Our Cousins

Thought we'd share some recent pics of our cousins, Sam and Bryce, in NY . . .

And we thought WE had to bundle up!

We're looking forward to seeing everyone at Christmas!

What to do with two days off?

Since sleeping in is out of the question when you have two little ones, we made our time off for Thanksgiving extremely productive! What a blessing!


We did "Toy Swap." Since we have been blessed with more toys than we have reasonable space to enjoy on a consistent basis, we keep about 1/3 of them in the attic and rotate every couple months. It's wonderful! It's like Christmas every time we switch. :o) It's amazing how much more life we get out of toys, books, and buddies when they become "new" again every few months. :o)

I cleaned out the kids' closet--packing away and donating outgrown clothes and hanging up Peter's 24-month stuff. I love to see how the Lord provides for all of their needs without breaking our budget every time they switch sizes--be it through hand-me-downs, grandparents, or Safe Harbor! What a blessing!

We reorganized and cleaned out some extra stuff from the attic. Doesn't it look pretty??? :o)

Chris installed a house fan (a long-time pet project!) :o)

And he also finished up the inside trim on the living room and office windows!

Peter enjoyed just sitting and looking out the window (although I'm sure he would have rather have been outside himself!)

Whew! It's encouraging to get some of those items off the to-do list!

Thanksgiving Fellowship

We hope you enjoyed a blessed Thanksgiving! We thoroughly enjoyed our fellowship with the Smiths! After dinner while the kids napped, we had fun with a couple rounds of "Ticket to Ride." It's a great board game which requires strategy but not a lot of experience. (Somewhere between Candyland and Chess.) :o)


Dan and Debbie vividly remember "the old days" when we had to move the refrigerator to squeeze everyone in and Dan was "stuck in the corner," so the dining space was a special blessing as well. :o)

The way it used to be . . .

The Kiddos

My little guy who is next to impossible to get to smile for pictures, was very pleased with himself for designing his own "truck." I took advantage of the opportunity!

Hannah thoroughly enjoyed attending her first birthday party. :o) Happy Birthday, Patrick!

Peter loves dogs right now--be they found in books, buddies, or backyards! :o)

Yes, we do have to bundle up this time of year--even in sunny SC!

(Hannah dashed out only briefly.)

The leaves did finally get raked . . . thanks, Daddy and Grandpa!

And Jenny pulled out the sewing machine to make an Indian vest for Hannah's Thanksgiving Feast at school. It's amazing how much shorter all of the seams are in a toddler's outfit than in an adult's!

Life misc. 2

Yikes! Life keeps moving even after Grandma and Grandpa leave! The next few posts will be an assortment of picture highlights from the last couple weeks . . .

We love you, Grandma and Grandpa H.! Thanks so much for coming!

Peter is definitely not into having "stuff" on his fingers. His vocabularly is expanding and now includes "truck," "bug," "ball," "mama," and "uh-oh" along with his signs for "please," "no," "yes," "more," "dirty diaper," and "all done." I love this stage where they're starting to learn to really communicate!


Banana Chocolate Chip muffins were definitely a much more pleasant use for the over-ripe bananas stinking up our refrigerator. It's fun to watch Hannah's kitchen skills developing! She's really starting to become pretty proficient with baking. :o)

Peter is still in practice mode . . .

And of course, time with Daddy is always a blast! :o)

Thanks for the extra Legos, Grandma and Grandpa! We hit the ceiling!

TIMBER!

Life misc.

Life keeps a movin', even with Grandma and Grandpa visiting. Grandpa helped us take the family picture we'll probably use for our Christmas letters in a few weeks. (Can you believe how quickly Christmas is approaching?!?)

Hannah and Peter helped Mommy make dinner while G&G did some shopping . . .

Peter decided that stewed Eeyore would be a yummy dish . . .

And they cooperated on making pumpkin soup--Hannah read the "recipe."

And Peter got a haircut . . . albeit somewhat unwillingly.

Couples Only!

One of the definite blessings of grandparents visiting is the opportunity for Mommy and Daddy to get some time alone. We thoroughly enjoyed attending the couple's conference at church on Saturday and then taking the afternoon and evening for driving, hiking, and lots and lots of talking! :o)

Fun with Grandma & Grandpa!

We're glad to have Grandma and Grandpa H. visiting for a week! Hannah and Peter have enjoyed staying home from school in the mornings and reveling in Grandma and Grandpa's undivided attention.