Our Thanksgiving

Getting a bath in the sink.

Snuggling on the couch.

Our Thanksgiving was restful and relaxing. The girls had the whole week off school...they loved it, I loved having nowhere to be at 8:15 a.m. We spent lots of time together as a family and it felt so good to be together and enjoy each other. We spent 4 days at Shaver and soaked up our time in the mountains. We took lots of walks, watched lots of football, listened to lots of Christmas music, and fixed lots of yummy meals. Tomorrow's craziness and routines will quickly be here and the holiday will be over. Can't wait for Christmas vacation.

This is how I feel today...

Look at that sidewalk!

The girls and Kyle (our neighbor) chalked up the sidewalk again. I loved the way it turned out!

Ellie's feast

The feast and 40 kindergarteners.

What a cute pilgrim!

"I am thankful for my house."

Ellie's class had their Thanksgiving feast yesterday. They all dressed up as Indians or Pilgrims, it was so cute! She wasn't much of a risk taker with the feasty food. She ate a few bites of turkey and the cornbread muffin. She wouldn't try the mashed potatoes because they had gravy on them, the green beans, the stuffing or anything else on her plate. I guess she gets her picky eating from me, but let me tell you she ate up the pumpkin pie topped with whipped cream, that's my kind of girl.

I hate it, I hate it, I hate it...

I hate doing laundry!!! Laundry is probably the most mundane task I have as a mother. I hate it (did I say that already?)! On any given day you can find piles of clean clothes all over my couch. We recently purchased a new washer and dryer after our old washer quit working. It's fun and exciting having new machines, pedistals and all the new, fun buttons but guess what? I still hate doing the laundry! I do okay washing it, but after that I start slipping, I hate to fold it all, and even more I hate to put all the piles away. My older girls are pretty good at putting away their laundry but it's all the other laundry that overwhelms me. It takes me days to get it folded and put away, and then it's time to start all over and wash it again. I guess it's so mundane because it's never done, as soon as one hamper is empty, another is filling up. Do you do laundry on certain days, or everyday? Do you wash, fold, and put away after every load? I need some serious advice and inspiration. Tell me what works for you and how I can get out of the laundry black hole.

Have you started your Christmas shopping?

It's the middle of November and I'm sad to say I have not done ANY Christmas shopping. I dream of being this put together mom of four who has it all done by Halloween but that is simply a dream because I have never done that and probably never will. I made the list of who we need to buy for, but that's as far as I've gotten. I'm thinking you will all make me feel better by telling me you haven't started either or I will sink into a depression when you all tell me you're finished and it's all wrapped ready to go. Don't worry I can handle it!

A Trip to the Zoo

My troop

The whole troop

Sam's troop, Kevin & Marky

Ellie smiling BIG.


Grace enjoying her ride in the stroller.

We spent our Veteran's Day morning at the zoo. The girls were in strange moods that urged me to get them out of the house for a couple hours. The funk continued with incessant whining and bickering with each other, but thankfully I had Sam to talk to. Thanks Sam for a fun idea and getting me out, had I stayed home I might have gone crazy. Sam shared some zoo trivia she learned with me, "Elephants are pregnant for 22 months, and their babies weigh between 200 and 300 pounds." I bet that's a fact you didn't know....Makes 40 weeks and 8 or 9 pounds sound like a breeze.

My Weekend

Well this weekend I celebrated my 33rd birthday. Josh's parents agreed to watch the girls overnight so we could get away. We left at about 11 a.m. on Saturday morning and headed to Oakhurst, only about an hour from Fresno. We stayed at the Houndstooth Inn, we've stayed there several times over the last couple years. We had a room with a warm, cozy fireplace and a gigantic bath tub with jets. I let the stress of the world roll off me as I soaked, read, relaxed, laughed, and talked with Josh. I can't think of a better way to spend 24 hours. I treasure times like this when we get to reconnect. Thank you Nana & Papa for babysittng, you're truely a blessing to us!

We also had the privledge of attending our friend, Todd's 40th birthday/military retirement party in Coasregold on Saturday evening. We had such a nice time celebrating with friends. What a milestone for Todd!

Thanks...
-to all the friends/family who called , texted, or made a point of telling me happy birthday, you're so sweet to remember
-Heather for bringing me a caramel machiato Sunday evening just for my b-day
-to my daughters for picking out the most awesome waffle maker any mom could ever want
-Nana & Papa for allowing Josh and me to get away
-Josh for buying me a new washer and dryer even though I know that goes against everything you believe in (no appliances as gifts). I can't wait to blog about laundry and my new appliances this week.

A Quiet Evening at Home

Josh attended a fundraising dinner for a Christian organization tonight. The best part? He offered to take Addie and Ellie with him. They were so excited. They both got on pretty dresses and requested a braid in their hair. I should have taken a picture, it was cute. Olivia, Grace, and I had a quiet evening at home. I was trying to think of all the great ideas I had for my next post, but really I don't have any great ideas, just contentment with my life today. What are simple, everday things you find contentment in?