Happy Thanksgiving!

Jemma's talking to grandpa

Paula taught the girls how to fold the napkins like turkeys while the boys played baseball and Robin Hood outside

Checkin' the turkey with Ed mashing potatoes in the background

The girls are looking for their placecards

Time to eat!

This was our smallest group in a long time. We usually have Ed's parents who were in Salt Lake City this year and there's always an extra Casebolt family or two but this year it was just six adults and seven kids--there was actually room for all the food on the table!

Jack ate quickly and then got busy playing with the pilgrims and turkey on the table. I think the turkey just got shot here.

Sara loved the big goblet

The boys got up before the rest of us and they were quick to start attacking from the back of the couch with the cool wood pistols Grandpa made for them!

Jemma slept through dinner and let me eat! And then she got kicked out of her cozy bed so Jack could nap.

At one point almost everybody was asleep! There's grandma and Jemma in the chair, Paula and grandpa on the floor, Ed on the couch, Ben in the upstairs bathroom, Jack and Will sharing a room, Sara in the other room, Ava and Kayte at the other end of the house, and Joe and I were watching the Cowboys beat the Seahawks. And then even Joe fell asleep! The most relaxing Thanksgiving ever--surprising when we were outnumbered by kids!

Paula made three (!) coconut cream pies this year as Ed suggested--one for each family!

We always end the night with the great lighting ceremony. My dad does a fireworks show and then the kids count down and he flips on all the Christmas lights on the house and all the trees and then the kids run in circles and yell "Happy Thanksgiving!"

Over the river and through the woods...

...to grandma's house we go!

Today was baking day--on the day before Thanksgiving we head out to my mom's with no kids(!) to bake, bake, and set the table. Jemma and Ben got lucky this year and were allowed to come (just this once!).

Sweet pea.

Talking to grandma

Ben slept most of time but we let him out to play for awhile.

Paula actually does about 90% of the baking (most of you have heard me speak of my serious lack of baking skills)--my only contribution is a cherry pie and I try to get Paula to make the crust if I can. My job is to clean up after her but this year I didn't even do that--I'm still taking advantage of my new baby status. I did however make lunch and set the table for tomorrow AND I brought the cozy baby for everybody to cuddle!

Four weeks and chubbin' up

The flash makes her so serious!

In case you couldn't tell from the tub picture, Jemma is chubbing up nicely. Jack, who loves to kiss her, has been squishing her cheeks lately and I have to draw the line somewhere so I told him no more squishing and he said, "but I have to--I just love her!"

So much lovin'

Ava's feeding Jemma her nightly bottle for some sister bonding (we're not sure if the milk makes it to her tummy or just down her chin).

Jack sees some loving going on and can't help but kiss her.

And then he sees me taking a picture and turns around for his big shot. (Notice how nicely Ava holds her pose?)

Tubby time

She loves it!

A Night To Remember

Ed here...I don't usually post but tonight was truly a night to remember. At dinner my wonderful wife says out of the blue, "In the next couple weeks we should go to the Plant for Monday night football...They have $0.75 PBR's for you and $3.00 shots." She loves Monday night football but never drinks, and does not care for bars. Translation = she loves her husband! Secondly, Jack has become accustomed to going fishing with me from his grandpa's boat, well tomorrow I am going from shore so Jack can't go. Trying to still make him feel the experience I told him he could get my tackle out. The problem is he is only 32 lbs and my bag is about 25 lbs. In the end he says, "Have fun dad...You're all ready to go!" These kind of nights make me feel good as a dad.

Ahh, peace

This is my favorite room in the house. So far, Jemma is our tidiest kid--there are no toys or books on the floor, her bed is always made, and her clothes are folded and in her dresser. It is sunny and cozy and I love coming in here for some peace and quiet! So if you happen to stop by and see two kids running wild and one sitting in her bouncy seat watching them, you'll know where to find me.

