Happy Thanksgiving!

We were set to board a plane on the Tuesday before Thanksgiving and spend the holiday in Charleston, SC.  
Our plans changed when Molly ended up tearing her ACL in her back leg.  (She just had the other back leg replaced a little over a year ago.). She was taken into surgery the Friday before and so we spent the holiday nursing her.  
We still had a wonderful holiday.  We quickly canceled all our reservations, made a couple of trips to the grocery and had a wonderful holiday.  
Matt has been obsessed with The Big Green Egg for years.  Well, he finally got one a couple of days before Thanksgiving and has declared himself "pit master."  Let me just say if trying to smoke and grill everything in sight makes you a pit master then he is indeed master.  Have mercy!  I will say, he made an amazing turkey on Thanksgiving on his first attempt.  
We also spent the holiday watching movies and decorating for Christmas.  We installed a driving range in our basement and have been swinging away.  Here's a tip: Until the side nets are in place, don't hit any golf balls, no matter if your husband pushes you to do it.  I should know.  I happen to be good at using spackle and repairing a hole in the wall.  ha! ha!  Yep, you could say, I sliced the ball.  
We are blessed! We took care of Molly, changed plans and still made memories together.  Thanks be to God!

We gave Molly some turkey on Thanksgiving.  Poor thing, instead of pinky up if was leg up as she ate.  Another leg, another 20 staples.

Pit Master getting the turkey started on The Big Green Egg.  

It was very cold out and Matt was coming in out from grilling the turkey the turkey to get warm and he smelled like a smoke stack.  We made him bring in a folding chair from the garage to sit in by the fire on his trips in to warm up.  Molly on the other hand......

We decorated for Christmas and Gracie and I finally got this garland decorated and hung like we like it.  This after years of wrestling with it. 

Getting in some golf practice.  Notice, the sides are up.

So very proud...

Gracie and I are so proud of Matt.  He works very hard. He is blessed with a job at a company he has grown with (literally, 22 years) and loves.  This past week, Matt was promoted and named Vice President of Technology.  

Thank you for working so hard for our family Matt.  With all the travel, long hours and missed moments, you are still the absolute best at the job titles that matter most, husband, father and man of God. We love you!

Keeping Busy

Matt and Gracie had their monthly "date night" and this month they enjoyed eating Mexican food and roller skating.  

Our church is very blessed to have a Fidelis Chapter.  Fidelis is a group of girls, 6-12th grade, who work to lift each other up and lead lives that reflect Christ.  They meet each week, enjoy a potluck dinner together at the church, participate in activities/games, discussion and prayer.  Lily Grace pledged a couple of weeks ago. 

The girls enjoyed an overnight retreat to celebrate. 

Each year, Matt's company does a day of service at a local shelter for homeless families.  Lily Grace joined Matt during her fall break from school to help out.  Matt said she did a great job! She washed walls, did caulking and various other jobs to help out. 

Lily Grace gave up trick or treating a couple of years ago.  She found that it's a lot more fun giving out the candy and getting to meet all the cute faces that ring our doorbell.  She dresses up to give out candy and the kids always seem to appreciate it when she opens the door.  This year, she dressed as Rey from Star Wars.  She even brought out her BB8 and made a Darth Vader pumpkin to add to the theme.

Lily Grace is thinking about entering the work force.  She'd like to start babysitting to earn a little money.  She has the best time volunteering at the church and working with the little ones on Sunday mornings, but before we let her take full responsibility, we wanted her to get some training.  She spent and entire Saturday in a Safe Sitter class learning how to care for children, basic CPR for choking, the business of babysitting, behavior management etc...


🎉🎉🎉🎉
This past week I celebrated my 47th birthday!  I had a wonderful day.  Matt took off work and we spent the day together and Gracie shared this beautiful poem she had written with me.  She is quite the writer.  Melt my heart! I love you both!

I’m from art, music, and books

From awesome Star Wars, Marvel, and Harry Potter

From a happy family

From disorganized and organized

From hot dogs and freezing ice cream

From the land of pink and gold, shiny and sparkly

On Mondays—tiring

Do I have to go to school?

On Fridays—exciting

It’s the weekend!

Saturdays—sleeping in

Recharging from the week

From big books on rainy days

Reading fantasy and mystery

All silent and still

My dog sleeping at the foot of my bed

Being sucked into the story

Time passing away, unnoticed

From drawing at the table

My hand smudged with graphite

From shading and smudging

Taking ideas from the internet

My bare feet dangling below

And my mom cooking up a storm