choosing

my sweet j in his thanksgiving play.  

the night before, his brother was puking, so i missed it.  but, aunt rebecca got to go and took pics for me!  he's so big!!!

there's this ham!

hanging out with friends!

nora making a new friend, and sledding!

so much fun...

the boys...

snow babies!  my kids were out for over 2 hours!!

they loved it...

this kid.  he didn't get to go out!!!

and, the kids put on a performance!  nora has no stage fright!

we went up to see some old family friends/friends from college. it was so much fun!  the kids loved the snow.  it dawned on me as chris touched the snow so carefully that it was his FIRST time really seeing snow!!!  it was the day that will be remembered for a LONG time!!!

we had a great thanksgiving.  i am not sure i took many pics.  but, it was fun to be so surrounded by family!

oh my...

Photo cred:  CMH Design

Oh my- remember when I lived in hawaii.  when our hands weren't chapped.  when our toes didn't freeze?  when i just had to make sure my kids had some type of shoe/sandal for their feet?  when i didn't have to fight them over the numerous layers they had to wear just to get out the door???

i am missing hawaii today.  as i rubbed lotion on jamey's cracking, red hands this morning (to his chagrin!), he asked why this happened.  i told him it was because we didn't live in hawaii anymore.  he said he wanted to go back there!  sweet boy.  we all do!

and chris, sweet chris.  i don't know if i have mentioned, but about a month ago, i found a tick on his head as i was tucking him in for nap.  it was full and plump.  engorged is the word they use.  and we pulled it off.  and took it in to get tested, because we live in new england now.  and, it had lyme disease.  

so, now we wait.  his preliminary blood work came back negative.  but we will repeat it in six weeks. but, everything that happens makes me question- is it because he's... or because he's got lyme?

like today, when he started puking.  is it because he's got the flu?  (gosh, i have never prayed so hard for someone else in our family to start puking, just so i would be convinced it's the flu!!!)

or when he's extra cranky and throwing tantrums.  is it cause he's 2 1/2?  or lyme?

and that's when i usually start praying.  and trusting God.  i know that he could still have lyme, but God knew that first!  

so, i am off to put more lotion on my dry, cracked, freezing cold hands.  please, i know it's going to get worse before spring.  just don't tell me today!  

another week...

beets and pomegranate make an interesting look...

nora trying to help chris.  and yes, we keep forgetting socks!

trying to ft my bro.  but this face was so cute!!!

he gets so stoked when i try to FaceTime when he's around (little b, not my bro!).  

his body starts moving so fast...  he loves it!

did i ever post this of all the cousins?

or this?

and this amazing pic.  so glad it was found!!!  (but, man, i miss that blond hair!)

teaching his girl backgammon.  and she won!  i love watching her grow up.  

and yes, chris got a haircut!

vets.

nora came home from school with two notes.  here they are (as written by her):

Dear dad,
  I love that you are in the Navy.  You're so good at it.  Thank you!  Thank you for you're bravery and hard choices.  Thank you for keeping our country free.  Thak you for earning money for our family.  I'm inpresed with your hard work.  Thanks for trying your best, when making hard choices.

Your dauter,
Nora

Dear Mom.
  I love you. Thank you for serving our country, (even though you don't serve anymore). But I still love you.  I'm inspierd by your hard work.  I'm happy your my mom.  You're so good at being a mom.  Thanks for your hard work.  I love the picturs in your room of you and your mom and your grandmother in the Navy.  Thank you for your bravery.

