today:

there are tiny little snowflakes falling.

babes in toyland is on netflix live streaming.

today is perfect.

birthdays galore!

(you know...i think my brother & sister-in-law really like valentines day.)

thanksgiving, part two.

i love being with my family and feel so, so, so blessed! the picture of my parents, siblings+spouses and kids show a little bit of how full the house was for the days we were there. (plus 3 dogs and a kitten). people everywhere. i keep telling michael we need to add a "few" to the bunch. ;)

holidays are such a special, sweet time.


hope you had a happy thanksgiving! :)

thanksgiving.

we had a lovely thanksgiving.... brunch with the in-laws and a big dinner in seneca (where i grew up) with my parents in a full house of people i absolutely love.  we spent time just being together, playing cards, eating, and laughing.  i love having a big family.  i have soooo many pictures to go through.  my new camera is nice to have around, but i find myself taking LOTS of photos. :)  so for now i'll share some of my sister and her family.  it's so nice having a sister and she has made a beautiful family.  i kind of miss them already!  we did a fun little photo-shoot at her new house.

i told you she has a beautiful family. ;)

thankful heart + family time

today was so fun!  my big brother (who is also michael) and his family came up from dallas for thanksgiving.  his kids are getting way too big.  seriously, his 10 year old is almost as tall as me. we went to a fun park and i took lots and lots of photos.  we ate at old chicago (they give kids real dough and some random toppings to play with) and then went to good ol' bass pro to see santa.... but he wasn't there.  we had fun anyways.  bass pro is a pretty magical place for little ones around this time of year.  i'm thankful for all of my family and i'll be seeing them on thanksgiving day, but today i was thankful to spend some much needed time with my brother.

it'll be quiet on the blog the rest of the week so i can spend all my time with my husband and family!

sorry in advance for the abundance of pictures. i took LOTS more, too.

meet brennan, evelyn grace, jackson, and nolan :)

thankful heart + no debbie downers here.

the other night michael called me "debbie downer" in a kind of joking, kind of not joking way.  then i realized he was completely right.  i don't know what's up with me lately, but i've been a little moody and probably not very much fun to be around.  i blame it on the lack of sunlight (and myself).  i have way too much to be thankful for to be this way.  i think i need a vaca.... which is exactly what started at 3:00 pm today!!!  nine whole days off to spend with family, friends and my sweet man.  i am thankful for blogging friends today that are so inspiring, encouraging and real.

 some girls i'm thankful for lately are:

paige at we three pilgrims.  have you guys visited her blog before?  you should.  she has such a passion for Jesus, her man and little girl, taking pretty pictures and all things handmade.  she's become such a blessing in my life.  (love you, friend!)

sarah at her sea of love.  she wrote about not worrying about things today and has such a great attitude. she said some wise words today.  you should read.  oh, and she's going to be a mama!  she's so sweet, guys!

stacie at steoffrey.  i really just love this blog.  they are a fun and kind of goofy (in a good way) couple!  they have fun with each other.  you can tell by just reading. their little girl is so adorable and i love the name ivy. it's always a positive place to visit.

and all you sweet followers that leave kind comments (or just silently read).  i'm thankful for you.

p.s.  have you seen this debbie downer snl skit... it makes me giggle SO much!  search "snl debbie downer" on hulu and there's a few more.

a thankful heart.

*disclaimer: it looks like my dad is missing teeth and he would be embarrassed. so, just so you know it's just the picture... he has nice teeth. ;) i'm thankful both of my parents have pretty good teeth and i've never had a cavity in my whole life.

a thankful heart.

God sure has given me lots to be thankful for. I'll share some of my favorite blessings this week.

just some thoughts.

it was cold today... and i spent the entire day cleaning our house.  i mean all day.  laundry is done and closets are organized.  our two spare rooms have HUGE closets.  i was in the guest room (which will one day be turned into a nursery) and it kind of hit me that someday there could be a baby in that room.  i'm kind of putting off decorating it... so it's still the same color as when we bought it and it just has the basics.  sometimes i get so excited at the thought of having a little baby hanging around.  this house almost seems too big for the three of us (millie included in that).  then, sometimes the idea almost scares me.  what if we can't afford a baby?  what if we don't know what we're doing?  i'm still learning so much about being a wife and michael is sitting in front of the tv playing a video game (he just got the new call of duty so i get to listen to things blowing up).  are we grown up enough for a baby?  i guess these are pretty normal feelings, right?  i'm not going to lie...at "that time of month" i feel relieved and disappointed at the same time.  i know God has a wonderful plan for us... whether it's getting pregnant soon, waiting a year or two, or not allowing us to get pregnant... in which case we would gladly adopt.  moms/pregnant ladies how did you know it was the right time for you to have a baby?  did it happen by surprise?

a little bit country.

if you were to meet me today the first words to come to your mind wouldn't be:  "that girl is country!"  but once upon a time i LOVED wearing cowgirl boots, hats and riding horses.  i loved going to my aunt and uncles horse ranch and when i was 10 i got my very own horse for Christmas.  i'm looking forward to going home for thanksgiving and hopefully we'll saddle up the horses and i can bring my inner country girl's heart out for a while.  on sunday our pastor asked if anyone had ridden a horse (he was preaching from james 3) and i had to give a little grin to my husband and he whispered "more like the horse rode me"... he is not so much a cowboy, but he sure was cute trying.  today i was cleaning (like deep cleaning) and i got sidetracked by looking at old photos.  i really need to invest in a scanner.  it may seem silly, but i took pictures of pictures.

picture 1: my sister on a horse. my aunt judy and me on the other.

picture 2: my mom and me.

picture 3: justin, kayla (cousins) me, my little brother. look at those boots!

picture 4: me and my red cowgirl hat.