Our Thanksgiving, the Story......

 WE started out the morning writing down on our poster (created in 2010) what we were Thankful for.  I love pulling this out every year and looking at years past.  Their little handwriting, the sometimes silly little things they loved (thomas the train for one).  Usually, they were always Thankful for Mom and Dad, family, snow and the season. 

 WE made the 2 hour ride down to the P5's house.  SO thankful they decided to host all of us (really the best location for everyone to come). 

 HOw many guys does it take to peel potatoes.  Who knew they could be cooked in a crock pot!

 It was a beautiful day in the 60's...meaning kids could be outside MOST of the day.  They took full advantage. 

 I LOVE this.

 and This....smiles :)

 Kids watching xmas movies (elf for starters)

 The app spread!

 Siblings.....what a great day to all together.

Mom and kids.....

 BOys will be boys.....They will always remember fun times with their cousins.

 Two turkeys...one baked, one fried. 

 She loves her great grandma.....

 gathering.

 ALl of her 12 (and 13th on the way!) great grandchildren were there.  What an amazing blessing.

 Kudos to our hostess!

 I love these people.

 last one at the "kids table"

 an amazing peanut butter cake.

 Whole families together rocks.

 9 grandkids.

 The highlight of the day for me was when we paused to all say what we were thankful for.  S o much this year.

 Amazing Day, Amazing hostess, Amazing life. 

 Love this family.

a new Room for B

 More on the new room.......First, we ripped out the old nasty 10 year old carpet. 

 then painted.....she choose "sassy Purple" as one of the colors.  I think it suits her.   We painted a light shade then added a wall stencil with the two darker shades and white. 

 The kids were in and out "helping" at different points.  The sawdust in here got to be a bit much at times.

 We picked out every board.  Dad's nailer was a godsend.

 It's awesome to know that she had a hand in the building.  It just makes it that much more special. 

 We picked up that cute little white rolltop desk (left) for 80 bucks on Craigslist.  (LOVE craigslist!)....the bunks were from a work friend whose boys had left home for college.  We kept the gray shag rug (Target) undersized as to show off the floor. 

 The little Girl picture in the corner was hanging on my wall when I was a little girl,  and the Lilac painting is by Grandma :)  The dresser and armoire were handmade by family (J made the dresser and Dad the Armoire) before the kids were born, these are lifetime pieces.  The painting above the Bed is by B herself, it's called "sunny and happy"

Be Kind....by Elizabeth Gilbert

KIND vs. NICE

I think there is something different about being "kind", than being "nice". 

I think "niceness" perfectly fine (I certainly strive to be nice to people) but it doesn't go very deep. Niceness is a social construct — a mannered way of keeping things polite. You can be "nice" to someone while still sort of hating them. You can be nice through clenched teeth and strained nerves. Niceness can be dishonest, and sometimes has to be dishonest —  just to keep the peace. A calm salesclerk can be nice to a rude customer, for instance, because his training and his civilized manners have taught him how to act nice, even in frustrating situations. A lot of niceness is all about training. You can be nice to relatives you don't like. You can be nice to your friends about their badly behaved children, or nice to your neighbor's husband who's an idiot. 

To a large extent, basic human niceness is what keeps the world functioning without us all strangling each other. At the base of niceness is a polite wish for everyone to just get along, damn it, and therefore I'm all for it. Without "nicesness" every crowded airplane and subway car and waiting room and family reunion would be even more difficult than it already is.

But kindness is deeper. Kindness is better. Kindness is soft and real and true and bottomless. Kindness never patronizes, never puts on an act. Kindness never judges. Kindness never clenches its teeth. Kindness never blames. Kindness sees the situation from every angle, and even when weary, Kindness always finds the empathy to say. "That's OK. These things happen. Life is hard."

Kindness says to the angry person, to the bitter person, to the difficult person, to the scary person: "I may not understand you, but I understand that it's difficult to be a human being, and I'm sorry you're suffering. We are all just children of God here, doing our best."

Kindness knows that there's no difference between you and me. 

Kindness ALWAYS MEANS IT.

My goal is to be kind in all situations. I don't always acheive it. Especially when I'm tired or anxious, I can't always hold onto my kindness. It's worth the effort, though. I never regret kindness when I practice it well, but, man, do I regret every lapse of kindness I have ever suffered. 

My prayer is to be kind, all the the way through, 24 hours a day, forever, to everyone.

It's a high aspiration, but, hey — a girl can dream, a girl can aspire, and a girl can practice.

