we are thankful

It's always nice to be reminded of all the blessings that the Lord has given us. Thanksgiving, while it has never been one of my favorite holidays, is the perfect time to reflect on all that we have to be thankful for. It is so easy to get lost in the day to day muck of life and to forget how truly blessed we are. I have a loving and forgiving God, a wonderfully supportive and devoted husband and two healthy children who are happy. These are the important things in life...

We spent Thanksgiving with Kyle's family at his Aunt Peg's house. It was great company and delicious food. A good day, indeed.

We snapped a few shots for our Christmas card - this wasn't the winner but it's a preview of what should arrive in your mailboxes soon. Seriously, getting four people to look at the camera and smile AT THE SAME TIME is about impossible.

Kennedy relaxing with Papa

Carter and Kennedy learning proper drink making techniques

Loves!

Kennedy and Auntie Val

bye bye mullet

Kyle and I had been going back and forth for weeks trying to decide if we should cut Miss K's hair. We finally took the plunge, as her do started to look like it would fit in at any NASCAR event. The problem is she has such fine, thin hair and it has been very slow to grown on the sides. So it was all business in the front and party in the back!

Here is a look before:

And during the big cut - she was unhappy at first, but once she had a lollipop to suck on she was good to go.

And here is an after shot - still a little short on the sides (hopefully it'll all even out in a few months) but a cute bob in the back.

A 60th Surprise!

Happy 60th Birthday, Nana!

The kids and I headed down to Arizona last week to surprise my mom for her 60th birthday. My dad, brother and aunt were all in on the plan and we totally pulled it off...my mom had no idea that we were coming and her reaction was priceless when she saw the kids sitting in the hallway, shouting "surprise Nana!". I'm not one for surprises myself, but I thought this was a time where it would be fun. We arranged a day off with my mom's boss and had several fun days together. To cap off our trip we had a big family party on Sunday evening. Not only was it great to be there to help my mom celebrate this special birthday, but it was fabulous to escape the rain, wind and cold and spend 6 days playing outside and enjoying the sunshine. I think we sufficiently refueled our tanks and should hopefully be able to make it through the winter.

We arrived to sunshine and 90 degrees, so we headed out to the pool. Kennedy is FEARLESS and would have been under water in seconds had we let her. The kids stripped down and played in the shallow end, but the water was definitely too cold to swim in.

I don't think we'll need to worry about Kennedy being scared of the water. She so badly wanted to dive right in!

Wednesday was Veteran's Day, so my mom had the day off. We took the kids to Fiddlesticks and played some golf and went on some little rides.

Who would think that a mini golf course would be hazardous for children, but with the brick border and a wobbly toddler, we saw a few falls and bumps.

Carter loved it and raced ahead. He totally cheats, though, which made me laugh as I do the exact same thing when golfing. Positioning the ball inches from the cup, dragging the club to "push" the ball in. According to him, he won!

Wednesday evening, my good friend Matt, from Linfield, came over for dinner. He lives in North Carolina now, and we hadn't seen one another for 2+ years. He happens to be working in Tempe through the end of the year, so it worked out to get together. We had such a wonderful visit, and I'm so sad I didn't get a picture with him and the kids. He and Carter really hit it off and we all enjoyed his visit.

I was on my own with the kids on Thursday and we headed to one of our favorite parks. It was just so wonderful to let the kids play outside. Again, Kennedy was a daredevil and was going head first down the slides, climbing on everything and enjoying herself to the fullest.

I can't get enough of her smiles!

Carter was much more adventurous this visit, as well. I think he managed to play on every single piece of playground equipment.

Friday the 13th was Nana's actual birthday. We celebrated with a wonderful lunch made by Aunt Sandy. The kids donned party hats and noise makers and helped make the day a special one.

Birthday party pirate!

Our trip to Desert Breeze Park and our usual train ride. Another sunny day in November.

A ride around on the carousel

I didn't get any good pictures of the big birthday bash on Sunday, so I'll have to post them once my family sends them my way (hint, hint)

Trick or Treat

Oh how I love to see things through the excited eyes of my three year old. Carter could not have been any more excited about the prospect of trick or treating this year. And what a difference a year makes! Instead of plodding along to four or five houses on our street, he raced from door to door, squealing with delight and getting enough candy to last until next year. He did a wonderful job keeping up with the older boys from across the street and really enjoyed the night. We capped it all off with a viewing of "It's a Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown" and then crashed for the night. Kennedy certainly enjoyed herself, as well. She loved going up to each door, offering the candy from her hand and grabbing another from the bowl. She didn't care what she was getting so long as she had two pieces in her hands. She was a trooper and made it as long as the boys did, albeit a little slower. Here are some shots from our night:

I finally got her in her costume without a fuss, so I took advantage and snapped lots of pictures!

Our busy bee!

She was super happy playing outside and taking in all the action

Carter all ready to hit the streets for some serious trick-or-treating!

Carter, Brock and Johnny before we headed out