Life is Crazy

***Sigh*** How is it that life can just so busy with stuff?  Stuff that makes you forget about what is really important in this life.  Life got hard. Life got too busy with things that were unimportant in the big picture. But, life also got better.  

Through challenges that we each face, if we are willing to deal with the hard work, we can walk away from "life lessons" with the knowledge and the strength that is only provided by our Almighty God.  We can build family unity, we can break the chains that have held prior generations back. We can open our hearts and families to truly accept the blessings that our loving Father wants to lavish upon us.  

We can learn to put our trust in God entirely.  He will provide. He will heal hurts. He will heal families.  But we have to let Him.  

Here is our family:  

 Someone just had to be a turkey in this picture :)

Hope's 5th Birthday

 I love this cake!  The technique is the simplest decorating method I've ever found.  Start to finish decorating was only an hour, and that included freezer time :)

1st lost tooth

 This first picture (above) is of Hope this morning right after getting up.

The second picture is Hope after eating breakfast...minus a tooth on the bottom.

Since Hope is a little younger than is typical to lose a first tooth, she was a little more freaked out about the whole process than Kiyah had been.  It took some quick thinking after she told us last night she had a loose tooth, but we told her that it's ok if that tooth falls out.  It's a baby tooth.  And you are a big girl now and need big girl teeth.  She was ok with that.

My little peanut is growing up so quickly.  In just over three weeks she'll already be 5.  Where did the time go?

PS. Her second bottom tooth should be falling out any time now also.

Gingerbread Cookies

 Kiyah making sure her cookie cutter is in the PERFECT spot.

 Hope's classic smile...just love it.

 The girls felt the need to make sure mommy was photographed also.

 The cookies after baking but before the decorations.

After the decorating was completed.

We've never made gingerbread cookies before and I'd wanted to start a new holiday tradition with the girls. I found a super simple homemade gingerbread cookie recipe, we made it and were all set to make gingerbread people.  One slight problem...no gingerbread people cookie cutters.  That's ok the girls said.  We had a blast doing this cooking project.  They had more fun decorating than cutting them out though.

Pumpkin patch

After Kiyah's party, grandma cookie and papa keith came with us to Farmer John's Pumpkin Patch!

 Hope loves the hay bale tower!  She never wants to get off.

 Can you tell it was a tad bit cold that day?  It was perfect!

 The silo they converted into a kids play fort!  It's so cool inside. Yes, this mama has been inside it too.

 Papa Keith's first trip to a pumpkin patch ever!  Doesn't he just look like he's in awe?  This patch is an 8 acre field that you walk around to pick the perfect pumpkin.

The girls had to be able to carry the pumpkin if they wanted to get it.  You'd be surprised how big some of them were they tried to pick up!  The gloves are meant as hand protection not against the cold, but the prickly pumpkin stems.  More pictures will be uploaded to shutterfly soon.   After the trip to the patch, papa keith took us out for pizza at the new 5th Avenue Pizza Shoppe in Ellendale!  Excellent choice and they even sang happy birthday to Kiyah and she got a free mini dessert (mini cinnies).

She's 7

 just a little excited?

 pompoms from dad...

 my favorite cake decorating technique! so easy.

 new boots from papa keith and grandma cookie

new bike from papa larry and grandma meme

Check back soon...

for a blog post about a 7th birthday party and pumpkin patch adventures!