as bad as the one she had earlier in the week (might have been the previous day. *smile*

It wasn't even 3 o'clock! After her lip stopped bleeding, we all took a nap in hopes of waking up to a more calm and relaxing afternoon. K ended up sleeping 3 hours and I only slept for about an hour because L woke up earlier than expected.

Just another day!

Like Brother, Like Sister

I guess after watching her brother do it so often, she decided she could.... and she did! It looks like I'm going to have two athletic kids. I'm curious to see if the third will be musical or athletic. Although L loves to dance, it's not too often that she's not climbing over the couch, trying to climb on the couch or desks, or doing flips (now that she knows how). It's easy to say that I have two VERY high energy kids and I love it!

Christmas Lights

The other day, I awoke from my nap to a very quiet house. I figured L was still taking her nap, but I wasn't sure where M and K were, so I went outside to look and this is what I found...
Yep, that's my 4 yo and my husband on the roof of our house hanging lights. At one point M actually thought someone had called the cops on us for child endangerment, but they were going to a neighbor's house. LOL!

Look Mom! No Hands!

On our way home from gymnastics, K informed me that he did a flip without any hand and he was going to show me when we got home. He did. He didn't do it just once, but several times. I have to say that it took him a while to warm up to being in gymnastics, but he really enjoys it now and he's becoming more confident overall. Although I plan on keeping him in gymnastics for a while, I'm considering letting him try baseball too. That boy has a pretty good swing!

Bath Time

It Snowed!

We got snow (again). That's 2 years in a row. Unfortunately, my new camera wasn't fully charged while the snow was actually falling and on the ground, but I was able to get a few pictures before it completely disappeared.

I Love E-Bay!

I'm not really a big fan of spending large amounts of money on brand new clothes for my young children that will outgrow them or ruin them sometimes after only wearing them once. Needless to say, I'm a big fan of hand me downs and e-bay.

Since L is outgrowing her 24 month clothes and is starting to wear 3Ts, I didn't want to wait until she absolutely needed more clothes before I started buying her some, because I know I would end up spending more on her than I would have liked. So, I got on e-bay and found this great deal. I got them in the mail today and was so excited to see what was inside. Even though I saw pictures online when I bid on the auction, I'm always hopeful I will get more than I bargained for. The auction was listed at 100+ items and I ended up with over 130 pieces.

Here's what I got:

29 pants/bottoms

13 sets of bottoms/tops

9 jackets

1 coat

42 tops (winter & summer)

13 pairs of shorts

6 skirts

5 dresses

Most of them were 3Ts, but there were a few 4s in there. I got all of that for less than $100 (including shipping). That's better than garage sale prices and the stuff is in good condition.

Now I just have to find enough hangers and room in her dresser for everything!

She Doesn't Need My Help

A few minutes ago, as I was checking my e-mail, I heard the fridge beep (because it had been open too long). I knew L could open the freezer as she does sometimes to get frozen fruit and thought she was just getting some for herself. I asked her to close it, but when I didn't hear it close, I had to go see what was going on and why she wasn't doing what I had asked.

Well, apparently she didn't want frozen fruit. She had pulled a chair in front of the refrigerator, opened both doors, and was trying to get something to eat. When she saw me, she looked at me innocently, handed me the bottle of hot sauce she had taken out of the side door, and pointed to the container with the "fish" (tuna fish). I guess she was hungry and wasn't interested in telling me and decided she could do it herself.

Accept Instruction

God has a plan and a purpose for each of us in all things that we do. As I was reading 2 Kings today, the story of Naaman stuck with me and can't seem to escape.

Naaman was a commander of the army of the king of Aram. Although Naaman was highly regarded by the king, he had leprosy. Normally, someone with leprosy was sent to live a very isolated life, but because victory had been given to Aram through Naaman (2 Kings 5:1), it's safe to say that he was given special privileges and rights that others with leprosy did not get.

At one point, Naaman's wife's mistress told Naaman's wife that he should go see the prophet of Samaria so he could be cured of leprosy. The king heard of this and sent Naaman to the king of Israel. Once Elisha, the prophet of God, heard of Naaman going to the king to seek healing for leprosy, he sent for him. It was at Elisha's door that a messenger greeted Naaman and told him to "Go wash yourself seven times in the Jordan..." (2 Kings 5:10)

Naaman had traveled all that way to give a letter to a king, only to be sent to someone else, whose messenger gave him the instructions. Needless to say, Naaman was angry. He had expectations of what was going to happen and being given a message by a messenger to wash in the Jordan was not on that list. He didn't understand why he had to travel all that way to wash in the Jordan when he could have stayed in the comfort of his own city and washed in their waters and had the same results. Weren't the rivers of Damascus better than the Jordan? It definitely would have been more convenient.

Naaman had gone to the king of Israel hoping he could be healed, but anticipated being healed on his terms, his ways, and his ideas. Finally, Naaman came to his senses, did as he was directed, and was cleansed.

Often times, we get in situations where we wonder what the purpose is. Why did we have to move? Why did this have to happen to me? Why did it have to happen this way? Couldn't I have just stayed in the comfort of my surroundings and the same thing happen?

The truth is that God wants us to step out on faith, accept his instruction, and follow Him no matter the inconvenience or discomfort it might cause. There will be times in our life that God needs us to do something or go somewhere that we may not be comfortable so that we can fulfill His purpose in the way He intended. It might not be easy, but if we're willing to follow His direction and guidance, just as Naaman did, we too can find what we're looking for, just maybe not in the way we expected.

"Listen to advice and accept instruction, and in the end you will be wise." Proverbs 19:20

"Many are the plans in a man's heart, but it is the Lord's purpose that prevails." Proverbs 19:21

2009 Christmas Tree

K did most of the decorating, which is while most of the ornaments are gathered by color and only go to a certain height. I still need to buy a new topper and skirt, but here's a picture of our (almost finished) Christmas tree. He's so proud! He loves plugging the lights in and thinks "it's so pretty".

We put the star on top and added a new skirt today. K tried to hug the tree today because he thought it was so pretty. ;-) I wish I would have had the camera handy when I caught K and L sitting behind the tree in the corner. Too cute!

Tree Farm

On our way home from my parents house, the Saturday after Thanksgiving, we made a pit stop at the Grant Tree Farm to pick out our Christmas tree. The kids had a blast and the timing was perfect! We got there long after the crowds were gone so we didn't have to wait for anything. We didn't have to wait to pay for the tree, get food, or use the bathroom. It was so nice!

Snowman Christmas Tree (as K called it)

Playing on the hay was one of his favorite things from last year.

Much to my surprise, she actually fed a goat (from her hand).

Thanksgiving

We had a great Thanksgiving! We were able to see both sets of parents and had a great time visiting. I think this is one of the only Thanksgivings that we both were able to spend time and eat with his entire family. I wasn't able to take a lot of pictures because my camera is going out. Here are a few I took of the day. L had a great time playing with her big cousins and I think her oldest female cousin, on M's side, had a blast watching L. I was fortunate that I never had to worry about where L was because I knew her cousins were taking good took care of her.When we left the in-laws house, we drove 6 hours to my parents house. Although the bulk of the family had already left, my parents and my sister's girls were there and we got to spend some time with them. K had a blast fishing in their pond and playing in the dirt with his cousin. My mom got her Christmas present a little early and we painted her bathroom. The picture below is the only one I got with my camera that was of any quality.