Goodbye Fall

I'm pretty bummed to see Fall winding down. We didn't do all that we wanted to do (pumpkin patches, corn mazes, some hiking) but we had a good time. Justin is swamped with work and school, so we've had to have family bonding in shorter intervals of time. We've had two or three snowy days, though, and the boys are pretty excited about it (much more excited than their mom). It's a lot of work getting kids into all the snow gear, I'm just sayin'. And then they come in all soggy.

I had a fun birthday this past week. Justin surprised me with a cake and an electronic reader! I was so excited! The morning of my birthday, Nolan wanted to wrap presents. I told him, "I don't think we have anything to wrap." He said, "Well, you can borrow my Legos to wrap up. You can." I said, "It wouldn't be a surprise, though." He said, "We can wrap them now and when you open them tonight you won't remember!" It's true, I do have a terrible memory... but maybe not that bad.

My parents both came to stay the weekend and they took us out to eat. It was nice that they have finished guest rooms to stay in. My Dad finished everything except several built-in food storage shelves. He's amazing! We're just so lucky to have had his skills and cheap labor (I mean free labor). He also gave us many good ideas throughout the whole process. And when I had an idea, like this corner ceiling cabinet in the family room, he was able to make it work. He was always happy to put in the extra effort to do the special things.

My mom had a neighbor getting rid of her curtains so she snatched them up on my behalf. She sewed my "inspiration" material on and then we got them hung while she was here. They turned out so cute! I couldn't be happier with how the colors turned out. It feels so relaxing.

My sister, mom and I went out shopping one day. We kept commenting on how nice it was to have a delicious lunch without worrying about keeping kids happy and busy. This Thanksgiving season, I'm especially aware of all that my parents have done for us. My Dad has worked so hard and spent so much time, and my Mom has never complained about having him gone so much. I'm sure there are things she'd like done around her own house, but I'm so glad she shares her handy man! Here's the vanity in the guest room and the completed bathroom. I kind of wish my bedroom was downstairs!

It wouldn't be like me if I didn't share a silly sleep picture. Nolan is crazy about art, cutting, and doing his workbooks. Sometimes it just wears him right out.