Thankful...

I can't help but to take some time to reflect on what it is that I am thankful for this year. This year has been good for us and we have enjoyed our family so much this year...

I am thankful for ......

• Heavenly father for providing all of the things below!
• A family to love and spend time with.
• A husband who is so kind to his wife.
• three beautiful healthy children.
• A great job... not sure my students are all thankful for the workload I impress on them but I am doing my best. Someday they will thank me.
• Grandparents to spoil my children.
• A warm house to call home.
• warm food to eat.
• Friends, cousins and aunts and uncles to visit with.
• a clean house at the end of the day (well some days cleaner than others)

All aboard!!

Carson did not venture from this spot to see the train. His eyes got so big when the train came by us.
Have tickets, will travel!

We went on an adventure with Mema, Aunt Stacey, John, Sam, Max, Aunt Kristi, Parker and our family on the train to Hanford. We went on Veterans day because the kids did not have to go to school and we were all off work. We rode the amtrak down (about a 30 minute trip) ate lunch, played at the park, had icecream at Superior Dairy and then played a bit more and then came back. It made for a very long day but the kids had fun. It was alittle stressful getting on and off the train because they do not wait for nothing. They stop open the doors and in probably three to five minutes they are gone again. Makes it hard when traveling with all the strollers and babies but we managed just fine.

cousins

My cousin's daughter Maryann was just so sweet with Jackson, she was wanting to share everything with him and hold him. Of course, what is Carson holding??? His Thomas
Parker 9 months, Madison 3 years, Alyssa 8 months, Kayleigh 17 months, Brooklin 16 months, Carson 2 years, Maryann 2 1/2 years and Jackson 3 months

My counsin was visiting from Indiana and we thought it would be a good idea to get all of the cousins together and attempt to take a picture with them all. It was an adventure. There were 8 kids and the oldest is three... It was fun just to see all the kids playing together

Happy Halloween Party

Firefighter Carson without the hat
Pirate Sam and his doctor sweetheart

my chubby little pumpkin. The costume stayed on for about five minutes that is all, good thing I didn't have to buy anything, he had it from Carson's first Halloween. Now we are ready to hand it down.

That is my cute surgeon doctor, aka Madison

We had such a fun Halloween. Mema and Papa D had a Halloween party and everyone showed up for the festivities. The kids played games, we ate pizza and snacked the night away, we had a costume parade (or at least that is what we called it), went trick or treating and had fun with family. Carson was so cute trick or treating, he wanted to go into everyone's houses. He would just stand there and look at the person opening the door, often times asking them to "open it" referring to his lollipops that were deposited into his pumpkin. We had a blast and am so grateful that we have such a big family to share special times with.

Pumpkins, Pumpkins and Pumpkins oh my!!

Madi, Emma and Gracie making the pumpkins come to life!

Lily carving her pumpkin at our home

This is how the babies enjoyed the pumpkin carving festivities, can't believe how big they are all getting!

Our families pumpkin is in the middle, the one with the huge eyes!

deciding on the shape of our eyes!

Carson was very fascinated, but would not touch it

We had so much fun around Halloween carving Pumpkins, we did carve pumpkins on two different nights. One I did with both big kids and the other Madison did with Emma and Aunt Mel. Carson just colored a pumpkin the second night. He would rather play and was having fun just coloring his face so we let him be. I love fall, the cool weather and many opportunities to be together and do stuff as a family.

Happy Halloween

Halloween 2008. Carson was just one year old and was Mickey Mouse. Madison was two and was Minnie Mouse. We had fun matching the kids.
Carson just one month old. He was the cutest pumpkin. Can't wait for Jackson to wear the same outfit tonight so we can get some pictures.

The Duo

Hard to tell from the picture but Madison, age 1, was a lady bug

Madi's first Halloween, a little kitty, too cute

I was looking back over some pictures from previous Halloweens and couldn't resist posting about how much my children have changed and grown. It is hard to believe that I am the mother of three beautiful children, they bless me each day and I am so thankful for them. We have had fun carving pumpkins, finger painting with orange paint, reading fall and Halloween stories, going to the pumpkin patch and talking about fall. This will be the first year that we actually go "trick or treaking" Last year we maybe went to five houses and that was too much. Now the kids are bigger and will start to enjoy it. I know how my children have sweet teeth. Mommy is going to need to hide the candy before we go home or they will want to eat it ALL. This year we are dressing up as a doctor (Madison), Firefighter (Carson) and a Pumpkin for the littlest Sly.

So Proud!!

Tonight marks the third night that Carson has gone to sleep without coming out of his bed to come visit us. We decided that he needed to transfer to his twin bed so Jackson could use the crib and it was going horribly until my wonderful husband suggested that we make the crib a toddler bed and let him sleep there for a couple of weeks then let him sleep in his twin bed. At first I thought I would have another Madison, the first two night he kept coming out saying "me get out!!" so Scott would go in and lay with him in his twin bed until he went to sleep. He has laid down now on his own and has not come out of his bed. Scott threatened that if he came out that he could not sleep with his Thomas train and he must have believed us because he is sound asleep without even attempting to come out. I am so proud of my little boy, he has big shoes to fill to grow up so fast so that Jackson can be the baby. Jackson has been sleeping through the night now for about 6 weeks so it is time he get used to the crib. My boys are both growing up so fast, makes me a little sad but happy that they are all doing so well. Now if Madi would go to bed alone and in her own bed at bedtime life would be great. So proud of my little Carson!!