Monday, October 31, 2011

Day Six

Thirty Days of Thankfulness, Day Six

Today I am thankful for my sister, Melissa.

My sister is my best friend. She is the reason I wanted two daughters of my own. The bond between sisters is something you can't find anywhere else. She can get me laughing in any circumstance, and often in the wrong circumstance. We grew up talking about boys late at night, we spent weekends with each other at college. We were in each other's weddings, we had our boys just months apart, and we had our girls just days apart. She's the one I call to share funny stories with, and she's the one I call when I need to go out and have a good time. She is smart, beautiful, a great mother and a great friend, and I'm thankful she's MY sister.

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Also, today is her birthday and I'm not there to celebrate with her. So if you see her, give her a big ol' squeeze from me, would ya?

Sunday, October 30, 2011

Day Five

Thirty Days of Thankfulness, Day Five


Today I am thankful for new life.

My nephew (it's a boy!) was born at 8:55am this morning, weighing eight pounds, eight ounces. He is just perfect and beautiful.


Introducing Greer James:

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Congratulations from Tennessee! We can't wait to snuggle him up!

Saturday, October 29, 2011

Day Four

Thirty Days of Thankfulness, Day Four

When I was little, my dad shared his love of nature with me.

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Today I am thankful to be able to share my love of nature with my children.

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All of my kids have ridden in this backpack until they couldn't fit any longer. They have all loved it. During the week, Alayna and I take long walks, where she sings to me, and stares in wonder at the turtles and deer and geese, and tells me stories of nice monsters who fly in airplanes. On Saturdays, I take the older kids along, too. We don't walk quite as far, but they love seeing all the animals and rocks and telling me stories of their own. Sometimes we're all quiet, and sometimes we sing loudly or talk about places we'd like to visit.

Being outdoors is more than just enjoying nature. We enjoy each other, too.

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They always take our walks in the woods as an adventure-there's always something new to see. The leaves are quickly leaving the trees around here, and we've got frost on the ground in the mornings, but in my opinion, it's a SPECTACULAR time of year.

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Friday, October 28, 2011

Day Three

Thirty Days of Thankfulness, Day Three

Today I am thankful for my mom. Here are a few reasons why...

She likes fishing as much as I do.

She is beautiful.

If she goes more than five days without ordering take-out from her favorite Chinese restaurant, they wonder where she's gone.

One time we bought tacos from Taco Bell using only pennies from the change cup in the car.

We occasionally drive over an hour in each direction to play twenty dollars in the slot machines at the casino, which usually takes about ten minutes.

She passed her love of taking pictures on to me.

She fixes any clothes that need repairs, and she can get any stain out of ANYTHING.

If you tell her vacuum is over-priced, you'll get a LIVE demonstration on why it's worth every penny.

She makes the BEST swiss steak and mashed potatoes and gravy On. The. Planet.

She'd do anything for her family.

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Thursday, October 27, 2011

Day Two

Thirty Days of Thankfulness, Day Two

Today I'm thankful for my husband, Jason.

It was a major decision for us to move to Tennessee, but he did what was right for our family and for his career. He is a fabulous father-the kids absolutely adore him. On his very few days off, he always is game for taking us on some sort of adventure. He also understands that this mama needs some ME time every now and then. He's always willing to let me go out and do my thing. I couldn't ask for a better husband.

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Wednesday, October 26, 2011

Thirty Days

Today is October 26, 2011. Just a boring old Wednesday, right?

Let's spice it up, SHALL we?

October 26th is exactly 30 days from Thanksgiving. Your first thought might be one of surprise at how fast the time has flown by, and it has. We get so caught up in our day-to-day lives that it's easy to lose track of the important things-the little things.

Today I'm starting "Thirty Days of Thankfulness" on this blog. For the next thirty days, I'll be posting about the little things (and some big things) I'm thankful for in my life. I challenge you to take a few minutes each day and think about the GOOD things in your life.

On this First Day of Thankfulness, I am thankful for my health and the health of my family. It might seem like a simple thing, but I know so many people struggling with everything from cancer, to diabetes, to eating disorders, to difficult pregnancies, to unexplained illness, to mental illness. These illnesses affect not only the individual, but also their entire family and support network. If you're not facing something like this in your life, it's easy to take your health for granted. Everything can change in the blink of an eye, and I'm thankful for everyday I'm given.

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Monday, October 24, 2011

A Michigan Fall

I spent a week in Michigan.

