my favorite turkey (and the food was great too!!)

state #1 of our southeast trip

conveniently, wyatt is learning the state's capitals and abbreviations at school so for our holiday vacation, we were able to cross over state borders and wyatt could practice for his upcoming test. stop #1 (after crossing through FL and GA):

SOUTH CAROLINA

Capital: Columbia

Abbreviation: SC
Attractions: playing in piles of leaves, searching for chicken eggs,

pow WOW

every year, the kids school has a custom of hosting a traditional harvest feast. all the students---from ages 2 to 13-- eat side by side for a family style meal ending with yummy pies! the pilgrims (the older grades) tell the story of thanksgiving and introduce the injuns (the younger children) traditional pow wow with drum beats. owen was "chief ball player"---such a cutie!!

wishing all the wonderful people in our lives a very happy thanksgiving. we are truly thankful for all we are blessed with. much love!

happy birthday averi!

hope you have a MAGICAL day! we love you so much! thanks for being a great friend to grace! xoxoxo

no two snowflakes are alike

from both teaching and parenting, and many, many art projects, this may have to be one of my all time favorites. it is easy, inexpensive, and all ages love it. just follow these simple directions:

1. take q-tips and break into halves

2. take a sheet of tin foil and put quarter size drops of glue in various spots

3. place 6 halves on each spot of glue

4. after glue dries, tear around glue spot

5. use as snowflake decorations for winter time

i love putting them on my glass doored kitchen cabinets. they look so pretty with the reflecting light! i would think they would also look nice hanging with ribbons.

new spring "swing" haircut

when my hair gets long, i always tend to do a drastic cut to short hair. not that i am totally ready at this point, however when i am, i keep admiring "trina's" hair from our beloved show "swingtown." i also like the female agent on "entourage" haircut as well. for now, i will just keep playing with color. maybe in the spring.....maybe sooner...

the way things work

things just happen to work this way for me...almost like when you find yourself lost in a thought and then trace your way back to how you came to that moment...the path you followed to an idea you did not start off by thinking, but it all relates back to the original point. today owen lost his tooth. his 5th tooth he has lost, so tonight, as with all the teeth he has lost, as my children played around me in my room, i reached into my nightstand and pulled out a journal...owen's is the purple one, the purple one that says "dreams" on the cover. i noted on a chart, as i always do when my children get or lose a tooth, their age and date of importance, then as i went to put the journal back into my drawer, i saw " the last lecture" written by prof. randy pausch. i bought it last month and have been waiting to start it. it is about his battle with pancreatic cancer and his last lecture entitled "really achieving your childhood dreams." so i began and before i knew it, i was half way through the book. i stopped to get my sweet children to bed, laying next to grace as she slipped into a peaceful rest and then down the hall to to the boys to "encourage" non-sleepy, silly boys to try to fall asleep. i came downstairs to the computer and stumbled upon a sweet website "when i grow up i will" and decided i would get owen this precious shirt. when i looked closer, it said it donates a portion of the proceeds from this shirt to the Pancreatic Cancer Action Network, which it links you to...so i click it to find that november is pancreatic cancer awareness month and it asks you to wear purple and to view this video of dr. randy pausch. so i follow my thoughts that got me to this end point of the path and i remember...i need to go up...the tooth fairy is here! owen lost his tooth!

so we KNOW we can dance...or at least we think

so last night was the annual meeting of the "black shirt girls club" to our 3rd tour of "so you think you can dance!" (our favorite show)! we had a great time and great seats!! just to clear it up---we did NOT plan to all wear black shirts and jeans, but we did do a good job at representing the age groups....20s, 30s, and 40s! look out for our girls sporting the well-worth-the-price official tour t-shirt! i still think laura should have got the awesome dance pants---maybe next year!

ya-hoo!!!

just got the call from the vet and mabel received a good report!!!!!! the mass was a hair follicle that had gotten out of control and formed scar tissue!!! GREAT NEWS for our sweet puppy!!

"fish" food for thought

as grace and i watched "finding nemo" today, i realized why this movie is one of my all time favorites. it is as if the movie was written for me as a parent guidebook. i, so often, want to shelter my children from harm and have to find balance to let them enjoy life--i often even say i want to "put them in a bubble." i truly am happiest when we are all together--snuggled up in bed or simply sitting at the dinner table talking. i hope to encourage my children to take safe risks as my parents have always taught us in life. todd and i never stay stagnant, so why would i expect any less from my children...however, i do worry. but the lessons taught by marlin, dory, and nemo are some of the best ones i know of.

marlin: "the water's going down. it's half empty!!!"

dory: "hmmm...i'd say it's half full."

nemo: dad, you can let go now."

marlin: "sorry...now go have an adventure."

dory: "he says it's time to let go. everything's going to be all right."

marlin: "how do you know? how do you know something bad isn't going to happen?"

dory: "i don't!"

and my favorite:

marlin: "i promised i'd never let anything happen to him."

dory" "hmmmm, that's a funny thing to promise."

marlin: "what?"

dory: "well, you can't never let anything happen to him. then nothing would ever happen to him."

we're back

Send your own ElfYourself eCards

why i love my kids school...

because one day after rehearsing for the fall production, they did a "bloopers" session! how fun is that :)

national adoption day-- Nov. 15th

National Adoption Day is a day which is observed in courthouses across the nation as thousands of adoptions are finalized simultaneously. Remember to find out what courts in your area are celebrating National Adoption Day and go celebrate with the families who have just completed their adoption journey.

in honor of all my favorite families who are blessed with beautiful adopted children!

little leaves

maggie and grace had fun at the nature center and the fall leaf class!
grace's least favorite part: sitting through a 20 minute story
grace's most favorite part: playing dress up (go figure)

elephants never forget

my little owen elephant

my little actors!

