Thanksgiving

We had a nice relaxing Thanksgiving day at our house this year with a couple of our very best friends, Jason and Rachel. Plenty of good food, Dallas Cowboy football, good conversation and Scrabble. It was a fun day.

A few days before Thanksgiving, Lance and I were talking with Chloe and asked her what she was thankful for. Her response was, "Family. But, you can't fit a family in a cornucopia."

Rachel's 11th Birthday

My sweet Rachel had her 11th birthday on November 19th. We had a family celebration that day, then a sleepover with a few of her best friends on the weekend.

Rachel has grown into such an amazing young lady. She loves Dallas Cowboy football, the color blue, drawing, singing, stuffed animals, and playing the violin. She is a total animal lover, who spends much of her time studying dog, horse or wildlife books.

Here are a few of the many things I see in Rachel that make me so proud of her:

• She is not afraid to stand up for what she believes in.
• She genuinely loves people, cares for them, and wants the best for them.
• She is a terrific student, and loves to learn.

God has great plans for you, Rachel. I love watching you grow to be more like Him every day. I love you!

Words

Chloe's recent observation on reading:

"So, words are just the sounds of letters put together?"

Happy Halloween

Pumpkins

Pirate Rachel


Hannah as Lucy from The Chronicles of Narnia

Chloe as Reepicheep from The Chronicles of Narnia

Group photo with our neighbor, little pirate Grayson

The Hunt IV

Yet another amazing Hunt this year! 148 students participated, and many adults. The girls and I attend the Hunt every year, and help out in some way, but this was my first year to be a driver. I had a group of six 7th graders (including Hannah) in my car. My friend Kelly rode with us and kept me sane. It took us almost 4 hours of driving around to complete the mission. We were the 12th team (out of 29) to finish. I recovered nicely after taking 4 Advil and drinking 2 Cokes.

HSM 3

Yes, we all (including Lance) went to see High School Musical 3 on Friday. It was a fun family night.

One More Reason to Love Chick-fil-A

After paying for our lunch today at the Westminster Mall, I was handed my receipt and told that I could bring it back on my next visit and get the same order I placed today free! After the surprise wore off, Lance asked "Why?" We were told that they do this every Monday. Why have I never heard of this? I'm so happy to have stumbled upon this awesome offer.

And, sharing it with you was my pleasure.

Happy Fall

We did finally get a few shots with their eyes open.

Too Bright

It was a bit sunny Saturday when we ventured out to the pumpkin patch.

Soda

Really, Food Lion?

Good Books

"A children's book read only by children is a bad children's book."

- C.S. Lewis

The Invention of Hugo Cabret

A great story told with a few words and many illustrations. I read it this summer - twice!

The Miraculous Journey of Edward Tulane

I've been a fan of Kate DiCamillo since reading The Tale of Despereaux when it came out several years ago. Edward Tulane is a story about life and love and choosing to love even though it brings pain. I read this one out loud to Chloe. We both loved it.

I'm a big fan of children's books, and the above are two of my recent favorites. What are you (or your kids) reading? What are some must reads on your list?

Recipe

We tried this recipe recently when we had a couple of friends spending the night with us. All 5 girls enjoyed mixing their individual cake, watching it cook, then eating it. Thanks for the fun recipe, Mom.

5 Minute Chocolate Mug Cake

4 tablespoons cake flour (plain flour, not self-raising)

4 tablespoons sugar

2 tablespoons baking cocoa

1 egg

3 tablespoons milk

3 tablespoons oil

3 tablespoons chocolate chips (optional)

a small splash of vanilla

1 coffee mug

Put dry ingredients in mug, and mix well. Add the egg and mix thoroughly. Pour in the milk and oil and mix well. Add the chocolate chips and vanilla essence, and mix again. Microwave for 3 minutes at 1000 watts. The cake will rise above the top of the mug while cooking.

Crunchy Goodness

While shopping at BJ's today, I treated myself to a bag of Stacy's Pita Chips. I absolutely love these. I never buy them, because I will eat the whole bag in one day. And, I'm talking about the big 1 lb 8 oz bag. I start with a few, but can't stop myself until the bag is empty.

It was lunch time when I purchased them. I had them opened and was munching on them before I left the store parking lot. And now I'm just trying not to get chip crumbs in my keyboard as I type and crunch.

First Game

Saturday morning at 7:00, my bedroom door swung open. I woke up to find Chloe standing in the doorway fully dressed in her soccer uniform. Her very first "game" was at 12:00 that day and she was ready. I talked her out of putting on her cleats until closer to game time.

In the 4-6 year old soccer academy, the teams are split up on game days and they play 3 on 3 matches on tiny fields. No score is kept and the coaches are on the field with the kids. It is a lot of fun to watch and Chloe is having a blast. Go Team Italy!

Good Morning, Chloe

I walked into Chloe's room this morning to wake her up.

I sat down beside her on the bed.

She opened her eyes, looked over at me and said, "It's really weird how boy dogs pee, isn't it?"

Time Away

Lance and I leave early tomorrow morning for Refuge.

Soccer Season

Rachel had her first game today. This girl is fast! She was all over the field.

Chloe's First Day

School Days

Today is the first day of school. Today is also the first day of a new stage of life for me. I have a 7th grader, a 5th grader, and a kindergartner this year. The girls are all in school now, and I am home without any kids during school days for the first time in over 12 years. It's been a great day so far. The girls were ready for school and I was, too.

So, what am I going to do now? I have plenty of things on my to do list that will keep me busy, lots of projects and things to catch up on. But, those can wait. Today I'm just going shopping. Alone. It will be strange not having my shopping buddy with me. But, it should take a lot less time.