The Great Skateboard Ride!

Ken usually takes the kids on his skateboard one at a time.  But over the Thanksgiving break they perfected the ride with all three of them.  They were having a blast as you can see!

Christmas Decorating

We decorated for Christmas yesterday.  It was a lot of fun because Evan is at an age where he remembers past Christmases and was sooooooooooooooooooo excited to decorate this year.  He knew what goodies were packed away in the Christmas boxes and was so eager to find those items.

Happy Thanksgiving

We hosted a traditional Thanksgiving meal at our house this year.  It turned out to be a huge success.

Katelyn wearing her Thanksgiving hat that she made at preschool.

Here is our beautiful turkey.  We brined it for 2 days and then cooked it today.  It cooked so fast that we didn't think it could possibly be done, but it was, and it tasted delicious.

Here's my handsome hubby carving the turkey.

Here is some of Ken's side of the family.
 (Notice Katelyn's head at the bottom as she tried to sneak into the picture).

Here are Ken's two grandmothers.
(Notice Kate again as she sneaks into another picture).

Auntie Tissen and Uncle Steve came and enjoyed the holiday with us.

Ba-Po and Katelyn lounging on the couch.

Jody, Alex, and Theresa smiling for the camera.

At the end of the night, Evan and Ba-Po were coloring together.  Katelyn had actually fallen asleep just after 6pm.  We'll see what time she wakes up - she makes her way to our bed just about every morning of vacation.

Hiking

A few weeks ago some friends invited us to go on a hike with them...and we discovered Evan's love of hiking. He can't wait to go and explore, climb, and throw rocks.  Each time we hike, he's looking forward to the next hike.  And he always wants to be the first hiker out of the group (especially to make it back down) which is just like me when I was younger.  And Katelyn is also a trooper when it comes to hiking.  She can handle the hills and tumbles better than most 3 year olds could.  She does need to be held quite a bit on the way up the mountain though.  She loves Juliette (who is Evan's age) and they held hands almost the whole way down the mountain today.  It was just so cute!

Dinner with Gama Lucy

We enjoyed another great dinner tonight at Gama Lucy's place.  It was a bummer though for Evan, Paul, and Lucy, who all wanted chicken strips for dinner and they were OUT!  They have really good chicken strips there. 
I dressed the kids up in their Halloween costumes again so that Gama Lucy could see them. Aren't my kids just so cute? 
Here are some pictures from our evening.  You can see Gama Lucy's room and how well she has it decorated.  It's amazing how she was able to fit all of her belongings and to use the space so well.  

Halloween 2013

We took the kids to Water of Life's Trunk-or-Treat and were shocked by how many people were there.  It was so crowded so we had the kids play a few games, go down a couple of slides and then we left to trick-or-treat in our neighborhood.  That was super fun!  Enjoy the pics.

Funny Stories

We love our children.  And we love the stages they are both in.

Evan told me the other day that his daycare teacher asked him if he believes in Halloween (she was probably trying to find out if he celebrates Halloween - but his version used the word believe).  His reply, "No, I believe in Christ."  I just love the honesty of a 5 year old.  We pray that he continues his boldness for the Lord.

Katelyn came home from school the other day telling me about one girl at the preschool who had a low ponytail near her neck and her hair was really long.  So the next day she wanted a ponytail just like that girl because she wants long hair.  It was too cute.  Someday she will have long hair, but not quite yet.

Brother and Sister

Evan and Katelyn are just like other siblings.  One minute they are playing great together and the next there is some argument.  We are very grateful that they do get along very well together.  The other night the cutest thing happened.
The kids didn't want to take their baths so I let them know that since it was cold they could wear their footie pajamas after the bath.  That made them both eager to get the bath over with.  Katelyn took her bath first and therefore got into her footie first.  Her footie was a new pair that Evan hadn't seen yet.  He came around the corner and saw her in her footie and said, "Oh, Katelyn.  You look so cute."  It was so sweet.  Then the next thing I know they are hugging and I hear Katelyn say, "I love you Evan."  It was such a simple thing, but the love between them was so evident.
Above all, keep loving one another earnestly, since love covers a multitude of sins. 1 Peter 4:8

Pumpkin Patch

We took the kids to the pumpkin patch tonight.  They love going and had such a blast!

It's Been Awhile!

Life has been so busy and it's hard to make time for everything.  I'm going to try to get better with my posts.  Here is the latest picture I have of the kids.  It's Evan, who is 5, and Katelyn, who is 3, with their great-grandmother, Lucy, who is 98.  She just moved out here from Texas and is now only 5 miles away.  It's so nice to have her close.  The kids really enjoy getting to see her.  It's been very special.  It gives us a chance to live out the Bible because in James it says, "Religion that is pure and undefiled before God, the Father, is this: to visit orphans and widows in their affliction, and to keep oneself unstained from the world."  We're so grateful to be able to help care for Lucy!