my boys did a phenomenal job last night in their fall performances at school! of course, owen always brings tears to my eyes with his sweet and angelic voice, last night as a boa constictor, and wyatt made us proud doing a great job as the tins woodman in the wizard of oz. there is a such a sense of unity among the classes at their school...it is obvious that that want each other to do well and give each other support in the process.

fall leaves here we come

we are all so eager in this house for our trip next week! here are the things i am excited about:

1. the car trip--i know you are probably saying "WHAT?" but i love car trips! i love having my kids and hubby all in one little "bubble." we always do the same things every car trip...bring lots of pillows and blankets for snuggling up, get new movies to watch for the first time together, and switch seats constantly (our last trip grace wanted to move to the way back so i actually pulled grace buckled in her car seat out of her seat, put her on the ground while pumping gas, lowered down the seat she was in, picked her in her seat back up and buckled her in---all in like 30 seconds--the people pumping nearby were looking at me like i was crazy)! i pack all the kids their own special backpack with their drink, snacks, books, and maybe even a special little toy for the ride.

2. the smell of the mountain air and seeing my kids just be able to RUN as long and as far as they want (well not too far, but far enough)!

3. leaving a clean house and coming home to a clean house--we always CLEAN before we leave that way when we first walk back in our door we can say "Oh it is good to be home!" and not think "Oh I have to clean up this mess!" this year will be special because we are going to a tree farm to cut down our Christmas tree so we are going to have the tree stand sitting by the front door waiting (good idea h.)

4.driving through neat little historic towns...todd and i could do this all day...

5. getting lost...we always do but it always works out!

6. just having no plan and no agenda...wonderful!

7. eating out! i love, love, love good restaurants! my favorites happen to be in tennessee so this will be an awesome eating trip....the apple farm and the pancake house (oh we are going to have a great dinner and an unbelievable breakfast---yum)!!

8. seeing us all happy and together!

poor mabel!

after several months of agonizing over if we should or should not remove a mass on mabel's back, we decided to go ahead and be on the safe side and just get it over with. the tests months ago had come back fine, so the veterinarians had left the decision up to us. though the mass was not too large, she had to take a big portion of skin off to make sure it was all removed. she said all looked great and she was feeling good that the tests would all come back normal. mabel is doing well and we are trying our best to keep her resting! we love our puppy!! please keep her in your thoughts until we get the 100% "in the clear" notice!!

i have the best mom!!

i have loved this coat and have been waiting for a great sale so i could snatch it up...well my wonderful mom surprised me with it. she said "i needed it!" isn't she great!!

"No one has ever become poor by giving." --Anne Frank

my iron boys and girl

it is so cool, ever year on this weekend all the "iron" men and women roll (literally on bikes) into our area for the annual iron man triathalon. it always ends with the running portion right through our neighborhood. so we always walk down to cheer them on. this year, we went down early and did not think we would see anyone yet, however we got to see the 1st-5th males and 1st-3rd females, with all runners being led by a labeled biker and a motorscooter videotaping. they kids were excited and clapping and cheering. well until we had to head home, jump in the car, and battle our way out through all the traffic stops. it took us over an hour just to get out of our little area---so the winner for the day in our house is:

-iron man wyatt for holding together in face of car sickness (really, not kidding, he has thrown up)

-iron man owen for continually rolling down the window and giving wyatt some fresh air

-iron woman grace for keeping a calm disposition and waving at the racers

-iron woman mommy--for not giving into the moment and keeping cool and calm (seriously there were people driving, cussing and screaming, because they were stuck in traffic...come on it is iron man for goodness sake...we all watch the news and got notices on our doors!!

next year, i promised the boys, we will have an iron man party and all friends invited...just plan on coming early and having to stay all day!!

Our Soccer Banquet Boys

the kids had a great soccer season. this year we decided to leave behind the competitive league and went with a program that encouraged fun and family! they boys had a blast and i made it through the season happy (for all of you that know i am NOT the most competitive person). last night ended the season with a bang...filled with friends, food, and of course awesome trophies!!!

i love my boys!!

happy birthday sis!

31!! cannot believe my little sister is 31--that makes me OLD!! hope you have a great day! (by the way how sweet is little maggie in this picture)!!

10 great things i love about my sister:

1. she loves my kids!

2. she knows my history and my past in a way that no one else in the world ever will

3. she would drop everything to go on vacation with me

4. she is great finding a bargain!
5. she brought me a sweater when she met me at the hospital when i needed to go in unexpectedly.

6. she is predictable, reliable, and no frills---she is a t-shirt and jeans kinda girl!

7. she loves diet coke like me!

8. she is taller than me (i officially admit it now)

9. she is crafty!

10. she is my one and only sister!

sticker alert

apparently while i was out, grace (playing 1 ft. away from her daddy), took 3 sheets of stickers and put them ALL over the playroom....on the T.V., on the doors, on ALL of her toys, on the boys matchbox cars...there was even one on her tush! the cutest one was a crown sticker that she stategically placed on her pink piny's head to make her a princess! i guess it is better than when my sister as a child drew "H's" all over the house and then blamed ME! thankfully my name begins with a "J" and i was cleared!

i am a wimp!!

I could survive for 41 seconds chained to a bunk bed with a velociraptor

Created by Bunk Beds.net

hero day

"neil" and "sally"

taking "one small step"

i had the wonderful opportunity today to hear from sally ride, albert einstein, harry houdini, and pocahantas through the eyes of a fantastic group of third graders. the best was saved for last, in my eyes, as wyatt reported on neil armstrong. he did an amazing job. i am always so impressed with him in that he has no fear of speaking in public or speaking his mind. i loved that midway through he loved up from his paper and looked out into the crowd to make eye contact with me. i love that kid!!