Happy Thanksgiving

 Happy Thanksgiving!

You can just see the twinkle in Lukkas' eye that he knows something delicious is going to happen today!

 Boy, was he right!  Papa kept the tradition of him cooking the bird, while Momma did most of the fixings.

Having two young children now, our options for our Thanksgiving meal was either 11:30 or 5:30.  I voted for 11:30 so we could all take naps later :o)  We ate around noon and turkey had the exact opposite effect on my children- no naps for them meant no naps for Momma or Papa.  Oh well, we had a great day and I even found myself teary eyed as I thought about the many blessing in my life that I'm so very thankful for!

The Mister is busy keeping us on our toes!  He's learned how to pull himself up on things - boy, I thought Leinna was a busy child, but Lukkas is always go, go, go.

Leinna, well she just keeps growing up.  Looking more and more like a little girl and not so much toddler any more.  She's starting to do imaginary play and her newest is that she's going to check the mail and there's a new box.  No one knows what's inside until she opens it up!   She cracks me up with how excited she gets to pretend to open an imaginary box.  I just love it!

We've had clear, beautiful skies! 

What a blessing!

We send our love to you all and hope you had a wonderful Thanksgiving.  

A weekend of firsts

Before my update about the weekend ...

I just love playing around with some simple effects on my computer's photo program.  Originally this phone is a little washed out and blurry, but turn in black and white and it looks great (in my opinion). I can't believe Lukkas is heading into month 8 soon.  Where is the time going and make it slow down, please!

Okay- so our weekend of firsts.  Friday night, Leinna and I ventured to the grocery store for just a few items.  Prior to this trip, I've always avoided letting her take the shopping cart that is just perfect for her size.  Well, since it was just her and I, and the list was short, I thought why not!

Oh my goodness... she was a pro! So confident in where she was going and did a great job of driving the cart without knocking into anyone or anything.  

Saturday was a first for Lukkas - his first trip to the swimming pool. Wouldn't you know - I was so excited for him, that I didn't even take a picture.  In fact, I didn't even have my phone with me to take a picture.  I'll be sure to capture his 2nd trip to the pool.  It was great to have Papa come with us and play with Leinna in the pool, while I introduced Lukkas to the idea.  Lukkas loved the water and kept squirming in my arms trying to get free to go and do his own thing.  I would say it was a huge success! Thank you Cordova for providing a tot swim time!!

Sunday's first events- Lukkas' first time actually playing in the snow.

He loved being outside and watching Leinna run around.  I tried to set him in the snow, but with all his bulky winter gear, he had a hard time balancing and just toppled backwards.  We did however, get a first ride in the shovel with Leinna.

After last winter, Papa (also much of Cordova) definitely has a plan for snow management this winter.  Our four-wheeler with plow on it is in need of some maintenance, so Papa had to do some manual shoveling. Look at the two little munchkins he scooped up!

At first Lukkas wasn't to sure about this ride, but by the end he was having fun.  Papa asked if the kids were getting a sled for Christmas? He, he, he....

Finally, as we were playing out in the snow, Leinna was able to test out her new winter gear that Momma got a great deal on while she was in Anchorage a couple of weeks ago.  I love her imaginary play that is developing.  As she trudges through the deep snow to sit on this bank, she muttering something to herself.  When she plops down I asked her what she was saying.  She replies, "I'm sitting on my couch momma - see?" 

What a great weekend of firsts! Looking forward to a short work week and some much needed quality time with the family. 

Time for Refocusing...

Nothing like a knock out from a flu bug to give you some time to reflect and refocus.  I can honestly say that I've been going non-stop for so long that my body finally had to knock me down so that I would get some rest.  After sleeping all weekend long, I attempted work Monday, but made it only half the day. Still not feeling 100% today, I tried to make it to work, but was sick after dropping kids off at day care.  Okay, okay... so why am I blogging?  Because as much as I need rest, I'm not very good at sitting still. This is even more true now that I have children.  So, I figured an update to the land of Leinna and Lukkas keeps me resting, but at least I can feel like I'm getting something done.
 
This past week, I was away on a trip to Anchorage supervising some of my students as they participated in Special Olympics.  This is was great for my heart and spirit towards teaching.  So much about education is turning to take this test and measure this progress - which is all good, please don't get me wrong.  It's just difficult for me when I work with students whose disabilities prevent them from showing what they can really do based on a paper/pencil or even computerized testing.  Anyways...

The event was bowling! How fun, except we don't have a bowling ally in Cordova. So, in order for our team to practice - we had to get creative.

Yep, nothing like practicing in the library with a child's bowling pin set!  The girls had fun practicing and a little practice was better than none.

After a fun lunch hosted by a Partners Club at an Anchorage high school, we headed to the bowling ally.  Even though we were a small team, the girls had a blast!  The two students with special needs each bowled a strike!  Seeing the pure joy on their faces and observing another school's program inspired me to do more here in Cordova. (well, as soon as I get over this bug anyways...)

On the home front, Papa was in charge for two nights and two mornings!  He did an amazing job and I love that it gave the kiddos time to bond with Papa.

Well, time for another nap and hopes of waking up feeling better.