Jake

Reasons why I love you:

1. You're a perfect Dad, an excellent Dad. The best Dad there is.

2. You have a lot of really good ideas.

3. You love to snuggle us, and especially, me.

4. You were young with me.

5. You love babies just as much as me.

6. You crack me up {almost} every day.

7. We think the same and we think opposite. Both are good.

8. We're in this together. We both just know... our cores are the same.

9. You're a perfectionist.

10. You want to be close to our girls. You want to love them and take care of them just as much as I do. And for that, I love you the most.

Recent food art and more.

A house... with balloons tied to her fence.

Peanut Butter Sandwich Christmas Tree.

And THE MOST homemade-style advent calendar ever... but I don't care. This time in my life -- the time when going to the fabric store or holiday decor stores is just out of the question with little ones... this is the time when I make calendars out of bed sheets...

Matilda Mae

...makes my heart throb.

Holiday, Snow, and Sunday Photo.

We had a fantastic Thanksgiving. I roasted my first turkey and hosted my family here, so I hardly took any photos... But don't worry, I made time to make sure I wasn't hungry... all day long. Not even for a second.

My sister in law slicing an onion for part of the meal. 

The way I love to see my couch. Full of people talking and laughing (and eating and drinking). My space is small, but my family doesn't mind!

The beautiful pie that Lynn made.

What the women in our family do at every gathering. Hang out in the kitchen, talk about the mysteries of the world and nibble. The best conversations happen in the kitchen!

My sister in law Lynn cooking giblets in preparation for the stuffing. 

Today's Sunday Photo.

It hasn't stopped snowing since... well, since sometime during my intermittent sleep last night. It snowed all night, all morning, all day... this photo was taken at 4pm, as Jake shoveled the driveway. Now, an hour or so later, the driveway looks un-shoveled again because of all the snow fall. Tada snuck out for a few seconds just for the photo, but the other three stayed out long enough to get a chill burn on their cheeks.

And after the driveway's done, what comes next? Front-yard sledding courtesy of Daddy.

Thanks and Giving.

I've been thinking about getting a new camera... but the dang thing costs so much. I have a mental block when it comes to spending money, I just can't get over the hump. And when I finally do, I feel nauseous for a good few days...

Anyway, if I had a new camera, this shot would have been sharp. No motion blur, no grain... sharp. But truthfully, I am in love with it just the way it is. It looks like a dream. A dream of Lillie's fluff.

One of my favorite shots to date, all possible with my trusty old 60D.

Tomorrow is Thanksgiving. Our turkey is brining in the fridge... going to taste juicy tomorrow. It was exactly a year ago on Thanksgiving that I felt Matilda kick in my tummy for the very first time.

Happy Thanksgiving.

And --- Jake's brother wrote a beautiful letter about his friend that passed away suddenly, leaving a wife and two daughters behind. It happened only a couple of weeks ago. Read it here on their blog. Makes me want to live more fully and try way harder.

xoxoxo

Photographs by Ruby.

Baby and me.

Food-art.

The girls love when I make them "food-art". No sort of grand plan, just grab whatever's in the fridge. This one's pickles, string cheese, gogurt, shredded cheese and flour tortilla. A caterpillar walking in the grass on a sunny day. Or floating rather...

In other news, Matilda is almost crawling and almost sitting up... She teases us! I look at her face every single day and think of how I couldn't live without her. Like if she was gone I'd drop dead. She's that brand new Christmas present and the novelty, even after six months, has never worn off.

A blizzard's blowing in. I love how cold November gets and how bright the Christmas lights glow (even before Thanksgiving). The inside of the house is so warm and I wear boots almost constantly. January and February will come bringing bleak and frozen dismay but until then, I'm going to drink hot chocky and be so grateful for all that we have.

Sunday Photo

Just a quick one before church. There is a shadow on Grace's face which I hate, but I love everything else about it. They're such a wild bunch... and my heart breaks for each one of them for a different reason.

I remember what used to happen when I had the upcoming holiday week off of school. I would sleep in, go to work (where I was highly appreciated and rewarded monetarily), grab some Wendy's, stop off at Barnes N Noble and read a bit of a novel. Put it back on the shelf, grab some hot chocolate and what else?? Maybe go to a movie?

Oh mama, those days are gone. These chicks don't sleep in when they have a week off of school. What would be the point of that? And even if they did... errands (mostly the kind where you get out of the car) are out of the question.

But look at 'em. What's not to love?

Staying Young.

Jake riding his motorcycle at Little Sahara dunes, Utah.

Let's just cross our fingers he doesn't get hurt...

Thursday.

She has a couple of hours in the morning when she's the boss of the house. She's much calmer and more confident without anyone trying to mother her or take things from her. Her mouth is pure goodness, her skin as clear as the caribbean and she's got a messy pile of toes just like me.

Tada has croup so we're all babying her until she gets better. I went to Sara Bareilles' show last night with my sisters. FANtastic!!

This mama is tired and happy.