Sickness abounds

Well, our house has come under attack. So far three of the five of us who live here have been taken down by a severe head cold. Thankfully that's all it's been - no flu or anything. But Mead, Penny, and Laine have all had several miserable days, back-to-back-to-back. It's been going on for over a week now all told. Hopefully Kelly and I will steer clear of the yuck!

I originally took both these pictures for other reasons, but in looking at them again I realized both my kiddos look so ill! Oh well, look past the red noses and glazed eyes and you'll see a cute baby sitting in front of our Christmas tree and an adorable little girl sporting some pig tails that are slowly getting longer now that we're letting her hair grow out a little.

It's Christmas time!

Christmas is coming, and we are looking forward to it! Now that Laine is older and aware of things like Christmas lights and other decorations I felt like we had to step up a bit and help make the house reflect the season.

Though it's small, I'm excited about our outdoor lights. We have to start somewhere, right? And we also got some really cool stockings that I love.


I tend not to be a huge holiday decorator, but maybe over time I'll collect things here and there to help mark each upcoming occasion.

Watch and learn

Many times while I am getting ready I will stick Mead in this corner of our bathroom counter. She is surprisingly content to watch me brush my teeth, comb my hair, etc. It's a lot better than having her crawl around the bathroom floor! She always looks so cute sitting there taking everything in.

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!