I'm Thankful for...

Although I am grateful all year long for the blessings in my life, I find that especially at Thanksgiving, I feel overwhelmed with all the good that has found its way into my world. For big things and little things, for family, for friends, for all the things that make a house a home...I give thanks.

For special request pancakes...Mickey and Mr. Bear



For her determination




For Michele, our PT



For this Indian




For my guys...





For happy babies first thing in the morning...



For the random things Mason so carefully lays out the night before a day at Mimi's



For this smile...




For jumping the gun yet again, and putting up the tree before Thanksgiving, all in the name of being 4...





Have a wonderful week everyone, and Happy Thanksgiving!

Happy Fall Ya'll

Ahhh...Such a great weekend! Crisp, cool mornings, warm afternoons, and chilly evenings...definitely feeling the fall! I love this time of year. I've said it before, but it is by far my favorite season. The crunchy leaves, the yummy scented candles, the shameless excuses for adding egg nog to everything from french toast to coffee...It's just a great season! And that doesn't even take into consideration the anticipation of all that next month brings...Yep, I've already rocked some Christmas cd's this month. Guilty as charged. I'm such a kid when it comes to this stuff. This weekend (minus a crazy head cold) came together with all the things I love most about this time of year, and I am left feeling happy, content, and excited for what comes next.

Friday was my birthday, and we had family over for dinner and cake. My favorite little baker was in charge of my cake...



To thank him for his efforts, I asked him to help me blow out the candles....and he obliged.




This morning started with hot coffee on a chilled porch swing. Once the littles woke up, we bundled their little jammied-bodies up, and took them outside with us. Mason couldn't resist all the fallen leaves, and decided he needed to rake. The only thing more fun than jumping in a giant pile of crunchy leaves, is sliding in a giant pile of crunchy leaves...and so he did.

Perfecting his pile...



Testing it out...



Again...



And again...



Success...





Maddie and Love-Pup helped rake some too...



Joining in the fun...



Bundled, but barefoot...go figure.







Happy Fall Ya'll!

29 again

I'm looking at a blank screen, and I'm having a complete mental block. Could be the cold medicine I'm taking...Could be the lack of sleep is starting to catch up to me...Could be my daily diet of coffee and halloween candy just isn't working out...Could be age. After all, I am turning 29 again tomorrow. I've done 29 a few times now, and each time, it gets a little easier. I don't feel I've matured enough yet to leave the safety of my twenties, and thirties just sounds way too middle-age, which would suggest that I've got my stuff together by now...and I certainly do not.
I don't have any more answers now than I did then...and I still don't know what I want to be when I grow up. I'm still figuring it out as I go. And I guess I'm good with that...It works for me. I'm the kind of person who always likes to have a plan, but doesn't always stick to it. I'm learning to go with the flow, and just let life happen, however it may. Maybe in a few years, when I turn 29 again, I'll have a clearer picture of what my life is supposed to be...But for now, I've let go of who I was, I am happy with who I am, and I am hopeful about who I will be.

The Adventures of Mr. Potato Head and His Little Lamb

Brace yourself, folks. This post contains cuteness on another level...

Last night was Halloween...and everyone with little people knows that this yearly ritual called trick-or-treating is just a shameless excuse for us parents to dress our children in costumes so ridiculously cute that they are only allowed once a year, and parade them through our subdivisions collecting a bounty of candy, which we will pillage once they go to bed. It's a great night! So picking the perfect costume for this occasion is of the utmost importance. We've had some good ones in the past, and they were tough acts to follow...


Halloween 2007


Baby Bear




Halloween 2008


Little Yoda (one of my faves)




Halloween 2009

Thomas the Tank Engine




Maddie makes her debut as a flower







So...This year we had alot to live up to, but I think they pulled it off.




Halloween 2010


Mr. Potato Head and His Little Lamb






Mason has had his costume picked out for months...










and Miss Madison...






Even though it was much warmer outside than we anticipated...she was a trooper.








I was uncertain about this at first...considering the pics I got the first time I tried it on...




But at the end of the day, I think it was perfect for her.