Simple Gifts

I just got home from my favorite church service of the year. I have loved Thanksgiving Eve Service for as long as I can remember. This year pastor focused on the fact that for the first time in many of our lives we are having to go without. I thank God every day that we have been blessed with jobs that we love, a roof over our heads, food on our table, and healthy children. This year, though, I have realized the importance of the simple things. So as I think of all of my blessings this last year, what I think of are family game nights, sitting around the fire making s'mores on a warm summer evening, watching The Apple Dumpling Gang and eating microwave popcorn, reading books cuddled in our big blue chair, trips to the zoo and Wildlife Prairie Park, and homemade breakfasts on Saturday mornings.

So as I look back on this past year, I am so thankful for all of the simple gifts God has blessed us with!

Happy Thanksgiving!

Happy Birthday Mom!

You have been the best mom anyone could ask for! I am so blessed to have you in my life not only as a mom, but also as a friend. You shaped me into the person I am today. You showed me how to care for others, love unconditionally, and accept people for who they were. You taught me how to be strong and stand up for myself.

I look back on how you raised me for guidance as I try to be a great mom to Emmy and Tyler. I pray everyday that I will be able to instill in them the values and respect that you instilled in me! Thank you for always being there for me!

I Love You!

Happy Birthday!

Christmas before Thanksgiving

Today I took down all of my Fall decorations. I was so sad to be putting away my pumpkins and turkeys six days before Thanksgiving, but since we are leaving the day after Thanksgiving for Florida, I realized that this weekend will be our only time to decorate fro Chirstmas before December 12th. Since I take down my Cbristmas decorations on December 26th, I thought we may want to put them up a little earlier this year rather than have them up for only 2 weeks.

I also worked on some Christmas shopping today. So did everyone else. Toys R Us was insane, but at least I got in, got what I needed and got out! I need to do more internet shopping next year!

Car Conversations

Emmy: Daddy, do you know what the stars are?
Daddy: What do you think they are?
Emmy: Nickelodeon says that they are fairies that are making their wands light up
Daddy: Could be
Emmy: But I think that they are angels that are very far away, that is why we can barely see them.

Emmy: Why aren't we supposed to swallow gum?
Mommy: Because it doesn't get digested and it might get stuck in your intestines
Tyler: What re you intestines?
Mommy: The part of your body where your food goes after your stomach but before it comes out as poop.
Emmy: What happens to the gum after you swallow it.
Mommy: You poop it out
Tyler: Cool! Your poop would smell like gum!
Daddy: No, Tyler your gum would smell like poop!
Tyler: Gross!
Mommy: Exactly! That is why we don't want to swallow our gum!

words can't describe...

too busy for babies

On our way to school today we were talking about birthdays and Tyler mentioned that there were a lot of birthdays in October. Emmy proceeded to give us the reason why there were so many babies born in the fall. First, people are too busy at the pools to have babies in the summer. It is too cold in the winter to have babies and of course, everyone is busy planting flowers in the spring so there is no time for babies. That is why Fall is the perfect time to have babies and hence the large number of birthdays in October!

Christmas in November

This weekend kicked off Christmas in Morton. We had our Holidazzle celebration Friday and Saturday. Friday night we headed downtown to see Santa, shop at our local shops, and look fro Tyler's Tree of Dreams poster. After he found out that Emmy had won 2nd place, all he wanted to do was find his. We walked up and down main street to no avail. We did get to see Santa and tell him what we wanted for Christmas.

After we enjoyed the shops, we waited for our town Christmas Tree lighting and then headed home.

Saturday we had two soccer games and another search for Tyler's Tree of Dreams poster.

Game One- Orange Tigers vs. Lime Lizards- An exciting match-up of two Kindergarten unbeatens. Tyler played hard and ended up scoring a gaol despite being kicked in the shins and knocked down a couple times. Boy was he a trooper! After the game when we congratulated him on his first goal he was not at all excited, but at least we were!

In between games- Off to Field Shopping center

for more Holidazzle and to look

for Tyler's poster- and we found it!!!!

Game Two- Orange vs. Lime- Emmy's plan was

to score one goal instead she scored 2 goals and had two assists! We didn't have to worry about her not being excited. She managed to tell everyone she saw the rest of the day that her team had one and she had scored 2 goals and had two assists!