Traditions Continued...

A lot has happened in the last 2 weeks! Brianna and Brice have both said several times, "This is the Best Day Ever!" There is just so much fun to be had...

Nutcracker

As a little girl and now as an adult... a mommy, I love to dance, watch dance, watch my daughter dance and watch my daughter watch dance! Last year I took Brianna to the Nuckcracker, just the two of us girls, a night out on the town. This year when I showed Brianna the tickets and told her we were going again, she was jumping for joy. She had such a wonderful time, we sat in the front row of the Balcony and she was mesmerised. She said she was learning some new moves to try out :) She enjoyed the show very much, but I think most of all she liked dressing up fancy and having that special evening out with mom. This is a Tradition that I hope she will always look forward to.

GO BEAVS

We have always enjoyed watching Beaver Football games, and this year Brice and Brianna have been a little more into it. It has been fun having family and friends over for the games and cheering on our favorite team, even if they don't win.

They are definitely the cutest Beaver fans I have seen!

Thanksgiving

Thanksgiving is a time to reflect on your life, how it has turned out and all of the things you are thankful for. This year as I did that, I was overflowing with things, people, memories and experiences that I am thankful for. I asked each of the kids what they were thankful for and got assorted answers from family, animals & friends to toys and other material things. Brianna is beginning to understand that not everyone has the same things she does and a lot of the things that we take for granted. Teaching my children to appreciate the small things is very important to me. It doesn't matter how many Barbies or tools one has, it is the love that is shared and the important people who we get to share our love with that is most important. Being compassionate is a quality that not everyone has, being greedy and taking things for granted is so easy to do. I only hope that Brian and I role model that giving spirit, through my job, all of the work that Brian does for Special Olympics, donating canned food and doing our part to help someone who is less fortunate than us. Brianna and Brice are a part of all of that and I hope it will help teach strong values and compassion to my children.

This Thanksgiving will be one that I remember forever, every part of the day seemed so fun & so perfect. We got to spend it with many family members, had good food and good conversation & the kids had good fun!

Thanksgiving morning I went outside and snipped a few cuttings from a few of our evergreen trees & Brice and Brianna helped me make a few centerpieces to go on the dinner tables. I was pretty proud of the way they turned out!

Brianna & I wore our matching aprons. She helped me all morning prepare the turkey and other food for the day. After she asked how they kill the turkey and Really wanted to know... I told her & timing was just right because I pulled out the neck and gizzards - she was thoroughly disgusted. She continued to help me but said she didn't want to eat any of the Turkey. Later she did :) Brianna set the tables and was an excellent helper.

We had 19 people all together & it was just perfect. Everyone brought delicious things to share and I was so happy to see so many people in my house having such a good time.

Date Night!

So I guess this is the last Birthday I will claim for the rest of my life. I will be 29 on Wed. For my Birthday, Brian arranged for the kids to spend the night with Grams and Papa so we could go to the Casino for the Night. It was so much fun! Brian pampered me and made sure I had a great time playing those slot machines. I feel so lucky that 14 years ago he saw me in my front yard, allowed me to fall in love with him & continues to show me why we are soul mates. It is not often that we get away and don't take the kids with us. It was the perfect Birthday present.

Brianna attempted to take a picture of us... she got several, however they were either blurry, someones head was cut off or just plain bad pictures. Here is a shot Brian took.

It is Starting To Look A Lot Like Christmas!

I can't explain the feeling I have inside my body when I hear Christmas music, go shopping for gifts, see Christmas lights, you know - all of the things that go with Christmas. I love it! We spent the morning outside putting up all the lights. Brianna and Brice were excellent helpers, as you can see :)

Then we spent the afternoon decorating the inside of the house. Hot Cocoa, Christmas music playing, Rudolph on TV, all that is missing is the tree...I only have to wait 1 more week for that.