Thanksgiving 2

Brian had to work through Thanksgiving week so he went to his Grandparents house for Turkey dinner.  Just me and the kids went to Gurnee for a couple days and we got to see my parents, Jeff and Jordyn, and Stephanie and her family.  The adults had a lot of fun playing Rock Band and the kids enjoyed the train table.  The kids are getting older and playing together more.  They sat at their own little table for most meals.  It was entertaining hearing them have silly conversations in their own language.  I really missed Brian this trip.  It was hard taking care of the kids by myself.  Stephanie called Leah the human motion detector because any time I walked more than 2 ft. away from her she would cry.  I did get away for a pedicure with Stephanie and some shopping, though, which I thoroughly enjoyed.  

At the Park

We went to the park with the Sacketts for a little fresh air and activity. When we got home the kids warmed up  having hot chocolate with Grandma. 

Thanksgiving 1

This past weekend we celebrated Thanksgiving with Deb and Brant's family.  On Saturday morning we all went to the Festival of Trees parade in Davenport.  It was pretty chilly, but the "minty" hot cocoa kept us nice and warm.  If you've been following our blog for a while, you know we like parades.  That evening Deb prepared a traditional Thanksgiving meal for us.  Yum!  On Sunday we did a massive cookie bake and then divided the cookies 3 ways.  We each have a nice Christmas cookie platter.  I had to keep reminding myself that we were celebrating Thanksgiving (it felt like Christmas).  This year we are particularly thankful for our baby Leah, our new church, Brian's reliable work, and all the fun times we've had with our families this past year.  All our thanks goes to God from whom all blessings flow.  

Training

I'm taking advantage of a couple low-key weeks here before the holidays to do some potty training with Jadon and sleep training with Leah.  I've been talking to Jadon about the potty for a long time and over the summer I attempted some training, but wasn't seeing much progress.   Well, I think he was ready this time.  We've been working on it intensively for a week now and he's doing great!  I am so proud of him!  As for Leah, she's not the best sleeper.  She usually wakes up once or twice at night crying and I would always end up nursing her.  After a good pep talk from my mom, I decided to cut that cold turkey.  I'm proud to say I haven't given her a midnight snack 4 nights in a row.  I've been letting her cry herself back to sleep, and she is persistent.  Last night was a real victory because she only cried for 5 minutes.  I'm a mom on a mission and I'm hoping to tote around 2 new and improved children to all the relatives houses this holiday season.  I also included a picture of our friends, the Johnsons.  We have been staying home a lot for the potty training so they came over and brought the fun to us.  Sorry, no pics of Jadon, but the one of Leah in the pretty dress is her cheering Jadon on in the bathroom :)

Preschool Party

Trick-or-Treat

Well, we've been milking this holiday for all it's worth.  On Friday night we passed out candy and took the kids trick-or-treating.  It was a warm evening and it stayed light out 'til about 6:00.  Many people, including us, were sitting out on their porches, so there was a festive community feel to the evening.  On Saturday we went up to Dubuque to visit my Grandma.  We took her out for lunch and then went to my Aunt Sue's house for a little visit.  After that we drove to Jeff and Charity's place in Galena.  There were hot air balloons in the sky and it was so pretty.  That night we went to their Halloween parade downtown.  It was packed, but very fun.