Thanksgiving

Thanksgiving has come and gone and I wanted to write down a few things that I have been so thankful for this year:

• My family- husband, kids who always love me for who I am and support me in all I do, for my kids who run to me and say "MOMMY" as I walk through the door
• My friends- couldn't live without them, they are always willing to lend an ear for listening and a shoulder to cry on when I most need it
• My job- even though I would love to be at home more I am thankful for my job that I have been at for almost 11 years!
• Church- I love all the wonderful people at my church and I am so thankful for having them in my life, they have all made me a stronger person
• Struggles/challenges- I know this may sound wierd but I feel that this year I am so thankful for all the struggles and challenges we have had to face this year, it has made us stronger and we can all learn from the different paths that we walk down in life
• My family's health- even though I live with a heart condition I am so thankful that I am still a healthy person and that my family is healthy too
• Love- from my family and loving on others, this is really priceless
• Long talks with my hubby
• When Taelor and Ethan say "I love you mommy", so thankful that I can hear those words come out of thier mouths
• God and Faith- my most important thing I am thankful for!!! If it wasn't for faith I really do not know how we could have gotten past many challenges this year! He really can move mountains and I am so thankful for Him!

There are so many more things I am thankful for but I would go on for days, these are just a few that came to mind first.

I hope you all had a wonderful Thanksgiving, we did. It was one of our best, kids are at the age where they can both feed themselves and can actually sit throuh a dinner without too much of a fuss. We had only one place to go on the day of (my parents did it on Sunday), so that was a treat in itself. Taelor and I watched the Macy's Thanksgiving Day parade and she loved it. I am so happy to start the rest of the holiday season and for Christmas to be here and for my baby's girls birthday on New Year's Eve!

Sandwhich Thins

I love these new Oroweat Sandwich Thins bread. They are great tasting and good for you. They have only 100 calories, 5g fiber, and 1g fat. My friend at work started bringing these for lunch and loved them, so I went to Costco which sells a pack of 16 for around $4.50 (I think or somewhere around there). The great thing about these is that my kids LOVE them. I also have used them for burger buns and it was so much better than regular buns. They may be thin but they are filling and they come in 3 flavors, mulitgrain, honey wheat and whole wheat. Try them you will love them.

Sweet things....

It's the little things that come out of a toddlers mouth that sometimes make you melt. Taelor looked at Ethan and said "Your so handsome little dude". I thought it was too cute. She loves him so much and she is always saying sweet things to him, whether it be that she is comforting him while he is crying or just giving him a hug when he needs it (or at least when she thinks he needs it). I hope these two remain close as they grow up and that they are always there for each other. I love seeing the two of them together (even though sometimes it's not so happy go lucky)!

Big girl bed for Taelor

My little girl has graduated to a big girl bed! She was so excited to have daddy "make" her "new" bed. Taelor was ready to be out of her bed but we were going through a rough month of her "stalling" on the bedtime, so we made her a deal, when she could prove to us that she is ready for a bed then she can earn stars and get the bed. So she earned them, and it has been 3 nights now and she has been great going to bed. She hasn't even woken up to go potty in the middle of the night so mommy is actually getting some rest around here! I am not holding my breath on this one though because I am sure this will end soon, but I hope not. I am so proud of my little Binkie, she is growing into such a "big" girl. I love her so much but I feel that the baby in her is slowly slipping away and it makes me sad but I know in my heart she will always be my little girl. Night night Boo, we love you!

Halloween

Halloween was so fun this year! Taelor and Ethan were so into it. I think the fact that they got candy was what made their nights! After the first few scary houses, they were both brave enough to walk up to the doors themselves. We had a great time trick or treating with our neighbors Noah and Tommy. We had lots of kids come to the house and Taelor just about gave away handfuls of candy to each trick or treater. I LOVED our Halloween, it was fun to see the kids faces and even though they were a bit sugared up by the end of the night, it was all worth it!

