Home sweet home

Ahhhhh... hard wood floors, large kitchen, nice neighbors, play room for the boys, boxes, boxes, dust, cleaning, 'where should I put that?'. We are experiencing both the joys and difficulties of moving. We all really like the new home, and are looking forward to all of the boxes put away and there being some sort of order and cleanliness to this cute blue house! We have also been sick and incredibly busy with David's work and the kids school work. I am so excited that we are officially beginning the Thanksgiving break tomorrow! I am looking forward to unpacking, reading books to the kids, going on walks, and just relaxing! The following are some pictures from our moving day.

Baby Picasso

Well, I am on a roll... This is my 4th blog post tonight. David was supposed to get home from Haiti tonight, but he and his buddy missed the last plane and will not arrive until tomorrow morning. We were a little sad, but happy that they are safely back in the US and we will retrieve them at a much better time of day tomorrow morning. So instead of hearing all about David's trip, I am catching up on my blog. :)
So, what does that have to do with Picasso? Nothing! The real reason for this post is to show these pictures of Silas. Keenan was trying out Abby's new easel she received as a gift from grandparents, when Silas spied him. He is in the stage where he wants whatever anyone else has so of course he had to have a try. He sat right down, picked up the crayons, and made his first work of art. Maybe I should have kept it, but in light of our up-coming move (this week!!!), I trashed it. Hope you don't think I'm a terrible mom. At least I took a picture of it first!

My little ballerina and her party

Abby is now 9! She had a "Let's be creative" party on the 23rd, the day before her birthday. She invited several friends. She helped "designed" the party and the activities, which included Making pizza pockets for dinner, making chocolate lolipops, making stationary kits, and playing a homemade lifesize game. Unfortunately, the photographer was not very attentive to picture taking. It was a little crazy with all that making stuff!
I've also included a couple of pictures of Abby at ballet class this week. She posed (eyes close!!) for me and then I got her as she was trying on her costume for the Christmas dance. More about that later. Happy birthday to my sweet girl! I am so glad she is a part of our family and pray she continues to stay close the the Good Shepherd as she grows up!

Pumpkin Carving

I need to be a little more creative with my titles, don't you think? Crystal King, send me some of your pizazz! :) Here are some pictures of our family carving a pumpkin. David went with Keenan's kindergarten class to a pumpkin farm and they picked out this big guy. We gave him the happiest pumpkin face there ever was! The boys were really into the scooping of the goop. The girls were not into this part, but liked the design and cut part. Rachel spent most her time reading until she got the idea that we should roast the seeds. She pulled them out of the goop with some help from her siblings and we roasted them. "They taste like chips" was her reply after sampling the salted ones.

Not a baby anymore!

Well, as I looked through my latest pictures, I realized Silas is so BIG! He's a toddler now. Goodbye, baby. His personality is blossoming. He is determined but I still think he will be a little more mellow than the other two boys. Maybe its just wishful thinking. ;) Anyway, enjoy the pictures of our cutie!