Thankful and Then Some!

 Happy Thanksgiving!  We spent the day with both sides of the family at my parents' house.  It was so nice having only one place to celebrate today and not having to drive to multiple locations.  This was the first year we tried this and it went swimmingly.  The kids had a blast spending the day with both sets of grandparents and Mema.  Katie came up from Charlotte for the weekend as well.

So thankful for my sweet family

Turkey, dressing, sweet potato casserole, mashed potatoes, green beans, and other yummy things to eat

Time to eat

Dessert

Getting pedicures from Aunt Katie

Trick or Treat!

Yay for kids all decked out in adorable costumes! We did our traditional soup dinner before heading out to collect candy. Both sets of our parents came over, as did my brother, Andy, and Nathan's grandma. It was just the right amount of coolness to make trick-or-treating fun. Afterwards, the kids came in to sort their candy and enjoy a nice cup of hot chocolate with marshmallows. How did your evening turn out?

Enjoying chili and potato soup

Jacob with his pumpkin

Emmaline with hers

And, here's Ellie

Getting candy from Mr. Tod

And from Ms. Cathy

Grandma, Emmaline, and Mimi

Happy Halloween!

Carving Pumpkins

This has to be one of my least favorite parts of Halloween. I would be completely happy just having a few nice pumpkins sitting on the front porch, sans the carved faces. I hate the way pumpkin goop feels and the way it dries on my skin and makes me itch. However, because I love my children, I will indulge them in this yearly tradition because it makes them happy.

Clearly, this is NOT my child, as I hate the feel of pumpkin guts!

Emmaline does it my way with a spoon

Jacob thought it was fun to wear it on his hand as a giant fist

Jacob's "Angry Bird" pumpkin

Emmaline's "Green Pig"

Ellie went the traditional route

AWANA Trunk or Treat

The kids had truck or treat at AWANA tonight. It was fun dressing up and collecting LOTS of candy. And, it was a good trial run for the real thing next week. Normally, this event is held outside, but due to the impending rain, they opted to move it indoors. The kids loved roaming the church halls with their friends as they filled their bags with sugary goodness.

Haz-mat Suit Jacob

Pumpkin Fairy Gabrielle

Pumpkin Fairy Emmaline

Getting candy from Papaw

Checking out his loot

So many choices!

Emmy was more interested in this dog, than in her candy

Happy Turkey Day!

Happy Thanksgiving! We have so much to be thankful for...today, it is family and food! I'm thankful that we live close enough to celebrate with our families (both sets of parents live within a couple of miles of our home). I'm thankful for the food God provides for us to enjoy on this day (and for a husband that works hard to earn the money to purchase said food). I'm thankful for a warm home to celebrate this day. I'm also thankful for a mom who loves to cook for her family!

Sai and Katie

The Dinner Table

The Kids' Table

Emmaline snuggled in for a post-meal nap with Mimi

Happy Halloween!

Tonight was Halloween, so we did the traditional soup dinner before the kids headed out for Trick-or-Treat. Both sets of our parents and Nathan's grandma joined us for the occasion. The kids wore the same costumes that they did to AWANA, but the girls decided to trade dresses. For Ellie, the highlight was getting her princess make-up done by Aunt Katie.

Jacob

Ellie, all made-up

Emmy Kate

Family Photo

Katie sorted the candy for us

Pumpkin Carving

Today was pumpkin-carving day. This is one of my least favorite parts of fall...I hate the sticky, gooey pumpkin guts that stick to your arms and make you itch. However, since I love my children, I suck it up for their sake. Jacob and Ellie had fun drawing out their designs before we started the actual carving. Thankfully, they didn't want anything elaborate!

Ellie draws her pumpkin design

Jacob scoops out the pumpkin guts

Ellie with her princess pumpkin complete with heart eyes, nose and lips

Emmaline imitates her pumpkin

Jacob and Daddy came up with this cool design

AWANA Trunk-or-Treat

Tonight the kids had Trunk-or-Treat at AWANA. Conveniently, their costumes all went together this year. Jacob was a templar knight and Ellie and Emmaline were princesses.

Princess Emmaline

Knight Jacob

Princess GabrielleIt didn't take Emmaline long to get the hang of things