Taelor as the "pirate" and Tae as "Tinkerbell"

Daddy and his little buddy

Gama and her grandbabies!! Thanks for coming with us!

Noah the gladiator, Tommy as Handy Manny, and Tinkerbell (Taelor)

Arggggh..

Taelor and Hailey the two Tinks

Tanaka Farms

Fall is here but the weather sure isn't. Going to Tanaka Farms pumpkin patch in 80 degree weather is not what I would have wanted but despite the weather it was fun....

Life

I have not found the time to blog much these days but I am making a promise to myself to at least blog once a week. Things have been a bit busy around the Williams home. Life with 2 little ones under the age of 3 is, well let me say BUSY, tiring, FUN, great, overwhelming and amazing all at the same time. There is never a dull moment, and when I do find those moments I tend to, well, rest, get some work done around the house, watch TV or my favorite, do nothing! I often wonder if life ever slows down because it sure doesn't seem to these days. But I can say I have made a promise to myself that November (other than Thanksgiving), is going to be a mellow month for us, no commitments to lots of busy activities, just doing what we want to do when we want to do it! The month of October has already seemed to pass us by in a whirlwind. At the beginning of the month I went to our Women's retreat in Carlsbad, and it was a much needed weekend away. I love the girls who I have become friends with at the Bridge, they are all amazing ladies and it was great to spend a weekend with them and giving my Faith a little refresher. We all need that at times. This month was also filled with many baby showers. There are lots of babies that are due any day now through the end of November! And now there is only one more week left and it is Halloween.I am so looking forward to Halloween this year. Taelor is going to be Tinkerbell and Ethan is going to be a pirate, it will be fun seeing them with their friends trick or treating. I really love this time of year, it is my favorite time and I am going to make it a point to savor and enjoy every moment I can. Now if only the weather could change and not be so hot! Happy Fall everyone!

Ethan is 1 1/2

Ok, so I realized I never posted this...sorry a few months late.

My little boy is 1 1/2! Happy half birthday. Ethan I can remember bringing you home from the hospital, I was nervous and happy all at the same time, but you sure did surprise me with your mellow little nature, your loving personality and your great sleeping habits, and you are still that way (except for the mellow part!) You have grown into such a cute little rambunctious boy and a BOY you sure are. Jumping and climbing on things, running around non stop, getting yourself into mischievous things. But aside from all the craziness that you do, you are such a loving little guy, with a smile and laugh that just melts our hearts. You are in to copying everything your sister does right now and also being that little brother that teases her too. You are obsessed with trash trucks and cars. Every morning you ask where the trash truck is and you get excited when it is Friday, trash day to see them in action. You are talking so much, even combining two words, some fun things you say are: oh loud, uh oh, oh no, where daddy go, I like it (with a big nod), no like it, pees (please), tank you (thank you), lub you (love you), fan, light (you are obsessed with turning them on and off), moon where'd you go (you have to find it every night before you go to bed).

You are an amazing little boy already who makes everyone smile around you. You are a real treasure to us and we love you so much. I look forward to seeing you grow into a 2 year old. We love you more than you will ever know. I can't wait to see what amazing things you will do in your life. I wish I could bottle up your energy because mom sure needs it some days! You make me a very proud mom! You will always be my little boy!

Sunday school from a 2 year old

So I asked Taelor today what she learned in Sunday school (most of the time she says "Jesus loves me"), but today and she had a different answer, she said "Jesus made the rain, the clouds and the water". Too cute!! I just love that at such a young age she is learning about God. She enjoys going to Sunday school and today she was mad when we had to leave, she said, "I don't want to go home, I want to stay at church". I can remember from a young age going to church and I feel blessed that my children get to experience the same. Ethan loves his little class too and playing with all his friends, he especially loves giving everyone hugs (especially the girls). The greatest gift God has given to me is my children and my faith. I look forward to many more Sunday's when I get to ask the kids what they learned about God!

So much to blog about....

I have so much to blog about but so little time. I promise I will post blogs by the end of the week!