Thanksgiving

We had a wonderful Thanksgiving this year. We baked. A lot.

 We had some special visitors from Oregon.

 We played lots...

 Used a pie bird for the first time...

 Did some snuggling...

 And some cuddling...

 And just hanging out.

Eating. Lots and lots of eating.

We kung-fu fought. By the way, these are 'scary' faces.

We celebrated Christmas with Grammy and Papa, too.

 And here are Grammy and Papa with all 7 of their grandkids.

We are thankful for family.

A Love Story

When he brought home the pallets he hauled off a company's property, saying it was prettier wood than is usually on pallets, I said they would make a nice table.

 

He said he's not sure but we could give it a shot.

 

He spent several hours spanning the next few days prying nails out of the boards. Blisters on the hands kind of prying. And he said he's still not sure but he would give it a shot.

 

He spent more hours researching tables and figuring how to make this one work for the wood we had, the size of our space, and our family's needs for size.

 

And he spent his free time building me a table.

 



My eyes well up as I think about his love for me in building this table.

 

I am thankful.

Fall Photo Shoot

I love that we live right next to a park. The kids love it. So yesterday I picked their clothes out (this NEVER happens) and we loaded up and went down to the park for pictures!

This is the very first time EVER that it has gone this smoothly. I think it might be worth mentioning this all went down about 30 minutes after I stood the boys in the shower and doused water on them because they emptied an entire container of (new) shampoo over themselves and the bathtub. They weren't happy but it was also good leverage to take a few apples and tell them they would not get any until they smiled for my pictures. :) Miraculously it worked.

 Stuart, almost 3 years old. Loves playing with trucks, cars, anything with wheels and a motor, really, and little figurines. He actually had a figurine with him at the playground and played with it rather than on the slide and swing.

 Bryant, 4 1/2, loves being with people. Loves action and adventure and just generally being a part of whatever activity is going on.

 Aubrey, 6 1/2, loves make-believe and cooking. Absolutely sweet, inside and out. Loves her quiet space and special time out for just her.

 Emmett, almost 1!, loves to move move move. Loves to be outside and with Daddy and with his brothers and sister. He gravitates to people, he does not know any strangers. I just got him a shirt that says, "I'm a glass half full kind of guy." It fits him perfectly.

This is my happily ever after.

This Blessed Life

Have I mentioned how much I love these kids?

 

Biggest brother feeding youngest brother yogurt for breakfast.

 My favorite Stu-bear. Period.

 "Mom, take a picture of me eating my breakfast sandwich!"



Unexpected Birthday Parties

You know how I'm supposed to teach my sons propriety and manners? Acceptable conversations to have because at times the boys seem one small step away from being completely uncivilized, crazy wild things? I am not sure I'm the right mom for the job.

 

The fact that I cry-laughed, as in tears streamed down my face, when my eldest son explained one of the wonders of life to me, disqualified me from having any teachable moments on this particular topic.

 

Me, sitting on the couch, quietly, savoring the solitude for one minute.

Bryant, bounding down the stairs, barreling toward me, jumps and...TOOT.

Bryant, with a super excited gasp: "MOM!"
Me: "Yes?"

Bryant: "My bottom is having a party!"

Me: "I'm sorry, what did you say?"
Bryant: "My bottom is having a party! It's birthday is Veteran's Day!"

Me: Tears. Quiet laughter because I couldn't catch my breath.

 In other news, Emmett is determined. And his favorite place is outside and with Daddy. Imagine his frustration when Daddy was outside without him.

 "Mmm, I don't like this, Mom!"

 "I think I have an idea..."

 "Yep, it's a good idea...hold on..."

 "Oomph!!! I will just open the back door."

 "Success!"

Christmas Decorations in the Store

Hi, my name is Anna, and I'm the one at the bottom.

 

The Mom Who Had it All Together

The following pictures and stories are based on true events. None of the names have been changed because quite frankly the innocent don't exist around here. Here is a very real picture of how life goes down around here.

 

This is Bryant's new favorite hobby...riding his bike with Daddy to the park. It's also one of my most favorite sights to see.

 We went to a wedding last weekend. I'm so glad we were able to meet up with some friends there. John and our friends' dad were both groomsmen, which meant we mamas were in charge of keeping 7 little ones occupied and (mostly) behaved during the ceremony. Yikes.

 Aubs and Mimi...the only girls in the bunch of 7 kids.

 The big brothers. Chasing, pulling, wrestling. In their fancy clothes.

 And here is reality. The kids don't get dressed up often, so I thought, "Hey, let's get a good picture. Maybe a Christmas card photo." Take 1. 3 of the 4 look good. Bryant couldn't quite get his eyes open.

 "Look, Mom! A piece of straw that I turned into a magnifying glass!"

 "See?" Stuart is losing interest...still trying, though.

 "Bryant, please put the grass down. And smile." CHEESE. Aubrey had to blink.

 

 The magnifying glass is coming back out. But sweet smiles. Stuart is losing focus...

 Emmett's losing focus.

 Money shot. I didn't include the 25 other takes we had.

 Another example. Dan & Shana came to visit (YAY!) and we had a great time. Could we get a decent picture of the kids with them? I'll let you be the judge.

 And then there's Halloween, when parents around the country take cute shots of their kids dressed up in cute costumes. Aubs stuck to the plan but she was the only one. I give you, Cheerleader, Knight (who was going to be a very obvious Power Ranger but at the last minute wanted to wear his soccer shirt with a cape.), Scarecrow (which was initially intended for his baby brother and therefore didn't fit quite right. He was going to be Sully from Monsters, Inc.), and the cutest monkey I've ever seen.

So there you go. Behind the camera is a mama who wishes she could get a really great shot of her super cooperative photogenic children. And then I snap back to reality and I am THANKFUL that these pictures document life as we live it. Kids who don't always smile at the same time right as the camera clicks, but who are happy.