Thanksgiving Thoughts.....

Well, we had a wonderful Thanksgiving and before December is upon us, I wanted to be sure and record a few of my thoughts this year. Last year, we celebrated Thanksgiving by hosting dinner at our brand new house in Iowa with our WONDERFUL friends. Life was sweet and good. At the time, I never could have imagined the changes that the year would bring. And here's the thing...last year I really did feel grateful for the things our family had...but this year I feel that I truly have a more thankful heart. And it's different because the things I am thankful for are simpler and deeper...healthy kids, a good job, time with family, old and new friends, answered prayers, meaningful relationships, warm weather, etc. The changes in our lives have caused me to really look at myself, to come face to face with my weaknesses (which are many!), and to really identify the person that I want to be, regardless of my circumstances. For all these things, I am very thankful.

Now, on to the fun!!!! And we truly did have so much fun in Missouri. It will take several posts to really record all of the events of our weekend, but it was so good to be with Tod's family on their farm. I always enjoy going to the farm because it is such a "get away" from everything and is always very relaxing. This trip we enjoyed a wonderful Thanksgiving meal, a modern day mini barn raising (more on that later), and a birthday celebration for Tod. The girls loved horse back riding, four wheeler treks, and playing with the dogs. I loved my early morning shopping trip with Megan on Black Friday.

When I first met Tod and visited the farm, I couldn't believe how different our lives were- his family still teases me about being a "city girl", but now I am so glad that my kids get to experience life on the farm and all the neat adventures it presents. The 8 hour drive was worth every minute to be able to see our family and enjoy Thanksgiving together.

Happy Birthday Tod!

Yesterday was Tod's 31st birthday, and even though I have tons to do (we just got home from Missouri last night), I couldn't miss this chance to wish him a happy birthday and thank him for all he does to make our family tick!!! He is such a great guy and there are so many things about him that I admire and love, but at the risk of being too sappy, I'll just share one quick incident that illustrates one thing I love about my hubby. A few weeks ago, we had the missionaries over for dinner, and Tod was making them laugh and showing them a good time, as usual. Well, after we ate, one of the missionaries turned to me and said, "It must really be something to be married to him- never a dull moment." And I thought, "You know, it really is!" It really is something to be married to someone who can always bring a smile to your face (even when you don't want to smile!), someone who can always make you feel safe and taken care of, someone who takes life for what it is and makes the best of it. This last year has seen our family through some ups and downs, and Tod has really held things together and been an example to me of how to perservere and "keep on keeping on." He has shown unselfishness and committment, and I am thankful for him as my best friend. The girls absolutely adore their Dad, and he is a wonderful person in their lives. For that, I feel very blessed. So, Happy Birthday Snarrzy (who loves to be featured on my blog, ha ha), here's to many more good times!

A Thanksgiving Feast

Today at Ashton's school, they had a Thanksgiving feast for the kindergarteners. I was able to go and help, and it was so much fun! There are 7 kindergarten classes, and we rolled a long piece of brown butcher paper all the way down the hall and then seated the 140 students around the "table". It was quite a sight. The kids munched on turkey (lunch meat), cheese, dried fruits, popcorn and even pumpkin pie. They got to choose to either dress as pilgrims or Indians, and the costumes were great. It was fun to celebrate in a good old traditional way! Any time that I can be in the classroom, I just enjoy it so much...especially spending time with Ashton and seeing her in this setting. When we moved here, I was so concerned about finding good schools and we have really been blessed to have Ashton in a great classroom with a wonderful teacher, Mrs. Brine.

Finally Walking!

About 2 weeks ago, Regan finally started walking! And we are all very excited...in fact, we are so excited that it doesn't even matter that now she can get into everything and unload everything, etc! I love to watch babies taking their first wobbly steps...so cute. The girls absolutely love to take Regan's little hands and walk with everywhere.

Candy, Candy, Candy

So here is the result of our week long Halloween celebration...and as of today, I have officially taken myself off of candy...at least for a couple of days. It's been funny because the girls have really stopped asking for treats...it's just me who can't get enough of it this year!

Yesterday we enjoyed 80 degree weather, today it is in the high 60s and we are all freezing! I have been working on holiday projects and dealing with Regan and her "teething blues". I locked myself out of the house yesterday and had to call my friend to come resue me...it's been one of those weeks when I just feel so scatterbrained!

Happy, Happy Halloween

Wow! What a day we had yesterday! It was non-stop and tons of fun! Today we are all experiencing a "Halloween Hangover" as we like to call it! What did we do on Halloween?

- Went and helped with Ashton's kindergarten festivel, I had to be there with all 3 of the girls by 8:00 AM! We were in charge of the pumpkin toss.

-Sat in the car and talked to my friend (thanks Heidi!) on the phone while Regan took a quick nap

- Ran over to Jordan's preschool party for pizza and a fun Bingo game she and I had come up with

-Had a flat tire on the van and had Dad make a quick run to Sam's club to fix it!

-Went trick-or-treating (in balmy 70 degree weather) with our wonderful friends, the Cook family. Regan was so into this! The girls were so into her...she looked so cute in her leopard costume that my sister Mel made for my niece last year.

-Headed to the church for a chili cookoff, games and a trunk or treat- they had a spook alley that Ashton just couldn't get enough of, even though she was terrified!

-Came home with so much candy, we don't even know what to do!

Here's to a fabulous Texas Halloween!!!