WOW it's been a while! I can't believe it's the holidays already! We had a wonderful Thanksgiving. The DH's uncle has a farm in Oklahoma and every year most of the family decends on him and his sweet wife. It's just perfect, no TV, lots and lots of open space for the kids to play, lots and lots of cousins to play with, and no worries about cars, drwoing, kidnapping, all the usual thing I worry about at home! ;)

This year it had the added bonus of a fallen tree needing to be burned! The wonderful husband always says that was one of his favorite times times while growing up, burning brush at the farm. Well, this year our kids got to experience it.Very fun, although I'm still not sure how it doesn't catch onto the surrounding grass and just go!!

We always do the early morning black friday shopping trip at Wal-Mart. So there we were at 5am. People were NOT nice this year! =( Usually it's friendly, other customers are joking, helping others out, answering where they found such and such... and it's very "spirit of Christmas-y".

NOT this year!!My brother-in -law was knocked repeatedly in the back if the legs by other shopping carts. I passed a mother YELLING at her little girl (about 7) to "shut up, I said shut up and come on, now tie your shoe and shut up!!" Really? REALLY...what you need is SO important it's worth ruining a Christmas shopping trip and quite possibly your child? I often wonder with parents who behave like that, if that's how they are in public, what are they like behind closed doors?

Well, I've digressed to a not very happy place!

So that long and short of it is, we had a wonderful time! Riley enjoyed being with the other girls and a stray cat she named Fluffy (until it bit and scratched her) at which point she cried inconsolably because "Fluffly hated" her and she loved him. Reid and Rudd loved being with their cousins and Rory was our birthday boy.

Eleven years old! Goodness, I can;t believe it! Happy birthday sweetie! we love you SO much and are so grateful God chose us as your parents!