Funny Face

So, while I was uploading pictures from my camera this morning, I saw a few that I didn't remember taking. Then Carly came in and said she wanted to look at the pictures she took last night before we went to church. I guess she found the camera and took some pictures while I was getting ready in my room. Among them were several shots of the computer screen, walls, desk, and then a couple that she'd taken of herself...including this one...she cracks me up. I'm not really sure what kind of looking she's giving here.

Thanksgiving Weekend

Well, beside going to the performance on Saturday night, I had a great Thanksgiving week. It felt like our Thanksgiving started on Tuesday, because I was busy all that day making my first turkey and a ham for Jarod's Thanksgiving lunch the next day. Then I got to take the food, and spend the afternoon with Jarod at his work the next day. After the work lunch, I busied myself by making three pies for our Thanksgiving dinner with my folks the next day. I was so pleased with how they turned out. The rest of the week was spent with the kids and myself hanging out at Mama and Papa's house. It was a great time. My mom and I spent just about every moment sewing. We got a few pairs of jammies sewn, and a couple other sewing projects worked on. It was quite the busy time. Here are a couple pictures of the kids' new jammies.

Who Knew

Who knew vacuuming couches could be so fun? I decided to do the whole move the furniture, including couches and entertainment center, vacuum job yesterday. Carly was very enthusiastic about helping me clean. I really love it. She always wants to help clean the toilets, and yesterday I could barely hold the vacuum at all before she was telling me it was her turn again. I'm just crossing my fingers that she'll have the same enthusiasm for cleaning when she's a little bit older...wishful thinking, right?

Walking Jack

Jack took his first steps several days ago, but we were just able to catch it on tape tonight. He's getting better every day. It's hard to believe that our baby is walking now. The picture of Jack is super blurry because I had the camera on a weird setting. I still thought he was cute in it, though.

Our Famous Daughter

Carly is on the cover of the December issue of Austin Family. It's a little weird walking into the grocery stores and library and seeing my daughter's face on the front of magazine racks. We sure do think she's a cutie, though.

Christmas Bells are Ringing

It is tradition to set up the Christmas tree the weekend after Thanksgiving, and this year was no exception. It gets more fun every year, with the kids wanting to touch every ornament that comes out of the box. Josh was calling them "Christmas toys" and Carly was handing them to me faster than I could put them up. I thought I'd have a hard time keeping Jack away from the tree, but he hasn't given it much notice yet. Of course, it's been up less than a week. Carly was anxious to put the star on, so breaking with tradition, we put the star on first. This year has been more fun already. Every year the kids understand Christmas more and more. I've been proud that Carly knows it's Jesus' birthday. She loves birthdays...any one's birthday, so I knew that presenting it to her that way would stick.

Here is our tree this year.

He Cracks Me Up

Our Josh boy is getting so much more personality, and it's a lot of fun. Here are a couple pictures of him that I thought Kathleen would enjoy...if no one else. :)

For a few days Josh was wearing goggles everywhere. As soon as he woke up for breakfast, he wanted them on. Doesn't he look comfortable?

Jack's New Friend

I've introduced a stuffed animal to Jack, and he loves it. I think he looks pretty cute when he snuggles his little friend. He has started to be very possessive of him. If one of the other kids takes him, he lets them know he's unhappy about it.

Cirque Dreams Jungle Fantasy

Last weekend Jarod and I went to see Cirque Dreams Jungle Fantasy with our friends Joey and Monica. I've never been to a Cirque production before. Joey and Monica had seen a show in Las Vegas so we were excited to see them in Austin. It was such a fun night. There were contortionists, balancing acts, trapeze artists, etc. It was such a fun time. I would definitely recommend it to anyone.

Black Crowes Concert

The weekend before Thanksgiving Jarod and I went to see the Black Crowes in concert. It was a highly anticipated event. We bought our tickets back in July or August, and we'd been crossing our fingers that they wouldn't break up before the show. It was such a great show. The venue was Austin Music Hall, which is essentially a converted warehouse. It's small enough that we were able to see the performers really well. It was a great date night.