THANKSGIVING

My mom cooked Thanksgiving dinner this year.  It was amazing.  The turkey was tender and moist, the trimmings were absolutely delicious, and the desserts were incredible.  Everything was hot and on the table all at one time - a miracle, in my opinion.  I can never do that.  I always have something that is cold or not quite finished.  I told her after this year, she needs to enter a cook-off with my Grandma White because she absolutely nailed that dinner.  It was to die for.  Honestly. 

Even though Thanksgiving has passed, I wanted to list a few things for which I am grateful.  I was sitting in church yesterday and thought of a number of things that I typically take for granted, but I am so thankful to have.  

--A working, capable body.  It's far from perfect and larger than I prefer! but I do have working hands, arms, and legs.  I am so thankful that I am able to pick up my kids to give them a hug, or carry them into bed if they fall asleep in ours, without any sort of struggle.

--Acute senses of sight, smell, touch, sound, and taste.
--Smart, thoughtful, lovable, confident, healthy children.  They are the greatest.
--An extremely hard-working, gentle husband who is a wonderful example to our children. 
--The greatest parents and siblings. 
--The relationships my children have with their grandparents.  My kids love both of their grandmas and grandpas more than anything and I am so thankful that relationship is there.
--Food storage.
--Church.
--House.
--Car.
--Gas.
--Electricity.
--Technology.

I am so spoiled, and I am so thankful for it.

halloween

we had a fun halloween!  a couple days before, our neighborhood had its annual pumpkin walk.  here is what we submitted this year:

Chance's glow-in-the-dark skeleton

my snowman

Hannah's swan / goose / duck

Chance and Hannah each won a prize in the voting.  I think they won second and third places.  First place was a pumpkin that was dressed like a person who was mooning you.  Seriously, how do you top that??  I blame the fact that I didn't win a prize on Shawn and his poor product placement.  He put my snowman on the front porch where no one walks so no one really saw it.  Oh well, can't win 'em all!  haha  The kids won't let me throw their pumpkins away, so they are sitting in each of their rooms.  How long do pumpkins last before they go bad?  They want to keep them forever...gross.

The kids were excited to dress up on Halloween.  Except what happened to "power" trick-or-treating?  They were as slow as could be moving from door-to-door.  I remember running as fast as I possibly could to get as much candy as possible.  These kids were in slow motion.  At least they looked good, right?

Matt, Chance, Benjamin, Luke, Jake (I think...I can't remember which colors the twins were)

Beauty and the Beast

Hannah thought her blonde curls were so beautiful.  She kept flipping them over her shoulder while fluttering her eyelashes.  Why do they have to grow up??