FOUR!!!

OK I know my past two posts have been about his birthday which included the party planning and the party.

Today was much different. No planning at all and no one around. Just me and stinker.

Stop 1. Every morning is better with donuts

Stop 2. You can't have a birthday with a balloon.

Stop 3.  No time clock, nothing else to do we spent 5hrs at the zoo and he was in heaven. The weather was partially cloudy (even rained for about 30min) but that didn't stop him. No stroller (he is a big boy). We walked, and talked, and talked, and laughed.  The place was pretty empty which made it even more of a special experience.The animales were putting on a show for him and my little silly boy photographer captured all of it.



 

 

 

The party was great fun but my one on one time with the birthday boy was the BEST thing I could've asked for. His true colors come out when he is around animals... he is one himself.

Happy birthday little man.... I love you forever and always!

We Give Thanks 2012

Although Spooky Week is one of my most favorite times of the year. I must say that the Thanksgiving Season and Day is pretty high on my list too. There is no better day to make everyone really stop and appreciate exactly how blessed we are. Well at least that is how my family uses this season and day.

 

 Starting 7 years ago Hubby and I laid out a schedule (I know this is no surprise me and a plan). I'm sure many of you have the challenges of "picking" a family or side for each Holiday. WELL after many many many days of discussing him and I created what we think is the best of all (at least for us). Christmas Eve is always with his family (I will share more of the Christmas layout in a different blog), Easter we rotate years his side of the family and then mine. Yes, it is possible to do breakfast with one and dinner with another but with the 1 1/2hr drive each way that's 3 hrs in the car to see his family alone its really alot of added stress and normally turns out to just be tired and upset all around. We try to see the family who has the "off year" either Good Friday or Holy Saturday. Thanksgiving.... well as ALL know we LOVE the kitchen. Hubby was a chef back in the day about 15 years ago and cooking and making a mess is a hobby to him. I locked it in as Thanksgiving will always be at our house!

 

Yes, this was a HUGE fight and unfortunately sometimes it still stirs up trouble, but sometimes as a parent you stand your ground this is the one holiday I can lock in traditions how we want. The rule for Thanksgiving is our door is always open! We don't mind if ALL sides of the family from both sides come or if it is just us. We are so grateful to God for having the roof over our heads, the food we eat each day, that all the extra visitors throughout the years are considered even extra blessings when we get them. 

 

 

 

We were blessed with Jasons parents and sisters family coming over for Thanksgiving this year. First Thanksgiving at our house with them and it was our FIRST holiday hosting at the new house.

 

So I mentioned Thanksgiving traditions let's dig in....

 

* We have been so lucky enough to be chosen by an Elf on the Shelf each Thanksgiving morning our family member Elbie the Elf makes his annual appearance to stay for the next month and he does something different EVERYDAY from this day until Christmas Eve.

* As a couponer you could only expect I am a shop til you drop Black Friday Shopper. Although you can start to find out sales and deals ahead of time and I am highly disappointed lately that stores open soooooo early it is really starting to take away from it BUT you really do get some great deals. Plus this is a tradition in itself that I go just us girls with my Mom and Sister, coffees in hand and our Plan of Actions (POAs).

* Hubby makes the dinner and I do the appetizers (crafty and cute of course)

* We always watch the movie Willow.... I know this movie has NOTHING to do with Thanksgiving but I'm laying out the traditions and this is on the things to do list we started years ago.

* Chef Dadda makes most of the desserts ahead of time which helps with the day of (yet again another tradition to always assist in baking the few days ahead of time).

* My favorite of all... we ALWAYS do a "Give Thanks" activity and craft. Each year I make the craft a little different but the main focus is for everyone to reflect what they are thankful that year and in life. I have saved all submissions from everyone and plan (one day) to make a memory book of all of the answers.

This year we were blessed with the first time Thanksgiving Day visit from Grandma and Grandpa Reseigh and the Neeb Family (Chef Dadda's sister). It was a wonderful and rather relaxing day and evening! 

