Saturday, November 24, 2007

Thanksgiving

Hello Family and Friends!

We are stuffed and happy here on the East Coast. We spent Thanksgiving at the Howell's home. Martin and Ally are very gracious and we had a great time there. The food was excellent and so was the company. I have to admit, it is a little chaotic with the munchkins. Eating out or at someone else's home starts to feel a little like a marathon or some sort of mad race. While I am rushing around getting the boys food, Mike is dumping food on my plate. Then, of course Ben and Gabe want nothing to do with what is on their plate, so the negotiations begin. Do you want a banana? How about a roll. Why don't you just eat a bite of each item on your plate. How could you not like mashed potatoes and gravy? You eat chicken all the time - turkey tastes just like it. Then there's Gabe. I have learned that with Gabe I need to put the plate on the table just beyond his reach. He will usually fuss and complain because he is hungry but thinks that nothing on his plate is appealing. After he has hit his complaining quota at the dinner table he will reach for his plate, at which I will nudge it slightly closer. Then, he will pull it towards him and start tasting all his food. If it passes muster, then it is shoveling time - the food goes into his mouth in great handfuls, half of it ending up in his lap. Somewhere in there I am trying to eat my food and get in some of the conversation. Luckily, I wasn't the only one with children there.

After dinner, we played a word card game - Quiddler? Something like that. Fun. At 5:30 the boys (and us) were ready to head home. Tired from the turkey and rich foods. It was perfect - for the most part. We sure miss our family and all our friends. But we are grateful that we are here in PA and for all the wonderful people we have met.

Love you!

Silly family

Gabe likes to give kisses with that darn pacifire in his mouth. I don't know when we are going to get rid of that thing. Hopefully before he becomes a deacon. It would be a little weird for him to be passing the sacrament with a pacifire in his mouth. Any tips? Let me know.


Awww, Gabe and Dad are so sweet.
Ben earned enough coins (by doing chores, etc.) to buy a sword. I hate to say it, but I bought one for Gabe too. Bad, bad idea. The swords happen to be very noisy with all these crazy star wars sounds. I enjoy Star Wars, just not hour after hour. Ben is a pretty fierce fighter, though. When those swords start swinging I make sure to get out of the way.



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Fall Photos

Gabe, his sucker - which he would not give up no matter how matted with grass, and a leaf. This is right outside our townhome - the leaves are at the end of their fall colors - still pretty though.
Ben looking every bit the stud that he is.
Look at my leaf Mom. You can hardly see it because it blends into the trees in the background so much.
Gabe is so cute. Look at that face!
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Sunday, November 11, 2007

Saturday, November 10, 2007

What's happening here

This past week has been a crazy week. All week long I prepared for Midnight Madness - crafting mania at the church on Friday night. Mike cut about 70 boards of various sizes and I got all the vinyl ready to apply to the vinyl along with all the stuff to paint the boards, etc. It was a big project but also a big success. I had a great time and the ladies did great in creating their stuff. I'll attach pictures of the stuff we did.
I got my haircut - just a little trim, but it is pretty short. I like it. The boys are doing great. Today Gabe performed on the piano while he sang. Then he played the piano for me while I sang. Very cute. He is not saying many words, that I can identify. He does imitate words the best he can though.
Ben is a busy boy. He is learning how to write his letters and the sounds they make. He is also doing well at writing his name too. It's a lot of fun seeing him get excited about learning. He also has a very busy social life too. That boy loves to play. I think he is like his Dad.

Love you all - have a great week.