Our Thanksgiving.... posting a few days late.

Happy Belated Thanksgiving! The morning of, we all got up and went to church...... Adam and Julia took part in the special music. It was very nice to have my Aunt and Matt and Jenn join us. Afterwards, Matt took a family photo for us.

Here is one of John and I.

A few of them decided to walk back home.

Later in the afternoon, family started to show up, and of course we chit-chatted.

Adam tried the sparkling juice...... by the looks of it, it was a little too sparkly.

Julia led the puzzle brigade---- and we put together three 500 piece puzzles in two days.

We visited some more.

Around three o'clock, everything was ready--- just waiting for our final guests to arrive.

So, the kids shot basketballs.

And got thrown up in the air.

Finally, we gathered around the table to give thanks.

We served everything buffet style which allowed more elbow room around the table.

This was Alex's first Thanksgiving. He enjoyed all the food, and we enjoyed spending the first of many holidays with our new son.

Dennis and Alex couldn't wait to get to the desserts. Dennis even tried to take Alex's cookie from him.

Cousin Matt and Anna.

Anna and Sveta. Boy, have they grown over the past few years.

This past week has been incredibly hard. Emotionally charged to say the least. Here with me, my very best friend sits next to me with his arm around me.

Adam and Julia playing a duet.

Andrew and William

In case you didn't know, our family tradition is to go swimming on Thanksgiving and Christmas. This is one tradition I refuse to partake in, but the tradition lives on anyway. This year, I think 8 or 10 people went swimming.

The water was only 51 degrees..... can you say crazy?

Traditionally, the ones that swim also get paid.... Jonny raked in the dough.

Alex had fun watching everyone!

Cousin Jenn also passed on the swimming, but offered to warm up Sveta with a hug.

Tina is a wonderful friend of mine..... we love her and her whole family for that matter. It was nice having them join us for Thanksgiving.

Jonny's face says it all...... Baboonya's cookies are heavenly.

Sveta gives a thumbs up to the desserts.

Cousin Matt with Rachel

This year, Dennis enjoyed all the food.... especially the pumpkin pie.

We played lots of games. Rummikub is still a fave.

But I don't think it can top Beyond Balderdash. We all had so much fun.... and were literally laughing so hard that we nearly peed our pants. It was medicine for my soul.

Friends, family, food, and the best fellowship I have had in a long time...... Thanksgiving was wonderful.

Giving Thanks

Tomorrow my family will celebrate Thanksgiving. Our newest son Alex will join in the festivities for the very first time, while my Father Alex will no longer be joining us. It is much to think about, how everything has played out to get us where we are today. Many times throughout the day, I think of my Dad and all of me is sad that he is gone, but I know with all my heart that he would want us to continue the tradition of gathering together to eat and give thanks for all that we have. I just put on the turkey to slow roast all night, and after a productive day with my family, I am ready to turn in for the night. My wonderful Aunt is here with us, and she watched every movie of our family that I have made over the years. I am so glad we did this. Not only were there pictures of my Dad that I had forgotten about, but watching all of the videos brought back so many memories, that it was hard not to smile. I just love my family.

I am thankful that all of us can gather under one roof and give thanks to our Lord freely and openly. I hope that all of you have a wonderful day filled with fellowship, family, and food.

Take time to reach out to family and friends, and make amends if you haven't already...... you never know if this will be your last chance to enjoy their fellowship.

Leaving.....

for my Dad's funeral. Julia is playing the piano. It all seems so surreal.

My Very First Giveaway!

I was so excited when this came in the mail! Isn't it beautiful? And it expresses my feelings perfectly. It is a wonderfully crafted plaque that is beautifully painted and stenciled personally for me. Click on the picture to get a closer look at how fine it is made. Over at Danielson Designs you can check out all of the different plaques and picture frames that they have to choose from. Each one can be personalized to fit your faith, decor, and personality.

Well now you can enter my very first giveaway to win something that will go perfectly in your own home. Please visit Danielson Designs and design your own unique special something. Please make sure it is $40.00 or less. To enter the giveway, please leave a comment.... something like this, "I really like #1148 and I would put my daughter Lisa's name on it." This giveaway will go for two weeks and will end on December 7th. The winner will get their very own personalized sign sent to their home at the end of the giveaway. If you decide that you would like to purchase something during the two weeks that this giveaway is running, please post the code THEREED8 to get $10.00 off your purchase. If you would be interested in hosting your own giveaway please email Rozlynn at rozlynn@poiemaplace.com. Finally, Danielson is expanding their company by taking this website to the Home Party scene. This is not yet official, but if you would be interested in this, please let Rozlynn know. Thank you!

Happy designing!

Doing Nothing is Special

Still missing my Dad, planning to attend his funeral on Tuesday....... but life doesn't stop..... nor do I want it to. One thing I have been reminded of is how special family is... and how each second spent with them is priceless.... even when we are doing nothing special. Well actually, just being with them is special.

Jonny had fun quickly putting this puzzle together.

So did Rachel. Though my girl is almost fourteen, not only does she occasionally get the itch to do baby puzzles with her younger brother, but she wants Barbies for Christmas. And a boy Barbie so that Jonny can play too. And that's one of the many reasons why we love her.

This morning we pulled out our apple juice change jar and rolled coins. The kids really enjoyed it.

Anna and Annalyn got the chance to explore the shanty again with Grandpa last week. They found some envelopes with a man's name on them. They went home and googled the name and found a biography on him--- and they were certain it was the same man. I let them print out the info and they then took the paper and crumpled it up and rubbed coffee on it to make it look old. Then they played detectives. For hours, they played.

I took this picture after Dennis had just woke up from having tubes put in his ears. He was barely sedated, so waking up was a breeze for him. He was ready to go in no time... and he was hungry too.

Alex is becoming very mobile. He really enjoys moving around the house on this little car.

He also enjoys licking frosting off of cupcakes.

I love these eyes. I have always thought they were gorgeous. William has a way of making them dance and sparkle.

Adam enjoys baking. Whether it be cupcakes or brownies, he always does a great job.

Dennis ate a lollipop and even three hours later his mouth was still blue. Still ---- I think he couldn't look cuter.

Recently I made ribs for dinner. Andrew asked John to drill a hole into this bone. I can't believe he wanted to wear a yucky pig bone around his neck----- this was a time I had to remember to pick my battles.

Last week, Jonny had to decorate a turkey for school. We had fun using glitter, cereal, and paint to decorate the turkey. It turned out really nice.

Dennis thinks he can make his own lunch. He loves to open up our pantry and find packages of fruit snacks that he can put in a brown bag and pack in his little car. He will then ride that car all day occasionally stopping to open up the trunk to make sure his lunch is still there.

Goodbye........

Who would have known saying one little word could be so hard? It was and it is....... goodbye Daddy.