thanksgiving blackout 2011

as i was updating my project 365
i realized there was one thanksgiving 2011 element i forgot to mention

well ok 2...

first of all ...
on tuesday night alex wasn't feeling so hot
wednesday morning - alex wasn't feeling so hot
finally - wednesday night we had him checked out
and he had strep

SO ...
we decided to hold off on heading to WI
and give him a little bit of time on antibiotics before spreading the love

SO GLAD WE DID
wednesday night proved to be WAY more exciting than we expected

around 10:30 -
drew was asleep
alex and ben were almost asleep

all of the sudden everything went black
COMPLETELY black
as in no matter which direction we looked
pitch black

the only lights to be seen
were random flashlights shining out of windows

it was creepy
but
also very surreal
it is so rare for us to see such a clear dark sky
and as long as we have lived here
i have never seen the entire neighborhood completely dark

we have no idea what caused the outage.
i've heard it was a crash that caused power lines to cross.
we have our own theory that it was the 'griswald' house down the street.
but really ... no clue.
all i know is that it came back on at 12am.

i am SO thankful i wasn't home alone
and i am also thankful we had so many working flashlights
BUT ...
MOST importantly ...
i am SO thankful thanksgiving wasn't at my house.
i most definitely would have been baking and cleaning -
and i'm guessing i would not have gotten very far with either ;)

decking the halls

as we said goodbye to thanksgiving ...
we said hello to all things Christmas!!



the weather - and lack of snow - was perfect

so we set out to cut down a Christmas tree! 

with the help of 3 strong boys
and a sawzall ;)
the job went quick



we took a little time to enjoy some cider

and then headed home for the REAL decorating.



BUT ...
no decorating reveals yet.

not because it's SO different
or amazing
or worth waiting for


more like ...
i was busy cleaning up the 3 ornaments that got broken
and
figured i still have a good month to take a decorated tree picture
so
why rush ;)

SO much

this weekend i was reminded
just how much i have to be thankful for.

i have a great family ...



AND we get to go bowling every thanksgiving ;)


i have a husband who is my best friend and my everything ...

i have kids who make me laugh ...

often.

alex has learned to tie shoes ...

WHICH means all 3 of my kids can tie their own shoes!

i have a dad that loves giving my boys opportunities to be boys ...

AND ...
FINALLY ...
with the passing of thanksgiving ...
that means there is only one more week left in november ...

goodbye 'movember ;)
it's been fun.

*s*N*o*W*

it may have snowed ALL day yesterday
BUT ...
that didn't stop the boys.

they STILL had their bikes out



AND
were relentless in building a bike jump ...
out of snow!

THEN ...
they were so excited about snow

that they were out playing it in by 8 am this morning

and as soon as we got back from church ...
they were out in it again.

the older boys connected sleds TO THEIR BIKES ...

and then proceeded to give out rides ...

around and around
the circle

making the smaller boys VERY happy ;)

 

i am not too thrilled about the fact that winter really is coming

and

i am definitely not thrilled that it is cold and not about to change

BUT

given the fact that my house has been REALLY quiet for the past 2 days

and the boys have been busy playing outside THE ENTIRE TIME ...

maybe the cold and snow aren't so bad ;)

movember

in the name of raising vital awareness and funds for cancers affecting men
stacey has decided to subject us to a quite creepy 'stash for the entire month of november -
or shall i say 'MOvember'



he has gotten together 25 guys from work
including VPs, directors, and his own employees
and together they are growing their mo's
and raising money at the same time
AND the bonus ...
thomson reuters will match every donation he receives!!
SO ...
please take a minute to check out the site below.
even if everyone just donates ONE dollar
it will make my month a little less miserable ;)
http://mobro.co/sbarnett
THANKS GUYS!!

showering bekah

this weekend we got to celebrate ...

in just a few short months
my sister, bekah,
is having a baby boy!!!



so we threw her a shower!!

we threw together some cute decorations ... 

ordered some goodies ...

and had some fun.

we started out by having everyone come share their wishes for baby kalita ... 

we also gave each person a baby in an ice cube ...



and told them that their goal
throughout the course of the shower -
was to see who could get their water to break first ;)
the first baby out ... was the winner.

then ...
once everyone arrived ...
we presented ryan with his own 'daddy tool belt'



one can never be too prepared for a diaper change ;)

after lots of chatting and eating ...

we played one more game ...

we had everyone write a message of encouragement
that bekah and ryan can read during diaper changes ...

and then gave everyone more time to visit :)

it was fun to be excited with bekah ...



and to shower her with some love ;)



we are SO excited for you bekah!!!

 

you are going to be a GREAT mom ...

i'm sure of it!!

some interim fun

although both of the older boys are signed up and committed
to playing basketball this coming season ...
that didn't stop the excitement
when they found out they could go with their friends
to a free wrestling clinic at the high school



they both knew a few people that were there

and based on the fact that they are still practicing half nelsons
in the living room

i'm guessing they had a lot of fun



i'm still not signing them up for wrestling ;)
BUT
we'll let them have fun while they can

thanks for inviting them, jen!

today ...

it's all about ...
BEN ...