The Feast

Thanksgiving has come and gone and we've all crossed seamlessly into Christmas mode.  We ventured out to Target yesterday to brave the Black Friday crowds.  We waited until the evening and found it to be a good choice.  It was crowded but we got some good deals and eluded any panic attacks.

Our Thanksgiving was a relatively quiet one this year.  We stayed here and celebrated with Jon's parents and his sister's family.  We ate plenty and walked between dinner and pie to clear out some room for dessert.  On our walk we saw Christmas lights, including a Nativity scene which Jonah referred to as "Ghosts".  I think he's remembering Halloween all too well.  We corrected him and then he pointed out the "dog" and the "reindeer" sitting next to baby Jesus (it was, of course, a sheep and a donkey).

I got up early Thanksgiving morning to run the "Earn Your Turkey" 4 mile race.  It was cold but there were a lot of people that turned out to run/walk or watch the kids' races.  We stuck around after the race to see children ranging from zero to eight be dragged across the finish line by their all-too-enthusiastic parents.  It was cute watching the little kiddies run until they started crying and dragging their feet, begging to be done.  I stayed around a bit longer to see if I'd won anything in the race and ended up winning first place in my division with a prize of a free turkey!  Good enough for me!  (Don't be impressed by "my division" as I registered in the Athena category.  For me, it was a fast race--4 miles in 31 minutes--but there were much faster people running that day and I knew the only chance I'd have at a turkey was registering in the embarrassing category.  What other woman wants to admit her weight in front of a bunch of sinewy, muscular runners?)

Happy Holidays to all.  Let's all remember what this season is truly about--the birth of our Savior Jesus Christ and the life he sacrificed for all.  I am truly grateful for the Gospel of Jesus Christ in my life and in my family's.

Dear Sophie,

Yesterday was your first birthday.  We can't believe it has already been one years since we brought you home from the hospital to meet the rest of your family.  The autumn months and the upcoming holiday season have brought more warm memories for us as we think about your first few months of life.  You were only one week old last Thanksgiving and still so tiny at Christmas time.
You have such a darling personality and have learned to say "Uh-Oh", "Momma", "Hello", and "Peek-a-boo".  You love to eat yogurt and anything else put in front of you.  You especially like to eat paper.  So far we've found such things as cardboard and an earring in your diaper.  You must have a steel tummy.  You love bath time and dancing and singing while playing the piano.  You are so beautiful and we are so blessed to have you in our home.

Twelve Month Stats 

18 lbs 4 oz (10th percentile)

Length - 28.8 in (49th percentile)

Head - 18.1 in (75th percentile)

You had a wonderful birthday party with your Bush cousins, aunts, uncles and Mamou and Grandpa.  You opened presents and got your first baby doll, cute handmade hats from Aunt Celine and Lauren, and cute clothes Mamou brought back from France.  Mimi and Grandpa got you a rocking Zebra which you find quite fascinating.  Jonah likes it too.

 

 

You ate yummy chocolate cake and enjoyed it just as much as we thought you would.

We love you,

Momma & Daddy

Waiting for the cold

I wake up in the morning and see the newly arrived brown-ness outside and immediately expect it to be cold.  "Bundle-up!", I think, as I get the kids clothes ready for the day.  We finally venture outside for some play and eventually peel the excess layers off because it is not cold, in fact, the sun is warm and the air has no hint of crispness in it.

Cold.  This one ingredient is missing from the winter soup.  When will it get here?

 

I made these countdown blocks at craft night last night.  Since the numbers only go to 31, Jon used a post-it to get us where we need to be. 

Bush Family Pictures

It's been 4 years and 4 babies since our last family picture with Jon's family.  So we gathered the screaming children and scrambled to get a few decent shots.  The shoot was full of classic, accidental funny faces and hand gestures from the children.  Luckily, we managed to take some keepers.

The family 4 years ago:

At present:

Happy Halloween, Mamma.

We've been talking about Halloween for weeks, mostly because I love it.  Jonah has been giving orders on how I need to finish painting his costume and he can't stop talking about the pumpkin patch and "carring" pumpkins (I'm not sure what he thinks this is, exactly).  So when Halloween morning arrived, I went to get Jonah out of bed and said, "Happy Halloween!"  I was greeted throughout the day (and following days) with Jonah saying, "Happy Halloween, Mamma!"  What a blessed boy.

Sophie tolerated the trick or treating just fine and even enjoyed her first Dum Dum sucker after her brother was so kind and asked for 2 treats--one for him and one for his Sophie Sue.

Jonah was too grossed out to put his hand in the pumpkin--you can see he's obviously troubled.

Bob the Builder

Our little leaf fairy

Jonah trick or treats like a pro

Happy Halloween!

All in the name of Fall

Fall is my most favorite time of year.  It invokes a need for all things cozy, colorful, and nostalgic.  I took the kids to a pumpkin patch this year and we had so much fun!  We'll definitely be making this a tradition.

Jonah with cousin Kenneth

Sophie waits patiently

All the cousins on the tractor train