halloween, thanksgiving, and life

Hello devoted readers.  I apologize for being gone.  I've neglected a lot of things lately: my house, my body, my blog, my journalistic photography, and my friends.  You see two things have entered my life these past four weeks that has keeping me away from doing it all... a terrible cough and Pinterest.  Izzy and I are crafting little fairies.  I try and do at least one craft a day with her.  We've been trying a lot of new things from what I find on Pinterest.  We have taken several trips to the craft store, spent several dollars and have created several masterpieces.  So I apologize for neglecting all of you but Izzy and I are having a blast.  So when I last left you it was almost Halloween...



This Halloween was the best Halloween I've had in years!!  We trick-o-treated in the military housing community and it was so much fun!!  ALL the kids were dressed up (not those ones that come to the door in with a pillowcase looking for a hand out just because they said "trick-o-treat" [in the most annoy kid voice ever])  Even adults were dressed up!!  It was amazing!!  Kids were everywhere.  Halloween decorations.  Lots and lots of candy.  And the most amazing military families in the world!!


Goody bags for our friends. 



Trick-o-treating with our friends.  Jonathan the Tiger, Baby Will the ducky, Edi the pirate and Miss Izzy as a witch.



 I thought Izzy would last about 10 houses but, once again, she proved me wrong and rocked the entire neighborhood.  We brought along the wagon just in case she decided to call it quits half way through and we would have to carry her back to the car but she only used the wagon a few time to relax and enjoy herself a wee bit of candy until we made our next stop.  The look on her face when she got candy from each house we went to was priceless.  The same excitement at every door entry and to hear her little shy "thank you" melted my heart into a puddle.  My favorite though.... Chris would ask her a few times "What did you get?!?" as she walked away from another house and Izzy would have to take each piece of candy in her bucket out to show him EVERYTHING she got.  After a couple of times I had to ask Chris to stop asking because it was going to take us forever to get through the neighborhood.

And just like me when I was a kid, we rushed right home, got the cookie sheet out and dumped her stash out so that we could sort it.  (Basically Chris and I picked out anything we wanted for ourselves and anything with peanut butter which Izzy cannot eat.)  I love being a parent!!




It was another amazing evening spent with our friends and their kids!!

During the four weeks between Halloween and Thanksgiving we've been busy with play dates, crafts and just playing.  On Thanksgiving we were welcomed to the table of our good friends and neighbors where we devoured fried turkey, ham, stuffing casserole, corn casserole, cranberry apple casserole, green bean casserole, and 7lbs of mashed potatoes.  It was the best turkey I had ever eaten!!  I am looking forward to many more fried turkeys.  The day after our thanksgiving feast we put up our Christmas tree and set out a few decorations.  Our house feels warm with the spirit of Christmas in the air.  The weeks are going by faster now which means Izzy and I will be leaving for "home" in less then two weeks.  I am beyond excited and cannot wait to see our family.  My Christmas shopping is done, everything is wrapped (that is at our house), and Christmas cards are finished!!  I can't wait to relax when we get to mom's house.  Nothing like getting everything done so you can just enjoy everyone's company.

So that is what we are up to these days.  Nothing too exciting or note worthy but I do apologize for my absence and will not let it happen again... too much.  :)  Cheers everyone!!