So much to be thankful for...

Thanksgiving is one of my favorite holidays! Other than food, it doesn't take a lot of busy preparations, but it makes me reflect, and put things in the right perspective, and truly thank God for innumerable blessings. The kids have ample activities and reminders to be thankful too. It's absolutely wonderful!

Here are the kiddos with 2 first cousins and 2 second cousins. They are a couch-full!

The kids table at Grandma and Grandpa McInturf's.

Daddy and Allie at Grandma and Grandpa Weber's.

I am thankful for a bazillion things, but one that I have to mention here is my parents and Steve's parents. They are all amazing hosts - both our moms and dads. They put so much care into their preparations, and make their tables so festive. I hope that someday, I would be capable of hosting lots of family over with such a loving and giving spirit.

Happy 5th Birthday, Allie!!!

The 5th birthday is very special in our house. That's when we get to have a "friend party"! Allie chose to have her princess party at Tumbleweed Park, with a bounce house and a pinata. It was the pinata that she dreamed of most - we had never had a pinata at any of our parties before. So I found all the necessary party supplies, booked the bounce house, ordered the pizza, and purchased the largest, pinkest, sturdiest pinata I could find. Here are some photos:

Here's the birthday girl taking a leap onto the slide.


Macy and Jack (along with like 30 other kids) had fun in the bounce house too!

Time for cake!

I just love watching my nephews eat cake - they are so cute!

Pinata time! Allie got to go first.

Allie and Hailey are wearing pieces of the pinata as birthday hats. What good recyclers they are!

Allie got to have a special birthday lunch with Grandma and Grandpa on her real birthay. Joe's Real BBQ is free on your birthday!


Here's our big 5-year-old with her new scooter and helmet. She is growing up so fast. I thank God for her every day. She is so precious to us. Happy birthday, Allie! We love you!

Happy Halloween!

Our kids LOVE halloween. They love to plan out who they want to be, and they love the neighborhood potluck, and they love trick-or-treating, and they love to eat candy! Since the kids love it so much, it is easy for me to love it too.


We have a family tradition of carving a pumpkin a night or two before halloween. This year, each kid got to design one facial feature of the jack-o-lantern. This is obviously not the final product - this is the pumpkin with the design taped to the front - ready to be carved.


You might notice that we have one sweet girl who is not a star wars fan - and she is an adorable cheerleader. And hopefully, you recognize Yoda, Obiwan, and Princess Leia - they are all practically indistinguishable from the real thing.

A fun time was had by all! And all were in bed by 8:30 - very tired out from trick-or-treating. Steve and I did take note, however, that our kids must have grown in the past year - they all walked on their own two feet for the entire trick-or-treating adventure. No strollers, no shoulder-rides - just good plain exercise!