A Thanksgiving feast

Yesterday we enjoyed a quiet day with just our little family. I of course was sad we weren’t sharing it with other friends or family but having just us for the first time was also very special. We enjoyed the day being in the kitchen together, watching the turkeys and deer enjoy their feast out our back window, and then FINALLY by the end of the day eating our Thanksgiving feast.

We have so much to be grateful and top on the list would have to be each other. We have also been blessed to sell both of our homes in Alaska. We have enjoyed time with lots of friends and family over the last year. We are all healthy and happy, and we have a home that is warm and protective for us. Luke is enjoying his students and is also working hard starting out on his journey towards getting his doctorate.

It was cute to hear Micali and Eli talk about what they were grateful for. Eli with out coaching said “I grateful mom and dad" Micali said she was grateful for her cousins she had talked to earlier in the day on the webcam. And just looking at Abigail’s sweet face makes us grateful she is part of our family.

 

 

Abigail 9 Months

Abigail actually turned 9 months a couple weeks ago but, the camera battery charger went missing (it was found yesterday in the camera bag where it was supposed to be by my loving husband). I was so happy I could take pictures again. Thanksgiving is a day that there must be pictures taken.

Abigail had a doctors appointment just a few days after turning 9 months. She weighed in at a whopping 19.5 lbs., which is two pounds over what Micali weighed at her year check- up. She is wearing clothes that Micali wore when she was 18 months old. Apparently she also has a lot of brains because her head measured in the 95th percentile. Dr. Black was AMAZED and AMUSED with her flexibility. She has started eating a lot of finger foods and really does a pretty good job. She is getting around everywhere. Still not consistently crawling but somehow by rolling, sitting, and somewhat crawling around she gets any place she wants to be. The pictures above show her sporting her first FAT lip. Poor thing, with her flexibility, reached forward to get something in the kitchen and her legs went out and her head went down a lot faster than she thought it would.

Daddy and his girls

We took a walk down memory lane last night and were listening to some old songs we liked in high school. Daddy took the opportunity to dance with his girls. If you want to listen to them they are on Youtube….”One Sweet Day” by Mariah Carey and “Angels Among Us” by Alabama.

Another canning adventure

ELK!!! A friend of Luke’s got an elk a few weeks ago and wondered if we would be interested in canning some. She gave us the jars, and the meat. We just had to put the meat in the jars and then pressure can them. It was pretty easy. One jar didn’t seal so we made it into taco meat and had tacos for dinner. Not bad. Not bad at all.

These pictures look gross---the flash made the meat look much darker. We made 21 quarts so far and this weekend will probably do at least that many again. Elk are BIG animals.

A look at our “hard” things

Eli is doing great! He isn’t complaining about watching shows anymore. In the morning he simply wants to come in and snuggle in mommy’s bed. After naps he usually finds something to keep him entertained. So much less crying for Eli and, I like it that way.

Micali did great with her gloves for a few days. Then, she learned how to get them off. She wears them during the day for a reminder but they were coming off during the night. She is now back to wearing remember tape because she doesn’t put forth the effort to get it off. She is improving and sucking her thumb so much less. She was hiding under the table or under her blankets to suck her thumb so, I talked to her and we came up with a compromise. She now comes and tells me when she REALLY REALLY wants to suck her thumb and I set the timer for a couple minutes so she can suck her thumb and then she goes back to playing. These times are getting fewer and farther between so I think that is a good thing.

I worked out all 6 days last week and haven’t caved to my no sweets rule. The time change and getting the kids to bed late made me choose to not exercise last night (bad me). But, I made up for it and exercised today during naptime and hopefully will get something else in tonight too.

Luke is making it to school earlier. His original plan to get up early and work here for a while hasn’t really worked because Eli is waking up WAY to early.

Abigail doesn’t really have anything to hard to do besides be herself----CUTE as ever.

Doing Hard Things

Last night for Family Home Evening we discussed doing hard things. Sometimes we will have to do things we don’t really want to but, are necessary. In Luke’s study skills class they did a little two week project about self-awareness. They stopped doing something that they really liked, to see if they could have self-control. For example one girl chose to not have Mountain Dew, another decided to not talk about sports because that was what every conversation he had was about.

I had been thinking about it and decided that as a family we could do that. We each chose something for the month of Novenmber that would be hard but doable.

Eli’s was chosen for him by his loving mother—he happens to have an unhealthy obsession with DVDs. So last night after he went to bed we took the TV to the garage so he couldn’t watch them this month. Hopefully I can help him find ways to use his time so that when TV is allowed back in the house he won’t feel like it constantly should be on. The crying fits have been minimal so far today.

Micali picked out some gloves that help stop sucking her thumb. They came in the mail yesterday and she hasn’t been able to suck her thumb since. She needed a little extra cuddling and a prayer from mommy and daddy to help her fall asleep last night. It broke my heart watching her struggle to fall asleep but, I also realized if she can conquer that bad habit now she will be so much better off. Actually not having the TV has helped her too because the thumb wouldn’t come out of her mouth when a movie was on.

Mommy chose to not have sweets and to exercise at least 30 minutes everyday (except Sunday). It was a little tough yesterday having all the Halloween candy in the house but I DID it and am going to continue to be strong. I actually read an article this morning from Jillian Michaels this morning about not being an emotional eater. Before you put anything in your mouth ask yourself “Am I hungry?” “Am I anxious or stressed” Being more aware of what I was eating yesterday I noticed I would randomly grab the kids snacks and start to put them in my mouth----not even realizing I was doing it. I am hoping that by the end of this month I will have some self-control back and be able to make better eating choices.

Daddy decided to make more time for getting grades done more efficiently. So instead of finally grading something weeks after it is turned in, he hopes (once he is caught up again) to be able to have their work back to them with in a couple days. His solution is going to bed earlier and getting up 45 minutes earlier so he can spend that time doing it. He feels like he can get more done in the morning when his mind is clear and he isn’t so tired.

Thankfully our a family hasn't had to endure any REALLY hard things. I have read several blogs and know a lot of people who have to do HARD things that aren't a choice at all.

I realize it is only the first day but I am liking it a lot. I love seeing the kids interacting together more, spending time with me, and looking at books.

Halloween Fun

Halloween isn’t really a holiday I like that much. It is fun to dress the kids up and show them to a few of our neighbors and their teachers from church. I could totally do with out all the scary masks and weird costumes you see all around. And really who needs LOADS and LOADS of candy to HYPE up the kids for days?

We did do a few things through out the week…

---Reading Time at the library- Spider Hats

---Mummy Pizza and Candy Corn Cheesy Bread

---Costumes

 

She decided she needed a “lasso” all on her own when I told her I was ready to take her picture.

Abigail’s bath time fun

This girl loves her bath and she is ALL OVER the place. She can’t get enough of the water. It really cramps her style when she has to share the bath with a sibling.

 

She is also eating some finger foods too:

-small fruit chunks (mostly bananas)

-waffles, pancakes

-cheerios, puffy baby snacks