Thanksgiving 2011

My insane hand washing from the week before last was not in vain...all of us stayed pink eye free! Thank goodness! I made up for staying at home everyday too; last week, I believe we ran errands every singe day. I wore the girls and myself out. :)

We are definitely in full Christmas mode around here. But before it's completely too late, I want to share a few pictures from our Thanksgiving. The week was consumed with lots of cooking and baking. I spent the Wednesday before Thanksgiving at my grandmothers house learning how to make her cornbread dressing. It's the best ever and I meticulously jotted down notes as we cooked.

We started our festivities at Jeremy's grandmothers house. Jon Jon took the girls outside and they picked satsumas and had a great time on the swing.

EC ate her weight in satsumas from Nan's tree.

Nan got to love on Gracie while the big girls played outside. We celebrated Nan's 85th birthday the weekend of Thanksgiving!

Later that night we went to my parents house for another huge meal. I made homemade yeast rolls and added each one with a surprise. :) The day before Thanksgiving I asked everyone in our family to name a few things they were thankful for. I typed them all up, cut them out and placed one in each roll. As each roll was eaten we shared what was on the paper. I got the recipe and the idea from here.

The only picture I have of the finished product is this one below. You can see the rolls, rolled like crescent rolls in the top left. I didn't do a good job taking pictures that night. After all that baking and eating, I was beat!

I also made this homemade toffee. It was so easy! Hopefully I can get it together and share that recipe soon.

Moms yummy sweet potato soufflé.

Ready to pray and eat!

It was a wonderful day, spent with family. Doesn't get any better than that!

A long week, but still thankful!

Last week was a very long one around this house. It started off with a bang Monday morning, when Ella Claire woke up with a nasty cold and gooky eyes that were closed shut. Sure hope you aren't reading this and eating your breakfast. :) I knew right away it was pink eye and was hoping the doctor would just call in some drops and we wouldn't have to go into the office. But, because of her cold they wanted to see her. So, off I went with both girls in the cold weather. I decided to take Gracie along too because I had been putting off her first round of immunizations. She's had a lingering stuffy nose from the cold we all had weeks ago.  After a long visit with both girls, my speculations were right, pink eye in both eyes! So, with hoping we wouldn't spread our germs to anyone else,  I quarantined us to the house for the rest of the week. And. it. was. a. long. week. Did I already say that? :)

Thank goodness Gracie, Jeremy or myself have not gotten it! Praying it stays that way! By friday, my hands were dry and cracking because of the frequent washing. On top of EC being sick, Jeremy had a sinus infection and didn't feel his best. But, we all made it!

I didn't get around to posting all the many things I am thankful for this year, but good health is definitely one of them. Maybe I should just go down a bunny trail and mention a few things I am thankful for. This year has been one of the most trying ones I have experienced. Through many circumstances God has shown His faithfulness to us again and again. Without going into boring details, we have learned to completely trust in the Lord and lean not on our own understanding (Prov. 3:5). How many times will we have to learn that lesson??!!?? :) I am thankful for the trials, they have a way of drawing us nearer to Him.

Jeremy has been given an incredible opportunity to open a new business with my brother and continue to work full time for my parents company. This is, like I said a wonderful opportunity, but it has been a challenge and a rather large adjustment for us as a family, mainly because of the amount of hours Jeremy is putting in each week. We have been doing our best to, "Be anxious for nothing; but in everything by prayer and supplication with Thanksgiving, let our request be made known to God. (Philippians 4:6)"; and He is answering our prayers just about as quickly as we can speak them. It just reminds me of His love for us and that is another thing I am so thankful for! Exodus 14:14 has become one of my favorite scriptures, and it says, "The Lord will fight for you; you need only to be still." Such a simple little verse, yet so powerful and comforting. Jeremy and I like to text that one to each other as a reminder.

