November is in full swing. We've had another 4H meeting, at which Ezri sat in as President for the night!
We've had some dental excitement as well. Elam has visited the dentist for some cavity repair, and is such a champ, sitting very still, following directions and handling the process all so well!
Ezri has had two stubborn baby teeth that are slated to be pulled as the adult teeth are well on their way in and causing discomfort. Finally, before the appointment to have them removed, one got loose on it's own. She concocted a fun way to pull it out. When her first attempt to have Lightning McQueen pull it out on the race track didn't quite work, she handed the car (still tied to a string that was attached to her tooth) off to Tierney who was on skates. Tierney took off and out came the tooth!
We've also had some activity in the barn the past couple of weeks, as the construction of a bathroom has begun, thanks to hours of hard work done by my dad. The room now has a shape and the project has a path.
With 2 measurable snowfalls having already come and gone, we were anxious to get the house decorated. While we typically have waited until after Thanksgiving, as with last year, this year's heaviness has prompted us to bring on all the cheer early again. As is our tradition, the tree goes up first, and after lights are strung the kids get their first gift of the season - their special ornament for the year. They were all so anxious to unwrap and discover what had been chosen to represent the past year for them.
To remember the year Elam spent riding his tractor power wheel, racing our neighbor Mr. Danny on his lawn mower, and racing across the street to watch any tractor that entered the field...
Elam got a John Deere lawn mower tractor!
To remember her first year being able to participate in 4H and the fair in person, and to be able to show an animal, and do so very well...
Tierney got a chicken that looked just like her fair chicken, Jewel!
To remember when things began to look different and her love for reading improved because of new glasses...
Alora got a little girl wearing glasses just like hers!
And for our girl who has really taken a liking to making music, set her determination on making lessons happen on her own time, and practicing hard...
Ezri got a piano!
This year, to eliminate the argument that always comes with the final tree decoration, the star, the kids opted to work together, each having a hand in the process!
With the house all decorated for Christmas, I surprised the kids with their new Christmas outfits and set up a holiday shoot.
Last week brought us a short work and school week, and a long weekend of family and time to relax with the arrival of Thanksgiving!
On the Wednesday before Thanksgiving, we made our weekly visit to Great Grandma's, and this time we got to help decorate her house for Christmas, which the kids and I enjoy doing each year. This year, Grandma did a lot less than ever before, but we were glad to have her watching and enjoying the scene unfold, and grateful for the time we have with her.
This year, Thanksgiving looked different than we might have imagined a year ago, and with it came some emotions, but we still had a wonderful time with our family. We were joined on Thanksgiving day by Grandpa, Grandma, Uncle Mike, Aunt Kerri, Aubrey & Wesley for a plenty big meal and lots of time to laugh, play and talk together. The day started off with some food prep, and the beginning of the 24 pound turkey deep fry, with the help of our fork lift!
