Happy Thanksgiving!

Happy Thanksgiving!

The day did not go as expected for us, at least for me.  My body finally gave in to whatever respiratory issue that kept Sofia home for 2 days earlier this week.  That meant that I could barely move Thursday morning and couldn't really speak more than a whisper.  Uncle Todd commented that the family must be enjoying that.  It's certainly possible, but I don't think they enjoyed Mom being bed-ridden. 

Samantha apparently got overwhelmed by the influx of people.  She retreated to her room and it was a long while before I finally went up and got her.  Samantha wasn't feeling the greatest either.

Sofia got a timeout for not properly saying thank you for birthday presents that she received.  I found her asleep in her room so I took that as the reason for her defiance. 

We had our traditional 20 family members over and consumed a lot of food and wine.  Everyone was amazed at how much Jordan and Dylan have grown.  As always, it was great to see Susie and Stu with their family and Aunts Merrian and Wendy.  There were 6 different varieties of desserts and we'll be grazing on the leftovers all weekend!

Sofia's Birthday

It was our first snowfall of the season!   We celebrated with her first "friend" party at Pump It Up.  There were friends from preschool and family friends and it was a great time for all!  Sofia was surprised by Uncle Todd braving the snowy weather to help her celebrate, but so happy to see him!

Once we got home, I took the girls outside to play in the new snow.  It was only a few inches, but Sofia made a snow volcano and enjoyed throwing snowballs and sledding.

Happy Birthday Sofia! 

Sofia's Preschool Conferences

Sofia's turn for conferences came so Daddy and I squeezed ourselves into kid-sized chairs for a chat with Sofia's teacher.  Good things were said as we listened to how Sofia has made friends that she plays with and that Sofia is a great team player working in groups.  Daddy and I are incredibly happy that Sofia is blossoming at preschool.  It's amazing to watch her world open up and watch her play!  All in all, we enjoyed telling Sofia how proud we are of her! 

It's amazing how fast the time goes, but I'm conscious to enjoy the moment!  Sofia is a wonderful kid!

Daddy's Birthday

Happy Birthday Daddy!

Daddy doesn't particularly enjoy birthday celebrations about him and has been stressed with a variety of challenges, I'll share a poem I wrote for him.

I love my husband, he's the best.

Always moving without much rest.

He's the perfect man for me and a wonderful father.

We're a team, we're partners, it's no bother.

He's funny, loving and incredibly kind.

He even helps with laundry in a bind!

No it's not the perfect poem, but I hope for many years to come with him!

Child labor in our backyard

I put the kids in the yard waste can to stomp down the leaves.  They enjoyed it!

Now you see them...

Now you don't.

Sofia's Family Birthday Party

Sofia is turning 4!

We began the celebrations by having a party, complete with a Disney princess themed cake.  Sofia loved it, along with the gifts!  She is a girl who loves puzzles and is very much into princesses at the moment.  The family came over with Uncle Bob and Aunt Sherry, who were visiting from St. Louis.  Thank you to them for taking the picture below since it's a first!

Here is she opening a present in the morning wearing our "traditional birthday hat".

Samantha is Star of the Week

Any time our calendar gets full, both Daddy and I wait for the kids to get ill.  Whether it's a self-fulfilling prophecy or just the way life goes, our unspoken expectations were met.  Both girls were home 2 days this week and again, we owe many thanks to Grammy for her help.

It was Samantha's turn to be "Star of the Week", which is a chance for the kids to share about themselves and family to visit.  It took some creative scheduling for Daddy, me, Grammy, Nana and Papa to get there, but we all made it on Thursday.  Grammy and I got to her class and listened to Samantha share about herself and the pictures.  All the kids got to ask her questions and we loved hearing her answers.  Then I read a story to the class and played outside with the kids for recess.  It's amazing how many of them remember me from last year!  Daddy, Nana and Papa all stayed for lunch and we all enjoyed ourselves!  Make sure you read her list... I was touched by her answer for the "Happiest thing that has ever happened to me"!