Thankful

What would Thanksgiving be without a handprint turkey and a construction paper turkey?  This year five (5) handprint turkeys graced our kitchen, but we did not receive the variety where each feather has something we're thankful for.  The kids went crazy writing when I mentioned the idea of MAYBE listing the things we're thankful for.  So Lee and I got on it too. Let's just say we stopped before we were really done. Lord, you have been good to us!  Thank you so much.

Guess what!

Someone out there is bound to recognize this.  Who has the first guess?

Refreshed!

Lee and I just got back from a wonderful getaway to visit our good friends in Florida. We walked along Clearwater Beach, and enjoyed the sunset and a "dolphin cruise". We also went to the beautiful Busch Gardens, where we rode wild roller coasters and saw wild animals. And of course, we played several games of dominoes and Phase 10. (I finally won the last night--good thing or we would have had to extend our stay until I did.) More photos here!

Trick or treat!

There was no small amount of excitement around our house yesterday. Our little Detroit Tigers mascot ("Paws") and cowgirl had a costume parade and parties at school, and then a big trick or treat adventure at church. It was so much fun--lots of the adults dressed up, and every door in the church had someone behind it with treats for all who knocked. There was more than enough sugar to go around, and LOTS of laughter.

There are so many adults in our kids' lives who go the extra mile to have fun with them. What a blessing!

Fifty and Fabulous

October 31 was an extra scary day in 1957. I'd be scared to give birth to twins ANY day, Halloween or not. But my mom was a brave woman, and apparently wasn't too traumatized. After all she was brave enough to have me afterwards. Of course, that was SO MANY years later, she may have forgotten the realities of the experience. Now, fifty years later, I am blessed with a truly fabulous brother and sister.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY,

DAVE and DAYNA!!!

We love you!

The little things

We had a fun weekend. Nothing big, just enjoying the little things. We had lots of leaves to rake up, and the lawn needed mowing. And Bethany needed something to do. So Lee used her as a "yard waste compactor". He would add some more leaves and bounce her up and down on them. You should have heard her giggling her head off.
















Then it was time for Ben's basketball practice. Yes, that's right, a new sport for Ben. I cannot believe these second graders can play so well and make so many shots. They are a blast to watch, and these dads are such great coaches.






Lee and I got something special in the mail--a love note from our little girl. She very secretly found an envelope and addressed it and took it to the mailbox for us to find. How lucky are we!

Autumn arrives!

It's here!! Despite the fact that local weather guru Paul Douglas was explaining why we weren't getting much fall color on the news last night, I'm calling it gorgeous as of yesterday. To top it off, a week full of rain gave way to sunshine today, and made the landscape all the more breathtaking. Thankfully we were out much of the day. We topped it off with a drive to a river bluff overlook. To check out the rest of the pictures, click here, and then click on slideshow to view them full-size.

Awaiting Autumn

We've been waiting for fall to get here, and it is coming, slowly but surely. Usually we are beyond the peak before now, but there are still plenty of green leaves on the trees. Will they still turn, or will they just fall off?

We enjoyed a beautiful walk around the zoo yesterday. Funny how the kids still run to each statue and hop on, as though they've never seen them before!