So...

Today I finally washed the van.

I can't believe how busy we've been.  But then I don't feel busy.  Just too busy to post.

I missed posting Alexis and Amy's birthdays.  That's pathetic.  My oldest child is now a decade old.  She is an amazing girl.  I love to be around her and talk to her, and listen to her.  She is so smart and happy and has so many crazy and fun ideas.  We had a fun birthday party for her.  We watched the Ramona and Beezus movie with a few of her friends, and ate pizza and S'mores.  No cake, no ice cream.  It was great.  That weekend, not for her birthday, we flew to Denver to go to the American Girl store.  Even I was giddy there, and so excited to see all they have.  Alexis had saved some money and was able to buy a few things she wanted for her Kit doll.  We had lunch with my sister Molly at Red Robin, yum, and we went to the mall and to the Godiva shop to buy the delicious pumpkin truffles, yum again.   it was a great trip.  Unfortunately, Molly came down with a nasty stomach thing while we were there and was too sick to hang out.  We took Madison, her daughter, and ran around a little and had lunch with my sister Amanda on Saturday.  We flew home Saturday night.  It was some much needed time with Alexis.  She is awesome.

Amy had a fun birthday, too.  No trips to anywhere fun, but she did have lunch at Applebees, and now has a pink "big kid" car seat.  She was given a pillow pet by Steve and I, and some more fun things from everyone else.  She is now four, and quite the firecracker.  She is so sweet and I can't get over her smile.  If I'm feeling grouchy, all she has to do is smile and it melts me.  I'm goo.  Actually, that's true with all our kids.  I think Heavenly Father made children smiles special.  There is just something about the happiness of a child that is so innocent, and it comes through when they smile.  Baby smiles are uncomperable.  So sweet.  OK back to Amy.  I don't know what our family would be like without her.  She is so loved and adored.  Again, I feel my kids growing too fast and slipping away.

Burke cut his first two teeth, seven days apart.  He crawls around like a little inch worm  It's so cute.

Thanksgiving was so tasty, and I really enjoyed the company we had.  We were lucky enough to have Steve's parents and Grandma, Kelley, Mark and Logan, and Mark's sister Cindy and her hubby James, and their sweet boy Steven.  I think it was my best year yet.  I did my regular turkey with sides of cranberries from scratch, buttermilk mashed potatoes, tarragon green beans, seasoned red potatoes with cauliflower, butternut squash, rolls, gravy and baked apples.  I usually make a pumpkin cheesecake, but we were having a lot of people, so I did pies instead.  I'm glad I did, because they were sooo good.  I took a vote, between pumpkin and pecan, and the result was split down the middle.  Well I have quite a few pie plates, so I did both.  It had been a long time since I made either of those pies, and unfortunately, I couldn't stop eating them.  I love Thanksgiving.  It is my favorite holiday.  I think because it is not so commercialized, and it's so simple. Just Be Grateful.  I am.

Now we're on to Christmas.  Our shopping is done.  The tree and decor are up.  The weather is in the 70's.  I am ready.

This year I've started something new with the family.  We are doing a paper chain advent calendar.  The reason we are doing this is because Amy was sad that we weren't opening gifts the morning after we put up the tree.  I decided to make the paper chain so that she could see it get shorter each day as we count down for Christmas.On the inside of each chain, I wrote something that we have to do as a family that day.  It has been so fun.  I'm goig to take a longer break from my count down to the last day of school, and post our count down to Christmas instead.  Here it goes: