Blah-ging

Thanksgiving Day, annual family portrait

Well, I guess I've officially turned into a blah-ger....you know, that person who never updates their blog and when you check to see if any Christmas pictures have been added, you get Halloween music and costumes instead?

No excuses other than the usual "it's been so busy lately!" We had a terrific Thanksgiving weekend this year, though, as we mixed it up a bit and stayed local while my parents made the trip this way. We had a Thanksgiving-day meal with Bob's family and then I cooked my first turkey dinner on Saturday for my folks. Actually, I mostly stood back and took notes while my mom masterfully handled the bird/stuffing/gravy/sweet potatoe casserole/mashed potatoes and pies. I think I might have peeled the potatoes. She said I'm taking over next year, but I'll have to get a clearer definition of "taking over" before I agree ;-)

We sat at the dining room table and used the china....not a chip or crack was made! Mom brought candy corn along and each plate had 4 pieces on it. The meager amount reminded us of the first Thanksgiving and how the pilgrims were thankful just to be alive. For each piece of corn, we then told something we were thankful for in our own lives. It was a really nice way to focus on the meaning of the holiday in a way that the kids could grasp.

We're now full-steam ahead toward Christmas and the magic is really tangible for the kids this year. They have all kinds of questions about Santa finding our house and how the shelf-elf gets to and from the North Pole each night. More importantly, they're interested in the story of Jesus' birth and why God decided to send Him to us in the first place. I'm amazed at what in-depth discussions 4 year olds are capable of :-)

I'll be back as the holiday gets closer. I plan to post my annual newsletter and will do a better job getting some Christmas pix posted before Easter, I promise!

Have a wonderful few weeks in the meantime!

Love,

A few pictures from our November activities...

I love taking photos of the sunsets we get...this is the view outside our front door.

The kids had a grand time with the last round of leaves...Daddy was blowing them into a pile with the leaf blower in this photo.

Learning new skills....after months of refusal, J finally decided he could button his own shirts.

We made a final trip to the zoo and got to enjoy this very friendly peacock. He was so tame that I could feed him out of my hand. He wasn't a health-nut, though. I offered him fruit, but he would only eat caramel popcorn.