I love moments that are captured like this!

 

I have the kids working on a Thanksgiving madlib (lame me I know having them work and learn but it was actually silly and fun).

So cute! I made Pilgrim Hat (hot dog bites), pumpkin shaped deviled eggs, a Turkey Shaped cheese Ball (crackers and pretzels as the feathers) and a "garden" of pumpkins (little carrots in hummus spread in far back behind cheeseball).

Fantastic job Chef Dadda!!! (May I add yes I have all dishes caught up and cleaned slight OCD that I follow him with a sponge).

 

 Great and breaking news.... we have discovered and will start a new tradition on Black Friday nights we will now attend the Holiday Lights Parade festival. This was our first visit with this and although it was VERY cold but it was beautiful and worth it.

Super excited to add it to the perfect family day traditions!!!

 

We give thanks....

Well it has been way to long but I want to take a moment to recap what I am thankful for this  season.  This year for Thanksgiving with all the holiday chaos we ended up having a holiday COMPLETELY alone.  I was alittle in shock at first … what a holiday with no running around, no time crunch, unhappy people for some reason or another… NOPE!?!?! The Jenkins had a schedule problem with shopping, naps, and bedtimes so my Sis and family hosted our parents and we stayed home. The Reseighs all went to Jason's Brothers house along with her family, looked like it turned out well.

As for us…. we woke up to a very quiet house, packed up the boys, dressed warm, grabbed some hot chocolate/coffee and donuts and went to the Thanksgiving Day Parade. It was the BEST idea ever! Yes a little cold but we did it and those smiles on the boys faces made it well worth the frostbite toes (they thawed eventually).  Stinker saw his PAWS, Paws, Paws… he also was a big fan of the huge Balloons when they would fly over his head. Sport jammed to the bands and loved the entire thing.  With our strategic planning we ended up getting in and out of the parade with no traffic. We got home in plenty of time to begin the food prep and relax.  Dinner turned out PERFECT… of course tons of leftovers, but that is what Thanksgiving is all about isn’t it?  By 5:00 they food was put away, the boys were in PJs and relaxing and I was prepping for my Black Friday chaos. I met up with my Mom and Sister at Toy R us at 7:30 and we went full force until 5am…took a power nap and went back out with the crazies by 8am until 2pm!  LOVE IT!

Thankful Recap Top 10 List:

·         Top priority my amazing, charming, irreplaceable boys (all 3) my life would not be possible or complete without them.

·         A secure job for Hubby and I. We are both budget people that love to plan ahead for our dreams and make them possible BUT within reason. We are so thankful to have secure jobs we both enjoy that make those dreams come true.

·         Friends – You win some you lose some. Life really does put you through some interesting obstacles that you just can never plan for. We are so thankful for our great friends/family that REALLY has stuck by our side, offered help in some way, and pushed us along. We know who they are and we would do anything for them as well.

·         Sports – I know, I know why, in the world why I admit this?!?! But, its true sports is in our everyday life and I am so thankful for that. Whether it is us all being physical or watching together; it keeps us out of the scary bad things that can surround us and keeps us safe and healthy (that’s my deep thinking going to work).

·         Faith – We are so thankful to find St. John Vianney a very welcoming church and family that does not judge our life, our past or even our current choices. We go in there and have a safe place to pray, reflect, and think. Im not a fan of the music program but you can’t have it all and I don’t go to church for music. I go there to reconnect and chat with God and thank goodness he has created this place for us to all feel we can go there when needed.

·         Organization – haha that’s silly… NO not really! I am so thankful for the lifestyle my parents instilled in me to be organized and a planner. With a 7yr age gap, husband with an impossible work schedule, and sports/hobbies my planning has kept us together to still accomplish things together and make our time together the best all the time.

·         Food – of course having daily meals seems silly but no not really… there are people out there that don’t receive a meal left alone 3 a day AND a snack. We are thankful to have these tasty meals and at times at creativity and fun to them.

