I didn't want you miss out on this! So we were a little late in the season to find a great pumpkin. We did end up taking a tractor ride..well ya know that was worth it. Can you tell this isn't exactly Quins favorite time of day to be out and about..ya, he was a bit tired.
The Pumkin Patch
I've got your back.
Time with Papa
Happy 30th Birthday Hammy!!




Hamiltons "surprise" birthday small get together. Does that make sense? Anyways, it sounds like he a had a bit of an idea this party was happening. It's hard throwing a surprise anything. Well, he loved it anyways. We had a great time with 3 other couples. Making it a small thing was actually quite nice and now I know why Ham didn't want a huge party. We were able to share memories and laugh hysterically. Love you hun!
...Our Dear Savior was born
Ok..ok..here it is. I know you wanted to see what all the fuss was about.
This pic really does not do it justice. The star I bought separately, nice touch eh. Ever since I've put it up Keena has been talking about Jesus birthday and she's even trying to explain to Quin what the nativity set is all about. Bought at Costco.
Getting crafty
The turkey speaks for itself. Fun, cute, and I will always have a memory of how big Keenas hands and feet were during Thanksgiving 2008. This is one of those things I'd like to make a tradition. Making a turkey with the kids. I've decided most of my dector for the holidays will come from kids crafts. Some times I get in that spirit of wanting to get fall decor or more Christmas decor, then I come to my senses and realize whatever I buy will most likly end up in a garage sale some day and I really do not need it. If that is not enough of a reason, I just am not a nick-nack kind of person. I hate, yes hate clutter. I don't even like my attic to take up space. In fact I just went up there not too long ago to organize it. Ham doesn't get it..ha ha. It drives me nuts knowing I have tons of baby stuff, not being used and taking up space up there. However, I want to keep it for our 3rd child.(No I am not pregnant.)
Ok, back to what I was saying- all of my holiday decor excluding my nativity set(one of the best things I have ever bought) will be my kids crafts. Just another way to instill family tradition and spend time together.
Dec moments
Keena loves to get under the warm laundry. Thanks for your help sis.
I am so blessed to have a daughter and son that adore each other. They love playing together. From the moment Quin wakes up Keena is right there to say, "brother do you want to come play with me." Quin follows her wherever she leads. On this occasion I found them in the closet peaceful as can be as Keena talks to him and includes him in whatever she is doing. Now, I'll be real here...this is not how it always is. They have their quarells but the positive outways the negative by far.
Priceless!
Decorating the Christmas tree




How excited can one girl get about decorating a tree?..really excited. O, she couldn't wait. She didn't want any help either.I had so much fun watching her too. She is also crazy about the lights..just like her mama. I would love to sleep on the couch every night in Dec. just to fall asleep by the shining light of the tree. Keena wants them on all the time. She has been coming out of her room every night to check and see if we have turned the lights off. If we had she'd turn them back on and go back to bed. She believes they need to be on all the time. I get it.
Christmas tree hunt



This is Quins first tree hunt walking. Can't say he was thrilled about it.Keena however was so excited! The first pic there is him striking a pose like his sister does, head tilted to the side. I like getting our tree ASAP after thanksgiving so we can get the most out of the experience. It came down to realizing it was hard to find a day together to go cut a tree down. We almost gave in to the idea of Ham just quickly picking one up, instead we made it happen. Ham took a Wednesday morning off so we could get a tree. I am SO happy he made the time. I really did not want to miss out on that experience with the kids. We are now getting to the point we need to start thinking about family traditions together. It's kind of exciting.
It's very important to me that we create wonderful family moments to look back on. Things we do every year without fail. Things our kids are looking forward to doing every year for all holidays. I believe the Christmas tree hunt is a good start. What is better then getting a freshly cut Christmas tree?? These little adventures are what little kids go crazy for. I believe getting our Christmas tree will be more memorable to them then the gifts they get. I believe making a ginger bread house with mom, decorating the tree, dancing together to Christmas music, and singing happy birthday to Jesus will bring them their memories of joy, not stuff.
Keena and Quin want and NEED our time. A gift they should be receiving year round. Hamilton put it quite nicely. Our kids want to be included in our regular every day activities. It's easy to forget how important WE are to them. To just be attentive and engage in their chatter. I could do a better job of that.
If ya'll have great family traditions, I'd love to hear about it.
Merry Christmas!
perspective...
If you have food in your refrigerator,
clothes on your back, a roof over
your head and a place to sleep,
you are richer than 75% of this world.
If you attend a church meeting
without fear of harassment,
arrest, torture, or death,
you are more blessed than almost
three billion people in the world.
If you have money in the bank,
in your wallet, and spare change
in a dish someplace, you are among
the top 8% of the world's wealthy.
If you woke up this morning
with more health than illness,
you are more blessed than the
million who won't survive the week.
If you have never experienced
the danger of battle,
the loneliness of imprisonment,
the agony of torture or
the pangs of starvation,
you are ahead of 20 million people
around the world.
Ready to go mama

On our way to the gym we go. Quin do you have everything you
need? This is what Quin was walking out to the car with as we were
leaving to work at the gym one day. I just had to grab the camera because I was cracking up...still am. He had about six purses, so funny. I decided to leave all the purses behind and he was ok with that.



















