Skip to main content

A Weekend of Thanks

Warning: this post has us in pajamas!
Thanks to our friend, Barb, we make cranberry applesauce every Thanksgiving. Yuuummy. This year was extra special b/c Grandma Karyl brought some of her Aunt Hope's apples back from Wisconsin. Kaelah got to crank the food mill & Danny sure did try to sneak a bite.
We did let him have a baby food veggie for the first time. I never knew a child could love squash so much! I tell you what, Gerber sure does taste better than it did 2 years ago (since they took out the fillers). I'm grateful for the price cut over what we bought Kaelah b/c this boy can EAT!
Kaelah & Danny love playing with the Legos Grandma & Grandpa bought last Christmas. And for some reason they actually will let them build tall towers before knocking them down. (:
Kaelah played Candyland for the first time this Thanksgiving & did a great job. The only "problem" was that if a card was drawn that matched one of our playing pieces she would move that piece to the next corresponding color instead of moving her piece there. Maybe next Thanksgiving we'll nail the rules down.
The day after Thanksgiving we were naughty & let Danny have Cool Whip while Kaelah napped. Happy first Thanksgiving, Danny J!
Danny also got promoted out of his infant car seat & into something more comfy. He was only a few pounds below the weight limit & had begun to complain every time we put him in it. Kaelah's seat cover also got washed & she got moved up to the next shoulder height. Now we can say they both love their Britax car seats again! (And thank goodness for Craigslist.)
One of our greatest blessings that weekend (and we have so many to be grateful for) was simply to have Daddy around. It was hard to believe, but we got to have him home for an entire 4 days. That hasn't happened since the week Kaelah was born over 2 years ago. Yes, he's been able to take time off work to visit/vacate with family, but he was HOME. It was soooo nice. He's our favorite person in the whole wide world & works so hard for us. It was great to see my hubby be able to enjoy his house & his family, decorate for Christmas, and eats lots of turkey.

Oh, & this Thanksgiving marks the big 5 year anniversary of us moving in! I can't believe it. The longest I ever lived in one place was 6 years (go Hawkeyes!) & we're almost there. Sure I hate writing that check for the mortgage every month & there is always work to be done (ex. Dan spent from 10am to 4pm minus lunch yesterday fixing 2 of our sinks), but it's ours & we love us. (;

Comments

If you really want to save money, make your baby food. Sweet potatoes (AKA yams, but also the real sweet potatoes) are super easy. All you do is wash them, poke holes in them, wrap them in plastic wrap, and microwave them just like you would a potato. Then mash them up and add a little water to be the right consistency for your kid, and Viola! you have made baby food. Basically all you need to do to make any baby food is cook the food really good, mash it, and add water. Super Easy! I didn't do it with Abigail, but I did with Bryant.
That applesauce sounds DELISH! Glad you enjoyed your holiday. Your blog is always a delight to read!
Cute pictures! And I can DEFINITELY relate to loving having a hubby around and actually "HOME." I can't wait for this school stuff to be over with so that I can have more days of Aaron "home." Keep in touch!!
Emily said…
I love the picture of Danny J with the whip cream on his nose and pumpkin pie next to him...so cute!

Popular posts from this blog

Homecoming 2025

The tail end of summer has been so much fun.  The weather has been fantastic and we've all had special occasions to look forward to.  First up, a family party for Natalie's softball team that included pizza, whiffle ball, and seeing the girls just have a good time together as a team. Here's my favorite photo from when Michelle helped her friend, A, celebrate her 16th birthday.  Although she has been friends with A & Z since her time at the Waldorf school, Michelle ended up hanging out with a lot of strangers and had a wonderful time.  I love seeing her branch out and make new connections while maintaining her core friend group. Homecoming week included a BBQ, Powder Puff game and drone show, parade past the middle school where I was volunteering at the Rattler Run, plus a very exciting football game that even Hubby attended by being one of the basketball parents to man the concession stand. Danny did a great job tossing candy instead of throwing it and the basket...

45

I feel spoiled. My parents and our whole family around a dinner table was perfection. Hubby provided roses & a grilled steak, roasted potatoes, and fresh salad dinner complete with chocolate cake (decorated by Michelle).  My mom and dad bought me sweet and thoughtful gifts (including a mug Natalie had painted when my mom took her to Crackpots this summer) and even stayed to watch K Pop Demon Hunters in the basement. We thought it would be hilarious to watch them watch something so different from their favorite shows. They did not disappoint. It was a joyful evening that made me feel much better about turning 45 than I felt earlier in the day.  Below you’ll find what I had written before we celebrated.  Photo credit goes to Kate! 10 Years Ago I filled out interview questions for my 35th birthday and 5 years ago I did the same, adding 5 more questions.  I really don't think I should add 5 more every year because this is probably already too much information for an...

Adventures Begin

Michelle had been saving her money for years. She didn’t know exactly what for, but it turns out she used that money to travel with a group from her high school to Asia!  When people asked me at the end of the school year what I was excited for this summer, the first thing I would think of is Michelle’s trip to Thailand, Cambodia, and Vietnam!  We loved getting texts and photos almost everyday and were able to FaceTime her a couple times.  She had quite the range of experiences from museums and treasures such as Angkor War to cooking classes and time on the water to learning how to fold flowers for offerings at famous Buddhas, and even hanging out with rats that sniff out landmines to be properly disposed of.  We are absolutely thrilled for her! While Michelle was in Asia, Hubby and Kate worked and Kate hung out with friends doing things like paddle boarding (it is great to hear her work stories!), Natalie and I watched the Women’s College World Series when we weren’...