Thanksgiving

We had a busy, fun-filled week of Thanksgiving activities. Andy, Janelle and Seth arrived a few days before and we played, shopped, had a few haircuts, and visited. We also took pictures revealing the new addition arriving in late spring, YAY!....

We offered several bribes in order for pictures to be done. Thank goodness I picked up a box of ding dongs a few weeks ago. They worked wonders.

We had to allow for consumption before the production...

Amazing what a little chocolate can do!

Later that evening we had a fire, roasted hot dogs and made smores. The weather was warm and perfect for an evening outdoors!

The boys could not stay out of the fire with their sticks. It was a race to see who could light their stick on fire first.

The next day we enjoyed Thanksgiving activities - coloring our tablecloth, thank you Target!

Our Thankful Tree~

(Left bottom blue leaf says covers, not lovers...just clarifying.)

The best dessert ever - thanks Janelle!

And what would Thanksgiving be without a little football for the boys.

We had a wonderful Thanksgiving week and are now counting down the days until Christmas break!

Feast

Ryan had his annual Thanksgiving Feast. It's not something he looks forward to, and I know I'm probably a bad parent for saying this, but It's really not something I look forward to either. All for different reasons, we both endure the hour of feasting.

Upon arriving in the lunchroom which was filled with Ryan's worst fear(helium balloons), we quickly exited into a more quiet and less balloon-filled area in his pod outside his classroom. There really isn't enough room for all the parents and siblings that come to enjoy the festivities, so they allow everyone to overflow into the library and classrooms. Ryan was finally able to relax and enjoy his lunch. Well, sort of. Ryan packs his lunch everyday, mostly because he is a little bit of a picky eater. I didn't think he enjoyed the Thanksgiving food, so I didn't pre-order him a lunch. Turns out, he wanted one. The two little boys I watch both had lunches, and Ryan was a little envious of the lunch that they were not really eating. Truth be told, I think Ryan mostly wanted the chocolate milk.

This year a lot of the kids were going home after lunch. Last year Ryan's teacher told them they couldn't, because they had more work to do. I overheard the afternoon schedule to be movies and recess, so I opted to check him out. He was very happy to join us for the ride home.

Colors in the Neighborhood

As I've said before, this is my favorite time of year. I love everything about it...well, except for the early dark nights that creep up on us, but I do love everything else. Each time I go for a run in our neighborhood I wish that I had my camera to take pictures of the many colorful trees. So this weekend I decided to take a walk with my camera, instead of running, and just take it all in. It was wonderful!

This is my favorite tree. I wish I would have gotten a picture of it earlier when it was bright red, but I also love the beautiful orange it transforms into as well.

And there are a pile of these pine-cones I'm going to go back and pick up for holiday crafting...

In the words of a children's primary song..."I'm so glad I live in this beautiful world, Heavenly Father created for me." And especially this time of year!

Kumquats

Kumquat Pie

I had never heard of Kumquats or even knew what they looked like until a few weeks ago when Casey brought some home and announced he wanted a Kumquat pie. Everyone in the house was a little bewildered. Apparently you are suppose to eat these things whole. I didn't try it that way. I just couldn't get past the orange peel like texture I was going to have to swallow. All 3 of the kids thought it was a little odd as well. They were braver than mom and actually tried it but weren't too impressed. However, when the tiny fruits were pulsed and mixed into a yummy pie I really enjoyed the flavor. For me, it was a cross between a key-lime and orange flavor. It was actually really good. Here is the recipe if you are interested and happen upon any Kumquats to use in this tasty recipe. (Above photo courtesy of google search)

a photo of our tasty pie

Prep Time: 25 minutes

Total Time: 25 minutes

Ingredients:

14 ounce can sweetened condensed milk

8 ounce container whipped topping, defrosted

1/2 cup lemon juice

2/3 cup pureed kumquats*

9-inch baked pie shell or graham cracker crust

Preparation:

Combine sweetened condensed milk and whipped topping. Beat until completely combined. Stir in lemon juice and Kumquat Puree. Pour into prepared crust. Refrigerate Kumquat Cream Pie overnight or for at least 2 hours.

Makes one 9-inch Kumquat Cream Pie.