Thanksgiving Day!!

We had a FABULOUS Thanksgiving Day yesterday.  For starters, we already have snow and Micah is LOVING it.  He's been shoveling, snowball-making and sledding for the past couple days - nearly living outside.  He tells just about anyone that it's his favorite season, he is so excited for snow.  For our Turkey feast, we went to Brad and DeeDee's (they were the gracious hosts this year). 

Picnic breakfast to let daddy and Uncle Luke sleep in longer :-)

Prepping our part of the meal - deviled eggs, yams, green beans/bacon

Micah in his element!

G'ma and baby blueberry

Yes, she is made of "sugar and spice and everything nice"

Papa carving the turkey

Micah with baby bumblebee

Joy loves her baby cousins

Delicious feast!

Joy loves her DeeDee too!

Enjoying some new books from Papa and Mama

DeeDee's apron :-)

They LOVE being read to

Tired Joy bear when we got home...

Homemade Ice Cream

This week we were learning about ice cream, so we of course had to make our own homemade batch!  I found a quick how-to guide online, and after reading a good selection of books about the topic from the library, we whipped up a batch (add ingredients, shake-shake-shake, and eat - yummy).

A New Park

Last week on the way home from church Scotty spotted a small park off the main road.  So after lunch, nap times and some light work at home, we went back that evening for a quick playtime before the sunset.  Just before leaving the house, Joy did a potty break all by herself (big girl)!  Upon parking the van and walking to the park I turned around to see Joy trailing me and there was something dangling around her ankle. I near busted a gut laughing when I realized her underpants had made their way down her pant leg!  After resolving the issue, we all enjoyed time getting some energy out, and even daddy proved to be quite the climber.

Raking and Reading

This weekend we jumped into our annual fall clean-up (raking oodles of leaves).  The tikes took occasional breaks while daddy and mommy did most of the work. ;-)

Micah in mid-jump

Toddling

Noah is such a cutie-pants (yes, I am biased).  The little guy is finally learning to walk.  He can go forward, but he's a tad more steady walking in side steps - makes me want to join in on the Electric Slide.  Sorry, the video quality is kind of poor, but Joy's rendition of the Mulberry Bush in the background as Noah toddles around is too funny.

Sick Days

All 3 kiddos have had a fever in the last week and a half - Noah started it and is over it, I think Micah should be about done with it soon, and Joy just picked it up last night.  While Micah was in the thick of it the past couple days he had some moments when he was obviously "sick" - wrapped in a blanket, laying on the couch, no appetite, cohesive but non-active.  At times, once the children's ibuprofen kicked, he'd have some moments of energy, but I wasn't so sure I could slip school in those windows.  After talking it over with the principal (dad) :-) "Sick Days" were officially instituted.  So the last couple days have been spent playing games, reading books, creating with Play-Doh, drinking OJ, resting, cooking and lounging.

Mom's old childhood stash of stickers re-purposed

Micah's artwork

Joy's artwork

Fishing

Cooking

Noah just can't seem to keep his pants on

Couch re-purposed for the sickly ;-)

Micah's Parking Garage

"Airplane" (flying to NE, and farther to CA sometimes)

And of course...Legos