Fun Fun!

Mammee made some homemade edible playdoh for the kids to play with. 

She was clever and renamed it "Fun Fun" so when the kids play with real playdoh, they won't try to eat it.

Both Stephen and Grace loved it.

We are so thankful

Thanksgiving was wonderful this year.

Stephen and Grace were able to play together.

Grace showed some of her favorite tricks.

We met Luke for the first time.

Pappy played some lovely music for us all.  Grandmother (Pappy's mom) really enjoyed it.

We enjoyed a magnificent meal together.

 The desserts were heavenly.

But the fellowship with family was even better.

 And some (Pappy and Luke) napped after all the excitement.

We had such a wonderful time and we have so much to be thankful for this year.

We are thankful for the new job opportunity David received and accepted earlier this year.  It was a wonderful promotional opportunity that allowed us to move closer to both our families.  We are thankful that we were able to find such a wonderful new home in Daphne and we are so happy that our Omaha house finally sold.

We are thankful for family.  Family is so important to us and we are grateful to have such a large and loving family.  We only wish we could see everyone more often.

We are thankful that we were able to spend Thanksgiving with family this year in Charlotte.  It had been months since we last visited with them and we really enjoyed our time together.  We are already looking forward to our next visit.

We are thankful for the newest addition to our extended family.  Baby Luke is doing so well in spite of the heart condition he was born with.  He truly is our miracle baby, and our heart hero.  He is such a blessing to us all and we love him dearly.

We are thankful for all our friends both near and far.  Even though we aren't always able to see them, we know that they are there to support us and love us.  Just as we are there for them.  That's what friends are for.

We are thankful for another addition coming to our family.  We just found out that we are pregnant with our second child.  We are so excited that our family is growing and we can't wait to meet Grace's little brother or sister this summer.

We are thankful for our amazing little girl, Grace.  She is such a sweet blessing to us.  She constantly amazes us with all that she learns and all that she teaches us.  She is forever reminding us to find joy in the simplest of things and constantly blesses us with her sweet smiles and beautiful laughter. She brings us more joy than we could have ever imagined.

I am thankful for my amazing husband.  He is the unconditional love and calm in my life.  He leads our family under the covering of God.  I couldn't ask for a better husband, partner, or friend.  No matter what happens, I know that he is there for me.  I love him more than my heart can hold.

We are so thankful for all the many, many blessings God has bestowed upon us.  Family.  Friends.  Our home.  Career opportunities.  But most of all, His love and saving grace.   Thank you Lord for all the many blessings you have given us this year.

Grace and Stephen blow bubbles

We brought bubbles for the kids to play with.

They really had a good time.

Blow!

Blow!

Blow!

 Bubbles!

Again, they did everything together all day long.

Grace and Stephen eat lunch and play all day

The kids sure did enjoy their lunch today.

Snacktime was fun, too.

Afterwards, they went exploring together.

For some reason they were both fascinated with Mammee's chair.  It was her mother's and is over 100 years old.

They took turns sitting in it and looking out the window.

Apparently they were watching a squirrel outside because Chloe and Chester both kept barking at the windows.

Then Grace decided to give Stephen a back massage.

And she walked on his back - just like she does for Daddy.

After a while, both kids were tired enough to rest in the rocking chair together.

The kids had fun all day long and were once again inseparable.

Grace finds the piano

Grace really enjoys music.

She particularly likes the piano.

She had the best time playing and singing.

She could be found on the piano just about every day.

Maybe she'll be the next Mozart or Chopin.

Grace and Stephen finally see each other

David, Grace, Chloe, and I spent Thanksgiving in Charlotte with family this year.  We were so excited to see everyone!  Grace and Stephen were especially excited about seeing each other.

As soon as they were together, they gave each other a BIG hug!

And they held hands and ran all over the house together.

They were so sweet!

And inseparable.

Grace kept saying "Moan Stee-bin!  Ets doe!"  (C'mon Stephen!  Let's go!)

And they'd hold hands and take off.

They loved climbing up the stairs and sliding down.

And as long as Grace and Stephen were together, they were happy and having fun.

Wasabi almonds - hot! Hot! HOT!

David likes hot things.  He especially likes wasabi.  He also likes to see me cry.   
(Um, not really, but after this I can't help but wonder.)

But David did convince me to try these wasabi soy almonds.  His comment was "It's not that hot.  Really."

I must have lost my mind for a day.  Because I tried ONE. 

And immediately, I regretted it.  It was hot.  Scorching, scalding, blazing HOT!

My tongue was roasting in my mouth.  I'm certain blisters were forming.  I was going to have third degree burns - on my TONGUE!

Then I swallowed.  And my insides were on fire.  My esophagus was melting.  And my stomach, my poor stomach, was forever seared.  Ulcers were forming.  Everything was burning and on fire.  Even my eyeballs turned red. 

Milk.  Sweet, cold, WET milk!   It eventually took the worst of the bite away.  Slowly the fire was put out.

And I was finally able to breathe again.  Lesson learned.  Never eat wasabi almonds again.  Or anything wasabi.  And never EVER believe David if he says "It's not that hot."  Yeah, right.  Somebody's pants should be on fire instead of my mouth.

Down sizing and donating

This is our garage.

It is full of things that either won't fit in our condo or we don't need any more.  Like that really big dresser on its side.  Or the really heavy treadmill.  Or the fertilizer spreader, lawn mower, etc.  I could go on and on and on.  But you get the idea.  We had a lot of stuff to put in a small condo.  16,500 pounds of stuff to put into a 3 bedroom condo to be exact.  Um.  Not going to work.

So here is our solution.  A 26 foot Uhaul truck.  We loaded it down with a lot of the things mentioned above.  Things that we don't need or have room for.  It's either going to my parents house (like Grace's playhouse) or being donated to a charitable organization (like my tiny table and wobbly chair set left over from college). Don't worry, we kept everything with sentimental value (like David's footballs from Auburn) and things given to us by family (all of which is inside safe and sound.) 

Several hours later, the truck is full and it's pretty obvious that men did all the loading...
But there's room to get a vehicle in the garage in spite of all the boxes still left to be unpacked (like Christmas decorations).

Disclaimer:  The boxes packed haphazardly are in fact empty.  For whatever reason, Dad wanted them.  No worries, nothing was broken and no one was injured during these events.

Hide and seek

After many long hours of unpacking, Grace decided it was time to play.

I could hear her calling "Momma! Momma!  Waird Dace doe?"  (Toddler translation:  Where did Grace go)

I honestly couldn't find her.

Until I noticed these little piggys peeking out the door of a tv console.

Sure enough she was hiding inside.  I'm surprised she could still squeeze in.

She giggled and giggled and hid inside over and over again.

Then I hear her say "I see ewe, Momma!  I see ewe!"  (Toddler translation:  "I see you".)

She had poked a hole out the back of her "hidey-hole" and was spying on me!

We played hide and seek until Grace was exhausted.  Then she took a nap while I unpacked more boxes.