...for things I don't have to buy!

After stocking up on disposable diapers & baby food (among other things) for my caregivers while DH & I go on our vacation...

I am thankful for

cloth diapers

and homemade baby food!!!

...for tea parties

I am thankful for

tea parties & picnics

and yummy corn!

First Tooth !!!

She's all crackery but if you look very closely...

her first tooth has broken through the skin!

Feeling the bottom, left side reveals the sharp little booger!
(She was really getting in to that cracker!)

All in one week - sitting up well and now her first tooth!

I am so blessed. Sometimes I have to remind myself, though, that I need to be thankful for all the noise, all the mess, all the sleepless nights, all the constant needing me. It's there because I have a wonderful family.

...for naptime

I am thankful for

simultaneous

quiet time / nap time!!!!

Grainy photo due to low light! I wasn't about to flash a sleeping baby during simultaneous nap time!!!

... for creativity

I am thankful for

creativity discovered

in new places.

Top: Dinosaurs guarding Legos in the chicken's nest of the Little People Barn.
In the background, there's a paramedic driving the tractor.
Bottom: Army guy either hiding behind the sheep or about to shoot the sheep.

...for cupcakes!

I am thankful for

celebrating with cupcakes!

I love to make cupcakes! These were my first to ever make from scratch, though! I even made the icing (which was too runny but beautiful). The sprinkled one went to MawMaw yesterday for her birthday.

...for my garden

I am thankful

for my garden that grew

the butternut squash

that Rebekah enjoyed so much!

And Grandma - I have plenty to share!

...for the letter E (Tiny Talk)

I am thankful for

the letter E and what it stands for!

Elizabeth, David & Dad were racing up the driveway. When she got to the car,
Elizabeth yelled: I winned! I winned!
Dad: Good job; you won!
Elizabeth: No, I'm 2!!!!

Elizabeth gets on our bathroom scale & says: I made an E!
(You're supposed to tap it to turn it on, then stand on it. If you just stand on it, you get an E for error!)

Mom: Hey, Elizabeth got a letter in the mail!
Elizabeth: Really? Is it an E?

...for my family

I am thankful

for my family

playing together.

Wrapping Up & Moving On

I did turn all my jack-o-lanterns around already, but I was not quite ready to leave October until I caught up on the last few weeks. They went by really fast & I wanted to document a few things before I forgot them!

On October 19 we visited Dad at the fire station. He showed them all the tools on the truck and they enjoyed playing with all the exercise equipment.

We are entering week 12 of kindergarten! Here's David making observations during a recent science experiment. One egg sank, one egg floated! (salt in the second water)

Now that Rebekah is supporting herself well, I finally tried a back carry, using the Ergo. She was happy back there and it was very comfortable. I even got some grass mowed with the reel mower with her back there!

One day last week, I harvested 46 jalapenos & 3 small bell peppers. I had no idea I would still be harvesting in October! Several of these made their way to stuffed & bacon-wrapped, but the rest were chopped for the freezer. And there's still more out there...

We sliced our pie pumpkin for a learning experience, too. David had to guess how many seeds would be inside. His first guess was billions! Then he decided upon 10. We counted... and counted. It became an exercise in counting by 10's! The final number? 403! We toasted some of them and saved some for planting.

Later, I went back to the store to get another pumpkin to carve for a jack-o-lantern. None to be found. Quite depressing. We didn't get to carve one this year.

Also made caramel popcorn balls! From scratch! Not even using "caramels"! Nope, the whole thing from scratch! And it was easy! And they tasted wonderful!

Next time, I'll make extra sauce, because that would have totally rocked on an apple...

And finally, we celebrated Aunt Erin's milestone birthday

with a game night at Grana's. Mexican Train. And Rebekah was given her first formula bottle by (great) Aunt Marlene. I think people were starting to worry that she hadn't had a bottle yet, since I'll be leaving in 21 days!!!

OK. Now October is officially over.

Let the thanks giving begin!