Thanksgiving 2011

Caleb, Emma, Claire & Mackenzie

Emma and Claire working on Thanksgiving dinner. . .

Feeding time!

Mobile Bay with the skyline of downtown Mobile

This year we went down to Daphne to spend time with Jeremy's family for Thanksgiving. It was so nice to relax and hang out without the worries of our current moving process. It was also great to see how big our niece and nephew, Kenzie and Caleb, have grown. They were full of smiles and personality, and our girls loved being big enough to help.
A wonderful trip, with wonderful memories. Thanks, NeNe and Bo!!

Emma's Thanksgiving Program

Emma had her first school program! All of the 3K children at her school came together for a festive Thanksgiving musical. Emma was so excited to be on stage and performing. After attending many of Claire's programs, she knew it was her time to shine. She did such a great job!

Let the Fun Begin!

A big thanks to my mom for really sticking to the job of wallpaper removal in the foyer. The rest of us left the job after the easy, big pieces were gone.

Might as well have some fun with the primer. . .

Dad and his "famous" horse drawing.

Last week my parents came to help us begin work on our house. Painting, painting, and more painting was the name of the game! We were definitely grateful for the help, and although they are not in the photos, Jeremy and Claire were on hand to help as well. We are definitely looking forward to when the work is done and we can settle in to our new home.

Happy Birthday, Owen!

All aboard the cousin train!

Hi Harper!

Static anyone?

Twoo! Twoo!
Owen is 2 years old! We had so much fun helping him celebrate at his train themed birthday party.

11.11.11

I can't let this day pass without making a note of it. For several years now, Jeremy and I have been members of the "11:11 Club". Not only do we simultaneously see the time 11:11 on the clock most days, but it also shows up in the oddest of places for us. A few examples: while pregnant with Emma, one of the ultrasound pictures of her was taken (and documented on the print out) at 11:11; when going to visit my aunt in Alexandria, the MapQuest directions gave us an estimated travel time of 11 hours and 11 minutes; when Emma was several weeks old, I was worried about her weight gain so I stopped by the pediatrician's office for a random weigh-in. How much did she weigh? That's right, 11 pounds and 11 ounces.
I have no idea what it means, but why not celebrate it on the most appropriate of all days? Here's to you, 11.11.11!

Happy Veterans Day!

What a great day to say "Thank you!" to the many men and women who serve our country and protect our freedom. We are truly blessed. As a former "Air Force Brat", I have always been so proud of my dad. In fact, our family has many veterans to be proud of. In preparing for Claire's school program, "This Is My Country", we pulled together pictures of some of the veterans on both sides of our family. These pictures were shown in a slide show during the program. It was so touching, and knowing that our family has even more veterans that aren't pictured, we can't help but take pride in each and every one of them.

New Beginnings

Our backyard view. . .
This was taken from our upper deck looking down to the lower deck. There is also a screened-in porch with a large play area underneath it. We were definitely drawn to the privacy and peacefulness.

Well, it only took us a year and a half, but we finally found ourselves a new home. It is located in a great family oriented neighborhood, and we are excited about making it our own. Best of all, Claire will get to stay in the elementary school that we have come to love. We have our rental house through December, so we will take some time to paint, do floors, and move in slowly. If all goes well, we should be in before Christmas!

"Rainbow Rose" Claire

Claire went to a birthday party today, and got her face painted. She chose the "Rainbow Rose" face. It was so glittery and fancy!

Halloween Fun

Toilet paper mummy!

Sugared and giggly!

Halloween day was so festive and fun! Emma had "Costume Day" at dance class, we went to Claire's school for her class party, and we ended the day with trick-or-treating and friends. The girls got way too much candy, but we sure had a good time doing it!