Thankful Holiday

I am thankful that we got to host Thanksgiving this year!  We haven't done it since 2010, and that was in Tonica, and I don't have a lot of super happy memories there, so I was excited to be able to create a new one this year. I felt like I needed to do something different this year, so I thought, what the heck?!? Why not do it here?  I'm glad that the rest of the family was on board to try something new too!  It was a great reason to have everyone come see our place and check out Midland!

This is just the appetizer spread!

The Adults (sometimes, anyway)

The big kids with Grandpa

The little kids

Anyway, I'm sad that I didn't get a ton of pictures and the ones I did get, the lighting is pretty awful.  (Avery got a new camera this year and we haven't been thrilled with the results.)

At the end of the day, I think we all came away feeling uplifted and thankful.  The conversation was nice, the company was even better, and the memories were priceless. 

Thanks for coming, family!!

Throwback Thursday (with waaay too much melancholy)

I came across some of our old family portraits as I was cleaning and organizing the basement the other day.  I decided I needed to scan them and then just get rid of the HUGE prints.  They were literally like 16x20 and what not and I am no longer into storing stuff that isn't serving a purpose!  PURGE, people, PURGE!!

Anyway, I just got so melancholy and nostalgic and misty and sentimental and felt all bittersweet.  My heart!!  I can't take it sometimes!!

This family!  My people!

The little girls!  Now they are big, and I have to remind myself of how little they once were.

That Mark! What a hunk!  We've been through a LOT, but we've come out stronger and better than ever before.  I love him so much.

I have so much to be grateful for.  I am so, so blessed.

Avery, 18 months

Maryn, 18 mos.

I wish I could tell myself to just hold on, be patient, give it time!  Another daughter will bless your life, just trust, have faith!

My family. Gifts from God. Amen.

Halloween 20-Fifteen (It Rhymes!)

We had a fun Halloween this year, but who am I kidding?!?  We always have fun Halloweens.  It's the MOST wonderful time of the year (sung to the tune of famous Christmas tune...ahem.)

Anyways, I got to help out in Parker's classroom for their party.  That was fun. They have a cute parade, play games, and have HEALTHY snacks!  Who is this teacher?!?  haha!

Anyway, LOVE HALLOWEEN!!

Field Trippin' with my Buggy-Boo

The nicest thing about being a semi-stay-at-home mom is that I can go on field trips with my favorite kindergarten girl.  Parker and I have been to the Apple Barn for 2 years in a row now, and this year was our 3rd!!  I was delighted to be able to share this with her again! 

My heart is full.  I have so much to be grateful for in my life.  Three beautiful, healthy daughters.  A supportive, wonderful husband who is also my best friend.  An awesome family with siblings I look up to and love to be with.  My Dad, who is soldiering on the best that he can in spite of his grief.  My Mom, who I miss terribly. I wish I could still talk to her, spend time with her, and know that she is thinking about me too.  I have so much to be grateful for, but I still have these moments when I just feel so sad and empty.  Some days it helps me push on and want to be a better Mother.  Other days, I just want to cry and feel sorry for myself.  This grief is unpredictable and paradoxical.

A Trip to Grand Rapids

Mark had a conference that was in GR, and we decided to make a little family trip out of it.  We had gone to GR last year for our anniversary, and discovered how much fun it was, so we decided to take the girls out of school for a little fall break.

We stayed in the Amway Grand Hotel again.  It's so old-school, classy, and fancy.  It was fun for the girls to wander around the ballrooms and look at the chandeliers and what-not.  There were a lot of events and conferences in town so the crowds made it that much more exciting.

While Mark was in his conference, the girls and I went across the street to the Grand Rapids Museum.  There was a really cool exhibit on King Tut and we had a great time wandering around.  It literally kept us busy for hours!  Afterwards, we grabbed lunch and by that time Mark was done. 

The Comic-Con was also in town that weekend, so it wasn't too hard to convince the girls it would be a good time.

It was a really fun weekend. We don't normally do this kind of thing, but we all definitely needed a little break from reality.  It was nice to be able to escape and see new things and get our weary minds off of the every day. 

I want to make sure we do this kind of thing more.  In the end, this is all we take with us...the memories we make and the relationships with our families that we take the time to strengthen.