Thankful!

I am thankful for another year to celebrate Thanksgiving with family! Thursday morning we made our way to Nana and PaPa's house. I helped Donna cook while the kids played football and Wii. Tommy and his dad picked up Cindy and her two youngest from the airport then went to get Mamaw. While the Cowboys game was paused, we enjoyed a WONDERFUL feast! Friday after breakfast, we helped put up their tree, the kids unwrapped the International Santas and Donna and I took turns playing Christmas tunes on the piano. Lunch then we drove straight to the tree farm to cut our tree. An old John Deere gave us a hay ride to the back of the farm where Luke quickly spotted a perfect tree! We didn't even look at any others! The boys quickly felled it and loaded it onto the trailer to be prepped for the ride home. I dropped the three big kids and Tommy off at the duplexes he is building. They unloaded the Bobcat, picked up materials at McCoy's and drove by his frame. Wyatt and I went to Target for new tree lights then stopped at the grocery for dinner and a movie {Cars 2}. Tommy grilled, we put up the tree, and hung the stockings. OH... I almost forgot... when we got home there was a bag on the porch. The boys peeked in to find... OUR ELF! We cleared a spot on the kitchen counter so they could dump him out along with the remaining contents of the bag {snowflakes from the North Pole and ornaments for the kids to make}. After everyone was in bed, I joined my mom at their house to prep food for the Blackburn gathering. Saturday morning, we all went to Gran and Big Daddy's for another DELICIOUS meal and family time. The kids played football and the Wii {do you see a pattern?!}, Audrey and KiKi played babies, Wyatt played with every ball he could find and anything that resembled a ball. The kids all helped Gran decorate her tree then enjoyed time with Uncle Andy later that evening. Church this morning and a trip to WalMart for bird supplies -- Luke found a bird this morning before we left; it was still in the front yard when we got home. We put it in a box in the house for a while thinking maybe it had just gotten too cold {it was close to freezing last night}. They tried releasing it later and Tommy noticed one of it's wings seemed broken. 'Sweet Tweet' seemed to eat some food once we got him in the cage, but we're all anxious to see how he's doing in the morning. We watched Tim Tebow win another game, went through a whole bag of balloons {the best 97 cents I have spent in a long time}, ate cereal for dinner, read Hank and turned in. We have so much to be THANKFUL for this year!

As a side note, a while back we were telling the boys that there's no such thing as 'luck' and that everything that happens to us or for us is meant to happen -- orchestrated by God, and that we aren't 'lucky,' we're blessed. Dade took this little talk to heart... when it would be appropriate to use the word lucky, he always replaces it with BLESSED.

Sweet Tweet.

My shopping partner.

He slept the entire time!

Grateful for...

Our house. By Dade.

What they're thankful for...

Our church. By Luke.

Warms my heart.

This is a common sight around here!

NINE YEARS!

Tommy and I celebrate our nine year anniversary today! He gave me a gift certificate for THE BEST massage that I got last night {while he kept the kids!}. This morning I got The Story CD that I have been wanting {Mandisa's Born for This has made folding clothes MUCH more pleasant this morning!}, a Power of the Cross bracelet, and a VERY SWEET handwritten note. Tommy has been rehabbing the grill so I got him a new cover and a stone cleaner and the boys picked out a notepad for him {they have a hard time passing anything with an eagle on it}. Tonight we get to go on a date while my parents keep the kids! I am beyond blessed... the past nine years have flown by, and I cannot wait to see what God has in our future!

The Sunday game.

Fetching the football.

Wyatt was playing with the football and it rolled ALL THE WAY down the driveway!

Family chalkfest.

Concentrating.

November sunset.

Picture request.

Mommy, will you take a picture of me and my babies? We're just laxing. {RElaxing}

The Modern 3-year old.

Mom, I have a picture of KiKi on my blog when she was little... want to see? (She proceeded to open her pretend flip phone and show me the screen!)

Boots.

He wanted to wear his boots, too!

Daddy's littlest helper.