A crazy, action-packed, non-stop week in Michigan.

We were hurtin' for some family time, and boy, did we get some.

Sunday was a glorious, warm, fall day-the perfect day for a cookout with my sis and her family at my mom and dad's house.

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The cousins were dying to see each other. We Skype here and there, but there's nothing like BEING TOGETHER.

Alayna's best friends are Julia and Adyson.

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And, of course, Greyson and Braden are BFFs, too.

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Monday was my little man Greyson's fourth birthday. You can read all about him here.

He's FOUR now! How the heck did that happen?!

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We let Grey make the choices for the day. First on his list, "Go to the 'smokin alligator mall with Beedee." So, we did. That mall is a great place-it's never crowded, so the kids can go at their own pace, and there's a TON to see without spending any money at all.

We payed our respects to the "smokin alligator" at The Rainforest Cafe:

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And we spent a long time in Bass Pro Shop staring at the fish, and being unruly and loud, getting in and out of all of their boats.

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We said goodbye to Brady and family and headed home for naps before heading out to dinner. Greyson's choice, "Hot dogs down by the river." So, we did. And his grandparents and cousins joined us, too.

It's not a proper trip if you don't hit up the Flushing A for some hot dogs with red sauce and the best root beer ever.

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And when we were totally stuffed from all of the deliciousness, Greyson and cousins had birthday ice cream cones, complete with a candle.

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We've got a happy crew when these cousins are together!

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Next we headed over to the park, where these two boys had a blast hangin' out together, pun intended.

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Greyson got some much-needed Papa time.

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And the girls were attached at the hip.

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For some reason, there's nothing more fun than a park bench...

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Except maybe making angels in the leaves.

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Grey had a great day, and that's what matters, right?

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Tuesday we got up bright and early to head down to Spicer's Orchard for a field trip with Braden's school. There aren't orchards here and the kids were very excited! It was the perfect fall morning, filled with family, and apples, and pumpkins, and donuts, and cider.

Our "part" of the field trip:

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The three littlest ladies:

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A hayride out to pick pumpkins and apples:

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Scouring the field for just the right pumpkin:

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Biting into the best. apple. ever.

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And some horsin' around at the playground:

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Tuesday afternoon, the forces aligned and the grandparents took all the kids from us and my sister and I spent a few carefree hours at IKEA. You might be laughing, but we've been to IKEA with all nine kids before, and I don't really recommend it. It was SO nice to wander here and there and not chase a kid or hold a kid or push a stroller. I didn't even check the time once the entire time I was there. It was fabulous.

Now, after the orchard and an afternoon of shopping, I bet you think I'd be tired, right? Well, I had some adult business to tend to. I've been missing my mama friends since I've moved away and I made sure to put them on my agenda for the week. The laughs and stories we share always fill me up.

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And when this mama's happy, everyone's happy.

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We had spent the first four days and Nene and Papa's house and Wednesday was the day we had to re-group and head over to Nana and Grandpa's house. The weather went from the high 70's to the mid 50's overnight and the true Michigan fall was upon us. Grandpa had picked up some hay and took us around and around (and around) on as many hayrides as the kids wanted. It was chilly, but the kids really enjoyed it!

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On Thursday, the men went golfing and I wrapped up a few things for Greyson's birthday party. That night, we got some MORE adult time with my sister and her hubby and my brother. We had a fabulous dinner at The Woodshop and then went over to Toby Keith's for some country music. Things always get a little goofy with my sister around, and this night was no exception. We always have the BEST time.

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Friday was the day Greyson had been waiting for for MONTHS. It was the best orange birthday anyone could ask for. I'm just going to let the pictures do the talking on this one...

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On our last day in Michigan, we had another big event: The Tillier's annual Halloween Party. This year's theme was "Party Animals". Their party is always great because the adults really get into the Halloween spirit. There's always a TON of food and a TON of fun.

Our family:

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My sis, as Kermit, with Thom as Miss Piggy:

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My mom, as a "party animal" and my dad as a character from "Animal House". Toga, toga!

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My cousin, Jon, as a giant penguin, Siobhan, as a hot cat woman, and my brother as the Trekkie that he is:

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Shane and Dawn with their fabulous homemade costumes:

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Our whole family together:

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I had such a good time in Michigan. I saw so many of our friends and family and did all of the things I love so much about fall. I'm pretty sure these kids had a fabulous time, as well.

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