Hurray for Grandpa

You can always tell when Keith goes out of town with his dad, because there is a box of sprinkled donuts waiting for the boys. Grandpa never dissapoints, each time he comes to pick Keith up he brings the special treat. The boys are so excited to see the donuts when they wake up it almost makes it okay that dad is gone.

The weather has been beautiful this week--upper sixties! I can't exactly get in the mood to put up Christmas decorations when we've been playing outside all week--not that I'm complaining at all! It's been wonderful! They say cold weather is around the corner though, so I'm hoping to finish the tree and house today before Keith comes home tonight. We'll see...

Boys will be boys

I never thought of myself as a tomboy. Before I had kids I didn't know what I would do with little boys. I don't know how to play football, I don't do mud pies, and I definitely don't understand the need to have your hands down your pants! But to my surprise (and delight) I love having two little boys. They are a joy and so much fun to play with. I truly enjoy raising two boys--except for the bumps! No one prepared me for the injuries.

Yesterday morning Carter fell (again) and bumped his head (again) on the corner of the weight bench. I assumed the usual routine: pick him up, tell him it's okay, kiss it better and send him on his way. Only when I went to kiss it better I kissed a big goose egg, not his head. You could say I "freaked out" just a little. Of course he wouldn't let me put ice on his head. Ty and Olivia (the girl I babysit) had to hold his arms down while I rested frozen peas on his forehead. Not fun! The doctor said that there's not much I could do except ice it, and to expect his entire face to bruise. Thank goodness it was already looking better last night.

Poor Carter, I'm sure this is just the first of many ugly bumps and bruises! Boys will be boys!

Just a few more...

Too many cute pics from this day...

Carter James

Ty Edward

Samantha Marie

More from the Christmas tree hunt...

Keith and Carter scoping out our tree

Ty was Dad's helper when it was time to cut the tree

The cousins riding the tractor to the fields

Ty and Mac racing to find the perfect tree

Christmas Tree Hunt

True to family tradition, we gathered what we could of the Bielozer family (Michelle, and Brian, Lisa, and Zachary couldn't make it) and set off to find and cut down the perfect Christmas trees the day after Thanksgiving. What was not true to family tradition however, was the beautiful weather we had. There was no snow to trudge through or harsh wind on your face, just sunshine and blue skies--that is something to be thankful for!

We all found just the tree we were looking for and had a great time. Again, we are so blessed to have family nearby to enjoy holiday traditions with.

My final thanksgiving post--I promise

After dinner it was nice to just relax and enjoy our company. I don't remember a Thanksgiving that the weather was this nice! It was great to be able to play outside for awhile...
Shelly came in from Utah to visit Chase before he leaves...
This toy gave us hours of entertainment after most of the guests had left. I don't know if it was because we were all so exhausted, but we thought it was hilarious!!
This truly is a time for Thanksgiving. We as a family have been so blessed and much to be thankful for. It seems recently many people close to us have had many trials and hardships and it has made me realize how blessed my life is. I'm thankful for my family, for a faithful and loving husband and father to my children, for two wonderful, healthy children, for my extended family who loves us and is always there for us, for our home and Keith's job, for a gospel that gives my life meaning and purpose and for friends that are always there for me and teach me to be a better person.

Thanksgiving decorations

Just showing off Whitney's floral skills. The centerpieces looked beautiful.

Thanksgiving Dinner

Well, Thanksgiving dinner was a success! We had thirty people, two turkies, one ham, thirty pounds of mashed potatoes, lots of yummy sides and many pies all at our house yesterday. Keith and I are blessed to have both of our families (most of them) near by and doubly blessed that they get along so we can spend our thanksgiving with all of them together. This year was especially nice to have my sister Whitney and and her husband Travis in from Idaho and my cousin Bonnie Jean and her family from Pittsburgh. I of course ate until my stomach hurt and then ate some more! Lots of good food!

