Ready for Christmas

The day after Thanksgiving, the kids were excited to get the Christmas decorations up. We spent the day decorating the tree, putting up the stockings, and putting up the outdoor lights. We listened to Christmas music, Eli put together some Christmas LEGOs, and we made some Christmas garland.

Silly girl :)

We made Leftover Turkey Wild Rice Soup for dinner {so yummy!}, and we enjoyed our Christmas-decorated home. We're ready for the season!

Thanksgiving 2025

For Thanksgiving this year, we had a couple of church members over for lunch, so we needed all hands on deck to help prep our Thanksgiving feast! We had a full menu, so we started a couple of days ahead of time to be sure to get it all done. But I had great helpers! 

We went back to our Pioneer Woman turkey brine and roasted turkey recipes from a couple of year's ago. I started cooking at 325, then raised the temp to 350, and I didn't have to worry about it being undercooked this time. Much better results :)

We made Mike's family recipes: his grandma's cornbread dressing and rolls. It's fun to pass down family recipes to the kids, and I love that they look forward to helping with these recipes. 

We also had mashed potatoes, honey roasted carrots, green bean casserole, corn, cranberry sauce, gravy, and (of course) pumpkin pie. 

The rest of the day was relaxing and enjoying our turkey coma :)  And of course, we couldn't finish the day without watching A Charlie Brown Thanksgiving. 

We had a wonderful Thanksgiving, and we are so thankful for the memories together as a family. We missed being with our extended family, but we are thankful for the time we had with members of our church family. We praise God for all the blessings that He has granted throughout this year.

LEGOs and Chipmunks!

For Eli and Maddie's 9th birthday, we celebrated with LEGOs and chipmunks!

Their birthday fell on a Sunday, so while they got to wake up to their usual birthday excitement and decor, we had to push some of their celebration off until after church. But we tried to still make it special by celebrating with their friends in Sunday School. They got to hand out cupcakes and their friends sang Happy Birthday, as well as prayed a special birthday blessing over them. 

Amen. 

After church, we got to celebrate at home. Eli and Maddie opened presents, and there were lots of LEGOs for Eli, and chipmunks and Calico Critters for Maddie. 

They made cards for each other...

...and read them to each other :)

The afternoon was spent playing and creating and imagining, but they did also get to play outside in the beautiful weather. And of course, there were cupcakes and birthday singing!

We got to zoom with Granny and Grumpz, and there were messages from so many people that love Eli and Maddie. It was a fun and special day, and I pray that they always know how much they are loved and cared for. 

Happy 9th Birthday, Eli and Maddie!

Eli + Maddie :: 9 Years

Happy Birthday, Eli and Maddie!

You are 9 today, and I am looking back at the years, wondering how we got here so fast. It was only yesterday when we brought home two tiny bundles, not really sure how we were going to manage two babies! And look at you both...growing so fast, doing all the things on your own, on the verge of the pre-teen years, and all I can see are those two tiny bundles. Time is such a thief. But I am so thankful for these past 9 years, that I have had a front row seat to all of your firsts and changes and growth. Because you are both so fun and funny and wonderful! 

Eli, I have grown so fond of our "grown-up" conversations. You are so sharp and interesting. I love hearing about the things you are learning and thinking about. You find the world interesting and you enjoy sharing it with me, and I love hearing about it. You think about things in new and exciting ways, and I love how you think outside the box.

Maddie, you, too have grown into a lovely young girl, and I enjoy our "Maddie/Mommy chats." You have so many fun things to say! You just want to be at the center of all the things and be in-the-know, because you just love to have fun and be with people. You want to be on the go and doing all-the-things. I love watching you walk up to people without fear and start conversations, even when I am not around. You love animals, and have made friends with all our neighbors with dogs :)

My heart is always want time to slow down, just a bit, because I want to savor this sweet time and age. Where life is carefree, filled with riding bikes, playing LEGOs, building forts, and playing pirates and dress up. I love watching you grow and helping you find your interests, and I am so thankful to be your Mama. I love you both so much, and I cannot wait to see how you grow in the year to come. 

Love,

Mama

ELIJAH WINN

MADLELINE GRACE

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Happy 9th Birthday, my loves!

Trick or Treat :: Transformers + an M&M

We had another fun year of trick or treating in our neighborhood! This year, we had 2 Transformers and a green M&M :)

Aiden knew right away that he wanted to be Bumble Bee. It really surprised me because I thought he was going to be Captain America {see his 7th birthday}. But apparently the Avengers were out, and Transformers were now in. Now, you have to understand that my children know most of their characters from reading books at the library. They have not seen any movies or shows. He read some books about Transformers and thought they were the coolest thing...hence the Bumble Bee costume.

And because that costume looked super cool, Eli decided that he wanted to be Optimus Prime! Because why not also be a cool Transformer and have a cool costume, complete with face mask?!? The duo were pretty cute awesome, if you ask me :)

Maddie was not at all interested in Transformers, but she also knew exactly what she wanted to be. She immediately asked to be an M&M! I knew I could make her costume, and it was fun to take her to Hobby Lobby to pick out the felt. I think it turned out perfect, and she was pretty adorable. 

We had great weather {though it was a little windy}, and we love our neighborhood. So many neighbors make it fun for the kids, and so many people are out and about, so it's a great way to be out in our community. The kids, of course, had a blast! They made out like bandits, with many full-sized candy bars, and it was a fun night of memories. 

As we were getting ready for bed and saying prayers, Aiden prayed, "thank you, God, that candy was invented." Amen.