Dinner and A Carriage Ride with Friends

Tonight we had a wonderful evening out with three other families that we are friends with from church. We spent the evening in the West End area of Dallas. We started off with dinner at Spaghetti Warehouse. Nicholas thought it was cool that we got to eat in an old train car they had in the middle of the dining room.





After dinner, we were picked up outside the restaurant by a horse drawn carriage for a tour of the area. Our driver was our dear friend Jon who is the husband of the lady who organized our fun night out. This was Jon's last night as a carriage driver because they are packing up and moving up north for new opportunities in their lives. Tonight Jon was driving the best carriage of all, the Cinderella carriage. It is the coolest one they have and it was decorated with Christmas garland and beautiful snowflakes lights. It was really beautiful in the dark -although it's hard to fully appreciate it because the bright flash in the pictures kind of loses the effect.









Jon, Tamara, and Aiden - We have enjoyed all the times we've shared together and your friendship is dear to us. We will miss you but we are excited for the great plans that God has for you. We love you and we wish you all the best!

Happy Turkey Day!

We hope you and your loved ones had a wonderful Thanksgiving filled with love, laughter, and good food. We made our traditional brined turkey along with the required family recipe dressing. We also tried a new recipe for a cranberry, apple, sweet potato dish which I thought was quite yummy.

Nicholas helped prepare the turkey. He gathered some fresh rosemary from the yard to be used as part of the aromatics during roasting. I love the second picture when he was saying "that's the last picture!"





He also helped by brushing the turkey with oil just before we put it in the oven.



I'd like to show you a picture of our beautiful dinner table with the scrumptious looking food elegantly displayed. However, we were so hungry by the time it was all done that we happily just dug right in.

After dinner, Stuart got some sweet pictures of Rachel and me together.







In these pictures Rachel is wearing a little onesie that my mom gave to her. It reads, "My heart belongs to Daddy". But oh how Daddy's heart belongs to her as well. Stuart just loves his little girl! Typically, one of the first things he does when he walks in the door is come over and give me a kiss. The other night he came home and I was sitting on the couch holding Rachel. He came over and said, "Hi Sweetie!" and leaned over to give his kiss. However, it soon became obvious that he was leaning over towards Rachel and not me. He caught himself as he was almost there, stopped, and quickly gave me a kiss then went back to giving Rachel a kiss too. What a stinker! But I've got to love him for being such a wonderful and loving father :)

After a long day of cooking, watching football, and playing games, it was finally bed time for the little ones. Nicholas thought he would hide to avoid it a little longer. We see you!

Thanksgiving Chapel

Last week, parents were invited to attend a special Thanksgiving Chapel service at Nicholas' preschool. Most of these special services involves the children singing or performing so it is really sweet. Stuart had to be at work but Rachel and I were excited to go. I got a seat on the front row so I would be sure to get some good video of Nicholas singing. However, his class ended up sitting on the side of the stage and he was in the back so my video of him during the service wasn't very good.

However, I did get some cute video of him as his class was entering and leaving the chapel. As he was walking in to the chapel, you can see him looking at the parents trying to find me. It made me smile to see his face light up as soon as he found us.

At the end of the service, you can see the real ham in him as he waved casually over his shoulder as if I were just the paparazzi following him!



Here is a Litany of Thanksgiving that was sent home from preschool:

For the good world: for things great and small, beautiful and awesome, for seen and unseen splendor;
Thank you, God.

For human life: for talking and moving and thinking together; for common hopes and hardships shared from birth until our dying;
Thank you, God.

For work to do and strength to work; for the comradeship of labor; for exchanges of good humor and encouragement;
Thank you, God.

For marriage: for the mystery and joy of flesh made one; for mutual forgiveness and burdens shared; for secrets kept in love;
Thank you, God.

For family, for living together and eating together, for family amusements and family pleasures;
Thank you, God.

For children: for their energy and curiosity; for their brave play and their startling frankness; for their sudden sympathies;
Thank you, God.

For the young: for their high hopes, for the irreverence toward worn-out values; their search for freedom; their solemn vows;
Thank you, God.

For growing up and growing old: for wisdom deepened by experience; for rest in leisure; and for time made precious by its passing;
Thank you, God.

For your help in times of doubt and sorrow, for healing our diseases, for preserving us in temptation and danger;
Thank you, God.

For the church into which we have been called: for the good news we receive by word and sacrament; for our life together in the Lord;
We praise you God.

For your Holy Spirit who guides our steps and brings us gifts of faith and love, who prays in us and prompts our grateful worship.
We praise you, God.

Above all, God, for your Son, Jesus Christ, who lived and died and lives again for our salvation, for our hope in him; and for the joy of serving him;
We thank and praise you, God our Father, for all Your Goodness to us.

Conversation with a Man at Sam's Club

Rachel, Nicholas, and I ventured into Sam's Club yesterday. I kept Rachel in her infant carrier and put the carrier into the shopping cart along with the items we were purchasing. As we were leaving the store, a gentleman started a brief conversation with us:

Man: What a sweet looking baby. What aisle did you find that on? (chuckling) I want to be sure that my wife doesn't go down that aisle. She is a very cute baby.

Me: Thank you. We think she's pretty cute too. She can be a lot of work though.

Man: (Smiling) My children are grown and out of the house and they are still a lot of work for me.

Me: (Laughing) You know, my dad says the same thing about my brother and me!

Man: There is justice though. Your children will grow up and have children of their own someday :) Have a happy Thanksgiving!

Sleeping Like A Baby

I just love holding Rachel while she sleeps. Apparently she is quite fond of it too since she can be sleeping peacefully but as soon as I put her down in her crib she starts to cry. I don't mind. So the dishes don't get washed today and perhaps Stuart won't have a clean shirt to wear to work tomorrow. How can that be more important than cherishing moments like these with our little baby?



Isn't it sweet how newborns automatically tuck their feet up under their bottoms when they are snuggled up with someone. So cute!!