Cutie in the tub

Bath Time

Go Bucks

Those of you who don't live in Ohio probably don't realize how huge the Ohio State/Michigan game was this weekend. I probably don't even realize how huge it was. But anyways, it was HUGE. The number one and number two teams, long-time rivals, both undefeated, playing in Columbus (yes, where I was on Saturday). According to Keith and my brother, it was the game of a lifetime to watch.

As a side note before I share the rest of my story, Ohio State fans are loyal and their hatred for Michigan runs deep! That being said, on with my story...

So we thought it would be nice if all of us could ride together on the two hour trip to Columbus to go to the temple. Since none of us have cars that fit seven, my parents rented a van Saturday morning. We picked up the van and were driving along, minding our own business when this SUV came up next to us and started yelling something at us through the window. We thought it was a little bit odd, but continued on our way. A short while later we realized that most cars were pointing and yelling at us. Wondering what the heck we had done to upset these drivers so much, we decided to check the cars registration. Yep, just as we suspected...we were driving a van with Michigan license plates, in Columbus, on the day of the biggest game of the year. Luckily for us the Buckeyes won and we didn't need the extra car insurance!

I love to see the temple

Saturday my family and I had the opportunity to go to the Columbus temple with Chase as he prepares for his mission. It was such a wonderful experience. Hard to believe my little brother is old enough to go through the temple and serve a mission! I'm so happy with the choices he has made. I hope he knows how proud we are and what a great example he is setting for my boys who think the world of him. I'm so happy for the opportunity to share this experience with my family. As we were leaving Whitney looked at me and said "well, Ty is next." Crazy to think that the next time we are taking a family member to the temple for the first time could possibly be Ty leaving on his mission! I will be so happy, but I hope it doesn't come too fast!

I'm so happy to have the gospel in my life. It has brought so much joy and comfort to me. I love to visit the temple and feel the peace it brings. We are blessed to finally have one nearby. I look forward to the day when I can attend with all of my family.

Preshool already!

We just got Ty's school pictures back. They turned out so cute. I can't believe my little Ty guy is old enough to be in preschool! He is loving school though. When I drop him off he always gives me a quick wave and is off to see his friends, never looking back. My favorite part of the day is to see his precious little face peeking over his desk and bookbag waiting with patient anticipation for me to pick him up. His little face just lights up when I walk through the classroom door, he can't wait to tell me what he did new that day. He especially loves the crafts (where'd he get that from?) and all the songs they learn. I can't believe my little guy is growing up so fast. Hard to believe Carter will be here in less than 2 years!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY DAD!

Cure for cabin fever

Keith and I have finally found the perfect cure for cabin fever--the Bounce Around! We had bought the bounce around this summer for Ty's birthday party, not knowing what a blessing it would be once it was too cold and wet to go outside to play! Last night was our turn with the kids in our baby-sitting group and this was the perfect toy to let the kids release their energy! (Each Friday we take turns with three other families in the neighborhood, so one week a month we baby-sit all the kids, but the other three weeks Keith and I get a date night with free baby-sitting--I recommend it to everyone!) The Bounce Around was still up this morning so Ty had a few more bounces before I put it away. Carter's still not sure how he feels about this large inflatable toy in his basement, but I have a feeling it won't be long before he's bouncing away with Ty.

Uncles

Aren't uncles great?! My boys absolutely adore their uncles! When they are around Keith and I are chop liver. Most the time Carter is pretty fond of me, but when any of his uncles are holding him, Carter pushes me away.

Last night we went to the Bielozer's to celebrate Keith's dad's birthday. Most of the family was their and the boys were loving it!

Ty enjoyed wrestling with all the boys, especially Kevin, "pops." And Carter continued to bully Brian, "Big Show," into doing everything he wanted: Being picked up...

drinking his propel...
eating his cake...and convincing him to play in the basement when everyone else was upstairs.

The boys are so lucky to have fun uncles who love them like their own on both sides of the family!