Days 27, 28, 29, & 30

November 27: I am thankful for our warm, cozy home (stark white walls and upstairs indoor/outdoor carpeting aside) that now houses a Christmas tree.  Chet and I had an artificial tree for five years, but we decided to ditch it in Jacksonville.  Last year we were minimalists and decided upon a real, tabletop Christmas tree.  This year we got a real, full-sized tree.  We bought it at Lowe's (we chose the very first one we looked at -- no messing around with us!), and it sits, undecorated, in our living room (hopefully we will have time to decorate it this weekend).

Sydney loved the little bottle of solution that's supposed to keep the tree alive.

She started dancing around with it.

Michael Jackson Move

November 28: I am thankful for children's ibuprofen.  I took Lorelei to the doctor Wednesday for her 2nd flu shot (she had to get two this year since she did not get one, as a newborn, last year) and that pneumonia vaccine that they were out of a few weeks ago.  She also had to get blood drawn to check for anemia (which is apparently standard for 1-year olds now...?).  Needless to say, it was not a fun visit to the doctor, but I'm glad it's done.  Anyway, she wasn't feeling great that night, but a dose of ibuprofen did the trick.

November 29: I am thankful for Sydney Jo.  There is a lot of personality contained in that tall, skinny body of hers, and she keeps us on our toes.  She teaches Chet and me more each day than we teach her!  (She really is super tall.  They keep trying to charge us for her meal when we go to Chinese buffets, and I have to convince them she's still just two.  They look at me skeptically, and I'm sure we're on some sort of Chinese buffet watch list.)

She loves puzzles.  The back of the house, near the computer and half bath, is the only place she can put them together away from Lorelei, who loves to "help".

She can put these 25-piece puzzles together lickety-split.  Maybe I'll get her a 5,000-piece puzzle for Christmas...that'll keep her busy (kidding)!

She's ridiculously cranky when I wake her up from a nap.

November 30: I am thankful for Jesus, whose birth is the entire reason we celebrate Christmas.  Without Him, we are nothing.

Days 23, 24, 25, & 26

First of all, here's proof that I baked monkey bread,

sausage balls,

and a pumpkin pie.

We're still working on finishing that pie...

November 23: I am thankful for great Black Friday deals!  I am not a super gung-ho Black Friday shopper, but I do appreciate a good deal, and will go for it if it's something I've had on my list.  My first Black Friday experience was in 2008.  I had been wanting to redo our guest bedroom in the Shabby Chic line from Target, but they never run that stuff on sale...until Black Friday!  Since we were in TX for Thanksgiving, my mom was willing to be my shopping buddy, so we got to Target as soon as it opened (I think it was 5 a.m. that year).  There, of course, was a line, and I was sure all of the Shabby Chic quilts would be gone by the time we got in the store.  As soon as we made it through the doors, my mom and I bolted to the Home Furnishings section...and found plenty of Shabby Chic quilts!  Much to my surprise (but maybe not yours), we were the only ones on the aisle.  I mean, what Target shopper wouldn't want a Shabby Chic quilt for such a great price?! 

Last year on Black Friday Chet bought me the Kindle I had been wanting, and this year we bought Christmas lights and a frame from Michael's, all for fantastic prices.  We are afternoon Black Friday shoppers now though; I think 2008 may have been a one-time thing for me.

November 24: I am thankful it is officially the Christmas season (it is, right?)!  Is that a silly thing to be thankful for?  It seems like this is the first year that Sydney is really excited about Christmas.  I feel like I've been in a Christmas rut for the past couple of years, but her excitement has revived my own!  I didn't waste any time dressing them up in their Christmas garb.  Here's what they wore Black Friday:

Lorelei looked like a boy in this outfit, but I love that shirt, and only Didi has the ability to find a baby shirt with a Santa-hat-wearing Longhorn printed on it.

Here's what they wore Sunday:

 

Check out those cuffs!

Lorelei wasn't as keen on being photographed this time around.

Those pants do nothing for her thighs.

November 25: I am thankful for a crafty husband!  He is craftier than I am, but on the rare occasion when I get a crafting urge, he is the one who helps make it happen.  My current project has to do with picture frames (pictures to follow).

November 26: I am thankful for forgiveness and grace (two things, woo hoo!).  The girls and I had a rough day back in the saddle after our nice, long holiday.  Sydney and I were arguing like teenage girls a couple of times today, and it was ridiculous (on my part).  But I am thankful for the humility to ask a 2-year old for forgiveness, the granting of forgiveness from said 2-year old, God's forgiveness when I stoop to teenage-girl level, and the grace that surrounds all of it (because don't forgiveness and grace always go hand in hand?). 

Days 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, & 22

Wow, another week has passed in the blink of an eye!

November 17: I am thankful for charming little towns like Ocean Springs, a perfect place to take out-of-town guests.  Last Saturday morning we (Chet, Sydney, Lorelei, Didi, Papa Dave, and I)  perused the adorable little shops while enjoying the beautiful weather.  It was a really fun outing.

That same afternoon, Didi and Papa Dave watched the girls while Chet and I went to see the movie "Flight".  It was really intense, but really good!

While we were at the movie, Didi taught Sydney to do this:

November 18: I am thankful for the Small Group at church that Chet and I are a part of.  (Our church does Small Groups rather than Sunday School.)  We are surrounded by wonderful, fun people in the Small Group, and I'm so glad we found them sooner rather than later!

