Thankful Days 10-21

 November 10

Thankful: for a family day

  November 11

Thankful: my girls have such an involved dad

 November 12

Thankful: for his love and the smell of his new bed

 November 13

Thankful: for a working microwave

 November 14

Thankful: for a nice warm house and cozy bed

 November 15

Thankful: for her love of school and dream of being a teacher

November 16

Thankful: for cousins and getting to eat a slice of pie at 10:30

November 17

Thankful: for new friends and birthday parties

 November 18

Thankful: that my girls know Jesus as their savior

 November 19

Thankful: for exploding biscuits, funny books and Ash's giggles

November 20

Thankful: I serve a living God

 November 21

Thankful: for a stay at home day making pies with my girls

I stopped doing my daily IG thankful pictures after this.

Our family was going through a very difficult time. 

Not that I wasn't still thankful because even though the days seemed dark and I was hurting I was thankful, thankful God was there with me.  Thankful I could lean on him.  Thankful that he was in control.  Thankful for his words that encouraged and blessed me as I walked through each day.

Insta-Friday:Thankful Days 1-9

I love that November is the month of gratitude.
I saw Eighteen25's great idea to instagram something your thankful each day.
Then you can turn all your photos into a cute little instagram book. 

 November 1

Thankful: for a husband who brought home Chinese

 November 2

Thankful: for my little job that is so flexible around my home life!

 November 3

Thankful: for my one on one time with this amazing kid

November 4

Thankful: for the word of God that is taught here

 November 5

Thankful: for the nice weather and a daughter who loves to play outside

 November 6

Thankful: for my right to vote

 November 7

Thankful:  I have 2 little girls I get to make cookies for

 November 8

Thankful: my best friend is also my neighbor

 November 9

Thankful: for my Grandpa's service in WWII, our school taking time to honor our service men & women, and for a daughter who loves to sing

Cowgirls and Indians!

I knew after Ash got her cowboy boots for her birthday that she'd make a cute cowgirl for Halloween.  Abigail wanted to be a nerd but I convinced her that she'd make a great Indian girl so she's saving being a nerd for next year.

The only costume I had to work on was Abigail's.  Thanks Melissa for helping me gather all the supplies and thanks mom for helping me pull it all together.  Abigail was worried there for a bit but was happy with it after seeing it all pulled together.  And a happy 9 year old makes for a happy momma!

Halloween day was super busy.  There was a costume parade at their school and then class parties to attend.  Thankfully the kids get out of school early on Wednesdays, so there was time to come home for a little bit of down time before heading out to get take some pictures. 

 Of course we also needed one of all 5 kids too!

After pictures we took the kids to trick or treat at one of our favorite neighbors, Tanda.  It was so nice to see her, we sure do miss her living right next to us!

Then it was dinner and time to head out!  The weather was perfect.  The kids were oh so excited.  They started off running from house to house.  Now that the kids are older were able to cover a whole lot more ground.  When we got back the first thing the girls did was dump out all their candy and count it, they each had over 100 pieces.  I'd say it was another successful year of trick or treating!

portland in the fall

 we decided to take a quick trip to portland.  the girls had a couple days off of school and jason happened to get the same week off at work, i can't believe how well it worked out.

we haven't ever gone over in the fall, the weather was perfect!

krista drove up thursday with the kids. we got to babysit jessy, kami, and bode while kris and tim worked friday.  it was fun haning out with their kids, the girls loved being with their cousins.

the girls got to decorate sugar cookies with their cousins.

we played a ton of games of freeze tag at the park.

krista took me out for my first spiced pumpkin latte, it was so good i got another one for the drive back home.

we saw jason's grandma 3 times while we were there, it was so nice.

abigail and jess asked grandpa if he would pay them for picking apples off his apple trees, he agreed. they ended up picking 400 apples and each made 10 dollars.

everyone came to portland on saturday and we all went to the roloff farm!
i was so excited.  we've watched all their episodes.  it was great to see it all in person and meet them!  we talked with amy and zach and saw matt riding around.
can you believe we stood in a face painting line for an hour, but the kids sure did look cute.
we took the 30min tour of their property, their farm is huge and absolutely amazing!
i can't wait to see their new episodes, they're going to start shooting soon.

 it sure is great to have such a wonderful family.  we love you guys and the time we get to spend together!

