One last post for November

We had a really nice Thanksgiving and enjoyed spending time with family and stuffing ourselves sick! My cousin Steve and his wife Denise hosted the huge crew this year and they did such a great job and were the most gracious of hosts! Thank you for taking on all the family....11 kids, 10 and under is no easy feat!

The kids had five half days before the actual Thanksgiving break began so it felt a little strange dropping them off for a whole day of school this morning. Millie was in tears as we pulled away..."I miss Maggie and Sammy." We had a great little break that included some tree hunting, a date night for Rock and I and a very early morning outside Sears waiting to get the hot deal on a washer and dryer! Thank you boys! You sure love me:) We've started on the Christmas decorating so hopefully I'll get to that post soon!

Giving Thanks

We have so much to give thanks for...our health, our sweet, funny monkeys, our incredible families, a warm home and food on the table. But what I am most thankful for is a Father in heaven that loves little ol' messy me with all my weaknesses and flaws. A Father that grieves when I run the other way and a Father that rejoices when I return. I am thankful for His grace and mercy and I am thankful that he can take the least of us, pick us up, brush us off and use us for His purpose. Today I give thanks for so much and wish many blessings to all of you! Happy Thanksgiving!

No time...

to post and I should be in bed sleeping! I've been working like crazy to get ready for the Festival of Crafts this weekend. I'll post some pictures on the polka dot barn blog after the weekend. For now I just wanted to share a sweet shot of Jo from a couple weeks ago. She is keeping us on our toes these days!

Today I'm giving thanks for....
1. My Jo's chubby, kissable cheeks and her baby breath.
2. My head and jaw have been so much better lately...huge praise!
3. Bible study and the amazing women I get so spend my Friday mornings with.
4. Our family never has to worry about clean drinking water (more to come on this subject).
5. Two great teacher conferences tonight...we have ourselves a couple of smart cookies. Keep up the good work Sam and Lu!
Happy Friday!

Out of the mouth of Millie

Never a dull moment with this one! I had to share a conversation we had last night that went a little something like this...
Millie: Mom, lets play petend (pretend)
Me: Okay Mils, what do you want to play?
Millie: I'm going to be a princess, JoJo is going to be a princess and Maggie is going to be the queen.
Me: Who am I going to be?
Millie: You're going to be the dragon!
Me: The dragon? Why do I have to be the dragon?
Millie: Because you have dragon breath!
Me: Oh geez, thanks Mils!
Thought that might be worth a chuckle:)

Baby O

A sweet shot of Millie and Owen snuggling up on the couch. Everytime I look at this picture I swear he looks like a doll...perfect little head and features. He has already changed so much since this picture was taken just a couple weeks ago. We sure love this little man!
Today I am thankful for...
1. Lisa for taking our big kids overnight. Just having two at home seems like a date:) Rock and I were even able to watch a complete movie! Yeah!
2. My sweet little nephews Owen and Atticus! We love your snuggles!
3. Pumpkin Spice creamer:)
4. the sun that's peeking out today.
5. Most of all today I am thankful for those that have sacrificed so much for my freedom. Please let us never forget.

Cheeks and Thanks

For obvious reasons I can't get enough of these cheeks! I just want to kiss them all day! Jo is developing such a funny little personality and cracks us all up! I especially love our sweet alone moments when the rest of the kids are at school. So fun for her to get some undivided mom time, as short as it may be.
I also wanted to take some time to share a few things I'm thankful for today.
1. The beautiful fall we have in the northwest. I don't think I could ever tire of the amazing colors and smell that's in the air this time of year. We have been so fortunate to have an abundance of sunny days as an added bonus.
2. My kids have all managed to stay healthy! Thank you Lord!
3. Taco salad...it's easy and the whole family loves it! Seems like such a small thing but a meal that everyone enjoys and only takes 10 minutes to prepare is truly something to be thankful for!
4. Our associate pastor and his family that will be moving to Germany in a week. So thankful for the time we had to know them and pray for many blessings on them as they follow God's lead.
5. For God's grace...enough said.

Another Before & After

It was Sam's turn for a little change. During his physical in June his doctor recommended we take him to have his vision checked. I finally got him there in October (only 4 months later) and sure enough...he needs glasses. We went the next day and picked out frames and waited for the glasses to arrive. He's doing a great job caring for them and seems to be wearing them as often as needed. One of his friends was over last week so I asked him if Sam actually keeps his glasses on at school and he said "yep, all day except recess." So glad he's using them and they're doing more than just making him look so grown up...and quite handsome too!
And while I'm on the subject of Sam, I just want to take this opportunity to say how proud I am to be his mom. For so many reasons...he's a fantastic big brother, a total bookworm that devours books by the dozens, he's working so hard at school and not just on academics but at making good choices with his attitude and behavior. He has worked incredibly hard this football season that started long ago in July and has not ONCE complained about ANYTHING! Sure, he would love to get in the game and play more but he's never voiced that as a complaint but merely a strong desire. What I love most about Sam is his heart. He has a big heart that has the capacity to hurt along with others and that is not something I ever want to take for granted or pass up the chance to say how much I love the way he loves! I love you to pieces Sammy and thank God for you everyday!

Halloween 2009

A little belated Halloween post to preserve the memories! We had a fun Halloween week that included three parties, trick or treating with great friends and LOADS of sugar! We even had a bonus visit from Auntie Shelly and kids and Auntie Stacy and kids on Friday.

As with every year the kids were deciding on costumes right up until the day. At one point Sam was going to dress as a cheerleader to compliment Maggie in her football garb. At the last minute he changed his mind and went with the "nerd" attire which was continually mistaken for Harry Potter. Millie went back and forth between Little Bo Peep and Snow White. As you can see the princess won out in the end. And of course the frog... and a feisty frog she was! Lil miss J has become one very independent girl and wanted to do all the trick or treating on her own. Rock and I were sweating by the end trying to keep her contained. Of course she crashed after two minutes in the car. The two big kiddos had the chance to stay out a little longer and tag along with some family friends. They had a blast and came home literally bouncing off the walls. Maggie claimed she at 28 pieces of candy....clearly she was NOT exaggerating! Fun times...thanks Eilertsons for taking our kids! They loved every minute of it!