What we’ve been up to this summer…
Just kidding– we’re busy. Verrrrry busy.
Making memories with cousins.
Playing Basketball.
Trying out baby toys he missed out on.
Swimming.
Helping a cousin celebrate her birthday.
New teeth coming in, before the old one comes out.
Learning new skills.
Adoring the baby cousin’s Elvis lip.
That’s our jam-packed, lots of fun summer so far.
Aaron’s sister got married this weekend.
Very exciting!
Reed and Lena had the honor of being a ringbearer and flower girl.
I had to pay them each 50 cents to “hug” for this picture. Later when I told someone else that Reed said, “and it was terrible. I was allergic.” For the record, I don’t normally bribe them, but I couldn’t resist getting a sweet picture of them dressed up.
Gus was very bummed he wasn’t asked to be a ringbearer. Actually, he just hates tuxedos. Especially the shoe part.
Fortunately, I was able to coax a smile out of him.
She was so happy to be a flower girl.
Gus was all better once we ditched the pants.
The simple joys of being 5!
And lastly, as I said on Facebook, sometimes it’s best to just take the girl and leave your pants.
We spent Thanksgiving at Aaron’s parents house. I left my computer at home, and while I planned to just blog when we got home, I got a little further behind than I planned.
(Reed and Lena are in there.)
Day 22: Today, I’m thankful for books. I love reading– for the entertainment and to learn new things. It’s a fun way to get a perspective of something that I wouldn’t otherwise understand. My two favorites that I’ve read recently are the Handmaid’s Tale and Kitchen House.
Day 23: I’m thankful for my warm, comfy bed. I was definitely missing it on Friday!
Day 24: 2 years ago today, we met Reed and Lena for the first time. Today, I’m thankful for Reece’s Rainbow, the organization which helped us find our children. And I’m thankful for Sasha, our facilitator in Ukraine, who held our hands for the Ukrainian side of things.
Day 25: Today, I’m thankful for the internet. I use it for connecting with family and friends who live far away, for shopping, for my business, etc. I don’t know if we would have adopted, or at least not at this point in our lives, without the help of internet research. It is so helpful for so much.
Day 26: I’m thankful for medical care and insurance. One of the kids had to take a trip to the doctor today for an ear infection. It was very quick, easy and inexpensive to get what we needed and I’m thankful for that!
Day 27: Today, I’m thankful for warm winter clothes. We definitely needed them this morning with a temperature of 10 degrees Fahrenheit when I took Reed to school!
Today, I’m thankful for my two awesome sisters. I am missing them today, since I’d love to be getting ready for Thanksgiving with them. I admire both of my sisters a ton.
My oldest sister, Nicole, is a domestic queen. She cooks, bakes and sews, all while being a mom to 6. She also works very hard to make sure that her family eats healthy, avoiding processed foods. Nicole is also an incredibly loving person– she is very patient with her kids and everyone in her life. And, I can always count on her to listen when I need it. I love having kids about the same age as hers. One of my nephews is right in between Reed and Lena in age, and another is just a few months older than Gus. We can always commiserate about 5 year olds or toddlers.
My sister Lisa was my biggest role model in school. I was glad that she was 6 years older than me, because she set the bar high and I could hope that teachers had forgotten about her or didn’t connect us by the time I came around. We didn’t get along as kids– at all. Yet, I secretly admired her. I would copy her, but try not to make it too obvious. I’d go into her room when she was not around and steal her clothes and books. I even went to a college that she had gone to for a bit, but I should have learned from her mistaken, since we both transferred out.
Not exactly the most flattering picture of any of us, but one of the only ones I could find.
Hm, is that better?
Happy Thanksgiving! Miss you. Play some Apples to Apples and Balderdash for me.
This morning, as I got dinner ready to put in the crockpot, I thought how fortunate I am to know how to cook and bake. Today’s meal was chicken noodle soup… it began yesterday with a whole chicken for dinner and then overnight was broth and then today I made it into chicken noodle soup. It may sound intimidating, but it’s really quite simple once you do it a couple of times.
My mom is the person to thank for my love of cooking… well, perhaps and my husband and his voracious appetite. Cooking from scratch was the norm in our house growing up. I watched my mom make roasts and soups. She baked breads and cookies and cakes. Some of the coolest cakes I’ve seen were the ones that my mom made– no, they weren’t professional with fondant, but one year she made my sister a swimming pool cake with teddy grahams in bikinis. So cute. And she’d make me whatever kind of cake I requested– Pocahontas and Tweety bird are 2 that I remember. I bake often and now I understand what dedication it was to frost and carefully, beautifully decorate those cakes.
In the first few years of living on my own, I remember calling her often to get her help with various tasks. Over the phone, she walked me through some kitchen debacles I don’t even remember now. Whenever I have a problem, she will either tell me the answer or google it.
Lest you think my mom is solely talented in the kitchen, I have learned much more than that from her. That woman has driven limousines and box trucks, tackled my childhood home’s bug-infested crawl space, built my sister a deck, sewed me dresses as a child and curtains as an adult and then taught me how to use a sewing machine myself. She dyed my hair and would curl and pin it for all of the school dances. I remember one year she braided my sister’s hair in one of those beautiful Dutch milkmaid braids while we were at the beach. The things she can do seem unlimited and I know my tired brain is now forgetting much more than I can recall. But, to sum it up, when I think of my desire to learn new things and do things for myself, I know where I get it.
So, today, I’m thankful for my mom. I’m thankful for all of the things that she taught me, but most of all what she taught me by example.
a moose in moscow 