Thanksgiving

There are many things to be thankful for in our lives!  Above most, I am thankful for my family, immediate and extended.  I'm thankful for our health, friends, and our home.  I'm thankful for our puppies and jobs.  We had a nice Thanksgiving with everyone!  Below are the kids' school projects with what they're thankful for!

Mila said, "My Mommy, my Daddy, and Caleb, Mac and Cheese and chips!" Haha!  That's our Mila!

Caleb said, "for my two long haired dachshunds!"

Our cute little turkey!

Caleb woke up early and created this Thanksgiving masterpiece!!

The kids and I watched the Macy's parade!  

I am most thankful for these two!!

On thanksgiving we had fun at Pop's and Nanas!

They built this lego tower with Auntie Gail's Dad!

Uncle Nick is a trooper!

I am thankful for this big turkey! LOL!!

We had a second Thanksgiving at Lisa & Nick's house on Saturday!

Nikko and Caleb

Mila and Grandma Joy

Scarlett, Sophie, and Taylee

ready for the Bama game!

my Bama boy!

Gram and Taylee

Mila's photography

family picture!

the kids table!

I Want To Remember

Mila: She loves for us to draw swirls on her back when she's falling asleep.

She is still my little nature girl!  She loves taking plastic containers outside to collect lady bugs and rolly pollies!

She is really into letters and the alphabet right now!  She loves practicing writing!

One night she asked me how to write, "I love you Mommy tomorrow!"  I asked her why tomorrow, and she said, "today I only love you a little bit!"  I guess she didn't like that she got in trouble for something!!

When Caleb lost his last tooth, she whispered to me that she was going to steal his money!

Mila can zip her own coat!  I was so surprised when she showed me!

Caleb:
One night he told me, "You can't call me your baby anymore!"  I looked at him wide eyed!  He quickly said, " Except when I say it's ok, and it's still ok!"

Erik was watching soccer, and Mexico was playing.  Caleb announced that Mexico is his third favorite team (behind Bama and Buckeyes)!  We asked him why, and he said, "Because they gave me guacamole!!"

Caleb is already excited for Christmas!  We were talking about possibly going caroling, and I asked him what he was most excited to sing?  His answered with, "Oh Tannenbaum!!"  HAHA!  Really?!?

Caleb lost his 8th tooth!  We had a check up at the dentist, and I was shocked when the dentist told me he pulled it!!  He told me that he couldn't handle it flapping away while Caleb was talking!!  The tooth fairy brought his $5 that night!

I Want to Remember ~ Riley

Natalie made this beautiful print for us. I love everything about it! She even created a picture of it for us the hang in the house. It only seems appropriate to hang it in the mudroom, his favorite place to nap for the past year! When I walk by that space, I'm still constantly looking for him. Marshmallows, poppy seed muffins, and Hawaiian bread were his favorite treats to eat.

Butt Dance: I want to remember his wiggly butt dance. He would weave in and out of my legs, while I would pet him, and he would wag his tail so hard that it looked like he was wiggling his butt.

Fishing for a sheltie: When he was younger, we used a retractable leash for our walks. He always liked to hold his leash in his mouth, as if he was walking us! I would let the slack out, he'd catch it in his mouth, and then we'd reel him in!

Playing soccer: He would chase alongside of the soccer ball, and nose it around as he was playing with us!

Cleaning Reese and Bella's ears: Every night he would lick Reese and Bella's eyes and ears. Every night he would take care of his girls.

Hitting the spring to go out: When we lived in Alabama, he would hit the door stopper spring to tell us he needed to go out! He taught himself how to do that! I remember when we went to Florida to visit Gram and Gramps, and he hit the spring by their door! We knew we had a smart pup!

Being afraid of sewers: Ever since he was a puppy, he would stop and pull on his leash every time we had to walk by a sewer grate! Wearing the OSU jersey: When he was a puppy, Erik brought him back a little Ohio State jersey! He would wear it on game days!

Going to visit gram and gramps in Florida: That was his first road trip! We drove 9 hours with him, and he did great!

His thick soft fur: Yes he shed a lot, but I'd give anything to vacuum up those clumps of fur if he could still be with us!

Going on walks: I remember taking him for hour long walks in Alabama! We'd walk through the nearby neighborhoods together. He used to pull for the whole hour! He never tired! Throughout the years he continued to pull us, until maybe the last two years. I remember realizing that he was walking right next to me, and felt a little sad that our forever puppy was starting to slow down.

Potato chip leaves: When we lived in Alabama, there were magnolia trees everywhere.  In the fall the leaves were really thick and hearty.  Riley would pick them up in his mouth to play with them, and we would call them potato chip leaves!


His barking: Everyone will remember Riley's incessant barking! He would bark to greet you, and the second you'd get your shoes on or grab your keys, he was barking you goodbye! In the last two months of his life, he had lost his hearing. I realized it when I came home from work, and he was laying in the mudroom. He hadn't woke up when I opened the garage door or the door to the house! In hindsight, I'd like to believe that maybe that was part of God's plan for him. Since he couldn't hear, he didn't bark at every little thing. He was a lot quieter the last two months, so when he was gone, the quiet wasn't immediately unsettling. We'd had two months to get used to the quiet.