Thanksgiving

Earlier this week I was talking to Nick about how it would be kind of nice if one of our parents lived just far enough away that we could take a mini-vacation for the holidays. Well, this year, that is just what it turned out to be for Thanksgiving. We went to my mom and dad's for the feasting of turkey and all the trimmings. Yumm-0.

Then there was the browsing of ads. Ellie had a fantastic time playing with cousins.

And so did Maren.

We spent the night and the next day we could find the men here. My parent's roof (half of it anyway) needed a serious reroofing. This is one of the benefits of having a large family. There were some 5 men, and several of my nephews working on it all at once. It still was an all day project though.

We were planning on coming home but another project was on the to-do list - reroofing the barn roof. I guess some raccoons had damaged the plywood and it needed to be replaced in one corner - which kept getting bigger and bigger! After the shingles were removed it was obvious that nearly half of that side needed new wood, so it turned into quite the project. At the end of the day, the men were close to having it completed - but they ran out of shingles!

Meanwhile, I ate lots of food, chatted with my family, and relaxed with a good book. No complaints there! I hardly saw my kids. They were completely entertained by their cousins and all of Grandma's fun toys. They also checked out the cows:

And the chickens:

And played in the backyard:

And now it is time to pull out the Christmas tree!

I'm Thankful For...

Last night our FHE was Thanksgiving-themed. We put together Tom, the thankful turkey:And then Dad made the girls pilgrim bonnets. I know this photo is fuzzy, but Maren is just making the cutest face, so I included it anyway. And here is another photo of Maren from this morning.

A moment to brag about my kids. Maren is at such a fun stage. She is already the comedian of the family, doing silly things just to get a laugh. She is talking all the time, but we can't understand most of what she says. She'll 'pray' which means she'll get on her knees, fold her arms, and make talking sounds. So cute. She loves babies and wants her baby wrapped in a blanket and then she'll bounce her (just like her mom does when we watch our friend's baby).

Ellie is also fun, just at the age where she is a touch more defiant than her baby sister. She is also very cute and funny which makes up for her naughty moments. She was telling us last night about the "Belize Mommy-not" song that she'd heard in the car. We finally figured out she was singing "Feliz Navidad"! She is creative and happy and busy. She loves to dress up, pretend with her friends (and Maren if she can convince her), make crafts, sing, and read books.

Boy we love our kids! Really, how blessed are we?

We Are Still Here

I feel like I haven't had much to blog about lately, so I just haven't. But we are still here, doing the same old thing. We are looking forward to the holidays and our Christmas shopping is getting nearer to completion. Yeah! The only problem with that is I love Christmas shopping and would rather just keep doing it until Christmas day (that can be a bad thing on our bank account). Maybe I'll have to find other holiday activities to keep my urges under control.

Anyway...here are some cute photos of my girls. Maren is such a character. She was dipping her face in the bubbles, just to get a laugh from her sister and I.

Bubble beards all around. Aren't Maren's eyes gorgeous?

Rub a dub dub, two silly girls in the tub.

To My Boy

Dear Baby Boy,

You may be wondering why I haven't blogged about you much, especially when I blogged so much about your sister while she was in utero. Well, let me tell you that it is not because I love you any less, because that just isn't true. It is true that my blogging style has changed slightly over the last year or so because I found my own entries quite boring. That may have something to do with it. More true is the fact that you are my third (fourth if you count the miscarriage) pregnancy, and I'm beginning to feel that it's a bit old hat, you know what I mean? I just haven't felt inspired to write about this pregnancy. I hope that doesn't hurt your feelings. I assure you that we are quite eager to welcome you into our home in about 3 months time (by the way, it would be appreciated if you decided to come a week or two early, but we won't hold our breath).

A name you ask? Well, we are working on it. We actually have a name in mind, but I'm not sure I'm ready to call you by that name just yet. Naming a baby is difficult, as you will find out in about 25-30 years when you are naming your own babies. Unless, of course, you or your wife (a sweet one, I hope) doesn't have an opinion, which isn't likely. I promise that you will have a name by the time you make your debut.

