I'm thankful for...EVERYTHING!

We made a game out of this for Sam and Erica. We'd ask them what they were thankful for and tried to see how many things they could come up with. They gave some typical answers like Ice cream, Mommy and Daddy, Trees, and Candy. But Sam gave us one really profound answer... "Love". We are so thankful (and lucky) to have so many people around us (and far away too) that love us, and I am so grateful that we have room in our hearts to love so many people in return!

Erica also gave what I thought was a pretty profound answer for a 3 year old. She is thankful for "everything"! That answer could be taken as an easy way out but I don't think so. We always need to be mindful of how lucky we are to have all the small things that we don't normally think about. Because "everything" can so easily be taken away from us in no time at all. So I agree with my kids. I learn so much from them and I am grateful for that too.

We were supposed to be Team Edward but wow...

So I will probably never again pay 40 dollars for a movie ticket...especially if it is for a midnight showing on opening night. Yeah we got some neat stuff (an Edward t-shirt, free popcorn, two drinks, junior mints, lots of pictures of him, and some other odds and ends) but that was a long wait in line and a ton of people to deal with. However, I really did enjoy the girls night out. Dinner was fun and the movie was good too. It made me laugh though 'cause even in the Edward theamed theatre Jacob still got some cat calls and swooning when he took of his shirt the first time. That's one good looking wolf.

Nice pictures huh (I forgot my camera so this is taken by my phone). The last one is pretty good considering I just held the camera out in front of us and pushed the button not knowing what was in the frame.

The Best House on the Block!

Or at least that was what every trick-or-treater who came to our door said. Here are some pics, sorry we didn't get any night time pictures. We were busy trick-or-treating, hosting a party, and being a grim reaper puppeteer all at the same time.And can you believe that Cameron threw that all together in one short week? He sure has a talent for this stuff.

Halloween (Sorry I'm a whole Holiday behind)!

I'm so sorry that I'm so far behind but here are some fun pictures from Halloween. We each did our own pumpkins. Cameron is such a pro at this...can you tell which one is his?

Sam was such a big girl, she did her pumpkin all by herself. She designed it, gutted it, even stuck with cutting it out and finishing it off. We were very proud.
Erica designed her own but Cameron and I both helped her cut it out.
And this was fun...Cameron learned a neat new way to cut the tops off each pumpkin.

My excuse....

So I have a bunch of pictures and I totally need to update my blog and do some new posts but here's my excuse...my shift has changed at work again and it is not good for my family life. However, it was this option or lose my job...so now I have to work evenings on Sunday thru Wednesday. I am still trying to adjust everything so I can spend some time with my kids (and husband) on those days, plus get all my housework and other errands done. It is really weird let me tell ya. HUGE thanks to Cameron for stepping up and taking on the responsibilities of homework monitor for Sam, Cook for all of them, and even putting the girls to bed on those nights. I love you!

To make matters worse...we are all sick (it seems the whole world is sick these days). But wow...the swine flu that Erica (and possibly myself) had a month ago was an absolute cake walk compared to this nasty head cold that we all have now. We've all been sick for 10 days or more and it's miserable having a constant sore throat and coughing all the time. But enough about that. I will try my best to get some happier news posted in the near future.

This is how Dad puts the kids to bed.

Mom's technique is to be all serious and business like...first we get pajama's on, next it's time to brush our teeth, then a bedtime story and finally kisses good night. But dad's technique is to get them as rowdy as possible with lots of tickling and tackling.

Next we race to see who can get PJ's on first, and then to tuck them in he has them lay down on the bed and he bounces them up and down until their brains are jiggling around in their heads, and then it's time for kisses and hugs (we can't forget those). So who's technique works best? Amazingly enough they both work very well. =0) But it sure fills my heart clear to bursting with love for my husband and those beautiful children we made.