It's Beginning to Look a Lot Like Christmas!

I love holidays!!  So of course Christmas is no exception!  We are already having tons of Christmas fun!!

The week after Thanksgiving we had a Christmas family fun night and went to see the trains at North Park as well as the REAL Santa.  Just ask Katie, she's 10 and says all the other Santas are pretend ones that help this one, the real deal.  I have to say I love him and his photographers, too.  Hanky was not impressed, but they managed a smile out of my nervous littler prince.  Thankfully he had his big brother with him and my pregnant self did not have to be in a Santa picture again. 
Sorry for the picture of a picture I was cheap and only bought one picture for my wall of Santa photos.

Last Friday night we got to host Michael's office and their spouses for a Christmas dinner.  It was so fun to see how the group has grown from Michael Jason and Jeff to a party of 14!  As I have said many times I am so proud of these guys and all their hard work and so many blessings all coming together!

I was kind of proud of my tables, too.  I didn't have enough Christmas place mats so I wrapped some I already had in wrapping paper and used it for a runner on my smaller table, too.  I thought it turned out really cute. 

I also have to say a huge thank you to the Pioneer Woman, I made her lasagna and olive cheese bread with a yummy salad and it was a hit!

Our December is off to a great start, I hope yours is, too!

Two More

November 29-I am thankful for the "big kids" in my kids' lives.  I know this is a recurring theme with me, but I can't tell you how much it means to me.  It is so much fun to watch our kids look up to and learn from so many kids who take the time to put up with, entertain and model good behavior for my favorite 3 and 1 year old boys!

November 30-I couldn't be more thankful for my 3 favorite guys! 

I am so richly blessed by my family.  I love them so very much and can't imagine my world without them.  I love how living in a house of males has taught me so much and continues to teach me every day.  I can't say that I would have chosen to be the only girl in our house I always pictured boys and girls, but I have certainly learned to love it.  My boys make me smile every day in so many ways, and it isn't all bad being the queen of the house.  I can't wait to see how Wee 3 changes our family, especially if he will add to the boys club or if she will give her brothers a run for their money. 

Still Feeling Thankful

Friday 25th-I am thankful for all that we have!  I had a great week cooking and trying out new recipes.  I am often terrible about taking it for granted that I can just go to the store and get all that I want even trying ingredients on a new recipe just for fun.  We are blessed and today I am making sure to remember that!
26th-I am thankful for Michael's grandparents!

As you can see the boys think they are pretty great (Hanky was napping for some of the fun,) and I sure think so, too.  Grandma and Grandad, like Bryan and Gigi made sure to keep the 3 most important guys in my life loved, full of yummy food and having fun.  We are so thankful for the port in the storm Grandad and Grandma have been for us over the last year!  Not to mention that they are great grandparents.  Michael and Blake have such great memories and still love to be with them and Avery, Hank and Cooper couldn't agree more. 

November 27-I am so thankful for my church family.  Like all churches we are full of imperfect people often struggling to keep that imperfection in check, however I am glad we have a place to go learn, serve and love with fellow Christians.  We have made so many great friends, met so many wonderful people and learned so much from this group.  I am very glad for this extended family we get to "do life with" as our preacher often says.  :)

November 28th-I am thankful for my alone time with Hanky when Avery is at school.  

This little buddy makes running errands, reading books and sorting laundry so much fun.  I am so thankful for the special times we have just the two of us that allow me to see his hilarious personality shine!  Not to mention he is adorable in his Papa Christmas pajamas with a HUGE smile seconds after he woke up, SO not my child!

Happy Thanksgiving

23rd-I am thankful that Avery and Hank are old enough to play together.  I love hearing Avery say "come on brother," as they head off to play.  I love how he calls him brother all the time.  I love hearing Hanky say "bubba and A-yee" as he chases after Avery, his face lights up when we pull into the parking lot at school.  I pray that they are able to always preserve their friendship and be there for each other.
24th-I am so very thankful for Michael's Uncle Bryan and Aunt Gigi.  They are always so good to make sure everyone has a place to feel loved and celebrate they holidays.  This year that meant a lot to my 3 favorite boys.  Thanks Bryan and Gigi, it means the world to me, too!

Wee Sure Are Thankful

November 13th-I am thankful for Operation Christmas Child and the families who have helped bring it to our church every year.  It is a great opportunity to do something for someone who needs it.  I think Avery really enjoyed shopping for items for his box this year, filling it, and taking it to church to send off to a needy boy just about his age!  If you don't already do this you should!  We loved how it even came with ideas of how to make a family night of it and really help your kids understand!
November 14th-I am thankful for my mom and dad and the sacrifices they make to allow her to come stay with our boys while Michael and I work.  The boys love this special alone time with LouLou!
November 15th-I am thankful for LCDs.  This a great day when the hospital calls and says we have more nurses than we need would you like to stay home, and I say YES PLEASE!  Today it meant that I got to go to North Park and find some pants that actually fit for our family pictures and even have lunch at Which Wich, yummy!  Thanks for the sandwich mom!
November 16th-I am thankful for a flexible, helpful mother-in-law.  Due to a death in the family of a close friend of my mom's she needed to go home Tuesday and not keep the boys Wednesday if I got called in to work.  So, my mom took the boys to Honey's house where she saved the day.  They played their guts out and had a great time!  All at the drop of a hat!
November 17th-I am so thankful for my book clubs!  Both of them :)  I spent the day in Tyler for one of the girl's mother's funeral.  While I am so sorry for her loss, I know she felt loved and supported that we all made a point to be there for her.  Our very first book was Angry Housewives Eating BonBons, and when I need them I know the angry housewives will be there for me and my family!  That night I got to go hang out with my Dallas girls, too.  It was a great time to chat, laugh, vent and be ourselves.  While I love reading great books I might not otherwise read, more than anything I love the special friendships these groups have created!
November 18th-I am thankful to once again hear a strong, healthy heartbeat for WEE 3!!!!  That's right!!  You read it!  We are praying and hoping to welcome baby the end of April!!  I can't believe this little one is already 16 weeks in the making.  I just hope he or she (I vote it's a he, and no we won't find out until he gets here) behaves a little better than Avery did.  If you remember Avery was supposed to join us in April as well, but felt compelled to have a dramatic entry in March.
November 19th-I am thankful for a Saturday night hamburger!  Michael grilled yummy burgers for us.  I always love getting to honor this family tradition.  My parents always grilled for us on Saturday night burger night and I loved it.  I hope we can create fun family traditions for our boys, too. 
November 20-I am thankful for our small group.  We love getting together with a little group from church to fellowship and support each other. 
November 21-I am thankful that Linde and Jeff live so close.  It is such a treat to be able to call at noon and have them come over for dinner.  I love that they make such a great effort to take time out of their busy lives to invest in our boys and be there for us, too!
November 22-I am thankful for Target.  I know it isn't the holiest thing to be thankful for, but I am.  Avery and I were having a bit of an issue getting to happy place today.  So we hoped in the car, drove to my happy place, took a spin down an aisle or two and after a change of scenery and a new bag of goldfish everyone was in a better mood.

