Pie Man

Before the big Turkey Bowl Football game Jed made his traditional chocolate marbled pies...Yum! We joined our friends the Oldroyds and the Johnsons for dinner and I think we had something like 7 pies there. It was insane. Lucky for me we had lots of leftovers and I am still eating chocolate pie every night. Jed's mom, Nila, and I had a good laugh when he said, "Thanksgiving is the one time of the year that I wish you had a Kitchenaid!" (I have a hand-me-down Bosch that works just fine) and I replied back, "That's because it is the only day of the year that you cook!" Okay, so he does bbq, heat things up, make toast, that type of thing throughout the year, but we still thought it was hilarious...he was a good sport and laughed too. I appreciate that he can laugh at himself. :)

Oh SNAP!

Owen has been trying to learn to snap for over a year now and he has finally mastered it! Not to be outdone by his older brother, Davis recently decided to figure it out and has mastered it right along with him. All day long we hear the clicking of little fingers. I love it. Turns out snapping is not an easy thing to teach or learn.

Tea Time

Does it get sweeter than watching a three year old having a tea party with her Grandma? Thanks again for the fun idea last week Grandma...Kate is still talking about it.
(I don't know why the pics are so dark...more reason to get a better camera!)

Leaves are STILL falling...

Yesterday while Jed and I were busy putting Christmas lights on the house Owen and Davis decided to rake leaves and jump in the piles. Like any good Diva, Kate just waited for the piles to be ready and then happily jumped in. I love seeing the kids take initiative on things and then go for it.

Grandma Nila

Jed's Mom was able to come spend a week with us and just left this morning....boo! We LOVED having her as always. She is very helpful and does an excellent job playing with the kids and embracing our craziness. I snapped this photo last night just before bed. Kind of a crazy time to take a picture, but I think it captures the reality of bedtime. We miss you already Grandma...come back soon!

Much to be Thankful For...

Recently I was able to go away for a few days with a few of my girl friends. We had a great time and I was able to pick their brains over a wide variety of subjects. My friend, Brooke, mentioned that she does a simple blog post every day and it helps her to focus on what she is thankful for. I thought, "What a great idea!" I have always been a fan of gratitude journals and this would combine that concept with photos and put it all out there for all of you to see. At this point I am WAY too behind to catch you up with photos and details of all that we have been doing, but since today is Thanksgiving here is an overview of some of the things that I am thankful for this Fall.

First and foremost, I am Thankful for the knowledge that there is life after death. My friend, Megan Boyack Smith, passed away on November 8th. Her absence leaves a huge hole in many hearts and she will be greatly missed. I know that fund raising continues in behalf of her husband and baby girl, so check out her website and prayersformegan.com if you are able to help.

Okay, so there really isn't a good way to transition into the rest of my list, but here goes...

As I stated earlier...Davis turned 5!
I was able to spend the morning with him at preschool. Then we partied in true Lego fashion and celebrated his birthday with his good buddy, Aiden.
Gracie is really becoming a full blown toddler...she is into EVERYTHING!!!!
These two may fight light cats and dogs, but they really do love each other...
I think it is hilarious that Kate automatically makes this face when I go to take her picture...
Halloween...it seemed to go on and on, but we did have lots of good fun.
Owen and his buddy, Jadd, at the Pajama Sleep Walk/Run (okay, so maybe they had a better way of wording it, but you get the idea).
I was able to chaperon the first grade field trip to Science Works. Owen loved it of course. In this photo is his teacher, Mrs. Smith, who I ADORE!
Davis took a field trip to the pumpkin patch...Kate, Gracie and I just had to tag along.
Jed and I were able to get away for a few days by ourselves!!! Yea! First time in a LONG time! Our favorite part was renting bikes and exploring trails along the river. Thank you Nana, Papa and Cara for taking care of our babies.
Owen was determined to earn a certain Lego set, so he made appointments to wash cars and do other chores. He finally earned the twenty dollars that he needed.
Okay, that's it for now, but watch for more posts coming soon...

The Nutcracker

This year I decided (after being reminded about it from my friend Kelly!) to take Kate on a Mommy/Daughter date to the ballet! We went to see the local production of the Nutcracker. Kate loved getting dressed up and having my full attention. I loved watching her watch the ballet. She was particularly impressed with the "girl's beautiful bed". I thought it was funny that the bed was the thing she fixated on. She also loved the "pink girls" (ie. the ballerinas who wore pink). Kate sat next to one of her favorite friends, Caroline. Of course she spent most of the time on my lap so that she could see better, but it was fun to see these girls giggle together.
Of course we had to get a photo by the big Nutcracker....first with Caroline and then with Lauren.

Happy Birthday Davis!

Our little man is FIVE!!!!!

Jed calls Davis "My Awesome"
Yesterday at church he was "reading" his scriptures and he turns to me and says, "This is my favorite part, 'All mankind may be saved if they follow Jesus Christ in His laws and in His love." If our church had paid clergy I would swear that this kid would be a preacher based on some of the things that he says in his prayers ("Please fill us up with the great spirit", "Help us to feel the gospel in our day today", etc.) and at times like this. Then the rest of the day he walks around shooting his brother and sister...hmmmm...strange juxtaposition.
Happy Birthday Davis!

The past few weeks...

It seems I have missed posting for a few weeks now. We have been busy here with all of the typical Fall things...soccer, school, pumpkin patches, a weekend get-a-way, Halloween parties, music class, ballet, jog-a-thon....Wow. It has been crazy. I have been hunkering down a bit myself and trying to simplify our routines and schedules. I have been reading a book called The Time Starved Family which has been semi-life changing for me. Okay, maybe that is a bit dramatic, but it has definitely struck a chord with me and has forced me to reevaluate what I want for my young family. The nice thing is that Jed has also read it (gotta love a man who will read parenting books!), so we are able to discuss it and set goals for our family together.

Other than all of that I have been semi-obsessed with following the up and down status of our family friend Megan Boyack Smith's health. She gave birth to her first child (a beautiful baby girl) about four months ago and discovered while in labor that she has a very aggressive form of Leukemia (there was no sign of it in blood tests two weeks prior). She has seen many miracles come her way, but now her lungs are deteriorating and she really needs a miracle to save her life. I have felt a powerful reassurance in my own personal prayers that the Lord is mindful of her and our desires for her life to be spared. So we continue to pray and wait to see what God's will is. If you are interested in learning more you can follow her story at prayersformegan.com and say a prayer for her yourself.

Okay, so I promise Fall pictures and stories are coming soon...