Happy Thanksgiving!

Well here we are Thanksgiving evening, enjoying movies under new warm lap blankets Grandma J. sent us!! Here is our Thanksgiving table set and ready to enjoy! We had harvest pot pie, cranberry stuffing, candied sweet potatoes, steamed brussel sprouts, cranberry sauce, relish trays and grape juice!We are all stuffed, except Jake only ate the brussel sprouts! :)

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We just got home last night from Pennsylvania! It was a last minute decision, when we heard Dan had a couple days off FOR SURE!! :) So we piled in the van and headed west! We got as far as Scranton, PA, and then had to get a hotel, it had been snowing for a couple hours was getting dark and much colder. So they boys got lucky and they got to jump on the bed and watch cartoons during dinner! :)

In the morning we woke up to 3-4 inch. of snow, and then headed out!

The trees looked like a fairytale!!

By the time we got close to Donna and Jody's the snow was all gone, much to the boys dismay as they had planned to play in it!

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Here are a couple fun pictures, there will be more to come!

Jake and Ben found out that they are not only cousins but great pals too! It was so fun to see them enjoy each other so much!

Here are the 3 sillys who connect us all together, Dan, Donna, and Doug.

Then a few more of us, Anthony took this photo for us. All of the "big" kids were downstairs watching a movie, but I have to say we were having much more fun enjoying each others company and conversation!

So Happy Thanksgiving, I hope yours was blessed!

Happy Birthday (again) Jake!

We celebrated Jake's birthday on the night of the 8th, Jake's birthday is the 9th but Dan was leaving EARLY on the 9th so gifts and pizza with tater tots was in order.Here is Jake grabbing the gifts! The best thing about the toy store here is that they have free gift wrapping!! Yea, especially if you know me! :)
Jake's new dinosaurs, he opened them and said, "I wanted dinosaurs for my birthday!!!" :) Good mom moment! :)
Jake also got a book, he is very much into pirates so he got Port Side Pirates!
Here is the happy guy! He has been completely convinced that he is already 4 ever since Aunt Mary and Grandma had the party for he and Fern, but now he is official! 4, wow I can not believe it!

For a few more fun pictures and a couple videos go check out our schooling blog. You will get to see what Riley learned today!! It is exciting!!! :)

For Ryan!

While we were in Calif. we all tried to get Fern to show Ryan her muscles, because it is the cutest thing you have ever seen!! Well last night she was in the right mood!!

So here is strong Fern!

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After Fern was so cute that then the boys decided to join in, so here are a couple snaps of them!!

Strong man Jake!

IS that Popeye or Riley?

So there are my super strong kids, but they were quite impressed when I pulled out my mommy muscles!! :)

So Ryan there you are how do you like Fern's muscles??

Califonia Girls!

Here are a few more pictures from our California fun!! Here is Grandma with her arms full of grand-daughters!


Here is Mary, Novella, Mom, & Me off to the rehearsal/family dinner the night before Nancy & Josh's wedding. (That was why we went to Calif. all the other fun is just bonus fun!)
I can not believe I am posting this! This is what the kids did with all the flowers they picked for me at the park. :)
Cute Fern at the park!
Then Fern wanted a flower in her hair, how sweet is she!!
Look at those LASHES!!!

We are all enjoying Petunia, she is slowly getting use to us. :) We are playing inside today it is 43 outside with HIGH winds as hurricane Noel pass by. The boys tried to play outside for a bit, bit almost froze to death!! :) But I do have to run out to the farm today for our CSA box, burrrrr!!

Smiles, Leaves, Smiles, & Petunia!

Well we are finally getting out of our funk, so we had some fun yesterday!! After Dan's laborious work...
Two little boys had an idea!
JUMP!!
ROLL!
Now those are very genuine smiles!!

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Then as time makes you ready to go again we took a trip to the Connecticut Humane Society. And I have to say it was the nicest animal shelter I have ever been to! They even had nice soft music playing while we looked at the animals, plus they do not euthanize an animals!
And we found a cat who is now apart of our family!!
Here is Petunia!

Not happy to have been on a 45 min. car ride!
And here she is hiding between the dryer and the wall. She is about a year old, very soft, and very loving. She even likes the kids, when they are not running!! :)

We deiced not to change her name because it suits us well, plus it is one our favorite characters from Veggie Tales, Petunia Rhubarb!