More Thanksgiving Fun

The day after Thanksgiving, we headed out to my aunt and uncle's farm. Two of my aunt and uncles from Kansas came up to see everyone and we didn't want to miss them. Somehow I didn't get any pictures of them. I guess when there is a cute baby around my focus on pictures is distracted or something. :)

Not only did we get to see my aunts and uncles, we got another chance to eat turkey and mashed potatoes!! YUM!! And of course play with Sarah!! Who wouldn't want to head out to the farm with a few hours like that?!?!

She is such a doll. I love my boys and am very thankful that I have them!! Wouldn't have it any other way. But I do have to admit that it is so great to play with a girl!

We chatted and ate lunch.

Had a great time hanging out with each other!

My aunt Jane had a cool ipad that she was nice enough to let the boys play with.

It is a cool device!! I wouldn't mind having one of those things myself!!

Later Alex went outside to play Spiderman.

In Iowa he got this cool Spiderman web shooter for Christmas. (It shoots out silly string) It is obviously a HUGE hit with him!!

He was shooting "bad guys" left and right.

And of course what is a trip out to the farm without Wade getting out some sort of equipment for the boys to ride on. This time it was the lawn mower!! They had a blast!!

It was really great to see everyone, even if it was a short visit! We are looking forward to the next time we can do it again.

Thanks-mas or Christ-giving

This year we celebrated Thanksgiving and Christmas in Iowa. We were so happy that everyone made it safely there!! There were some ice storms that were in the works that made it a little iffy but those from Minnesota-

to California-

all arrived safe and sound. And it was a really great day!! So much laughing and chatting- it was a wonderful way to celebrate the holiday!!

Of course there was lots of food.

Really yummy delicious food. Food wise-I think that Thanksgiving is my favorite holiday. Turkey, mashed potatoes, stuffing, sweet potatoes, various salads, home made rolls, pies- all favorites of mine!! My mouth is watering just thinking about it.

It was heavenly!! We all shoveled it in as fast as we could! So yummy!

After dinner, we chatted and played.

Maybe got a little silly.

Then the day got even better!! As if it wasn't awesome enough already!! It was time to open presents!!! First the kids....

Then the adults...We do an exchange of...hmmm....how do I put this.....an exchange of.....well things like this:

You know they stuff you never knew you wanted until you got it.

It was awesome!!! This year things like a 30 year old wedding survival kit, a DVD of the Beverly Hillbillies, a parrot necklace with matching earrings, 70s ties and a VHS of New Kids on the block were amongst the gifts given!! We spare no expense in this family! It is belly laughing fun!!! Of course, after gifts comes the wrapping paper war.

After presents there was more chatting and laughing. Larry taught Zach how to play checkers.

I can't remember who one but I think it was a close game!! Over all the day was wonderful!!! It was so great to see everyone and spend the day together!!! Can't wait to do it again next year!!

Ronna's Brood:

Calvin's Brood:

Stan's Brood:

Happy Thanksgiving!!

I am slightly inspired this Thanksgiving holiday to make a list of some things I am thankful for. Here it goes:

1. Matt. I won't get all mushy and gooey and make everyone throw up about how much I love that guy...but I really do. He is my heart.

2. My kids. They make me laugh every day. I am so proud of them! It is amazing to me how well they are turning out despite my shortcomings.

3. Chocolate. Enough said.

4. Turkey sandwiches. There really isn't anything better than a good turkey sandwich.

5. Friends. From my really close friends to mere acquaintances. They all impact my life somehow. And I am really thankful for that.

6. Horrible reality tv. It makes me feel better about myself somehow. Plus it's just plain fun to watch!! DRAMA is fun...when it isn't happening to you.

7. Awesome music. It can change my mood instantly.

8. My in-laws. They are incredibly supportive and will be there for you anytime. There are no other people like them!

9. Make up, Saabs, and Johnny Depp.

10. My job. I seriously love my job. I know this is a once in a life time kind of gig and I am enjoying every single minute of it. Hands down the best job I have ever had- well except babysitting Todd and Elliott. That was way better- even with the endless hours of watching Godzilla!

11. Margaritas. I am not much of a drinker...but that drink really rocks!

12. Oreos! I love, love, LOVE Oreos!!

13. A good workout. One that leaves you feeling like you are stronger and healthier that when you started not just all noodly and exhausted!

