Happy Thanksgiving!

Hope everyone had a nice Thanksgiving weekend. We are truly thankful for the many blessings God has given our family in so many ways.

We stayed in St. Louis and hosted Thanksgiving at our house this year. It was our first time cooking a turkey, and I'm happy to report it was delicious! We did a dry brine, thanks to the recommendation and guidance of some friends. Everyone brought yummy side items, so we had a real feast.

There were 16 of us eating, so we put our two tables together and made one long seating area in our front living room. It was fun to all be together around one big table.

After lunch everyone relaxed on the couches watching football and chatting. What an enjoyable day!

Doing the wave

Mead is 10 months old now, and along with that milestone she's picked up a few new tricks. The most interactive one is that she will now wave at us when she sees us and wave back to us when we start waving. It's really fun!

And it reminds me that she is becoming a little person who wants to engage with us and take part in what we're doing too. Sometimes I spend so much time paying attention to her needs that I forget that she might want to pay attention to us too. Welcome to the conversation, Mead! We love you!!

Birds of a Feather

This is bizarre. Last week when Laine and I were walking home from church we saw TONS of birds in the trees near our house. By the time we got home they had all moved, in one sweeping motion, to our backyard. It was really amazing! These pictures don't capture the numbers accurately, but I would imagine there were at least 200 birds nibbling on the leaves and nutrients in our yard.

The birds obviously stayed long enough for me to get out my camera - I was busy telling Laine all about it and being amazed myself for a minute or two. Then, all of a sudden, they all flew away. It looked like a screen of bats flying through the sky.

Anyway, just wanted to share a nature moment!

A reading nook

Laine had some friends over the other day, and all of a sudden they disappeared and were quietly entertaining themselves. Once we moms noticed the silence we began searching.

As one of Laine's new favorite books says, "They each took a book. They each took a nook... Perfect!"

Never mind that the "nook" was in Laine's closet. Whatever works!

Monkeying Around

We just got this cute monkey suit as a hand-me-down from a friend. Laine tried it on so I could get a quick picture. But it's a little on the small side... notice the feet! I guess Mead will be the one who gets to wear it the most. One future Halloween we'll have an adorable monkey on our hands!

Nine months

Even though Mead is closer to 10 months old, I took her this week for her nine month check-up. Everything looked good - Dr. Mathews said Mead seems to be on schedule for gross motor skills. She weighs 18 pounds (25%), is 28.25 inches long (50%), and her head is 44 cm around (40%). She's still on the "petite" side, but she's growing and is healthy.

Mead eats almost everything now, except for berries and dairy. I've started being able to grind our dinner using the food mill, and she loves it! Taco soup, Mexican skillet dinner, and other recipes have been some of her meals lately.

Laine and Mead love playing together - they make each other laugh all the time. I can tell already that Mead is going to be Laine's shadow for a long time to come. We love you Mead!

Hairdos

I'm in the process of learning how to French braid. I never learned when I was little, but I always envied those girls who came to school with a pretty braid or two down the back of their head.

So with a little help from You Tube I've started practicing on Laine. I can't get it very tight, but each time looks a little better. This hairdo came when I tied one side back so I could work on the other. Penny decided he liked the funky pigtails better - so I did both that way!

Any tips on how to hold the hair tight without getting it all tangled together? I feel like I need a third hand!

Crawling

Mead is really on the move. A few weeks ago she decided to lift up that tummy and crawl on her hands and knees.

And she's exploring everywhere! If you've been to our house you know there are many hallways to traverse. So far she hasn't gone too far from me, but each day she gets a little braver in her distances. Who knows where I'll find her next!

Happy Halloween!

We had a great time trick-or-treating this year. Our friends, the Smiths and the Novaks, joined us, and we walked the loop behind our house. Unfortunately our neighborhood was extremely quiet, so we went over to another friend's street and had better success. Regardless, everyone had a good time.

Laine got to be Snow White, whom she just learned about now that the movie has been re-released. And Mead was a flower - so cute!

Laine got so excited when someone was actually home. By the end she was taking double the candy from each house!

And she rode on Daddy's shoulders once her legs got tired.


The girl that lives with us, Kelly, also joined us for trick-or-treating for a while. But then she had to go back to the house to get all dressed for a halloween party. She went as a girl from the 80's, in case you couldn't figure that out!

Beach pictures

Of course, we also made a trip to the beach while we were in Florida. My mom came with me to provide the necessary one-on-one attention the girls needed.

Laine especially enjoyed playing in the sand this time - something she learned from watching Curious George.

The weather was wonderfully pleasant...

and the water was comfortable enough to play in a little bit.

Mead mostly stayed on the blanket playing with the spoon we brought to dig in the sand.

Some ominous storm clouds rolled in, calling our time at the beach to an end. But it was a great morning and a treat to enjoy a beautiful beach once again.

Trip to Florida

Last weekend I got to take the girls down to Florida for a quick visit. We stayed with my Nana and had a wonderful time. She had never met Mead before, so it was high time for a face-to-face introduction!

Unfortunately Mead came down with a mild bug of some sort and was somewhat out of sorts for most of our visit. She started enjoy herself by the end though, and Nana was able to see the girls' personalities come out in many fun ways.

Thank you, Nana, for being such a great host. We loved our time with you and look forward to our next trip to sunny Florida!