Thanksgiving Day Wrap Up

Since Andy had to work on Thanksgiving this year, the Mueting side of the family came to celebrate with us in Sioux City.  I was in charge of the Turkey and stuffing while everyone else chipped in with the other dishes for the feast. Even though Andy missed out on the meal with us, he was able to spend all afternoon and evening with us celebrating.

The meal was delicious, and the company was great. Our house was full and the kids loved all the play time with her Aunts and Uncles.

 

 We were also joined by the family dogs: Bella, Cali, and of course our Gus

At the end of the night Andy revealed his Christmas lights for 2013...a big change for us this year - didn't he do a great job?

We also got to spend some time in Spencer during the weekend so Gus could get more hunting experience.  It was a great trip for him - he had his first big retrieve! 

Meanwhile, the girls were able to spend some time Christmas shopping around town.

Our Thanksgiving Holiday Gatherings were so full of fun and laughter this year - so much to be thankful for.

The Christmas Season has begun

Now that our Thanksgiving celebrations are complete we are welcoming in the Christmas Season with open arms.  

The kiddos have helped decorate the house and have written out their lists with much detail...aka we walked around Target and mom took pictures with her phone of everything they liked.

December is going to be a busy month for us but we are trying our best to find time to enjoy holiday events as much as possible.

These 2 cuties love to cuddle up together on one side of the couch.

Here they are watching the first of many Christmas movies. 

Bennett likes to sit on the arm of the couch and pat the open spot next to him so Marie fills it - how adorable is that?

 Even though it was very chilly we attended the Sioux City Light parade which welcomed Santa into town.  Marie was pleasantly surprised by the amount of candy thrown to us and Bennett loved all the lights and music.

This week is the annual preschool-daycare Christmas Program...stay tuned for a great show!

Disney Princess Surprise

 We surprised Marie with a trip to the Orpheum on Sunday to watch Disney Princesses Live!

She was so excited to see 3 princesses and of course dress up as one of them.  

We were able to see Cinderella...

 Belle...

 and Snow White. 

Although Marie requested no pictures of Snow White and the evil Witch so we waited until the end of the show to get a picture of that princess.

Marie sat completely still, loved Belle the best, and enjoyed a souvenir cup full of pink lemonade.

What a wonderful afternoon for us girls!

Van Beek Thanksgiving

 This past weekend we were able to celebrate Thanksgiving with the Van Beek side. 

It was go go go from the start of our day at Grandma Nel's and the kiddos did.not.stop!

On our trip home - all 3 (including Gus) were sound asleep before we were out of Sheldon.

Bennett spent much of the day without pants on...still unclear as why this happened but he loved playing with Uncle Paul and Anneke especially this time.

 Andy & Alissa have always had a special bond and they made sure to grab some cuddle time during the celebration.

 The official "kids" table - much laughter here!

 Marie and Alissa spent a lot of time together, too.  Marie is pretty sure Alissa is the coolest because she has lost so many teeth already and has experienced the tooth fairy.

 Grandma Nel helped Marie play "skip bo" and even though Abby won the game,  I think Marie is hooked.

Not only did we enjoy a fabulous meal but also very good treats and desserts. 

Mom's house was so full of laughter and noise - the perfect way to celebrate how thankful we are for our family. 

But, as always, my Dad is missing.  

Most Thanksgiving seasons we try to not talk about him much as this was the season of his accident. Difficult memories are not fun to talk about it. However, this year, we shared great memories of Dad and our special times with him.  

Although our time with him was cut way too short, he and mom gave us this family and without him none of us would be here to celebrate our many blessings.

Simple Joys

For the past 36 hours or so I decided to take photos of our kids when they are truly joyful.  

I'm not sure how many shots I thought I would have but I am pleasantly surprised at how full of pictures my phone has become!  

 Mom surprising them with breakfast in bed.

 Playing fetch for the 30,574th time

 Riding his bike

playing at the park on a warm November day

 posing for silly pictures at the park

 finally feeling brave enough to walk across the crazy bridge

 sweeping the leaves on the driveway

sound asleep on a comfy couch and toys after a hunt

 watching movie on the couch without a little brother pushing the buttons...

 riding the carousel at the mall

 wrestling with papa

 impromptu ball pit fight-boys vs. girls

 Enjoying her favorite day - "stay at home day" with Mom

"writing" on the foggy glass 

What a fun way to capture our weekend!

Nothing expensive or extravagant-but definitely memorable.

All Grown Up - part 2

Bennett has been growing up so much the past few weeks. 

He is copying everything his sister, dad, mom, and even Gus is doing...this means he will pretend to be a puppy, cook, play with barbies, and even try to go to the bathroom. 

Talking is not his first priority, but he is communicating when he is tired, crabby, mad, happy, sad, or hungry. We have been working on signing with him and he is signing "more" and "want" regularly. He is doing more babbling and is even saying some words: Mom, Dad, zat? (what's that?), and yeah. Bennett also says some animal sounds.  He is trying so hard to talk so I know it is close. He understands everything we say and follows directions very well. 

He loves reading books in his room whether it is alone or with someone helping him. 

He and Marie love to chase each other around the house and play hide-and-seek, too. 

 Bennett also loves helping Dad do anything.

He loves helping with the yard work, fixing things with tools, or even just wrestling on the floor while watching football.

Bennett is getting such a fun personality and we can't wait to hear more words out of him - we are sure he is going to keep us laughing.

All Grown Up

 

No matter what we do or say time is not slowing down. 

The kiddos keep growing up and there is nothing we can do to stop them. 

Last week Marie came to me and asked if she could get her hair cut shorter. 

She was ready for a change. 

This is something I had wanted for quite some time and I was so thankful she came up with the idea on her own. 

Long hair is always getting snarls and tangles and no matter how much conditioner or spray we used it was always causing problems for us...especially in the morning when we never seem to have enough time to get out the door.

So we made an appointment and off we went.

She climbed right into the chair, asked for her hair to be at her shoulders, and smiled the whole time. 

Before:

After:

 

 She is loving her new hair and so am I. It's much easier to care for and reduces our hair time in the morning as well as any sort of bickering over brushing or styling.

The only thing that is tough to handle is how much older it makes her look!

We also had her first parent-teacher conference last week. 

Her teachers assured us she is doing very well with pre-writing and pre-reading skills. She plays well with other kiddos, is a little antsy on the carpet at carpet time, and is getting better at controlling her emotions.  Andy & I just smiled at the last comment. Our girl has always been a bit emotional and dramatic since the day she was born but that is just who she is. At home that night, we discussed her success as well as areas to work on. 

We are so proud of her and the big girl she is becoming.