PawPaw would have been proud...

of his son and all of his boys...

On Saturday, the whole clan, along with Uncle Cameron, headed up to Uriah for an overnight trip to the hunting camp. I do not think that I have been to the camp in at least 4 or 5 years, and it was William's first trip! We almost cancelled due to the family being under the weather, but we woke up feeling a little bit better and decided it was a rare chance for us all to be up there together.

The boys had a blast! They love being outdoors and the camp provides a safe place for them to run around.

When we got there, we had a little time for football and baseball.

Then Chris, Cameron, and Daniel headed off to the rifle range to sight in their rifles. Daniel was up for the adventure...Philip was not. He does not like the sound of the gun going off, even though Chris was prepared with earphones to protect their ears. So Philip, William, and I stayed at the trailer.

When hunting time rolled around, the boys got dressed and ready to go.

Again, Philip was quite concerned that Chris was bringing his gun! A deal was made that only a really big deer would be considered. They ended up seeing six does during their time in the stand. Chris says that Daniel was very interested and continued to watch them long after Philip lost interest. Time will tell, but it appears Daniel may be Chris' hunting buddy!

Mom and William had hot chocolate waiting when everyone returned.

The boys warmed up and we grilled hamburgers on the porch while socializing with others.

In the morning, Chris and Cameron hunted while the boys and I stayed at the trailer. We went on our own adventure through the woods surrounding the camp. We tromped through a cotton field...

and even found our own trail leading to a green field! The boys loved this adventure! Then it was back to the trailer to wait for Daddy and Cameron to come fix us a big breakfast.

We had a great time together even if it was a short trip. I hope the boys grow up to love the outdoors as much as their father does.

PS - You may notice some interesting clothes in the above post. On Friday, my brother, Daniel, and his sons, Austin and Henry, joined us for the Iron Bowl. Karen sent with them several costumes that they had outgrown. Boba Fett and Spiderman are two of our new favorites...and of course they traveled with us to the hunting camp!

So Much to be Thankful for!!

This Thanksgiving, we are again reminded of all we have to be thankful for. Of course, at the top of the list is our families.

Today was a busy one. We started early by going to thank God for all of our blessings at church. There was no nursery and at times we were quite rowdy! I do have to admit, though, that Philip and Daniel looked downright angelic carrying the wine and bread, respectively, down the aisle as Chris, William, and I followed behind.

From church, we headed to GranGran and PopPop's for lunch. We were joined by Aunt Elizabeth, and Aunt Susan and Uncle Rob. Susan cooked her first turkey and it was delicious!! We had lots of time to eat and visit.

Elizabeth offered to keep Philip while Chris and I took the little guys home for naps. An aside, but Elizabeth was here all week. She, Philip, and Daniel spent a lot of time together...including two trips to Old Dutch. The boys loved their time with her!

After naps, it was time for round two at Cameron and Heather's. After Philip was born, Chris and I swore off attending two Thanksgiving meals, and we began rotating. This year fell to my family, but given the circumstances, we decided to do both. We were glad we could...although we could hardly move afterwards!

Heather set a beautiful table, Cameron smoked about the best turkey I've ever had, and we enjoyed time with both of them and Dottie.

It was a long day, but a good one. We are all still feeling the effects of colds and are hoping to be feeling better soon!

Gobble, Gobble!

Well it's time to get cooking! The boys are all home from school and we have declared today "cooking day." Here's a glimpse from last week's special cooking project...ginger snaps. It was William's first time to sit on the counter and taste test for himself!

Even though Thanksgiving isn't until tomorrow, our Thanksgiving celebrations have begun. Last Friday, Daniel's class celebrated their Thanksgiving feast.

Daniel made a good looking turkey!

Yesterday, Philip's class had an Indian pow-pow. He and his classmates dressed in headdresses with their chosen Indian name (ours was 'Friendly Dog'...not 'Chief Toots-a-lot' that Daddy suggested), a decorated Indian vest, a drum, and necklace.

Once everyone was fully outfitted, we made butter! The teachers put some heavy whipping cream in a baby food jar and we all shook the jars for several minutes. Pretty cool...it definitely turned into something like butter! I think it also took some energy out of the little ones!

We then headed to the Great Hall for a snack and some playtime in a tepee!

Philip enjoyed his croissant dipped in his homemade butter. It tasted pretty good!

Can you say...."one little, two little, three little Indians???"

We are all looking forward to being with both families tomorrow. So much to be thankful for! I am also anxiously looking ahead to Advent. I'm thinking about some new traditions to make this time of preparation a little more intentional for my children. I'll keep you posted!

Tonight we celebrated...

45 years of a happy marriage...

the realization that 45 years is a long time and yet it seems cut short...a legacy created by two people that began with two sons and has grown to include two daughter-in-laws and three grandsons (and hopefully many more grandchildren to come!)...being together as a family.

Anticipating that this first anniversary without Phil would be hard, Chris and I decided to have Dottie, Cameron, and Heather over for dinner. I pulled out the stops...

to make sure it was a dinner that proved how special we think their marriage was and how grateful we are to both of them for the example they set.

We truly enjoyed our time together!

What we've been doing...

I apologize for the month long absence in blogging. I'm not sure where the time went. There were some sick germs, a week without Internet, and just overall life that led to no time to blog. I think though I am now caught up with our happenings.

Well, except for one thing. Have I forgotten to share that we are expecting #4 this spring??? Chris, the boys, and I are thrilled to grow our family with one more child. I am sure that craziness will ensue, but the reality is that craziness lives here day in, day out with three...so could one more make that much of a difference?? I'll answer that in six months!

The pregnancy has been challenging at times. It started with bad nausea that lasted strong for the first three months. The bulk of that has subsided and it now simply comes and goes. I feel huge for three months, but I guess that is the joy of having four.

I think Philip and Daniel are truly excited. Philip has asked a lot of questions...some we are quite comfortable answering yet! Today, Daniel chose "my baby" as what he wanted to thank God for in the atrium. William is yet to be determined. I think he'll do great though!

I hope the absence will not be as long this time! I promise to try to be more regular!!