Thanksgiving and onto Christmas

We were able to have lots of family here for Thanksgiving and it was really great!! We even got to see Papa (my Dad) and we haven't seen him, more than Skype-ing, since Ada was only 5 months old!! So he hasn't seen any grandchildren who have been born since Ada, which is every other kid. So this was a super special treat for everyone! We got to hang out, have Thanksgiving dinner, go to the Please Touch Museum (where we now have a membership which is so beyond amazing I am having trouble putting it into the appropriate words), went swimming, had Chinese and Britt and Alicia introduced some of us to Indian fare (which was delicious!). We had so much fun it was hard to have everyone leave so we could get back to our hum-drum life filled with staying inside most days and potty training Ada.

Ada trying on Meemaws' sweatshirt
Alicia, Saffron and Abhisneha

Papa and Ada. She LOVED him the first day he was there, even wanting him to take her to the potty every single time, and then after that liked having him around but wasn't to keen on having him be too close.

Decoarting the house...and kids. Ada and RJ wanted to have the garland tied around their bellies so they could be presents too. Yes, my kids are a little goofy!

Ada checkin' hers out

RJ peeking around the multiplicity of Meemaws' nutcrackers (she has 21 large ones-not counting the smaller ones on the Christmas tree!).

Ada found a Book of Mormon and decided to read it often. And she had such a fun time doing it! Perhaps I need to take a lesson from my daughter and get more out of reading my scriptures...

A cute smile from my little boy

Wal-Mart is selling 30 oz containers of pre-made gingerbread for only $3!! So needless to say we bought a few and made some already. The kids had such a great time that we are doing it again, but having a bunch of friends over and decorating them this time too! Ada and RJ are very excited everytime I tell them about it.

These are some decorative blocks I won from www.writings-on-the-wall.com If you go onto their blog and leave a comment you're in their weekly drawing for free stuff that she makes!! It's an awesome site so check it out!

Ada helping to decorate the tree

being cheesey

RJ with his ornament that he will NOT leave alone so we had to take it off of the tree for his and the trees' safety. Then he wanted the goose as well (the one he has in his hands is a black sheep) and of course Ada wanted one too: so she has a dog that she babies and "cleans" up after him when he doesn't make it to the potty...

I LOVE THIS TIME OF YEAR!!!!

Potty Training

This is what we did yesterday: leaf rubbings and hand turkeys! This way we could all participate in the Thanksgiving decorations. We traced our hands on brown construction paper, then made their beaks and faces and each of our fingers would be the turkeys' feather which were then covered over with purple, red, yellow and green finger cut outs (if this makes any sense-but it's the one I always made in elementary school).

RJ "helping"
Ada also helping

Adas' present for going #2 on the potty. She was so proud of herself. Yesterday we also went to church and she even went on the potty there, which was HUGE as it automatically flushes which scared her A LOT!! But after almost 20 mins of off and and and in and out of the bathroom, she finally felt comfortable enough to go...whew! She is doing pretty well so far but the past two and a half weeks experience is something I can wait to do again...

Her rewards for going on the potty: Stickers!! She loves getting them and she has to do the whole bathroom/potty/wiping/hand washing by herself (with a little supervising of course, but too much and she gets quite mad!) So we got her a little stool so she can get onto and off of the potty by herself and then she can move it in front of the sink to wash her hands.

Meemaw and Pop just had their anniversary and they went to Annapolis and got us Navy t-shirts. Ada loves hers and wants her Navy shirt almost as much as her Imagination Movers shirt.

Ada was acting up so we put her down, hence the picture of just her; she wanted her own picture. Such a diva!

Hope you all have a happy Thanksgiving and eat tons of food! Especially pumpkin everything and cranberry sauce!!

Halloween and other culinary treats

We have had more to celebrate recently: Halloween, Joshs' birthday and the fact that we have been expanding palate! Here are some pictures to show you what we have been doing!

