Thanksgiving

This year there are a lot of things I could dwell on worrying about or being angry about. In fact, there are people who think I should be doing that and, at times, I do....I lose sight of the many blessings I have been given in 2009. So today I'm making a list....

• I'm thankful for a house we are still living in despite the threat of foreclosure a few months ago.
• I'm thankful for food on the table when so many are going without.
• I'm thankful for despression (yes, you heard me right) because through it Jeff and I have learned so much more about each other and are allowing it to draw us closer.
• I'm thankful for the noise level in my house because it means my children are all healthy and playing and enjoying being together (at least most of the time).
• I'm thankful for blogs because throught them I have made some new friendships.
• I'm thankful that God still performs miracles as He did in my friend Jennifer's little boy, Stellan, this past month.
• I'm thankful that Jeff and I are still married.
• I'm thankful for worries and concerns that cause me to not sleep because through them I have experienced the most intimate, amazing times with God.
• I'm thankful for family who continue to support us and love us.
• I'm thankful for my Bible study group who have challenged my thinking and my way of living over the last few months.

The rest of the family wanted to get in on this "Thanksgiving action" too.....

Jeff is thankful for.....

• Me (Karlynn)....no really, that's what he said!

Noah (age 9) is thankful for.....

• having food
• having a place to live
• having clothes that fit
• just being alive!

Abby (age 8) is thankful for.....

• having clothes
• going to school

Joey (age 6) is thankful for....

• having food
• having a place to live
• having clothes
• having our cat, Oreo
• having parents
• having brothers and a sister
• going to school
• for my church
• for Jesus

Eli (age 2) is thankful for......

• Daddy
• Mommy
• Noah
• Abby
• Joey
• Oreo (cat)
• the bus (he loves watching his siblings get on the bus every morning and looks forward to them coming home every afternoon)

What are you thankful for this year?

Sibling love

This picture pretty much says it all. All 4 of them are crowded onto a loveseat watching the movie "Bedtime Stories". Do you hear that?!?!?!? It's silence! Ahhhhh, bliss.

Living with boys

This is what happens when Abby goes to a friends house to play! It all starts out very innocently.....Daddy and Noah throwing the football back and forth in the backyard. But it evolves into all boys wrestling in the living room. What's a mommy to do????? Take pictures, of course!!! I wish you could hear the laughing and happy screaming that was going on at the same time. I love my family.

Ketchup or Relish

In my son's 3rd grade class, they have something every Friday called "Ketchup or Relish". If they have kept current with all their assignments and have had good behavior, they go to one of the 3rd grade classrooms and have fun....which they call "relish". If they haven't kept up with their assignments, turned in papers late no matter what the reason, had less than ideal behavior, they stay in the "ketchup" classroom....not participating in the fun activities.

Since I have fallen SO behind on my blog, I have put myself in "ketchup". Although giving myself time to blog and share pictures is pretty much "relish" for me. Anyway, I'm sharing some pictures from the last couple months. Enjoy!

Halloween 2009

If you can't tell, this is Joey dressed up as a ninja -- I guess he's supposed to be Snake Eyes (?) from GI Joe. I just know that it was less than $9 for the costume!

Sweet little Eli as a puppy dog. Awwww!!!!

This is Noah as a Clone Trooper. Again, less than $9 for the costume!

Abby is a candy corn witch. Such an adorable costume that my mom got from a friend of hers at her garage sale! Yay for moms who shop garage sales!!!!

We went to our church for their annual Pumpkin Patch. They had everything and anything you could imagine for a Halloween alternative. Eli is playing one of the preschool games and had so much fun!

Abby playing some games.

Joey playing some of the games.

Outside they had a petting zoo set up. Here's Eli petting one of the goats. They also had bunnies, a donkey and a baby donkey, goats, chickens (I believe), and the highlight was a small camel! They also had a hayride which was pulled by horses, a glow room, cookies to decorate, crafts to do, a jumper to jump in, a maze to get lost in, trick or treating rooms in the basement for kids to get TONS of candy, and food set up in the activity center. Who wants to come with us next year???

Abby's 8th birthday party

Obviously, the girls wanted to do each other's hair and especially use the pink color spray! They did that while rockin' out to music and basking in the glow of a disco ball.

"Happy Birthday to you (cha cha cha), Happy Birthday to you (cha cha cha), Happy Birthday dear Abby (cha cha cha), Happy Birthday to you (cha cha cha, hi-ya, Scooby Doo on channel 2, more on channel 4, Frankenstein on channel 9, old lady on channel 80, Honey Hive on channel 5, Scooby Doo as a new hairdo, not too big, not too small, Scooby has a bowling ball.)" It's the absolute L.O.N.G.E.S.T. birthday song I've ever heard......and did I mention how LOUD it is too???

Did she get them all out???? YES she did! Yay, Abby!

A bunch of hip hop birthday celebrating girls.

Now a normal picture....well as normal as one can be with hair like that!

Hope you've enjoyed a little bit of my "ketchup post".

Leaf jumping!

We had the most gorgeous fall day here in Minnesota on Saturday! We spent most of the day outside raking up leaves, jumping in the piles, sucking the leaves up with our leaf vacuum, mowing the lawn......then the 2 older boys went on a "secret mission" with our neighbor and her son. Little did they know it was to the compost pile with all of our leaves and her leaves! She treated them to Dairy Queen for all their great work. It was an awesome family work day in beautiful weather!