Happy Thanksgiving!

Monday Jack celebrated his first Thanksgiving with us. Daniel thought he should have an active part in the dinner...

It was my first attempt to make a turkey, and if thinking about something can make it taste good, the turkey should have been the yummiest turkey ever in existence! I "thought-cooked" that bird thoroughly. In the end it was a pretty tasty turkey! I was relieved. We had the Davenports, Kim and Daniel, and Mr V. and Peter join us. Jack was so thrilled about his first big food holiday that he went to sleep at 5:50 and slept until the next day. He wasn't exactly the life of the party :) 

 Cooking it was a big enough adventure to last me a year, so I bequeathed the job of carving to Papa V.

Happy Canadian Thanksgiving to the rest of the world!

The happiest helper

 

Monday marked one of the happiest days Jack has had in a couple of weeks. He was so snuggly, giggly, kissy, smily, happy, chatty, and cute. Just a fact for your Thursday.

Happy Mistakes

I laughed. The blender exploded with my pumpkin spice latte experiment in it and I laughed! I was so glad that it didn't settle on my morning as evidence that I was failing from the get go. Sometimes I am sick of my flesh and the lies that I believe. When the blender exploded, it was because I quadrupled the recipe. I never asked the blender how it felt about this additional burden...I had some forethought though, I covered the top of it with the hot pad (look up) to prevent the liquid from soaking me. This is truly the pattern that formed as the liquid surged from the tiny glass canister, soaking the counter, the hot pad, the blender, the front of my dry clean only skirt...and then I looked down at the hot pad and had to laugh because it was already smirking. God is really nice to give me laughing hot pads to help me see how inconsequential honest mistakes like these are.

The guardian in our church

 

Meet Nate. This is a good friend of ours that we are honored to know. His heart stretches around a group with always room for one more. He has been caught serving by doing dishes or putting things away and denies it even still. He is especially gentle with the youngest kids in our fellowship, and each Sunday you can spot him with a baby or toddler in his arms before during or after church, he would like it to be all three if the mothers of said children would simply stop retrieving them. At the wedding we went to this weekend he scooped up a bored Jack and had him happy and playing for a good long while. I am grateful that God has him right here. I like the safe place kids can find with him.

Sunday at the park

 

Sunday afternoon I went to meet up with dear friends to help take their family pictures. I got there early and enjoyed some alone time in this park, sitting under a tree, watching the leaves fall and squirrels chase each other. I love to be still and quiet. But then arrived 8 friends with their 4 toddlers and infants in tow. They were even more fun than the squirrels. These are a few highlight pictures from my afternoon.

rock a bye baby

 Time for a swing always makes a happy baby. We stole this trip out back just before church on Sunday.

When the mind snaps...

A Taylor I am, but my genetics are stronger. At least that is to say that I haven't proven insanity yet. Last weekend however, my dear sister-in-law lost it all together. Luckily, she found it in Kansas. Saturday night we were playing a game with a weekend house guest when a ring at our door produced my Katrina at 9:00 pm. Just the time she warned me she would show up, for a latte. But, what you have to understand is that, being strong in math, I calculated that it was impossible for her to be at my door at 9. Because I knew what she was doing all day. I did not think of her leaving like a fire was at her tail and driving our way the first moment possible! It was so wonderful to have her "drop in" as if we only lived a few minutes or even hours apart! I will remember it forever. 

 Jack obligingly woke up around 11 and played...

 They look a lot alike half awake ;)

 Heads are drooping...don't know how much longer we can keep this up!

 In an unheard of move, Jack slept through singing and the sermon at church!

 The guys. This is our new friend, Jedidiah. He is one of Jon's coworkers. Great time hanging out with him for the weekend!