More 30 Days of Thankfulness

November 10th-We are thankful for Avery's teachers this year.  Avery has been blessed with great teachers at school Ms. Ale & Ms. Kara, there are also some really amazing women Ms. Mary Anne and Ms. Carol that teach an amazing Sunday School class.  Avery loves going and is learning so much.  We are even braving it to church most Wednesday nights so that he can go to yet another amazing class headed by Ms. Mary Anne and a wonderful team of volunteers. 

November 11th-We are thankful for all the sweet people who teach and volunteer at the nursery at church.  Hanky has quite a few girlfriends he bats those big brown eyes at each Sunday morning and Wednesday night.  I love that even though the little turkey only says a few words and ONLY on his terms, but he will belt out the last word of every line of Jesus Loves Me and yell Bible after the B-I-B-L-E.  He loves his time in the nursery and we are so thankful he has a safe, age appropriate place to be while we worship.

November 12th-I am thankful for our neighbors across the street.  They have done several really sweet things for us over the years, including handing down some fabulous toys!  But, tonight Phil saved me.  Michael had run to the store with the boys to give me a few minutes peace and quiet.  I managed to turn on and old faucet in a closet trying to stop the drip and had water shooting all over the closet because the faucet was stripped, nice one Ab.  He came running over to help me and got it redirected to the bathtub and started helping turn the main water off until Michael made it home.  (I am also pretty thankful for a husband who will leave a buggy standing in the aisle at Tom Thumb to come answer my SOS.

ThankFULL

We are very thankful this November, although I am little behind on my something I am thankful for, for every day of the month.  So, we will back track!  You don't mind, do you?

November 1st-A very happy Halloween Eve, we had so much fun at trunk or treat as always!!!  I am so thankful for the people that help us make this possible every year!

 

(I am also thankful that I pretty quickly noticed and removed the scissors from Hank's hand)

 I happen to think we had the cutest astronauts in town. 

November 2nd-I am so thankful for all of our family that took the time to come be with the boys for trunk or treat.  Thanks Granny and Honey, Papa and LouLou, Uncle Jeff & Aunt Linde!

November 3rd- I am so thankful that I get to be an aunt to the sweetest baby boy Cooper.  I have been waiting and waiting to be an Aunt and it was so worth it!  It makes my day when I get a sweet picture, or hear how he's doing!   We love him so very much and we are so glad he will be right in the middle of things with Avery and Hank it is so fun that they are all so close in age!

November 4th-I am so thankful for my Meme!  On the 4th she played with the boys while I got my haircut.  Not many girls like Linde and I get an extra, technically not related grandparent, but we are blessed.  I am so thankful that my cousins' grandmother made room in her heart for my family.  She makes their tiny little days, and mine, every time they are with her! 

November 5th- This was a Saturday and a great family day!  I am so very glad for great Saturday family days that involve brunch, playing outside and cuddling on the couch!! 

November 6th-I am so thankful for a helpful husband when it comes to stomach bugs.  When we said our marriage vows there was unwritten clause that I would do blood and guts and Michael would do throw up.  Starting at 2 am Hanky was puking his tiny little toenails up.  Michael took great care of Hank while I did a steady stream of laundry, lysoling and purelling!  YAY Michael, you are mine and Hank's hero, we love you so much!

November 7th-I am thankful for my job, the one not at home.  I appreciate that they understand when I have to call in with a sick 1 year old and don't give me grief.  I am thankful that I get to do a job that I feel proud of, with people I truly enjoy working with, and more than anything I am thankful for my PART-time DAY shift spot. 

November 8th- I am thankful for Michael's business partners.  I think Michael and I always knew that someday he would be his own boss, we just didn't know exactly what that would look like.  I always knew it would be great, but did wonder how my worrier would learn not to worry quite so much.  Jason and Jeff were truly the answer to my prayers.  They are great guys who are the perfect balance to Michael.  I love to see how they each bring great things to the table and are creating something I know they all believe in and love.

November 9th- I am thankful for families that give their children up for adoption, and the families who chose to raise those kids.  I am hopeful that today was a very special day for one of my best friends because a woman is making the most selfless decision for her child.  I am so grateful for women who don't do what is easiest in the moment, or what would make others happy, or cause them to get the least amount of grief, but who do what they feel is the best gift they can give their children.  Please say a prayer today for these 2 families and all the other families touched by adoption.