Thanksgiving, and the aftermath.

This year our Thanksgiving was relatively quiet and uneventful. Chris worked most of the day, so the kids and I put up the Christmas tree, and made way too much food. When Chris came home from work, we enjoyed a nice, calm meal (a rarity in our house) and then went on a short drive in the mountains. The kids were initially disappointed because instead of the traditional turkey, I made a pork roast, but once they ate some, the disappointment seemed to fade. I also served homemade rolls, mashed potatoes and gravy, pumpkin pie, berry turnovers, etc, etc. My favorite part of the day was when we each said what we were most thankful for at dinner, and the kids comments were so candid. Sophie said: "I'm thankful for my mommy and daddy, my baby brother, my other brother, and the other brother, even though he hates me." Nice.
Nicolas, again with the weird smile.

Not my mother's daughter...

I just had to take a picture of this moment. One day last week for lunch, I fed Sophie and Nicolas a can of Spaghettios with meatballs, something I don't do often, but on some days it's just nice to be able to warm up a can of something easy. Spaghettios, or anything from a can or box, was strictly forbidden when I was growing up, due to the immeasurable amounts of phosphates, sorbates, and whatever other preservatives and unnatural ingredients they may contain. I would have killed for a can of Spaghettios, or Kraft Mac and Cheese from a box. What's so funny to me is that these kids took just a couple of bites and then decided they didn't like it. Sophie even asked if I would make some homemade meatballs, instead. I guess I shouldn't complain.

A Proud Mommy Moment.

Sophia won a Halloween coloring contest and received a $50 savings bond! She was so excited. Here's a picture of her with the bank manager. Such a sweet girl.

For you, Shawcroft!

I came across this photo when I was doing some organizing this morning. I just had to laugh when I considered the irony - Chris, er, uh, I mean "Elder Bake", actually took this picture! (He he!) Good old Apple Valley, California. Do you ever wonder what has happened with Marissa?

She will be loved.

I suppose it's a testament to her sense of security and self-assuredness that my only daughter's mantra for the day is "Happy Birthday to ME!" I'm glad to know she feels that way. She is such a special girl, so vibrant, talkative, sensitive, spiritual, eager to please, and one of the most loving children I've ever seen. Since she's been in Kindergarten, the one piece of feedback I've consistently gotten from teachers and other school staff is that she is SO different from her two older brothers! She's not shy at all, always willing to talk to anyone about anything, she's friendly to everyone and always happy, and she is very generous with her hugs. We had cake and ice cream last night, since Chris was home, and she didn't seem to mind at all that my attempt at a "castle cake" was a little weird looking. (Thanks for the idea, by the way, Jennifer G., but yours turned out so much cuter!) Anyway, happy birthday, my sweet Sophie girl!

Licking the bowl.

This was Nick's contribution to making a cake for Sophie's birthday tomorrow. That was always my favorite part as a kid, too.
Right now I'm listening to the most unusual sound. It's unfamiliar to me, yet oh so welcome. Nick's taking a nap, Chris is at work, the other kids are in school, and I hear - nothing! All I can say is, aaahhhh...

Watching cows.

Here are a few pictures of Nicolas watching as some ranchers herded some cows past our house on the main road. Nicolas can still only say a handful of words, but when he says "cow", it's so funny because he enunciates it very clearly. He loves cows and it was funny to see him watching and listening so intently as the mooing reverberated through the house. Sorry the picture quality isn't that great, the lighting was weird and the cows were moving, of course, so they're a little blurry.