Holiday Singalong: Take Two

So, this is only her rehearsal. But in case we have repeat of last year, I wanted to make sure you all were able to see her in her glory. She told me today, "Mom, am I a good singer? I think that's what I want to be when I get big".


Here she is, polishing her act. Notice the vibratto at the beginning of her song. When she sang it for me earlier in the day, the whole sounded like an exaggerated version of that. I asked her about it and she said, "Yeah. That's when I want to sound like a mom".

I sing like that all the time, by the way.

Here are a few recent photos.

The sweetest

The silliest

Many Thanks.....

It was a blessed Thanksgiving this year.

We were lucky to have family out here over the holiday. It had been about 5 years since that's happened, so we were fortunate for that. David and Liza joined us and were such great guests. In so many ways. Not only did they willingly and genuinely play with our children, they helped cook, CLEAN and go along with basically whatever we asked them to do. We love you guys! Thanks for coming. 

Below is a photo journey of how we spent our holiday. Prior to Thanksgiving, we cooked our pies, did a bit of downtown strolling and eating and finished their first full day in Bend by hiking in nearby Shevlin Park. 

David and Liza

Take two.

Amazing homemade rolls. Shaped by Mr. Ruether  himself. 

Hattie Bird. 

Me and Hattie Bird. 

Take two.

This kid. 

Table. (Thanks to David, for often stealing our camera to take pictures. That is why I actually have some pictures to share).

Artsy. 

See? Genuine. 

Turkey juices. Man-work. 

Noella dug the turkey leg. 

I mean, she OWNED it. 

And continuously grossed me out. 

See? Washing the dishes!

The pies were nothing short of amazing. French Silk and Grandma Mary's Pumpkin. 

Friday: Smith Rock

Hattie needed a bottle about 3/4 of the way through this hike. 

Noella hiked a great deal of the way. Somewhere around 5 miles. 

So very very thankful these days. I know it sounds cliche, but I guess we all need reminders to be thankful for what we've got.

Speaking of, now that I write this I realize that the day these pictures were taken (friday after Thanksgiving), is the 7 9 year anniversary (shit, where did the time go?) of when Adam and I first connected. David was also a part of that night. How thankful am I for that? A lot.