November, my birth month & the month of Thanksgiving. It seems to me that the holidays come early, even with the start of Fall celebrations, carried right on through November. Such a quick passing of time.
We started off with Hayden being student of the week at preschool & the fun it is to celebrate him. I enjoyed hearing what he said was his favorite, including his 'favorite' book which was a Christmas book of 'Jingle Bells'?? So I 'sang' read it to his class & enjoyed the moment.
Matt was able to go hunting with my Dad again this year & what a blessing it is for him. I'm so thankful for a time away in the woods for my incredibly unselfish guy to recharge. I'm so thankful for him in my life.
My boys. Calvin got new shoes for his growing feet that are like his brothers & you should see how fast he tries to go in his 'fast' shoes. James had a tough time at school & Calvin held his hand while we walked back to the car. "hold my hand James. What's wrong James? Don't cry James." My.heart.swells. Poor James thought because his class was badly behaved in computer class, that they wouldn't get to go anymore & he loves computer class that much (or at least the video games...) bless him.
That day when I let my sons unlock the door for me but they leave the keys in, and then leave the door wide open & I lost my temper and slammed it shut. Yup, mommy learned a lesson. Daddy fixed the key. Thank you Lord for a spare!!
My sweet guys sharing iPad & helping me with chores. James told me he likes the mop because it's like shooting a laser... YES. YES MOPPING IS JUST LIKE SHOOTING A LASER. haha, how wonderful.
Calvin's epic potty training continues & the boys begged Daddy to play duck duck goose while I finished cooking their dinner. sweetness. When Daddy came home, he brought coon skin caps for the boys & we saw A LOT of Daniel Boone running around our house afterwards. At least he's a distant ancestor, so we're cool.
My birthday gifts from my parents! Yay for new reads & lots to look forward to reading in the near future.
Our little baby Prose #4 - his little face on the ultrasound. I think you can almost see the cleft in his chin... The silhouette is Calvin & me at 28 weeks.
The beauty that surrounds us, everyday.
Calvin's preschool Thanksgiving celebration! We loved hanging out with our sweet pilgrim in his class. He loves going to school so much, and we loved being with him.
Some favorites from the 'team photographer' for the Reds this Fall. What a wonderful season!!
The boys ended their season with a party at the bowling alley, and they each got a trophy for completion. Their Coach Rob & his lovely wife Tracy were just a sweet gift. Talk about gracious people who knew what they were doing, which made the whole experience. We are thankful!!
Bedtime stories in Hayden's room with shortie jammies and 'my name' books.
Hayden's Dolphin class Thanksgiving meal was on my Dad's birthday, and it just so happened that he could make it for the special lunch!! Happy birthday to Papa! I hope it was a birthday lunch to remember. Hayden sang songs, dressed up like a pilgrim & sat by his best friend in class. We enjoyed a real Thanksgiving meal, complete with Hayden's favorite: pumpkin pie made by mommy!
The boys & I made a trip up to Atlanta to visit my parents & my brother's family at the beginning of Thanksgiving week. Matt couldn't go with us this trip, but since the boys had the whole week off, I really was excited to spend a couple of days with my nieces and let them all just play together.
We started off at the playground, but it was really cold (frost on the ground!) so we played until Calvin cried about his hands being cold! haha, then we went to Starbuck for a treat to warm them all up. My boys had never been to Starbucks before, and I was really proud to take all 5 of them myself. What a fun memory we made.
The girls came over to my parents & spent lots of time playing. Inside & outside, Spot it, duck duck goose, Jenga, coloring books, and any other fun make believe they came up with in the basement card board box city they built. haha, cousins are the best.
My boys love their Uncle Josh & his silly jokes. He always makes them laugh!
Our last day we went to a different playground by the river, and it was really beautiful. They played all kinds of games, and then we grabbed some lunch at Chick Fil A. Mental note to self: if they don't have a playground, GO SOMEWHERE ELSE. It was not a kid friendly spot like I thought it would be!
We headed back to our house to have our own Thanksgiving meal with our little turkeys before we visited Matt's side of the family. We were so lucky to have Mimi&Grandpa come up for the day as well! My love & I getting a shot of us together cooking.
My littlest turkey was ready to sit & play at the table. I thought he was starving, but when it came time to eat, he didn't! He just enjoyed the atmosphere I suppose, haha. I love hanging up all their little artwork on the wall. It allows us to enjoy it a bit more for the holidays & then not feel that it hasn't been displayed. James' 'long-legged-turkey' was maybe my favorite. "I'm a long legged turkey, as worried as can be! Eat some ______ (James chose ham!) but don't eat me!"
Something about them all sharing and huddling up together seems so sweet to me. I appreciate that at these ages they can do this!
Our whole crew of turkeys. Gobble gobble!
After we said our goodbyes & had a nap, we took our boys to the playground to run off some of their energy. Baby Prose #4 and I sat on the bench and watched. 30 weeks!
We were going out of town, so the only reasonable thing to do was to eat apple pie & ice cream for breakfast with my coffee. I couldn't let it go to waste!! (and my tummy wouldn't let me eat it after the full thanksgiving meal- pregnancy problems).
We ended our month at Mimi&Grandpa's house to celebrate Thanksgiving with them & our extended family as well. James drew a welcome picture of them all on the driveway.... If you look closely you can catch a sneaky peek at our new baby boy's name... ;-) I love that James drew them all together.
A group shot of the kiddos this year - Prose boys & half of the Lyon kids. We love our big family! Thankful to spend some time together, however short.
Thank you Lord for November. For blessing me with another birthday to celebrate. For time with both of our families, and time at our own home to celebrate & decorate & enjoy each other. Thank you for all we were able to accomplish and thank you for teaching us to let go of the things we were not able to do. Thank you for your continued health for our baby boy #4 and for wisdom for the doctors taking care of him & I. Thank you for our schools & our boys' teachers & our neighbors & friends. Thank you for the holidays to help us stop & count our blessings all together in one space. Amen.