Tommy needed to pick up cabinets, and Wyatt quickly made it known that he wanted to make it a boy trip. The other three were at Gran and Big Daddy's so Wyatt had time with Dad to himself.

Reading and resting.

Friday Football.

Bible Study.

Audrey just picked up her Bible and said," I'm gonna see what God's doing... God's learning about Jesus right now."

Food psychology.

Dade was cutting a kiwi and told me that he heard on the news you should eat on a blue plate (which he was using at the time). When I asked him why he responded, "I guess for Veterans' Day."

In the sand.

Please don't call CPS...

Wyatt is ALL boy (and part monkey, I think). He is CONSTANTLY climbing, running, jumping, kicking, reaching, coloring, cutting, playing, eating and loving life! Hence the pen/marker marks, scratch on his nose from another kid at a party last week, the dirt on his face, and the bruises and scratches from falling out of a chair (he was standing up this time but he has been known to fall out of one while sitting). I wouldn't have him any other way!

Papertowel Math.

The kids were eating a treat before bed. Dade looked at his papertowel and said, "that's a Fibonacci spiral." A WHAT?! I had to google it... in all my 31 years, I have NEVER heard of that! (He said they learned it from the Mathtacular DVD they've been watching on car rides.)

DoADot Art!

Lego Star Wars.

The boys at a birthday party where they played with Legos, watched the Lego Star Wars movie in an old movie theater, hit a Death Star pinata with a light saber and drank Yoda Soda with their cake... SO fun and creative!

Hands free!

Grocery shopping.

This afternoon, Audrey asked for a grocery list (she likes to use the receipts from our recent trips) and wanted to go shopping. I set out some real items from the kitchen along with some pretend food from her kitchen and off we went to the store! 

Notice the little blond head on the left...

Air hockey.

Thanksgiving party.

Dade and Luke's ELO teachers hosted a Thanksgiving party complete with turkey crafts, a bounce house and a yummy feast. Some of the siblings are in Audrey's three-year old class, so she had friends to play with at the party as well. And you know Wyatt thinks he can do whatever his brothers can, so he made his way into the middle of it all -- air hockey, ping pong, foosball, and lunch!

Loving the Little Years.

For you moms with little ones, I CANNOT recommend this book highly enough! I purchased it earlier this year, read it from cover to cover in about a day, loaned it to several friends and read it again in between borrowers. I promise if you read the first two chapters, you will be asking for your own copy for Christmas!

Luke's antonyms.

Audrey's smartphone.

Audrey told me she was sending a text message to her friend then said her phone told us to turn left. A while  later she asked if I wanted her to play a song on her phone!

Our favorite Vet!

Yet another reason that I LOVE schooling at home... we were able to meet Tommy's Dad, a Vietnam veteran, for lunch today. The kids made Thank You cards for him, we discussed the origins of Veteran's Day and made a red, white and blue craft. Appreciating our Armed Forces is something we talk about regularly with the kids; I hope our little tradition of lunch with PaPa will cement gratitude in their hearts.

Babywearing!

Audrey's baby, Sally, LOVES the new sling Mrs. Renee made!

Luke.

Not to be left out of the photo session ...

Dade's CRAZY hair!

I found THE MOST CREATIVE cRaZy HaIr ideas on another blog. We already had the snakes, lizards and crocs at home, and the boys wanted to use both land and swamp animals. We picked up some color hairspray, glued the creatures to hair clips and put our masterpiece together. The boys attracted a lot of attention at church!

UPDATE and a WARNING: Today is November 27 and even after putting lemon juice in Audrey's hair, she STILL has pink 'highlights' in her hair! We will NOT be going CrAzY with the pink hairspray ever again!

CrAzY hAiR nIgHt!

Tonight is crazy hair night at KIDZ Life.

Football is over...

Time to start practicing baseball!

Outside with Kiki.

Now hiring!

Tommy brought this home for me... I LOVE it!

A MEAN trick!

The prankster, Dade, put this DISGUSTING (albeit fake) roach on my steering wheel while I was loading groceries in the car!

Roasted Pumpkin Seeds.

So I will remember these days...

Getting her babies to sleep.

What could be better?!