Thanksgiving program

The Kindergarteners at Dover Shores put on their annual Thanksgiving program this week. Ethan and his classmates participated as turkeys! They were adorable. Miriam, Landon, Sabra, and I enjoyed the program very much.

 

 My favorite turkey!

 

Sabra got there early and picked perfect seats. We were in the middle of the front. Ethan was also in the middle of the front and was on the very front row! We could have reached out and tickled him.

 The whole group. Well, as much as my angle would allow.

Kaley and Ethan. Friends from school!

 Ethan and Mrs. Hahn. She is a great teacher and we love her.

So proud of my sweet little turkey.

Work!

Grayson loves to work! Now that he has an official worker hat, vest, and tools, he has been doing small repairs around the house and the yard. His latest project is our backyard fence. Believe me it needs work. We bought the poor thing on craigslist and it isn't perfect. Here is some of his handiwork.

 

Grayson showing off his work. If you can see it, he patched the fence up high with a couple of leaves. In the picture below, he fixed another sliver in the wood with several leaves. I didn't get a shot of it, but there was another hole near the ground that he stacked sticks in front of (like a beaver's dam). I was so proud of his hard work and his cleverness.

Landon served as a helper to Grayson. Grayson took this photo of Landon. Some of his pictures come out really good, for reals.

Soccer

I need to accept it, we are a soccer family. I guess that makes me a soccer mom. And, I drive a mini-van. Scary! Anyways, our soccer season ended on Saturday and I'm trying to decide whether or not to play in the spring. I'd like to see Ethan try something new. We'll figure it out. Grayson still must wait until the fall to play and he is more than ready. He's taken to wearing Ethan's old soccer uniform and cleats on game day.
Jared even got to join in on the soccer fun this week. He played in a tournament at work on Friday and his team won! They got first place and got a medal. We didn't go, but we were super excited and super proud of Jared. I think he's still sore four days later.

Jared and his 1st place medal and an awesome soccer jersey to keep.

Ethan falling down at his game. Most of our games were at 8:30 AM and the grass was always so wet. He and his teammates spent a large amount of time falling down because of it.

Ethan, his trophy, and Coach Casey!

Great White Sharks!

Max and Ethan. Best buds!

50 Books

My hobby is reading. I will read almost anything and have a hard time starting and not finishing a book even if it's bad. In addition to books, I read a lot of magazine articles, my scriptures, and the newspaper on most mornings.
People ask me when I find time to read? The answer is I make time to read. Often it is about choices. Instead of TV, I read. If the kids are napping, I read. If the kids are playing outside, instead of doing some chores I go out with them, sit in a chair, and read in between bouts of soccer and swings. Sitting in the car line at school, I read. That kind of thing. In addition to reading individually, Jared and I read together and I read with the children. I hope they grow up with a love of books like their Mamma.
I made a goal to read 50 books this year and I think I'm going to make it. I've read 48 as of this post and I have 6 weeks left of 2013. Currently I am reading Ashfall by Mike Mullin and I'd like to finish the Anne of Green Gables series too. Here's a list of what I read this year.

Peace Like a River by Leif Enger
Heartless by Gail Carriger
Blameless by Gail Carriger
The Shadow Rising by Robert Jordan
Timeless by Gail Carriger
Outpost by Ann Aquirre
You Can't Make Me by Cynthia Ulrich Tobias
Leviathan by Scott Westerfeld
Behemoth by Scott Westerfeld
Goliath by Scott Westerfeld
Divergent by Veronica Roth
Insurgent by Veronica Roth
Before I Fall by Lauren Oliver
The Last Olympian by Rick Riordan
Delirium by Lauren Oliver
Pandemonium by Lauren Oliver
Requiem by Lauren Oliver
A Game of Thrones by George R. R. Martin
A Clash of Kings by George R. R. Martin
A Storm of Swords by George R. R. Martin
A Feast for Crows by George R. R. Martin
A Dance with Dragons by George R. R. Martin
The Princess Bride by William Goldman
The Fault in our Stars by John Green
Graceling by Kristin Cashore
Fire by Kristin Cashore
Bitterblue by Kristin Cashore
Deadlocked by Charlaine Harris
Dead Ever After by Charlaine Harris
Marked by P.C. and Kristin Cast
Betrayed by P.C. and Kristin Cast
Anne of Green Gables by L. M. Montgomery
Anne of Avonlea by L. M. Montgomery
Anne of the Island by L. M. Montgomery
Anne of Windy Poplars by L. M. Montgomery
Anne's House of Dreams by L. M. Montgomery
Anne of Ingleside by L. M. Montgomery
Dad is Fat by Jim Gaffigan
Enna Burning by Shannon Hale
How Will you Measure your Life by Clayton Christiansen
Alas, Babylon! by Pat Frank
Reached by Ally Condie
Shatter Me by Tahereh Mafi
Destroy Me by Tahereh Mafi
Unravel Me by Tahereh Mafi
The Cuckoo's Calling by Robert Galbraith aka J. K. Rowling
The Proper Care and Feeding of Husbands by Dr. Laura Schlessinger
Unbroken by Laura Hillenbrand

