Giving props to Thanksgiving!

Yes, it's that time of year.....

Smack dab between Halloween and Christmas is Thanksgiving, right? It's crazy how the day after Halloween, radio stations start playing Christmas music ( which I do get excited for!), decorations are hung up, and Christmas shopping starts. With 5 kids I actually start shopping in August!

In my attempt to give props to Thanksgiving I came up with a list of the things I am thankful for.In no particular order...

( And I am thankful for so much more but...gotta keep this short,right?)

1. My husband who works hard for our family.
2. My 5 children. My life is so much more fulfilling with them in it!
3. Great family. I don't know what I'd do without such a great support.You have to be there for your family. A constant. And they are. Good times and bad.
4. Wonderful friends
5. The Gospel
6. Our healthy bodies
7. My life experiences and opportunities to live so many different places for if I hadn't I wouldn't have met the many, many wonderful people that I have in my life!

I tend to think of my experiences living so many places as my "mini mission"

That's what I'm grateful for, what about you?
Have a Happy Thanksgiving, eat lots of turkey, and if you're traveling....be safe!

PS. here are a couple of blooper pictures and the reason for my previous blog!

lol

This has been bugging me so I thought I would blog about it....

So, I am feeling REALLY guilty about not getting my kid's pictures taken by a "professional" photographer.

If you want to know the REAL truth it is because I hate figuring out what they all will wear. To me, this is a big deal. I don't know why, it just is! I will go over it all in my mind and figure out what colors, style, etc the pictures should be and I go crazy thinking about it all and just don't even want to deal with it. Isn't that horrible?

Then, after you finally figure out what they all will wear ( and possibly have to buy 5 new shirts or something) it is a matter of scheduling conflicts. The best times to get the kids pictures taken is typically in the morning when everyone is rested and alert, right? But 3 of my kids are in school. I have seriously just thought of keeping the kids OUT of school just for this occassion.
Then, there is getting everyone dressed, happy, fed ( without spills on clothes, please), driving to the photo place, and then standing on the sidelines hoping that everyone looks at the camera person and smiles.

Honestly, the cost can be just as rediculous. I called a local, private photographer and they wanted 200.00 JUST to walk in the door. True, 150.00 goes to the purchase of the pictures but come on.
It's Christmas people!

Until my next predicament......
; )

Where does the time go?

Emersyn is 10 months old today!

Her newest,funnest and cutest feats as of today would be...

Giving a high - five when you ask her to

Drinking juice from her sippy cup all on her own

Copping a little more attitude when you have to take something away

"Sings" to songs

Waving to people more

Talking a lot more

She seems to understand a lot more when we talk to her and she will do stuff we ask her.

Oh! and when we go to stores she shops and pulls things off the rack. Its so cute.

I could go on and on and on........=)

This is her super happy face...eyes closed and all

Happy 10 months baby girl!!!

A Lull

I had no idea that I would get into a blogging lull and not have anything to write about. A family of 7...5 kids, 2 busy parents and nothing to write about?

I guess on a day in,day out basis our lives are pretty uneventful.

Once the kids are school-aged it pretty much ends any unplanned trip's, getaway's, etc. For those of you with a couple of children.... who aren't in school yet...life will get mundane and hectic!

I feel the need to blog more often than I do.

I mean, if it were up to me I would have a mommy cam going 24/7 to share the many splendid things my children do and say at any given moment.

For now....

Lunden is: on the 3rd book in the Twilight series. She just started reading them last month

Brennen is: on the honor roll at school!

Carsen is: really good at reading letters/words and is great at memorizing!

Logan is: fully potty trained!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Emersyn: her newest word is " la la", "sings" to any song that she hears and is pretty much the cutest baby ever.

Until next time....

=D

Keepin' in Rural...

It's been awhile since I have blogged anything but that is because we are busy here in West Virginia helping my parents move into their home.

We kept the kids out of school Wed- Fri

( with all the teachers permission and extra homework!).

I was actually ready for a getaway!

See, my dad works in D.C. and they were living in an apartment in Silver Spring Maryland. They have finally decided to give up on moving back to California any time soon so they found this great place here in West Virginia.

It is about an hour and a half from here to D.C..

Very rural, quiet and country. Each home is really spread apart from one another

and they dot the rolling hills.

Yes, this is their front yard! it is more like a park than a yard! Wanna play soccer or baseball perhaps? lol

Being in West Virginia has literally made me sing that John Denver song

"Country road....take me home...to the place...I belong...West Virginia...mountain mama... take me home... country road".

We had to drive through the Blue Ridge mountains/ Shenandoah valley to go home. It was specatacular!

The fall colors have been amazing up here and have already peaked. I was "oooing and awwing" at the leaves brilliant oranges and the red's.

Amazing!

Pictures won't do them justice.

Have a mentioned that was very cold too? Its was in the 20's at night a couple of times! We wore our winter fashionables! BRRR!

The boy's didn't care what the weather was. They just wanted to be outside playing!! Until next time....