Happy Thanksgiving

I have so many things to be thankful for yet again this year!! I started out using Instagram to write them down. Halfway through the month I stopped as we had made a thankful tree in the home school room. It is now filled with leaves of our thanks! The kids loved doing it. It was a great project and something I hope to continue in the years ahead. 

I also had two long weeks of my camera being at Nikon for a "repair." I say that as it was fully functioning, but needed a new shutter so oil was not spraying onto my sensor. It finally arrived this past Saturday. I was not expecting them to pay for an overnight Saturday delivery, but they did! I was ever so thankful. It feels good to have it back. I forgot how sharp my pictures were after using my phone for those weeks. My first picture I took........

 

She is growing up way too quickly! Her hair has been very straight as it has been so dry in our house. It is so odd to see as she has always had perfect little ringlets. 

Then I took some of Ari messing around in his crib instead of taking a nap. Silly boy. 

 

I also took a couple of him playing with his cars. Of course, while my camera was gone he has become infatuated with trains and cars more than he ever was. I plan to do a few photos soon of him playing. I just have actually enjoyed playing with him and not taking many photos. He is also getting big and his hair is straight too which is weird to see also. 

 

Tuesday we spent school time making crafts and reading the Thanksgiving story for the final school day. We have read a lot of thanksgiving books thanks to the Library trips I have been taking with them. Some of the things they have been thankful for........

Lilliana

~God

~Brothers

~Water

~Toys

~Food

Eli

~God saving us

~Going to Aunt Teresa's house for Thanksgiving

~Mom teaching him school

~Siblings

~Clothes

~House

I have many more, but these are the ones I can think of off the top of my head. I had them do 2 a day. 

They loved making their crafts. Eli and Lilliana picked who they wanted to be. Ari well, he was just crabby. I took his train and put it on the couch so I could take a couple pictures and he was mad about that. I really suspect it was due to not feeling well. He has been very sick tonight. Either way it was a typical Ari day. 

A few outtakes......

He took his one picture and after that was done. He did what I asked unfortunately the other two were not ready.

 

 

 

 

 Have a Happy Thanksgiving!  

Everyday Life

In between all of our fall fun the past month we have of course had everyday life moments that I love to capture.................

Eli........

 

We went to Ikea and bought the kids new dressers. It was time. They enjoyed the boxes and of course Eli loved helping Anthony put the dressers together. 

 

Then there was the day he was running around in his underwear with a guitar. It was classic and pretty much amazing in my Mom eyes........

 

Lilliana..........

Is obsessed with all things girl. She carries her basket of bows around with a comb and does her hair. She also frequently drags Ari into it and puts headbands on him.

 

She torments Ari all day. Poor kid gets pushed into her ideas. They love each other though and play so well......

 

 

Ari.....

He is at a really funny age also frustrating at times too. He gets frustrated when he can't talk and we are not understanding him. 

   

He LOVES shoes. If there are shoes out or he can get onto the porch to get anybody's shoes he will. He will proudly wear them around too even if they are his sister's girly ones.

 

He LOVES to climb on my table and destroy anything in his path including flowers Anthony bought me. 

 

 

He is at the stage where he loves placing objects in a container and dumping them out, repeat.....

 

If he can't be outside he loves to just watch the cars out the window. 

 

He also LOVES cars. He plays with them most of the day. Here he made a garage with the stool. 

 

He has taken an interest in books the past month. He loves to be read to and this has been the favorite book. 

 

 

He may be full of trouble, but is adorable. 

We also celebrated Anthony's birthday. In our house birthdays are big for the kids. They live for birthdays. It doesn't matter if it is their birthday or not, they don't care. As long as they can help me make a cake and eat it they are happy!! We went shopping for stuff to make a pineapple upside down cake as that is Anthony's favorite. 

 

They helped me bake it. Then helped Anthony blow out all his candles that night.

  

These three munchkins are amazing! I am so glad I am their mom. 

Watching the city pick up leaves

Halloween 2013

We started talking about what the kids would wear for Halloween about a month ago. Eli wanted to be a castle, Lilliana a princess of course, and Ari well we hadn't decided. This was after Eli went through Batman, Superman, the Hulk...you get the idea. So I thought well Eli you want to be a castle sure. I will make you a castle, Lilliana Cinderalla, and Ari a mouse. That was my plan. Then I was talking to friend how has been making costumes for her kids for years and has a lot. So she let us pick from her selection. Lilliana couldn't decide so she picked one for Boo at the Zoo and Halloween. 

We went to Boo at the Zoo last weekend. Eli changed his costume about 5 minutes before we left. Consequently he was cold as it was rainy and it didn't fit the best. Lilliana decided to be the cat for the Zoo. 

 

 

Overall we had a great time at the Zoo. Eli doesn't look happy, but he had a lot of fun. Ari really liked the train that was going around and even crawled out of the moving stroller to see it because he didn't think he we spent enough time looking at it. 

Anthony was out of town this week and it was a bit nuts with the kids. Eli and Lilliana were so excited for Halloween and just everything in general. They know Thanksgiving and Christmas are coming. They keep talking about all the things we do and just get a little too wound up about everything. Last night came and they were thrilled. I dressed them up and took them outside for some pictures. It was very warm, but rainy! I took pictures of them in the rain. They didn't seem to mind and showed off. 

My Magician

 

My Beautiful Butterfly 

 

 

My Little Bear Cub

  

 

 

We went to Aunt Toni's house and Grammy's house so they could show off their costumes. 

 

  Then we waited for the sirens to go off so we could go to a couple more houses. We didn't stay out long. We had errands to run and dinner to eat. We came home and enjoyed Chinese and Monster's University. They had a blast. It was a fun enjoyable night.

They also opened their cards from Grandma Gloria. It wouldn't be Halloween without their cards coming in the mail. Eli is finally catching on to the fact that he usually gets a special card from her when it is a Holiday. He looks forward to it. I am thankful for a Grandma that has continued that tradition with my kids. It makes it very special.

 

Another wonderful Halloween. Since it is November I will be focusing on things that we are thankful for. I plan to keep a running tab on my Instagram account. It will incorporate some of the children's also as they are old enough to understand. I will probably do a blog post at the end of the month from phone pictures. I will also have a good 2 weeks of phone pictures period. I can lament now as my camera will be shipped to Nikon for up to 10 days. It is getting an upgrade and for that I am glad, but I am ever so sad for it to be gone. I have to get through a couple more sessions, but I want it back before Christmas time so this is the best time it can go. I will be thankful it is getting fixed regardless of how long I will be without it. For now, I will be thankful I even have a camera. Have a wonderful weekend!