As you can see I really enjoy a book that is part of a series. I just get so invested and love when there is more to satiate my love of a character. It would be hard to pick my favorite book, but if you're going to read anything from this list I'd suggest Unbroken. It is a true story and hit on every emotion possible. The Fault in our Stars is definitely a must read. Both are being made into movies in the coming year, so be awesome and read them first!
*Note: I finished Ashfall today (11/19/2013). I think I'll read Hoarde by Ann Aquirre for my 50th book. It finishes out a series, so I have to know what happens. Plus, it came from the library today! Woot.

Fire Station Fun

I went to two different fire stations on two different field trips last week. I learned lots of cool stuff. For instance, a firefighter's gear weighs about 50 pounds and can withstand temperatures of 800 degrees Fahrenheit; the ladder truck can hold 750 gallons of water; and the residents in Conway (our area) have less fire related calls than other areas in Orlando--we're pretty safe here, so that's cool.

 Ethan at Orlando's Station 11.

Grayson at Orange County's Station 72.

Grayson is 4!

My sweet, snugly Grayson is four today! I say it every time, but I really can't believe it. He has grown up so much in the last year. He loves to play in the backyard, dress up, and music. This year's birthday presents didn't disappoint. He got some awesome dress up clothes and a guitar. He even took the guitar on our walk to school today. Actually, he opted not to ride his bike so that he could carry the guitar. He is super cute. However, if he hears me call him super cute, he quickly tells me, "I'm not cute, I'm awesome." I also love that he calls his screwdriver a "scuba diver."  (Landon does it too and I love it!) Here are some photos of Grayson. We love him so much and are so happy he is in our family.

Here are some pictures of my sweet baby Grayson!

Here he is over the weekend during our family birthday celebration!

My dad bought the overalls and they were a huge hit. He wore them for two days and is still playing the guitar. He agreed to let me wash the overalls today. 

I'm singing a song

Grayson found Aunt Stacey's old guitar while we were at her house last weekend. He played that thing for at least an hour. Here is a song he wrote and performed for us.

He's a cowboy
He rides a horse
He takes care of his animals
He works on  his fence
He uses tools like I do
I love you, Mom!

Seriously, it was so amazing. I love this boy.

9 Months

Miriam has reached her 9 month mark. She has officially been in the world longer than she was in the womb. She is growing so fast. Again, her weight put her in the 95% at 22 lbs 11 oz. She is 28 inches long and growing on a steady curve. Her development is right on target. She has begun to eat more and more foods. Yogurt is probably her most favorite food. She can take out 4 oz in less than 5 minutes. She loves to watch her brothers, play outside, and snuggle. Miriam is very close to true mobility. She rolls around and gets stuck in fun places now. And I catch her in that pre-crawl position, so I'm sure it'll be anytime now. Watch out world!
Some photos of our girl looking super cute in a hat and skinny jeans.  Note: Grayson took these photos.

 Here is Miriam with her friend, Niveah. The girls are about 6 weeks apart. Whenever they get together they talk and laugh. It is the cutest thing ever!

Enjoying the trampoline outside in a princess sweat suit. Seriously, we can't stand her cuteness.

Winter Garden

Stacey and Joe have moved to Winter Garden! I am so excited that they are living so much closer to us. They moved last month and we've seen them about once a week since their arrival. I will admit that I complained a little A LOT about them not being closer to me, but after spending the day in WG I know why they fell in love with it. Their home has character and so does the little town. We had a great time in WG last weekend and it totally made me want to move there!

 

Walking in downtown Winter Garden

Sleeping babies

I finally uploaded some phone pics to the computer and found so many shots of sleeping babies. They were so cute, I had to share.

Rae Rae, Rae Rae, Rae Rae! Hey, Brad!

Two of our most favorite people visited us in October. Rae Rae and Brad! We have missed the Cottle's terribly since their move in early 2013. They came to visit and we played a lot. We mostly hung out at our house, complete with sleepovers, and we got a day at Disney too! It was amazing. We miss them so much and want them to move "home."  Here are some photos of our fun times!

 

Family shots in front of the Magic Kingdom.

 

Miriam's first Disney ride: DUMBO! So fun!

 

Ethan, Rae Rae, and Grayson

Rae Rae, Andrea, and Landon

Brad and Grayson

 

Rae Rae and Ethan

 



A shot Rae Rae took of Miriam and me on Dumbo.