Thanksgiving 2013

Kent and I love to cook and host Thanksgiving dinner. I think we have only missed cooking twice in the last 13 years. We were fortunate to have my mom, Jim, Aunt Nancy, and Uncle John here this year.

Kent and I upgraded our dining room table for the event (via craigslist, of course). Our new table is big enough to comfortably seat 8. I am looking forward to many holiday meals around it.

The girls, especially Maddie, were big helpers in the kitchen this year. Madeline wanted to help with everything from the cranberry salad to the casseroles to the table settings.

Madeline made everyone name cards, and Sophie wrote everyone a special note to put next to their plate. My favorite was the one she wrote for Maddie, "You are the best sister."

This year's turkey was 22 pounds. We love making lots and lots of food that we can eat for days. It is stuffed with homemade stuffing. Madeline and I spent Wednesday night cutting four loaves of bread.

Here is a final view of the table. I love putting out the wedding china. Happy Thanksgiving to all! Enjoy your many blessings.

Dad and Mel's Visit!

Dad and Mel came for a visit this month. The girls were sooo excited, and Kent and I were, too. Maddie and Sophie were counting down the days for at least two weeks.

Leah loved having company during the day. She even shared her bed with sweet Dixie.

Dad made us a squirrel maze. You put corn inside, and cover the front with plexi-glass. Now we wait and watch the squirrels play and eat.

Saying good-bye was tough, especially for Sophie. But, we have to share our grandparents, and they were off to Josh and family in New Jersey.

Happy Birthday, Rae!

We spent an afternoon in early November out at Dawn's to help Rae celebrate her fourth birthday. The kids had fun playing in the woods behind the house and eating cake, of course.

Holloween

I am behind in my blogging! I see I still have the Halloween "after pic" of Maddie on Halloween. Look at all that loot!

Halloween!!

Halloween has always been my favorite holiday! This year was no exception. Both girls opted for scary costumes! Madeline was a "Graveyard Bride" and Sophie was a witch. Sophe decided against the face paint on Halloween eve, but she was super cute. Madeline went all out. Are you surprised?

It was a warm evening, but a bit rainy. I think that is why we had fewer trick-or-treaters than the year before. Kent took the girls out until about 8:45, and I stayed to give out candy. I had several of my students stop by, and I really enjoyed that!

Kent did the face-paint. It's pretty good, I have to say.

My Birthday!

I turned 39 last weekend, and I was pretty excited about our plans. I planned for the four of us to go horseback riding in the mountains, and I hoped for good weather and beautiful fall foliage. I was not disappointed. The girls were so excited, and the weather turned our perfect. I was worried about Sophie feeling nervous and apprehensive, but she enjoyed the whole experience!

The view was so lovely!

We had a really great day together!

After the trail ride, we returned home for some football and food with our family. My mom and Jim joined us for some Chinese food delivery, as did Kent's parents. It was such a nice evening!

I made my own cake, which was something I was looking forward to. It was a pumpkin cake from scratch and delicious! It wasn't the prettiest of cakes since I threw it together for our 6 o'clock gathering after our ride, but none of it went to waste. I am considering making one for Thanksgiving!

The girls helped me blow out the candles since I came down with a terrible cold the week before. I loved my birthday. Who knew turning 39 would be so perfect!

Clifton!

I love our new tradition of heading to Peterson's in Clifton for my birthday! It is one of my favorite places! It is an ice-cream shop in the front with  pumpkin flavored soft-serve in October, and it's a bar in the back. So, Kent and I can enjoy a drink while the girls enjoy a special treat, too. They have all kinds of games including this large scale Connect Four.

Just like last year, we walked across the street to the park afterwards to shoot hoops and play on the playground.
It was a fun afternoon!

Just the Day to Day

Leah has found a new place to sleep most nights.

 I found the above picture on the camera one evening after class. I have a class on Wednesday evenings now for an additional teaching endorsement. It's a challenge to be gone 13 hours one day each week, but it looks like everyone is having some fun in my absence.

The tuba!!! It is quite loud. I think Maddie can play three notes, and she is required to practice 120 minutes a week . . . you do the math on what our house sounds like. :) She is definitely enjoying band this year more than orchestra last year. Who would have thought? Ha ha. Strings or band? What would you guess? Wink, wink.

I don't think I ever shared a picture of Sophie's birthday cake. Both of my girls are now into making their own creations. I really liked this "7" idea.