Happy Thanksgiving!

We ended November with Sammy getting sick around Abby's birthday, Abby catching whatever he brought into the house right after her birthday, and an awesome Thanksgiving down at my cousins house in York.  The start of the holiday (and birthday season) started with a bang! 

We have much to be thankful for this year.  Our good health, families, love, welcoming new family members, growing families, more love, and many, many, many fortunate blessings. 

Much love to your family from ours!

Happy Fifth Birthay, Abby!

Five!  Our little girl is FIVE!

Abby loves Frozen, My Little Pony, reading books, and legos. She also loves to help around the house. You can find her in the sink "washing" dishes, pressing the buttons on the laundry machines, sweeping, and organizing her toys.  She is an awesome big sister and just teeters on the line of being bossy.  She retrieves Lamby for Sammy, tucks him in at night, offers hugs when he's upset, and even gets him drinks from the fridge.

We made the decision last spring to not move Abby from her Day Care setting and she's thriving.  We are so lucky to have a perfect extension of our family and they are slowly getting Abby ready for Kindergarten.  Abby's learning her days of the week, months, more numbers, and even compassion, being kind, and a little sass while she's at it.

We had her ears pierced to mark her fifth birthday in style.  She really wanted to get them done and was a wee bit nervous. She freaked out just a little bit, but made it through the appointment at the Tattoo/Piercing studio.  She is now sporting gorgeous diamond studs!

Abby had several parties to celebrate turning 5.  A small dinner/cupcake on Friday, a big shin ding on Saturday with the both our families, and a party with her friends at the gymnastic studio on Sunday.  For the second year in a row, she was willing to forgo birthday presents for donations to the Animal Refuge League.  She even made their website!

Overall, it was a wonderful birthday season for Abby.  FIVE!

 Happy Birthday, Abby!

Blanket Forts!

A favorite activity and we do not build them nearly as often as we should..... What's a fort without a glow in the dark swords?? 

A Snowy November

Abby built Olaf with a little help form Daddy after an early November snow storm.  Several inches on November 2nd!

Brew Fest 2014

Always a highlight of the year, we had a blast at our annual Maine Brew Fest.  A crew that gets larger and larger and is always a family affair.  I think this is my 12th (or 13th) year going, 11th with Tim.  Getting dropped off and picked up by our own taxi and a BBQ back at Rob's house.  Just a plain old awesome time!

Halloween 2014

In the year of Frozen, we followed the bandwagon and had an Elsa and Olaf for Halloween.  Each of the Halloween parties we went to had a few of them around.  We even won best family costume at our Church's Monster Mash!  Tim dressed up as Curious George and "I was a bunch of grapes".  We raided our Costume crypt to piece together the last two.  I snagged the last Olaf Costume at the Spirit of Halloween to complete the Frozen theme for the kids.  They LOVED it!  We hit the streets to get candy with some dear friends of ours.  This was the first year that Abby literally ran to the door and said the magic words.  She's starting to come out of her shell a little bit more each day. 

A Little Fun with Paint

Abby and Sam really missed their Daddy while he was on a trip. They got out some paints and decided to paint each other!  Thankful for bath time and a quick wash.