13th Day of Gratitude - A Day at the Museum

We hit the COSI museum on our way to Ross's brother's house, for a little hands on fun!

Both kids (and parents) had a great time. The day was beautiful as well and there is an outdoor part of the museum, so we got some nice time outside in the sun. Perfect.

So thankful for not a big crowd, and for fun adventures as a family.

Here is Zoey using a pulley system to pull herself up:



They had a Progess exhibit where the kids got to see things from two time periods: the late 1800's and around 1950.

Here is Max in a phonebooth. I told him to turn the dial and he didn't know how. He tried to turn it with his whole hand and not stick a finger in.


And Zoey on an old Schwinn..


Another thing I am thankful for is Zoey's desire to try new things. Even if she is a little fearful. Here she is on a unicycle trapeze!
Max didn't meet the height requirement.


And just some more random photos for fun... a part of a table made from gears:


And this is a sculpture out front.


I like the blue sky in this one:

12th Day of Gratitude - Our Kindergartner

Well, we had to head out of town, so I am playing catch-up... But not before having Max's parent/teacher conference. Since I mentioned Zoey's, I couldn't not mention Max's. We have had our ups and downs with him and school for sure, but this conference was nothing but good things and we are so thankful for that and very proud as well.

11th Day of Gratitude- America

On this Veteran's Day I must stop and be very thankful for all those in the military. With a grandfather, dad and husband all in the military, I have had a life surrounded with heroes, and even sometimes I take things for granted. I can only think how often it happens for others as well. On the other hand, it is wonderful to see everyone's comments on things like facebook and such, thanking our military and honoring and appreciating them. I, too, am forever grateful to all who have served. And for their loved ones as well. What a special job that is! God Bless You and God Bless America.

10th Day of Gratitude - Cute Word Pronunciations

Okay, people, first things first... Here is my self-pic after my salon trip- I had to take a picture of me in the mirror! The camera is under my chin and I took 10 pictures in order to figure out the angle to get my whole face in! HA! It's the best I could do...


And for today...
So, our Max pretty much taught himself to read and he doesn't shy away from most words, so that is pretty cool. The other day, he got a new solitaire chess game. We don't play chess here, but he saw it in the store and kept coming back to it (he's a sucker for games with steps/moves) so it was a reward he earned last month. Anyway, when he gets something new like this, he wants to play by himself for a while before letting others in. He read the instructions on all the different moves that each player can make and then sort of played. When I sat down to play I just couldn't stop smiling at the pronunciations he came up for the pieces. I just wanted to document, since I heard him play again today. He knows them correctly now, but still slips up sometimes.

Queen and king were fine, but not the others...

Rook - "ROCK"
Pawn - "POW-NN"
Knight - "KAH-Nite" (I guess he hadn't learned the silent K, yet)
bishop - "BEEE-shop" (my personal fav)

so cute. love that kid.

9th Day of Gratitude- Salon Day

I got to go to the hair salon today and it was a treat. Something that I have been looking forward to for a week. It was just a cut and color, but it is always so nice to sit and relax in that chair for a while and have someone mess with your hair! Plus, you walk out looking better than you did when you walk in, so that is a bonus too! I will try and get a picture for you, we just had a hectic day.

8th DoG- Abundant Sunshine!!

With the beauty of fall behind us and the impending doom of winter in front of us... today we got a gift! Most of you live somewhere warmer or sunnier than here, so this is not as big of a deal, but let me tell you... When I walked outside today and looked up at the sky, and felt the warm sunshine on my face...


I just couldn't help but smile.

It felt so nice.

Any day in November that gets above 60 degrees is definitely something this girl is very thankful for!!



I did a quick bit of research before taking this picture. just fyi... keeping the sun in the corner and doing it with fast shutter speed keeps your camera sensor safe!

Seventh Day of Gratitude - Sunday Morning at Panera

More often than not, we wake up early enough on Sunday mornings to make it to Panera Bread for breakfast before church. It is commonplace enough for the kids now that they get the routine of it and it makes it even more pleasant for me and Ross. They have a book or something to look at so that we can linger a little longer after we eat and just enjoy our coffee and each other. Not quite a tradition, but definitely something that we all look forward to and enjoy. Not so long ago, eating out in any situation was just stressful and hurried... so today I am thankful for the calm, slow pace of our Sunday Morning at Panera...