Sunday morning we all went to church, and after church, Didi, Lorelei, and I picked up the pictures we ordered from the family photo shoot we did in October.  I was happy to have my mom there to help me figure out where to hang them!  (I still need to take pictures of them hanging on the wall, which I'll do ASAP.)

We laid low the rest of the afternoon, and Didi and Papa Dave kept Lorelei while Chet, Sydney, and I went to Small Group that evening.

November 19: I am thankful for Keesler Air Force Base, the AFB in Biloxi where Lorelei was born, and where we often go to shop at their wonderful Commissary and Exchange.  It's much better than the Commissary and Exchange on our base (but our base is fairly small, so I guess it's forgivable).

Monday morning I took Sydney back to the doctor because she had a nasty cough again (Didi and Papa Dave stayed home with Lorelei).  Her lungs were clear, so the doctor thinks she has allergies.  She is now on allergy medication...I can't say that it's worked wonders or anything, but perhaps it is helping keep the drainage and cough at bay.

After the doctor, we all loaded up and drove over to Keesler AFB Exchange to shop.  That's always another crowd pleaser amongst out-of-town guests.

After Chet got home from work, we went to Juan Tequila's (a Mexican food restaurant) for dinner, our last dinner before Didi and Papa Dave had to head back to TX.

November 20: I am thankful I have a husband who is able and willing to watch Sydney and Lorelei while I run errands.  I desperately needed to get Thanksgiving shopping done, and did not want to do it Wednesday, so after Chet got home from work Tuesday I went to Walmart, sans children.  I think Chet and I talked on the phone twice (each of us had a random question for the other) while I was gone, and even though all I could hear were little girls screaming in the background during each phone call, I knew they were in good hands!  :-)

November 21: I am thankful for pre-holiday short work days!  Chet was home from work by noon on Wednesday, making this long holiday weekend even longer!

November 22: I am thankful for friends who open their home and cook turkeys on Thanksgiving Day, letting me get away without cooking a turkey another year!  (Chet's co-worker, Julie, invited us to her house for Thanksgiving dinner.  Her husband, her 15-month daughter, and another couple were also there.)

I got up early Thanksgiving morning to cook.  Chet's family has a tradition of eating sausage balls and monkey bread on Thanksgiving and Christmas mornings, so I cooked those, in addition to a pumpkin pie, green bean casserole, and Chet's Grandma's famous jello salad.  We headed to Julie's house around 2:00 p.m., and had a wonderful time!

Before we headed to Julie's:

After the girls went to bed, Chet and I watched a cheesy Christmas movie on Lifetime, "A Nanny for Christmas".  Usually when I'm watching something cheesy, Chet will lay on the couch and play on the iPad.  But last night our Internet was down.  He kept saying, "Man, I wish the Internet was working!"  Ha!

I hope everyone had a lovely Thanksgiving, and Happy Birthday to Papa Dave!

Days 12, 13, 14, 15, & 16

Yikes, have six days already passed?  So much for writing every day, huh?  (For the record, I have been thinking about specific things I'm thankful for each day, storing them away in my mind to blog about later.)

November 12: I am thankful for three-day weekends (Chet had Monday off in honor of Veterans' Day).  It was so nice to have one more day together, and then a short week to follow.

November 13: I am thankful for the amazing little dance studio where Sydney takes ballet.  I love everything about it.

November 14: I am thankful for the Child Development Center on base.  I dropped Sydney off Wednesday morning, and she stayed all day so that I could do a huge shopping trip to Walmart (I think the only food we had in the house was canned corn) and some house cleaning without her.  I would have dropped off Lorelei too, but she's in this in-between stage (food-wise and gross-motor-skills wise) where I don't feel comfortable leaving her for long periods of time.  Anyway, Sydney was able to play and have fun at the CDC, and I was able to get some things accomplished that she would have thought were pretty boring.

November 15: I am thankful for seemingly-random fairs/festivals on base.  Thursday there was a fair honoring military families (apparently November is the "Month of the Military Family") from 3:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m.  So as soon as Sydney woke up from her nap, we drove to the other side of base and enjoyed:

•  A Budweiser Clydesdale Parade

We were able to pet this horse.  I can't believe how big Clydesdales are.  I thought Sydney would be scared of it, but she was all about petting him (her?)!

• Bounce Houses

• A Firetruck

• Meeting "Shock" the Mississippi Surge Mascot and McGruff the Crime Dog

I thought Sydney would be scared of these guys too, but she kept wanting to hug them.

Lorelei enjoyed the festivities from here:

We were probably at the fair only 55 minutes, but it was a great (and free!) way to break up the afternoon!

November 16: I am thankful we are only six hours away from Houston.  Didi and Papa Dave drove in this weekend for a visit!

Have a great weekend!

Days 9, 10, & 11

November 9:  This might seem trivial, but I am thankful for the fall decorations around our home (they make me smile!).

November 10: I am thankful for Chet's an my Alma Mater, the United States Naval Academy.  Specifically that we were able to receive an amazing education (free of charge -- sort of!) and the opportunity to serve our country following graduation.  Here is one of our future Midshipmen, Class of 2032 (wearing her "issued" blue rim shirt):

November 11: I am thankful for the Veterans (and their families) who have served, and continue to serve, this amazing country we call home!  May we never let cookouts and retail store sales overshadow the meaning of this day...be cognizant and thankful for those who have laid their lives on the line, giving Americans the freedom we enjoy each and every day!