Your dauter,
Nora

another day...

eating his first chicken.  at chick-fil-a.  

such a smiley boy.  having fun!!!

playing at the children's museum.

so fun!

the steam table!

my future engineer.  he was so frustrated cause the other kids kept messing up what he was doing!!!

wanted his picture on the cow.  

and oh my, when she posed.  this is the tame version!  told her she couldn't look so old!

the tornado bin.

so, we were at the children's museum yesterday.  nora and i were playing on this big game of mancala up at a table.  james kept wanting to play and i asked him not to.  then, two other kids came up and tried to mess up the game.  putting pieces in where they shouldn't.  i asked them not to, and they usually responded not super respectfully.  this one kid, however, did what i asked him not to.  then when i called him out on it, STUCK HIS TONGUE out at me.  (and he was older than nora!)  oh my goodness, was i appalled.  so help me if i ever find out my child acts that way to another grown up!!!  

fun to have a day off in the middle of the week.  and now back to normal life!!!

ps... my husband's love language is serving.  and oh how does he serve!  i came back to such a clean house, but he has been doing so much all weekend.  man am i feeling loved (and a little like a slacker!!!)

it's fall...

i got away with some girls for a women's conference...

the conference was at the xl center in hartford.  where the huskies play.  don't mind the cheesy pic- i knew d would be so happy!!!

the kids found a love of the game spud this fall!

my sweet boy...

another sweet boy!

the brandons!

look at those leaves!!!

he wasn't thrilled about his jacket.  reminded me of "the christmas story"

as an aside... see how blurry his feet are?  it's cause they NEVER. STOP. MOVING!!!

yeah... so not thrilled!!!

my big boy!!!

today was family fun day.  it was veteran's day.  (as an aside- thanks to all who have served.  have so many good friends and am so thankful for this life!)  we started with haircuts for 2 boys.  then operation Christmas child shopping.  lunch, followed by "big hero 6" for the big kids and dad.  then the children's museum.  and then chick-fil-a.  so much fun!!!  

then... d and i had a date night at home.   we watched a movie!  it feels like a saturday- weird to be going back to real life tomorrow!!  but, thankful for a fun day!!!  and the freedom to have this fun day!

one more thing...

kids and i were talking about operation shoebox recently.  we have done it before and kids have responded interestingly!  nora wanted to buy refrigerators because i said no to magnets since they may not have fridges.  james we have taken kicking and screaming out of the store when he couldn't get a toy.  anyway...

this year i was talking about doing it, so that we bless kids that won't get presents.  dang those kids growing up, but nora commented that they would get some, because santa would bring them some.  or does santa not bring presents to them.  how to answer....

yes.  my kids believe in santa.  

newness...

our new quilt/duvet cover.  finally done!!!

i don't think this represents how choppy and stormy it was last weekend.  

halloween.  a post-trick-or-treating movie with friends.

checking off projects.  a dress, but nora tried it on over clothes!

playing at church...

making a sandwich!

i went away for the weekend.  and have decided that david is a better "mom" than i am!  i came home to the most clean house and happy children.  i might just go away more often!

november... rain and snow!

sweet boy starting swimming lessons!

he wanted to get in the pool.  bad!

cheering on the cavs.  been awhile (5 years) since i could say that!

sweet baby!

his new box.  he loved it!

how we greeted the trick-or-treaters!  the kids loved him!

well, i have seen rain and a few snowflakes so far this november.  man.  kids and i are missing hawaii something fierce!  but it's been good.  

nora has improved so much at gymnastics.  she routinely doesn't walk, but does cartwheels throughout the house.  and tonight during devotions was listening while doing headstands.  and she told me she was discouraged because this younger girl was better.  

a weekend...

playing "just dance" last weekend.  i was honored that the girls asked me to join!

more playing wii...  c tried to play along!

(the other boys were played next door!)

hanging out at the park!

flying his plane!!  there's this park we went to when we first moved here.  c has been asking, EVERY. TIME. WE. PASS IT. to go back there.  so, we went last saturday.  it was so much fun!!  freeze tag.  balance beam contests.  sunsets!

flying with my boy!

my pretty girl at church!

twirling!!!  she's getting so grown up.  but i love when she still is little and girly!

out on a walk with the whole gang!  we were up in boston!

this kid.  and his cheese!

friends!  i love them...

what a weekend.  i saw my first few white flakes today.  yuck.  it's been wicked cold, with gale force like winds.  and rain.  a good weekend for chicken soup and apple cider.  and snuggling!  oh, and a chick fil a and movie night with my man!!!