·         Shelter – So what if our basement was under water for the 3^rd THIS YEAR… my boys still have beds, we have clothes, and we have great neighbors. I’ve always liked water… I prefer it by my boat NOT in my basement but yet again…. You have to really pick what is important and what isn’t.

·         Learning/School/Tranning – The statement “You learn something new everyday” is very true and we are so thankful for that. I love that Jason and I can share our trainings we have with eachother and use what we learned into our everyday life with the boys. It's even better when Sport learns at school and can come home and teach us!!! And Stinker well…. We learn from him that everything in life can be funny in the mind of a 2yr old… he has taught us that speaking doesn’t necessarily come easy. For example some of his common words “Excuse me = Monkeys” “Baseball = Muckmall” “Rosie = Arrf Arff” “Popsicle = Popabuck”.

·         Life - Life each day to the fullest….another statement that is often forgotten but shouldn’t be. Today is a gift that’s why the call it the present. Recently Jason and I have had to go through many unexpected deaths of some very young people…why, how, who… none of it matters it’s the fact that it happens and we need to appreciate all the days and time we have together! 

Stinker and Daddy watching the Parade from their "special" spot... Standing ontop of a fire hydrant! This dedicated Daddy balanced the whole time for a good view for the little one.

Baby Blue Eyes waiting patiently for his PAWS at the parade.

Cooking time my little Chef. Sport made his very own  "Pumpkinly Speciality" ... It was GREAT!!!

Stinker's first Thanksgiving meal he had enough teeth to eat and enjoy.

Handsome boy made friends at the parade (of course). They had a great time watching all together.

Hellooo.. Goodbye another weekend come and gone

 This past week flew by but with nothing but smiles.  Simple recap....
Friday -  I went out and used my Groupon to Dream Dinners with my mom. See a little alone time not only did we have a good time BUT I left there with 6 ready to eat meals to add to my freeze to have on hand. Friday due to a very great solid straight A progress report my Dad (Papa) took Jeffrey to the home opener Red Wings game. They had a great time... a little alone time for them (hasn't happened in a while). He also came back in a great mood.


My Mom and I getting ready to knock out some meals together.



Look at her concentrating so hard and then there is me... was that suppose to be Tsp or Tbl?


Nothing beats a great feeling of having on-hand ready to make meals completely ready in the freezer outside.



Look at this amazing 4th grade progress report from all of his teachers.


Yup it earned him a special night out with Papa just the 2 of them for the Home Opener Red Wings Game!!! Stinker is trying to go so we had to sneak them out.


Saturday - Jason and my dad went and used their golf Groupon and had a beautiful day of 18holes. Me and the boys played outside, did some yard work and just enjoyed some quiet time. We then had a fantastic night reuniting with the All Star baseball families at one of their houses. Of course the boys were gone and played for hours. The Dads also gone and watched sports together. The Moms sipped some drinks and we too even found some time to relax. Our goal was to leave by 9:30...NOPE we didn't leave until 1am. No worries Stinker fell asleep long before that, which is why we were able to enjoy a couple more hours.

Sunday - Its a beautiful day that couldn't be passed up. We utilized our Greenfield Village pass and brought along Nonna and Papa. We all had an absolute fantastic time. We took a train ride, rode in the Model T cars, we learned a lot about Thomas Edison. It was a great day we had a nice picnic. Sunday evening the boys had the typical neighborhood play date in our backyard but I don't mind all the giggles and smiles it was great to see all the kids enjoying the weather together.


Mom, Dad, & Sport riding in the Model T behind us.


Stinker taking a deep breath of the beautiful mother nature surrounding us.


This is one of my favorite buildings the garden house. Where's Waldo/Papa I love that I was able to capture him with these beautiful colors AND he has a smile!


My Mom and Dad are waiting outside in the front of the Thomas Edison building. Sport wouldn't leave, he had so many questions and wanted to learn. The workers were very patient with him it was cute.


We took a nice family train ride around the whole Village. What a BEAUTIFUL day and place to escape to.

Another wonderful weekend with the family enjoying time together & making memories.