Thanksgiving 2009

We had a great Thanksgiving this year! My parents came with my sister Audra, my sister Catherine, her husband Donald, their three kids, my father-in-law, and my brother-in-law Dough and his wife Katie all spent the holiday with us. We had a fabulous time and were grateful that we were able to accommodate everyone!

Olivia's preschool had a Thanksgiving feast and I can't get over how cute their Indian costumes were.

We have been cooking two turkeys on Thanksgiving for the last four or five years. Duane likes to fry one, while I have to bake one in order to make homemade gravy. This year Duane tried the infrared cooker and it turned out great! Same great fried taste without the fat!:)



So, I really wanted to decorate the table really nicely, but didn't know where I'd put the food. I love that our dining room table seats up to 12 people. I may have to invest in a couple more chairs, to make it 10. Try and ignore the empty wall. I can't decide whether to hang a large picture or mirror in the space. Any suggestions?!

The Season Comes to an End

Yes, I'm playing catch up again! This is a month old, but better late than never, right?! Anyway, Miranda and Ryan had their last game for the season. It has been a lot of fun to watch both of them improve over the season.

Evan snuggles with daddy.

Olivia can never be left out of the picture taking.

Ryan sure does have this football stance down, complete with the scowl on his face.

Arm in arm?! Can this be?! See...they really do love each other!

The last game is their Homecoming game and they do it just like they do in high school. Miranda and Ryan were on the court and it was great fun to see Ryan escorting his sister. They didn't win because it was a fundraiser and I'm not going to roam the neighborhood with them to beg people for money, so I just paid the $10 so they could participate. Seeing them arm in arm was definitely worth the money!

Halloween 2009

Halloween night made us reminisce about those we had in Okinawa because of the mild temperatures. The only things missing were the fruit bats that would fly above, which added to the ambiance of the evening. I decided to dress up this year for the Halloween party at church and the kids thought it was so much fun that I think I'll do it again next year. Evan wasn't sure what to think of the new "me" and kept giving me a puzzled look all evening, but thankfully he recognized my voice. We had a great time at the party and trick-or-treating and look forward to doing it again next year!

I wanted to dress up to take the kids around the neighborhood, but someone stole my wig!!


Olivia was Snow White and was in need of a black wig to cover her "snow white" hair.

Miranda was a 50s girl and loved the poodle skirt that I made her.

Here it is, the outfit that I threw together hours before the party. It was the $3 wig I found at Joann Fabrics that convinced me to dress up. I've always wanted to go red, but Duane has never been thrilled with the idea, so this was my chance.

Ryan missed out on the Halloween festivities (made some bad choices and hopefully this will convince him to always "choose the right":)and helped Duane hand out candy. I was really looking forward to dressing him up as Ralphie from The Christmas Story in a pink bunny suit, cracked glasses and a bb gun. Some say forcing him to wear a pink bunny suit to go trick-or-treating may have been punishment enough:).

October 2009

October was a busy month for us. With three birthdays, football, cheer and day to day activities the month flew by.

Evan-8mos
Duane turns 37 (inching closer to the big 40)

Evan's trying to figure out who ate all of the M&Ms.

I've been trying to catch Evan smiling and rarely get one because of his fascination with the camera.

Over the last month we've found Olivia in some awkward sleeping positions.

Olivia takes a trip to the pumpkin patch with her preschool class.

I wonder whose table this Tom will be on?

Football and Cheer 2009

Well, it's taken too long to post this, especially since the season is now almost over. When we moved to NC it was important to Miranda and Ryan that we find them some of the same things to do as they did in Okinawa. Ryan loves to play football and was super excited to learn that the county did tackle football and not flag, which is what he's been playing the last three years. Miranda was also glad that she would be able to cheer and would be cheering for her brother's team. They have both had a great time this season and we hate to see it end. Of course I won't miss the three to five days a week for practice and games on Saturday, but I love watching them have a great time.

Miranda's squad participated in a cheer competition and they had a great time. They placed first, they were the only team in their division, but their worked paid off and they looked fantastic.

Ryan played quite a bit this season. His normal positions were left tackle and linebacker. He doesn't care much for the offensive side of things and prefers to play defense.

Olivia Turns Four

On October 1st Olivia turned four! Has it really been four years?! I remember like it was yesterday the day she was born and can't believe so much time has gone by. Olivia is always full of energy and keeps us on our toes. She loves to play with her friends, her sister and to rough house with her older brother. Trust us when we say she can hold her own with him. She is a joy to have around and we are so glad to have her as part of our family.

So, I didn't realize that I had no candles for her cake, at least not the right ones. After getting rid of the candles before we moved, this is what I found. I think she is trying to figure out why there aren't four candles or why 2+1+0 doesn't equal 4. Call me a slacker...


Olivia requested a chocolate chip cake and it was really good, even if I do say so myself.

Our little princess gets a magic wand courtesy of Grandma and Grandpa Coleman.

Evan Update

Evan is now one week post op and is doing very well. He is back on his normal eating and sleeping schedule (thank goodness!!). Evan is also glad to be rid of the "no-no" and to be able to grab at toys and put his hands in his mouth! The doctors did a fantastic job and it is amazing how quickly it is healing. We can't wait to see what it looks like in a few weeks!