Rock 'n Roll Superstar

Yes, that's actually what he calls himself. And because he's a boy, he wants to make sure everyone sees his performances...even Jemma. If her eyes happen to roll around (which they do!), he says, "hey, she's not watching me."

Christmas Cuties!

2004

2005

2006

2007

2008

My mom buys the kids matching Christmas jammies every year and it is quite the event--they all love to match somebody! And, yes, I stole these pictures from Paula's blog--it's so much easier than finding my own!

Showered with blessings

We have been overwhelmed with good things since Jemma was born. All the visitors at the hospital (and the nice comments here!) and several weeks of good food delivered to our door (we just finished our last meal last night), including yummy comfort food (chicken pot pie, manicotti, calzones, enchiladas, and more), soups (taco and tortellini), several rounds of homemade bread, some exotic dishes (curry and coconut rice), some serious meat (ribs and pork stew) and more cookies, brownies, and even gingerbread than we should have eaten (but did!).

Then our friends Katie and Lauren hosted a shower for Jemma and here's a picture of Ava with all the fun stuff (I love having a girl!) that we got.
Jemma was a surprisingly good girl at the shower but, like all my kids, she took a long time to wind down for bed after it. The best part...she slept all night until I woke her up at 5:30 am!

P.S.

A post script to my last post: One more thing I am thankful for...my mom and dad, who now have ten grandkids but still do whatever it takes to help out, including coming to help take care of the kids when Ed was out of town this week!

And speaking of Ed being gone, one of the few benefits is that we almost always have french toast and a movie at least one night.

Happy Birthday Blog

So I just realized my blog has been official now for a whole year and wow time goes fast! This has turned into a surprisingly great record of our lives and I have loved looking back through our pictures...I gotta say (this is my blog after all) that I have some seriously cute kids and we have had some seriously good times this year! With that in mind and in the spirit of Thanksgiving, here are the four things I am most grateful for this year:

The hardest-working husband and most fun daddy I know.

Ava Blythe...my curious and smart, fantastic conversationalist who always brightens my day.

Jack...my tender-hearted, slightly wild, loving little buddy.

Jemma Jane...my sweet baby who actually understands day and night.

TGIF

This is what Ava looked like when I sent her off to school yesterday.

And this is what she looked like when I picked her up. Seriously.

Only in Idaho

In case you can't tell, that's a deer there hanging in that white bag. In our neighbor's yard.

Brotherly love

Two weeks and counting...

She smiles a lot in her sleep...funny dreams

One more shot of her little feet all tucked in.

A little sunshine here in November. She can be awake like this and just listen to music or the kids play for a long time.

Finally stretching out...we hardly ever see those little legs!

Two thumbs up...

for Madagascar 2! We took the kids to see it this weekend and they loved it--Jack literally sat on the edge of his seat the whole time! It was Jack's first time at the theater (Jemma's too!) and it was the perfect dark and foggy day for some big screen fun.

Speaking of fun, here's Jemma's first game of Candyland!

Super Boy!

Jack wanted to be a super reader from "Super Why!" so I hooked him up with a (pink!) cape and after running around for a bit, he said, "Hey....I can't fly!"

Side note...that kid does have pants but he's not too interested in wearing them as you might have noticed--I think they slow him down.

Waking up

Jemma's starting to wake up to the world. She can only handle about an hour before she falls asleep again but when she's awake she's pretty sweet and she loves to listen to the kids play--the louder the better!

She likes the bouncy seat but only if someone is actually bouncing it--the little vibrations don't cut it for her. Ed's figured out how to do this comfortably and it keeps everyone happy!

Out and About

After some pretty icky weather, we had one nice-ish day and I took Jemma out for the rounds in town...Walmart, Winco, etc. It pooped us both out but only one of us got a nap!

The next day Ava's class did the recitation for the elementary assembly--they are a cute bunch!

After the assembly we took Jack to Starbucks where they gave him a sample of the new peppermint twist mocha and he said, "me like this A LOT!"

Check out that mocha mustache!