Thanksgiving

We spent Thanksgiving at Darrell's sister's house.

The table



All of us



The kids LOVED playing with their cousins.  Even though Matt, Jeff and David are all grown up, they were so good to play with the kids and let them crawl all over them.

Emily crawling on David with Megan not too far away.



All of the grandkids.  Jeff, Megan, Matt, Emily, Tyler and David.



Jeff, Brenda, David, Steve, Matt



The fam with Farrin, Jeff's girlfriend.



Grandma Nellie was able to leave the care center and spend the evening with us.

Emily, Nellie, Tyler and Megan



All of the great grandkids and Farrin.



Darrell and I made a run to Target to take part in the Black Friday specials.  The kids didn't miss us at all.  When we got back Farrin was doing the girls' hair.  They loved it.



Tyler wearing my Black Friday boots.



The kids were so exhausted when we got home that they crashed.

Tyler



Megan



Emily



We had such a wonderful Thanksgiving week in California, even with a little sickness going around. I feel so blessed to be able to visit Darrell's mom and his sister and her family at least twice a year.  I love that my kids get to know their grandma, aunt, uncle and cousins.  Those relationships are so important.

California

We headed to California for Thanksgiving.

Tyler wanted to get his picture taken by this big bear in the airport. (Megan, Emily, Bear, Tyler)



Unfortunately Megan got sick the night we arrived at Darrell's mom's house.  This is how she spent the first one and a half days we were there.  (Darrell also got sick and laid low for a few days.)



So just Carol, Tyler, Emily and I went to visit Darrell's grandma Nellie at the care center.



We also walked to the store while Megan rested.  Tyler found this huge palm tree branch.



Since I took a picture of Tyler, Emily wanted a picture too.



Emily and Tyler got to ride on the little car ride.





When Megan was feeling better we headed to the park.  It was 86* and quite warm (especially for us "northerners."



Grandma pushing Megan and Emily on the swings.



Tyler



Megan



Emily





The jeep



Some great shots with Grandma and the kiddos.

We took advantage of the beautiful weather to play outside.

Tyler and Grandma playing football.



Apparently we have a Dolly-Parton wannabe.  Megan thought sticking balls in her shirt was pretty funny.



Coloring



Playing post office (Emily and Megan)



Tyler



The day after Thanksgiving we went to the movie "The Penguins of Madagascar."

The kids loved the fountains outside of the theater.



Emily, Tyler, Megan



We also got to eat at In 'n' Out.  I know they have them where we eat, but it's always a treat (except Megan's tummy still wasn't up to eating much.)



Where else besides sunny California can you find Christmas trees and palm trees?

November

 Here are a few random pictures from our November. 

Tyler finished the 3 primer level books in piano and started on Level 1 books.  He's not sure that he enjoys practicing so much because "it's hard," but he can do hard things and I'm not letting him off the hook.  I'm a mean piano teacher/mom....

The girls dressed up in their dance costumes from last year.

Emily wanted me to take a picture of her...

Then Megan wanted me to take a picture of her....

The girls by the flag on Veterans Day.

A cute turkey craft at the library with a glove, Honey Nut cheerios and Fruit Loops.

Megan

Emily

My cute lunch dates at Costco

We went to the local high school's production of Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat.  The kids loved it--they know all the words now so that was fun.  (Not-so-great photo from my phone with the flash.)

This is the 3rd year that my mom, sister and I have attended Time Out for Women.  We love it.  We are spiritually fed and get to have a girls' weekend away.  (Our one and only--and not so great--selfie at the event.)

The girls loved their Thanksgiving Feast at preschool.  Here we have Princess Talking Rainbow Pony (Megan) and Princess Sunshine Kitty (Emily).

This summer we took out some of the "dirt areas" around our house by putting in sprinklers and adding sod.  It looks SO much better than it used to.  And I love that there's only grass to run and play in--not the dirt and mud that we used to have.

What it looked like when we moved in.  (I shutter looking at it!)

Then I tried to weed it.

Then it looked not quite so bad, but still bad and we had to take weed killer to it.

 The weed killer helped so much.  Then we got rid of the bark.

And this year we removed the decorative rock and put in sprinklers and grass.  Ah!  So much better! (I don't have any pictures, but we used to have "flower beds"/mud along the house too.  It's so lovely to only have grass there now!)