December 6, 2015, at 8:53 pm | Since we were flying back to Connecticut on Thanksgiving day, we decided to celebrate a day early in Arizona. We started off our holiday with a trip to the park:
 
Then we had a family photo shoot, courtesy of cousin Alli. Many thanks to Alli for once again making our family look good for our Christmas card!
Then, it was feasting time! Julie, her mom, and her mother-in-law Jean really out did themselves. We were just sad we didn’t get to stay for the leftovers – we were dreaming of them while eating our official Thanksgiving meal the next day at McDonalds on the way home from the airport!
Then came the kids’ play, starring Max as the feathered friend:
 
 
Here are the boys showing off their costumes (Jimmy is taking his role as the soldier very seriously):
Captain American made a brief cameo:
Then it was dessert time. We were treated to our friend Tim’s amazing homemade scones:
And we finished off the day by sitting around the outdoor fireplace:
 
We had a very happy holiday!
December 4, 2015, at 11:07 pm | The kids put on an adorable Thanksgiving play on our last day in Arizona. It was 100% kid-inspired, directed, decorated, and performed. And as much as we all thought the kids did an amazing job, it was the dog Max that stole the show as the Thanksgiving turkey (complete with a paper beak hung on his nose). He dutifully sat in the middle of the “table” and allowed himself to get “cut” with plastic utensils as the pilgrims and Indians shared their first feast together. Bravo, Max!
Here’s the last bit of the play where they “carved” the “turkey”:
December 3, 2015, at 10:05 pm | The day after our Sedona journey, we took my parents on their first visit to a Cabela’s store (a.k.a. my kids’ favorite store ever!). Then we had to say goodbye to them as they caught a plane back to California.  
Afterward, we girls went to the American Girl store where the kids picked out some early Christmas presents.
 
And then we then met the boys at an arcade/laser-tag venue, where the big boys (Jim and Jon) won an insane amount of tickets! Danny slept through most of it, but still awoke in time to claim his fair share of the prize loot. It was fun for all!
 
December 2, 2015, at 11:14 pm |
December 1, 2015, at 11:28 pm |
November 29, 2015, at 11:03 pm |
November 26, 2015, at 10:12 pm | I signed up to read a story and do a craft in Susie’s class last week, so I started scouring Pinterest for a Thanksgiving-related craft that I could feasibly do with 20 second-graders in a short amount of time. I found this paper pumpkin idea, and was excited that it was simple enough to complete, and that it gave me a way to encourage the students to count their blessings. I prepped most of the craft ahead of time, and then had the kids write eight things they were thankful for on the assembled strips of paper, and then helped them staple them together into a pumpkin shape. It was a lot of fun, and I loved seeing Susie interact with her wonderful class!
I had enough paper leftover to have the boys make their own pumpkins at home. I loved their responses when I asked them to list the things they were thankful for. I recorded them word for word. Here are Jimmy’s thoughts:
“Good Family”
“I love the Gospel – it is beautiful.”
“I love this day that the Lord has made. I love every day of my life.”
“I love every season”
“I love the motorhome”
“I love our car”
“I love every place we go on vacation”
“The Lord”
Isn’t he a sweetheart?!? (specifically a sweetheart with a full mouth!)
And here the things Danny is thankful for, word for word:
“Batmobile toy”
“Snowmobile”
“Four-wheeler”
“Ranger”
“Dirtbike”
“Car”
“Chevy Suburban”
“Dinosaur”
The boy knows what he likes!
And I’m so thankful to be these kids’ mom!
November 25, 2015, at 8:45 pm |
November 24, 2015, at 8:39 pm | Every once in a while, Danny gets it into his head that he likes leafy greens. He begged me to buy a head of cabbage, and he thoroughly enjoyed it for a few bites…until deciding he didn’t like it. At least he ate it long enough for me to snap a picture!
November 23, 2015, at 11:14 pm |
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ABOUT US I'm blessed to be saved by the grace of God, loved by my wonderful husband Jim, and embraced by my twin girls, Rebecca Faith and Susanna Joy and my sons Jimmy and Danny. I started this blog in May 2008 when I was hospitalized for pre-term labor at 24 weeks gestation. The Lord allowed me to keep the girls inside until they were 34 weeks along, and on July 27th, Rebecca made her debut, followed by Susanna, five minutes later, on July 28th. We ecstatically welcomed Jimmy into our lives on April 25th, 2011, and Danny on August 31, 2012. This blog has been a personal journal of faith and motherhood and the only way I can remember which child did what and when. Thanks for stopping by to share in my Faith and Joy! Feel free to e-mail me at: [email protected]. |
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