14. Laying on a raft in a pool feeling the warm sun on your skin. HEAVEN!!

15. My health.

Hope you are thankful this season too!! Happy Thanksgiving everyone!!

November Update

Earlier this month I had my 36th birthday. I bought gobs of makeup, joined a gym and hired a personal trainer. That pretty much sums up how I feel about being closer to 40 than 30. I wonder what I will do when I turn 40! Yikes. Seriously though- It was nice and uneventful.

On my birthday, I celebrated with Matt and the boys. I even got to open presents!! For some reason I don't understand, Alex was REALLY worried I wasn't going to like what he got me.

There was no need to worry at all! He got me a really pretty necklace and earrings.

Josh got me slippers, Zach got me a pretty sweater and Matt got me a KINDLE!!! Honestly I was unsure if I would like it. I LOVE the smell and feel of a book. I like the flipping of pages and dog earing them when I need to stop reading. I, also, love passing on a good book to someone else. With all that said- I do have to admit- I love my new kindle. In fact, this morning I was reading on it and Josh came and snuggled up with me so he could "read" with me. While I read the book I am reading, Josh read the words he knew on the page. His highlight was getting to push the button to turn the page. That kid is SO INTO electronics it's a little scary!! Anyway- I would highly recommend one. They are pretty cool.

That weekend we went out to my aunt and uncles farm. My aunt and I have a birthday two days apart so we have always celebrated them together for as long as I can remember! And, honestly, I wouldn't have it any other way.

So I mentioned that I turned 36.....look what age Mary Carol turned!!

How cool is that!! 36 and 63!! We were all very impressed by that!! I don't think that will ever happen to us again. It just made our birthday a little extra special!

Kids in costumes are just awesome, don't you think? So we dressed them up again. Which for my boys wasn't any different from the days since Halloween. I think they would wear their costumes to school everyday if they could. They were very happy to show them off again. And look how cute Sarah is as a tootsie roll!!!

We got to play with Sarah- my cousin Wade and Allison's little girl. She is a doll!! We all love spending time with her!

That night it snowed!! The first snow of the season....which means it's also the first snowball fight!! The next morning the boys had a blast shoveling snow! Let's hope that lasts throughout the season!!

In fact, they went all the way down the block.

You're welcome neighbors!

After shoveling, they made snowmen.

or had snowball fights with the neighbor kids. Either way they had a blast out in the snow!

Other news- we put our house back up for sale. We were planning on taking a break. But after we took it off the market, realtor after realtor called us. So we decided to interview a few, just to get a fresh pair of eyes in here and see if there was something we could do differently. We really liked what this one realtor had to say and have rolled the dice again with him. So far- I am happy to say we have had 3 house showings in one week and a realtor tour. We got lots of feedback from the tour which was very nice. So we will see what happens. Fingers crossed!!

Go Blue Jays!!

I am so proud of my boys!! This month at school they each got "Cub of the Month." Cool right? What I think is even cooler- their teachers didn't talk to each other about who they were going to choose. They each chose each of my boys on their own!! How cool is that?!?! I am so proud of them!!! Their lockers were decorated at school and they were each given this:

Two free tickets each for the Creighton Men's Basketball game! At the bottom of these tickets it said sponsored by Hy-Vee. When the boys told me they were cub of the month they all excitedly told me that they got gift certificates to Hy-Vee. I couldn't figure out why their school would give them gift certificates to a grocery store, until they showed me these. I explained what these really were and they were way more excited to be cub of the month!! :) It was funny.

So Thursday night we took them to the game. We weren't sure how it would go. They had never been to a basketball game- honestly I had never been to a basketball game. That isn't really my sport of choice. But we figured we could leave anytime so why not go? Plus, they seemed excited about it. So off we went.

We found out seats....

We got some grub.

And watched the game.

It was a blast!! Alex REALLY got into the game.

It was hilarious to watch!!

We may have a future Creighton student on our hand.

Or a die hard sports fan. All his cheers and head slaps- It was awesome!!

As for Josh and Zach- they enjoyed it too, but not as much as Alex. They watched but didn't cheer much. I think Zach enjoyed having a Pepsi the most!! He rarely gets pop and when he does he is really happy about it!

We left at half time because the boys were running out of steam. I am so glad we went. I love doing fun things with my family!! And they completely deserved this night!! They are really great kids!!