Odds and Ends in November

 Jacob did not want me to the get rid of the pumpkins.  He would go say hi to them every morning as the kids were waiting to get on the bus.  I finally disposed of them when he was napping and the next morning he was not very happy!

 Friday nights were spent selling donuts at the football game to support the band program.  Spring and her friend, Murphy, often helped!

 Josh's first field trip as a "real live cub scout"!

 Our Thankful tree for the month of November.

 Concert choir performance. Thomas continues to be the accompanist for all the Junior High and High School choirs. Mr. Campagna, the Choir director, is an incredible mentor.  He has taught Thomas so much.  Thomas really enjoys him and all the other music directors.  Sometimes I tease Thomas that he lives at the high school and it's ok that he thinks his directors are more cool than his mom! He doesn't like it when I say that but it sure is fun to hear him try to convince me it's not true! :) He's a good sport.

 These 4 braved the cold to watch Stow play in the Regional Semi-finals football game and to see the band march at half-time.  We played a Catholic private school that recruits athletes from all over the country and has won state for years.  Stow gave them a run for the money and lost by 1 point...we were driving and just ran out of time.  It was an exciting game and they all said it was well worth sitting in the cold.

 This is how Jacob prefers to watch stake conference.

 Just a picture of Jacob and his daddy.  He sure has Joel wrapped around his little finger.

 Our Christmas decorating crew!

 Josh and Mary were able to go rock climbing for an Activity Day and Cub Scout activity.

Grandma and Grandpa's Visit

 It is always heaven when Grandma and Grandpa come to visit.  Our kids wait, not so patiently, for their visits.  They love sharing their everyday activities with them as well as special moments. My folks are always so wonderful at finding times and opportunities to spend one on one moments with them and really connect with each of them.  I so appreciate that because our children know they are loved valued for the person they are...not just for the group of siblings they are.

 Grandma brought some cross stitch things for Mary that she had for years and never used.  Mary loved learning how to cross stitch and she is doing really well with it.  She liked having Grandma sit with her while she was working on it so they could talk and visit.

 I love this picture of Grandpa and Thomas!  Grandpa took Thomas driving a lot while he was here and they practiced at the manuervability course a few times as Thomas is prepping for his driving test.  I appreciated this as much as Thomas did because we just were struggling with finding time to get to the course for him to practice.  The time off from school was really helpful and having Grandpa here was an added bonus.

 Josh wanted Grandpa to help him with his "Adventures in Coins" requirement for Cub Scouts since Grandpa collects coins.  Josh got to stay up really late one night so just him and Grandpa could complete the requirement.  Josh still talks about how much he learned and how much fun he had with Grandpa.

 Grandpa was awesome with Sam as well.  He taught Sam a few card games...some that Sam could play on his own and some that multiple people could play.  Grandpa told me he thought it would be a good idea for Sam to learn some card games so he could have something quiet to do when he was "bored."  I so appreciated this perspective and the time my dad took to notice a need and offer a wonderful solution.  It reminded me that I need to look for a solution to difficulties and not just try to fix the symptom.  Grandpa's approach was much more successful than my many attempts to remedy the outbursts!  Grandpa also played catch  with Sam many times outside which was a highlight for Sam.

I loved having my mom here with us for Thanksgiving.  It was fun to prep food together and visit with each other during that time.  I love the time I get to spend with my mom.  She has wonderful insights and helps me remember to focus on what really matters and to let the little things roll off.  I love to watch her with my children.  She is an amazing mom and an incredible grandma to my children.  

 Jacob was a shadow to my mom while she was here.  He was often on her lap or talking to her.

 Grandma took Mary to choose fabric for a nightgown and then she sewed it for her.

 Spring loved playing games with grandma and grandpa.  She also loved going shopping with grandma.  She loves to talk and visit and laugh and tease.

 Thomas also would take Grandma for drives.  He liked this time to spend with just her and visit together.  He was so cute with Grandma and if he was out on an errand he would come home with a Polar Pop for her.

The kids loved that Grandma and Grandpa would drive them to school or pick them up so they didn't have to take the bus all the time.  Gideon asked  Grandpa to meet him after school at the bus stop so he could see him get off the bus.  Grandpa obliged and it made Gideon's day.  His bus driver later told me that Gideon told her his grandpa was going to be waiting for him at the bus stop and he talked about it all the way home.   It really is the small things that make such a huge impact on their lives.  I'm so grateful for the amazing parents I have and the blessing they are in my life and the lives of my children.  The time always passes too quickly but we sure love and appreciate the time they are here.

Sara's 4!

Little Miss Sara is now 4!  And she will tell you all about it too!  This girl loves to talk and she does a lot of it too!  She is really into the scripture stories right now and will tell you all about Nephi, Sariah, Laman & Lemuel, and Enos.  Those are her favorite right now.  Sara loves to play with Paw Patrols, color pictures, build with Legos, smother  mother Rebekah, help me in the kitchen, watch cartoons, read books, and talk!  She is a happy girl with a smile that will light up a room.  She loves to give people hugs and tell them how much she loves them-even people she hardly knows.  She runs to her primary teachers to tell them hi and give them hugs.  Unfortunately, she is beginning to get to be quite sassy as well and she will try to pout to get out of doing something.  She is stubborn, but so am I! ;)  Thankfully, her sweet side is more prevalent than her sassy side and we are hoping that will continue!

She was so excited to have her birthday dinner.  She is quite the picky eater and often goes without dinner because she refuses to try what we are having.  At first she requested boxed macaroni and cheese for dinner.  Then she changed her mind to "bread, just plain bread."  That's all she wanted.  With a lot of persuasion we convinced her to choose something else so she chose noodles and white sauce.  She was most excited for the dessert she chose...pink & purple mini cupcakes.

 She loved her paw patrol set that Grandma & Grandpa Powell and us gave to her.  She exclaimed, "It's what I've always wanted!"

Annual Pie for Breakfast

 Once again it was time for one of our children's favorite traditions.  PIE FOR BREAKFAST!  One of my favorite things with this tradition is that all our children help prepare the desserts the day before Thanksgiving.  They all have their favorite so we make quite the variety. This year we made Turtle Cheesecake, Pecan pies, lots of pumpkin cake rolls, pumpkin chocolate chip muffins, coconut cream pie, oreo cream pie, key lime pie, and a chocolate cream pie!  Then we had countless other desserts brought by wonderful friends that join us each year for our tradition. Again we had around 100 people join us Thanksgiving morning.  It is so fun to see those that have been coming for 6 years since we moved here and those that are new each year.  Joel and I laugh because sometimes people walk in our home and we have no idea who they are! It's a great way to meet our children's friends and their parents.

 This year Joel took a few pictures of the shoe and coat piles! :) And this year it was not snowy or cold so there were no boots, hats, gloves, etc! Such a fun time!