You are growing, as witnessed by my ever-expanding belly (although just today I was asked if I was pregnant! Ha!). I love your reassuring kicks, jabs, twists, and turns. Your sister, Ellie, talks about you all the time and is excited to have a baby brother. She loves to feel you move, and has chosen a name for you, "Hamburger". We have her trained to change diapers (as seen below), I hope that's okay with you. Your sister, Maren, is excited for you too, she just doesn't know it yet.

You keep growing, and we'll keep praying for your health and safe delivery. We all love you.

Love,
Your Mother

The Best Lasagna Ever

I like a good lasagna. I've tried several recipes in the past and have never been dissappointed, however, this is the best we've come across, and Nick doesn't want me to look back to any previous attempts. This is the one. Red and White Lasagna (taken from the American Beauty box)
12 lasagna noodles
1 (15 oz.) container ricotta cheese
1 (10 oz.) package frozen chopped spinach, thawed and well drained
2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese
1/2 cups shredded Parmesan cheese, divided
2 eggs
1 lb. Italian sausage or ground beef, cooked and drained
1 (26 oz.) jar marinara pasta sauce
1 (16 oz.) jar alfredo pasta sauce
Cook pasta. Preheat oven to 350. Combine ricotta, spinach, mozzarella, 2 Tablespoons Parmesan and eggs; mix well. In a 15x9 baking dish, spread 1 cup marinara. Layer 4 noodles. Top with half cheese mixture, 1 cup marinara and all the cooked sausage. Layer with 4 more noodles, remaining cheese mixture and remaining marinara. Top with 4 remaining noodles. Spread alfredo evenly on top and sprinkle with remaining Parmesan. Cover and bake for 40 minutes. Uncover and bake an additional 15 minutes or until hot and bubbly. Let stand 10 minutes before serving.

Popcorn Balls

Nick remembers making orange popcorn balls for Halloween in his youth, and that is one tradition that we have adopted. We were both too tired and way too stuffed with sugary things to make them on Halloween, but we made up for it on Sunday evening.

Ellie loved to help.

Maren loved to eat. And I got a sucker stuck on my (a-hem) boob. Halloween candy + small children = sticky things.Just in case you were interested in the recipe, here 'tis:

Popcorn Balls

1 c. sugar

1/3 c. white corn syrup

1/3 c. water

1/4 c. butter

1/2 tsp. salt

1 tsp. Flavoring (orange!)

Coloring (orange!)

Stir and cook sugar, corn syrup, water, salt, and butter until dissolved. Continue cooking without stirring until mixture forms brittle ball in cold water (the brittle ball is under debate in this home - Nick likes them sticky, and thus only cooks the mixture to the soft ball stage. I, on the other hand, like them a little crispy, but whatever your preference.) Add flavoring and color. Poor mixture over popcorn (how much? I'm not entirely sure - a big bowl full). Put hands in cold water before forming balls and it will help keep you from burning yourself.

Halloween

We did what most Americans did on Halloween - went to Costco (seriously, I don't think I've ever seen it so busy) and went trick-or-treating. Here are some cute photos.

As seen previously, Maren was Raggedy Ann for Halloween, and her cousin Maybe just happened to be the famous rag doll too! We had to take photos. Of course, Maybe looks much more genuine with her ragdoll wig and striped tights...but aren't they both cute? Oh, and here's Raggedy Andy (cousin Seth) to top it off. Cinderella joined in too, but she happened to be missing her glass slippers AND her dress, so you'll just have to imagine. Those photos were actually taken Friday night. Saturday evening, Nick and I both took the girls trick-or-treating around our neighborhood. I think it was just as much fun for us to see friends and neighbors as it was for the girls to collect their candy.

Ellie saw some of her good friends.

Once it got dark and chilly, we headed to Grandma and Grandpa's house, where Maren enjoyed playing with the cups (the latest and greatest at the Johnson's - they go all out for their grandkids ;) and Ellie danced to the "Monster Mash" with Grandpa. It was a fun evening, and since we weren't home to give out our big bowl full of candy, that is what you all will be getting for Christmas. Hope that's okay with you. :)