RJ wanted to try on Daddys' sweater. He has some big...sweaters to fill!

the kids noble steed

Our purple sweat potato fries. RJ had some juice which said it had purple carrots and sweet potatoes, so I set out to find such an anomaly as I had never before heard of such a thing. They taste much the same as a regular sweet potato but a little different, a little muted I guess you could say.

The kids loved them though!

You can't tell from the picture, but RJ is eating a starfruit. The kids liked it and it was okay by my standards but when I did a little more research, I found that the one we bought may have been over-ripe and thus that may have attributed to the lackluster taste.

Ada and her starfruit. She liked it best of all.

Holding it up for inspection

Daddys' 27th birthday. This is what the kids "made" for daddy. If you can't see, it says, "Dad: a son's first hero, a daughter's first love."

Daddy reading his cards from the kids

Daddy requested Turkey burgers with avocado and chocolate pound cake with cherries.

Halloween pics. Daddy and I were mobsters (a picture of us was taken by a friend at the trunk or treat but was posted on Facebook so I will try to post that onto my profile). RJ was a tiger and Ada was Princess Tiana.

The treats we made to take to truck or treat. They didn't turn out as well as I would have liked, but they're to be bloodshot eyeballs. They are made out of powdered mini donuts, red icing and m&ms.

Ada LOVED her costume and we were hard pressed to get her back out of it, but she listens fairly well and loves bath time so it worked out as well as could be expected!

posing for the camera

We are also in the process of potty training Ada and luckily, as she loves stickers, so it is going pretty well! So wish us all luck!

Mainers for a week

Hello All!

I will try to keep this concise but a bunch has happened recently and I need to chronicle it all. So first and foremost:

Uncle Aaron is back!! He is just as skinny as ever (which I think made Josh a little disappointed as he came back from many areas where they told him he was too skinny and thus he came back a bit heavier than he would have liked...)

Before we get onto Maine, we went on a small trip with some church friends the other day to a farm in Doylestown and we took a few pics

This little boy right here...he's got my heart, but almost as much as his father.

Yeah, she has it too...and look at how beautiful her hair is! I love it!

This is the Orno bog. You'll see a picture of the plaque in a couple of pics.

The explorers!!

More of the bog boardwalk

RJ was having fun being in the front seat of the stroller

All of us except Grammie and Grandpa

sorry this is out of order but here is the plaque

A pic I am sure no one will be happy I took...sorry guys but I always think y'all look great!

Uncle Aaron wrestling

I love that they're all trying to get RJ to look at the camera

a better pic but I thought the other was funny

Our present to Grammie and Grandpa...thought it wouldn't travel very well so brought the stuff and made it there.

I love my cheese grin-y boy!!

Making Grammies' signature side: crescent rolls!

Lexis' cheese face!

Playing at Grammie and Grandpas'

These guys were fast friends

Playing with my baby girl; she is so giggly and silly. How could you not fall under her spell of giggles and sillies?? Even Daddy has gotten sillier!

RJ loves getting and giving kisses. Daddy thinks I am making him into too much of a Mamas' boy, but I guess I will only have until he starts school and then my boy will be too old to kiss as much as I do now. So sorry Daddy, but I am going to live it up for now.

Yeah, Daddy is under RJs' spell too.

park playing

My fearless slide going fiend of a boy!

He loves to blow bubbles

And this is a picture of my husband wearing way too few articles of clothing for how cold it was!

chillin' at Grammies'

This picture I had nothing to do with at all. RJ kept getting stuck back here so Daddy went to grab the camera and then he started screaming...breaking my heart still.

We went with some friends to the Phila Zoo and went on the carousel. My little man lookin' so fly!

Bethany trying to get a pic with her daughter Maddy, and it didn't turn out as well as we planned. Still an awesome picture.

Ada and Gigi

checkin' out the exhibits

We had a great time visiting family and we hope to see everyone again soon!