Thanksgving...Oh SO much to be thankful for!

Thanksgiving this year was warm and full of lots of family and friends getting together and eating WAY too much  and laughing WAY too hard!  :)  I'm gonna be honest though... I didn't wake up super grateful.  I woke up actually pretty annoyed, frustrated and stressed about all the things that had to be done that day.  As I rushed my children to get dressed and snapped orders to clean up their things, I realized that I was sooo not having a heart of peace and gratitude.  But it wasn't until my daughter began to cry, "Mommy, why are you so annoyed??  Why can't you be in a better mood?" that is when I broke down too.  "Oh hunny!!!"  I cried, "I am soooo sorry!!!!"  It's times like this that we mommies have to do the only thing left to do....ask for forgiveness from our children.  I told her that sometimes even mommy gets into a bad mood and needs Jesus to remind me that He is our joy and satisfaction and that no matter what is going on around us...we can choose JOY with His grace!  It was after our little conversation and some much needed prayer that my day started to turn the corner.  I let out a big sigh and by God's beautiful grace He allowed me to have such gratitude, peace, and even JOY for the rest of my day!  

The kids before everyone else got there pretending like they were at a camp fire

The ladies in the kitchen enjoying themselves  :)

Annabella, Leah, and Sierra.

My hot tea and all the black friday ads....  :)

The table is set...now time to eat.

Wow...that's alot of food.  Surely no one could actually eat all that??

Oh I could...  :)

all the kiddos watching tv

all the big kids making a toast  :)

me and the hubby

me and my Annabella

Ezekiel trying to get everyone psyched up about playing football.. :)

The girls felt the need to go put on princess attire...naturally.  :)

Malachi and Ezekiel, the only boys, were finding it their sole purpose for the evening to make the girls as mad as possible... so we finally decided to just put them in my room and let them watch some Spider-man.  

The ladies!  Wendi, me, mama, Becky, Kelly, Julie, and Maike. 

Oh how there is SOO much to be grateful for!!!

November days

So be ready for A L O T of pictures!  I kinda go crazy around the holidays when it comes to picture taking and to save on time I will post mainly pictures for the next few posts and not too much writing.  :)   November was pretty chill...but still filled with lots of snuggling, playing, and being silly.  :)

Snuggle time

 

play dough  :)

  

This morning the kids had decided to grace me with their presence around 545 am...*sigh*...so I did what any sleep deprived mother would do....tea party anyone?!  :)

My Malachi

Laundry...it will forever be my kryptonite.  :(

me and my malachi

Silliness with Ezekiel

the best way to make the graham cracker crust for pies...put the crackers in a bag and let your 4 year old stomp the heck out of it! haha 

Annabella making a mud pie....in the house.  Not sure even how all that dirt even got into the house... haha

Yumm

Annabella can make her own pb&j now!  

Malachi practicing Charlie's flute

Annabella at her Thanksgiving production with a couple of her friends.

Annabella and her best buddy Destiny from school

Why is our Christmas tree amidst our "November day" pictures??  Well, I kinda have a bit of an obsession with Christmas and that starts with the tree. :)  I called Home Depot at the beginning of November and asked the exact day that their trees would be coming in (which as Nov 18th) and I was there that morning!  :)

Ezekiel trying with no avail get the tree off the roof  hehe

Daddy helping Bellabear with her homework

I went out for the afternoon and came home to this...very sleepy boys!  :)

Love.Him

kisses from mommy!  :)

getting out of the house!  **Hip Hip Horrayyyy!!**

with mama

reading time before bed

Annabella as fancy nancy...

Annabella as a cowgirl...with a dress on.  haha :) 

we were making cookies and I said, "okay Malachi now it's time for the flour." and he smiled super big and declared, "mama! I can get it!!!"  he ran over to our poinsettia plant and picked off the "flower" from the picture above and said, "Here's a perfect  flower(flour) to go into the cookies!!" haha  ahhh he is sooo crazy cute!!!

mixing cookie dough...don't worry, his hands were washed. :)

Now last picture, but certainly NOT least, is a picture of a plastic spider.  But not just any plastic spider...the kind of plastic spider that strikes absolute fear and panic in a certain 2 year old little boy!  I know I should not think that is funny, but trust me....it is.  haha  Ezekiel is scared of nothing and no-one so when I see that a tiny plastic spider makes him run away...well, it's kinda amusing. Oh Ezekiel...I'm pretty sure only Jesus will ever truly  understand you!  :)

Fall fun

So now that I got my new iphone4s (LOVE by the way!!) I am taking even more pictures...(I know, how can that be possible, right?!)  Well, I hated hauling around my nice camera and I lost my other one so this serves as my new anywhere/anytime camera!  :)  All of that to say, I took alot of pictures this month (or rather, in the last 2 weeks! haha)  though some of these are taken with my nicer camera..I was so pleasantly surprised with the quality of the Iphone's camera!

Ezekiel and I running errands at Staples.  He was being insane!  i don't know if you can tell, but he actually broke the cart so there was no backing anymore! The entire staff was trying to help give him things that would help calm him down!  *sigh*  Then at check out he got away from me and ran behind the counter all the way into the employee break room!  He's fast, I will give them that! :)

look at that smile?!   what a little charmer!

painting pumpkins

the first day to wear his winter coat this season!  I love me some cold weather!  I know I am totally outnumbered on that, but there's something about grey skies, cold weather, and cozy blankets that screams, "Make a toasty fire and do nothing all day long!!"  :)

Malachi and Ezekiel climbing this crazy looking thing at the park.  Malachi did the whole things all by himself!

Some pictures I took of the kids playing in the leaves in our backyard!  Cuteness!  :)

Oh the many faces of Malachi!  :)

We threw a baby shower for my dear friend Julie!  She doesn't have a name yet so the banner said, "Baby Barnes"  We started off at my house for appetizers..and then moved outside for a nice sit down dinner and then to my mom's for dessert! 

My first attempt at cake pops...definitly not like the picture I was trying to copy.. but they sure tasted yummy!!

Menu

more fall fun: painting fall trees! :)

Look at Malachi's tree?!  He even put little apples on it.  the boy is amazing at drawing/painting!

So that's a little bit about how we are spending our fall!  I know that was an insane amount of pictures but since I have NO time to scrapbook and I don't print pictures.. unless for my wall; I just have them on here to look at!  :)