Well, I started this post complaining about my rough week and after typing those verses, it's hard to go back to a grumbly mood! I guess I'll just share a few pictures from my phone from the last few weeks and call it a post. ;)

EC has had lots of birthday parties to attend recently. She got to jump in one of these. Little does she know, she is getting one for Christmas from Noni and Papa. Can't wait to see how excited she will be about that!

This was Titus' birthday party. You might remember his farm animal first birthday from last year.

Laura Katherine turned 2 and had a fun birthday party also! They matched!

I have a spider monkey in the house. EC is constantly climbing on things and her Aunt Jess and Uncle Bri have very lovingly nicknamed her spider monkey. Apparently, we can come up with some crazy nicknames around here. Brian mentioned calling her "trunk monkey." I drew the line with that one, though. It doesn't suit my sweet girl! :) Anyway, so now, when I say, "Ella Claire are you my pumpkin pie, my sweet pea, my Ella Claire bear?" She simply replies, "No, spider monkey!" Here are a few pics of her climbing just from this past week.

I promise I didn't put her up there. I actually watched her climb just as quickly as she could. Just effortless. I took this picture and immediately helped her down. I have to keep my eyes on this little spider monkey.

My gracie girl is growing, growing! About to out grow the moses basket. :(

I'll end this with a picture of the best gigi around! These girls love her so much and she loves them. No matter how bad her 80 year old legs ache, she is constantly trying to make them something in the kitchen. She spoiled me rotten as a child (still does) and is keeping on by spoiling and loving on all 7 of her great grandkids. Love you gigi!!

Happy Thanksgiving!!

Happy Thanksgiving from my two tiny turkeys!!

pumpkin patch 2011

A few weeks ago Jeremy had a rare day off in the middle of the week and we took the girls to the pumpkin patch. I toted Gracie in the sling and tried to take pictures while Jeremy chased Ella Claire ALL around! She had a blast and did not want to leave.

Apparently, she felt the need to rearrange the pumpkins in the patch.

She kept moving them from one spot to another...

Taking a posed picture of this little girl is quite the challenge. I did, however, catch her being still for a few moments and got a few good pictures.

I took Gracie out of the sling long enough for a few pictures.

This little pumpkin wasn't too impressed with the other pumpkins. She just has milk on the brain these days...it's starting to show too. At the doctor last week she weighed 11 lbs 10 oz at 6.5 weeks old. That folks, is the 95th percentile.

So much has changed since last years visit to the pumpkin patch. Ella Claire has surely grown and Gracie has joined us. So much to be thankful for!

Thanksgiving 2010

This year we celebrated Thanksgiving at my grandmothers house. It was a little rainy and humid, but that didn't dampen our thankful hearts. It was nice to be together and celebrate. We got to eat dinner with my aunt and uncle from Houston that we don't get to see as often as we'd like.  It was a special treat! My dad fried his first turkey, with the help of my uncle and it was AMAZING!!! My mom baked a turkey too (just in case ;), so now, we have turkey running out our ears!

Ella Claire now wants an iPad for Christmas thanks to Aunt Melissa! :) By the end of the night, she knew exactly how to move her fingers to enlarge the picture. Aunt Melissa, you were very brave to let a 1 year old so close to your iPad! Thanks for helping me watch EC and for entertaining her!



We took a few family pictures outside. just a few. not so many that we couldn't decide which ones were our favorites. :) Seriously, Ella Claire is making a different face in each one and I couldn't pick, so I thought I would share them all. Hope you don't mind.

This is the look you will get from your husband, if you comment on him not cooperating for family pictures.  Ella Claire wasn't very happy with his silliness either!

The table before we ate.

Gigi and Ella Claire.

So full from all the delicious food!

Ella Claire and Cameron were so happy to see each other!

sweet Cameron

A blurry picture of sweet Clark. He wouldn't stand still long enough for a good one. :)

This was another wonderful year full of blessings (and trials too, but still thankful we can face them with the help of our Lord).  We had a great time with family and precious memories were made once again!