 

Night at the Farmstead

Our school started this thing called "kiss the pig".  The kids bring in loose change and the grade level that ends up raising the most money gets to pick the teacher they want to see kiss the pig.  For every hundred dollars raised the PE teacher will also kiss a pig. 4th grade won and Abigail's teacher was picked, so we skipped soccer practice and headed out for a fun night at the Farmstead.

We met up with boys.
Right away Ash saw the pony rides.
We all walked through the 'creature'.
The kids played on the swings and slides.
And then it was finally time for kiss the pig.  The cute little pig was named Kevin Bacon.  The teachers were such good sports.  They even got the principle and librarian to kiss the pig.
They did the bounce pillow.
Before it got too dark we started through the corn maze.  Abigail and Luke took off, thankful they always made it back to us.
Donuts and cotton candy were eaten.
And pictures were taken.

Our little girl turned 7 over the weekend!

Seven!

We had fun celebrating her and all the love and joy she brings to our family.

Ash is currently into horse.  Recently she has been turning everything into a horse, her bike, the scooter and even the bar stools.  You might say she's horse crazy!  The only thing she asked for this year was a fur real pony.  Well actually she first asked for a real miniature pony that could live in the backyard with Jake, but after many conversations about how that wasn't going to be possible she settled on hoping for a fur real pony instead.

 And she loves her new pony!

I always say Ash is the greatest anniversary gift I ever got.  I don't mind sharing my special day with her, it just makes the day that much more special.  My mom brought some pictures to the party that she finally got developed, the roll of film had been riding around with her in the suburban for 7 years!  

It was fun looking through the pictures, here we are on our 4th anniversary.

And look at our little family now, here we are 7 years later on our 11th anniversary!

Ashy's party didn't start until dinner.  My mom, sister and grandparents came over for kabobs.  The boys joined us for cupcakes.  The kids played horseshoes and took a few whacks at the pinata.  We sang happy birthday and opened presents.  Ash got a lot of nice gifts, many were horse related!  

She was one happy and tired girl when bedtime finally came.

 What a great day!

Ashlynn Faith

She's about to turn 7 year old.
7!
Crazy!

That means she's my big first grader, going to school all day.  This has been a huge adjustment for her.  She's always been a home body, a fan of staying in her jammies all day, and content at creating her own little world to play in by herself.

So, sending her off to school has been real tough.  I tear up almost every morning as I see her outstretched arm waving good bye to me.  Before we get to that point, she's spent the morning asking if she can just stay home, or wants to know how many more days until her next day off. Or she tells me she doesn't feel good and asks if she can call me during the day if she needs to come home.

I tell her that school is her new job.  That going and learning is important.  That not everything in life is easy or always super enjoyable or constantly fun, but I assure her that the pay off is great.  I remind her that I'm always here, that I'm praying for her today and that Jesus, the one who loves her so much, is with her always and is there to help her.

But if I was being completely honest this is what my momma's heart really wants to do ... all I want to do is hold her tight and never let her go, keep her all to myself and protect her from any doubts, struggles or uneasiness. 


It is so hard to send your child off when they are so unhappy about going.  Thank you Lord for the progress we've made so far.

Ash  -
You're a stand out kid.
Ever since you were little you've been very independent.  Capable of doing things all on your own.  You figuring out how something works, how to open it, use it, or get it, all by yourself.  I have vivid memories of you telling me, "i do it myself!".  Wow, I had no idea that meant you'd always be so independent. 
Just the other night you went out to climb in the front tree and as i peeked out at you and I saw you'd come up with a way to make your own swing.
You love to draw, I have many of your self portraits.  You are constantly making things with paper, currently you have a countdown to your birthday hanging on her wall with a box on each sheet of paper that you can put a check mark in when the day is done.
You love like crazy.  If you're into monkeys then you're totally crazy about them, if it's horses then you're all about horses.  Recently you've been turning everything into your 'horse', a scooter, bike, even a bar stool.  You have quite the imagination!  I love to hear what your thinking!
You love to laugh and you can get laughing so hard you cry.  You have quick one liners and are very clever in your responses to people.  You bring a smile to face all the time.
I am so happy to be your mom.  You make me very proud.  
I pray over you every night and thank God for giving me such an amazing girl.  I also pray you always lean on Him, that your love for Him grows daily and that you use your life to bring Him glory and honor.

We love you Ash!