In the meanwhile (during the very large and frequent gaps in my kindness) I will, at the very least, try to be nice.

It's a start, dear ones. It's a start.

:)

ONWARD,

LG

A November to Remember.....

Ladies and Gentleman it's official.....I haven't blogged in over a month!  Life is getting away from me these days.  So I bring you....November! (iphone photo heavy)

 

We rang in the 1st of November by celebrating Halloween with this crew.  Who knew that JJP could run so far so fast.  Good times :)

 

The kids have taken over breakfast making on Saturday mornings now that Mom works until midnight Friday nights, and most days the parenting just leaves us plain tired.

 

I took this crew to the Peanuts movie.  Cute, Cute, movie.  T said it was one of his favorites. like.ever.

 

Got an early start on the xmas shopping in Tax free New Hampshire and an overnight in a hotel with this friend :) 

 

That about sums up the trip.

 

 

While I was gone J took the kids rock climbing at a new place in town.

 

 

the day I Realized I was driving around with a friend in the back. 

 

We got through a first round of tacher conferences and IEP meetings for the year.   While school life for my kids is not comepletely perfect and struggle free, they doing great I'm proud of them.  On a whim, L tried out for the school chorus and made it.  That kids suprises me every day.  Life sure is interesting.

homework all the time, even at the dinner table.  I wish these kids had less homework.....sigh.

We started doing family art time every Saturday morning after the kids make breakfast.  Every other week we bring our own choice project to work on and every other week one of them takes a turn plannming the project.  It's something we have really all started looking forward to all week.  It's the little things really, that bring so much joy. Like "tackle tag" (below)

She's been working so hard at learning typing.  She blew all of her academic goals during her full inclusion times out of the water.  Inclusion for the win!

  

You don't learn everything in school. 

 and speaking of school......OMG, this video.

 

 

The girls room is redone (a late b-day present), after a marathon weekend of work.  Doing it yourself is exhausting, and requires ALOT of patience, yet is so satisfying.  Stay tuned for the fully decorated, furnished pic (complete with curtains...IKnow, right?).  I love, LOVE the floors.

 

Also, on the girl front, we made a decision that itwas time to make a change in her at home support person.  I was hard, as we loved L like family, and she cared about the kids as her own family, but it was time to make a change.  Taking a break is good.  I am welcoming this change with open arms, already I feel a renewed relationship  with my daughter.   

Holiday planning is well underway, including preparations for our 4th annual North Pole Party! 

Best Tea. EVER.  2 cups a day right now.

The kids are joining me in December Daily Preparations this year.  This my 8th year creating this little mini album.  Looking back on all the albums I have ever done, if this was the only project I did all year (or ever), I would be happy.  The project, the creativity, just makes the anticipation of the season to come all that much sweeter.

During Family meeting time, the kids decided on two charity projects, one for each holiday.  They each got their own carts at the grocery store to put together a Thaksgiving basket for a local family in need.  They all paid with their own chore money that they had been saving.  I'm so proud of them, Kindness matters.

Speaking of kindness.....I'm getting involved as a good friend of mine in town is one of the founders of a new initative called the " S (our town) Kindness project".  We had our first meeting last night, over 30 people showed up and it is going to prove to be very inpsiring being involved in this moving forward.  Yes, of all the days that the political turmoil has left me feeling unsettled here....really, our town rocks.

And that's a wrap for the pictures this month (My future goal is to take the camera out Way, way, more....not cause I HAVE to, but just cause it makes me really, really happy).  I'll leave you with this passage from the etst Instagram feed that pretty much sums up life, right now...That I just couldn't put into words until I read it.  Yeah, this.

The older they get, the more I realize how easy they were as babies. Although exhausting, meeting their needs was simple----wrapped up in the tiny package of a boob, some loving arms and a somewhat clear vision of where we were headed.  Give me a fussy baby, and I can swaddle, nurse, kiss and walk those floors singing Blackbird like I was born to do it.  I was good at it.  Maybe even jackass conceited about how good I was at it.

It's so much more complex now, their unique needs tangled with personality and stories; the path to their future more defined,requiring attention and sacrifice and love wrung out in ways I hadn't expected. 

I'm not as jackass conceited about how good I am at it, and I can tell you at least five things I wish I would handled differently this week.  But I can also tuck them in bed at night , turn around at a twinkle  light scene---miastakes left behind us--and feel a surge of love so overwhelming that I know, no matther the outcome, we got this.  The kids are alright.

-Kelle Hampton