the snow is fun, but it has always happened over break or the weekend. it's different when the kids are in school. we travel tonight and we were not expecting more snow. looking forward to florida! when we travel i usually can only think of our immediate needs, but this time i know my future self will thank me for gassing up the car and making a grocery order that will be ready for pick up the next morning after we return.
the snow is sticking, and all i can do is dream of the 80 degree weather in florida that will greet us in a day! banjo has no idea he will go for his first plane ride tomorrow! the boys are snuggled up by the fire staying warm and cozy.
what is this white stuff so early in the season??? i think this is the earliest we have seen snow since we moved here. the kids are excited about it and luckily banjo doesn't hate it as much as he hates the rain.
saying goodbye to our fall decor and pumpkins. i let the kids take some golf tees and mallets to hammer into our old pumpkins.
it's the day after thanksgiving, which means in this house we start decorating for christmas!
what a beautiful warm and sunny thanksgiving in the PNW. it is just us 4 this year and i am still trying to find and make our own traditions for this holiday. it used to be my favorite holiday before we moved, just good friends, family and food. there are no gifts and just being with the ones you love and reminiscing on life's blessings and all we have to be thankful for. the meaning hasn't changed, but there are lots of faces i miss on this day.
jarad and i have had a tradition of a pre-thanksgiving hike, which we have kept up every year. the day before we went to the arboretum and today we went to the elk run trails to explore. afterwards we headed to the park for the kids to play and a short visit to the dog park. in the past we have done appetizers and snacks since the actual turkey dinner is lost on the kids, and they look forward to that. however, this year i wanted to do a more traditional dinner. BUT...i did a big short cut with a costco rotisserie chicken and i made all the sides (mashers, stuffing, green beans, rolls and pumpkin pie).
as expected the kids ate rolls and butter and sparkling cider and dessert. then we watched a movie and went to bed early. it was nice, but i am excited to see mimi and papa next week and celebrate with them, and for my parents to be here in a few weeks to celebrate the christmas season.
the kids are officially off of school for a long 4 day thanksgiving weekend. starting it off with a arboretum walk and mount rainier is showing off.
thankful for friends...makes my heart happy that she has made some great friends at school and enjoys it!
 |
| bowie first grade 2022 |
the big pumpkin pie debacle continues in our house. jarad likes mrs. smith pumpkin pie (store bought) and the kids and i love the impossible pumpkin pie recipe (from bisquick box) that i grew up with. i am trying a new recipe in hopes of finding a pumpkin dessert we can all agree on.
find the recipe HERE
they say when you adopt a dog, you need to know about the rule of three. it takes three days for the dog to decompress, three weeks for the dog to settle into a routine and three months for you to get to know the full personality of your dog. this is all true, except that it took three seconds to fall in love with this sweet boy.
i often wonder what his life was like before he was found roaming the empty school hallways with his friend woody. was he abandoned, lost, unwanted or just a stray? i will never know his story up until the point where deanna found him, and am i so grateful she did. she was the best foster mom to him and set him up for success for his forever home.
banjo is the most loving and sweetest dog. he showers us with kisses and cuddles. he adores the kids and loves to be close to them. he is playful with jarad and runs downstairs in the morning with excitement to say good morning to him. he is always close by me, and loves to curl up next to me or lay on my chest. he is crazy about any plush squeaky toy and loves his large back yard. he enjoys going on walks at the arboretum and chasing the boys RC cars outside. he fits into this family perfectly and he is so loved and cherished.
today marks three months since we adopted him and i feel so lucky that he is ours. i am always amazed at how trusting animals are, especially when they have every reason not to be. i don't know his story, but from the moment they placed him in my lap and we drove off, i know he knew he was safe and grateful. that is one of the beautiful things about rescuing a pet, they know you chose them to give them a better life and show them unconditional love, and the investment is returned ten fold.
ryder brought home a thankful turkey. he is thankful for his family and his good friend porter.
 |
| ryder preK 2022 |
bowie's homework was to disguise this turkey, of course she made it into a unicorn.
i am not well versed on what a 9 year old boy would like for his birthday, but i wanted to give money. i always like to give something fun along with it. i put together this on the go adventure busy box, and i think it turned out really cute. he loves legos, so this is a lego storage case with a yo-yo, pop it toy, gum, bandaids, tic tacs, gum, roadside bingo and some brain buster cards. i also picked up two more of these lego cases for our upcoming trip.
