Thanksmas 2014

We went to the Keims' for Thanksgiving this year, and had Christmas while we were there.  The morning after we got there we woke up to this pretty sight.  It had snowed!  It didn't last long but it sure was pretty.

We did lots of playing while we were there.  Here is Lincoln playing checkers with Alex.

The girls played dress up with some old material and slips.

Santa Layton.

She just may be a fashion designer one day.

Somebody turned 2 while we were there!  Sweet Addison.

Logan, Lincoln, and Aaron.

Mona wanted some family pictures so I took some.

Funny how the first one I took was the best one.  They went downhill from here.  hahaha!

They got the giggles.

But this one was probably my favorite.  Yes, this is where Kris gets it.  There is no denying it.  Sorry Lyle. :-)

At least Les had a shirt on underneath--unlike someone else I know in another picture...back in July...

Crazy guy.  Crazy present.

Alex made this wooden star for Grandma.

Cows and jokes just go with this guy I guess. ;)

Explaining the picture she drew for Grandma.  It was the view from the dining room looking out the big window.  Sweet girl.

These were later enjoyed by all the kids--big kids included.

This guy LOVES cars and this one was a hit.

Hannah got her American Girl doll Julie's holiday dress.

Kris was explaining how the electric fence he got his dad worked.

It was a fun time had by all.  We had yummy food and it was great to get to be with and laugh with family!!

November Notes

Here's a little glimpse into our November.

Naps.  Layton just can't stay awake some afternoons.  This particular one I think I sent him to his room for some reason.  He ended up falling asleep.

New school picture of my Layton.  Such a cutie pie.

Nerds.  :-)  Lincoln makes trash into all kinds of things--all the time.  I love it!

Noting how it's done.  One Saturday morning, Kris was changing my car's oil.  He had a little admirer.  I love it when the boys want to watch their daddy do stuff like changing the oil or building/fixing something.  I sure do hope they will have some of his skills one day.

New beginnings.  We went to the wedding of one of Kris' friends from Australia, Daniel Wicks.  It was at Camp Tahkodah.  It was great to catch up with some friends we hadn't seen in a while.

Graeme and Val, Sean and Dan's mom and dad.  Love them.  Got to eat dinner with them one night to catch up.  They love Kris and think he hasn't changed a bit since he lived in Australia.  Ha!

Kris, Sean, and Atty.  I have never seen such goof balls.  When they get together, you never know what is going to come out of their mouths.

Loved seeing Phin happy and healthy.  He had leukemia a few years ago.  He thought Kris was so funny.

Kris and the groom.

New friends.  We went and served lunch and hung out with some kiddos from Silver City one Sunday afternoon.  I always enjoy this.  I love watching the kids interact and hope it helps them see how blessed they are.

Life Group Party

We had our Life Group's Thanksgiving fellowship at our house.  Our church was collecting and giving away bags of Thanksgiving meals to the needy.  So, we all sat down and colored some cards to go in each bag.  Yes, all the adults colored and we enjoyed it!  Ha!

We decided to say a big thank you with gift cards and a sign made by the kids to Collin and Amy who put a lot of effort into teaching our kids each week.  Collin always has a great lesson that the kids can apply to their every day lives.  We are very blessed to have them in our group!

Then, we shared a wonderful Thanksgiving meal together.  We had smoked turkey, mashed potatoes (I made a big crockpot full and they were almost gone!), sweet potato casserole, veggies with hummus and ranch, spinach and cheese casserole, cranberry jello salad, apple dumplings, and mini pumpkin pies.  YUM!

We are so very thankful for this group of people.

Layton's Book Character Parade

Layton had a Book Character Parade at school.  He had to dress up as a book character.  The kids bring their books and then the teacher reads them during class.  I always try to get my kids to pick a book that is easy to find things to use to dress up.  That may be bad, but it sure makes life easier.  We decided on "Little Dog Lost" which is a true story about a dog that got stranded on a sheet of ice in the Baltic Sea.  

He sure did make a cute puppy dog.