A BIG Accomplishment

For months we've put it off.... waited to see if he'd forget about it and move on to something else. But he didn't. And we had to make good on our promise. You see, our little train enthusiast (Ray) really really really really wants to build a model train layout. He has "graduated" from Thomas and GeoTrax and he's into electric trains. He swears he's going to be an engineer (the type that actually drives real trains) and that his house will be full of trains his whole life. Sigh. At least it's a pretty innocent passion, right?

Well, the problem is was that neither Jon nor I know much about building. We just aren't handy woodworkers. That doesn't matter to a boy who for his 7th birthday (coming this Saturday) just wants to be able to build a model train layout. Soooooooo........... we took advantage of Thanksgiving weekend to get this project going. Jon and I stayed up late the past few nights finishing it up.

Here's a picture progression of the project ----

We did it! We built a big sturdy train table on which Ray can design and build his layout. Jon and I both admit that it was actually a fun challenge for us to work on together. We are proud of figuring it out and making this happen for Ray. AND we are so glad it's finished!

On Saturday Jon will take Ray to a train show and let him pick out some trains, tracks, and accessories. And then we'll wait for Pappy and Mary to arrive after Christmas to help us build mountains, tunnels, and who knows what else!

It's amazing the things you'll do for love.... and how happy those things make you. I never thought I'd be building a train table, but I'm so glad we could do this for our train-loving son.

Happy Birthday Ray! I hope you'll enjoy building and playing on your train table for years to come.

Holiday Lights Parade

We had a great time on Friday evening! We joined lots of friends to watch our town's Holiday Lights Parade. We're usually FREEZING at this parade, but we enjoyed a really warm and beautiful evening.

Hello! What a crazy picture of me. I was having fun passing out glow bracelets to the kids. I could have made a fortune selling them. I guess this is a first look here on the blog at my new glasses. I'm not yet sure if I like them or not.

I got to hold my Goddaughter Lucy during some of the parade. Three of our five Godchildren were with us. That was really special.

This parade is really cool because of all the lights on the floats. (You know how I love sparkle!) We saw lots of fun holiday characters as well as Ronald McDonald, Pepe the Penguin, and Big Boy.

The Grinch aboard a blinged-out firetruck!

This was so cool! The airport firetruck "snowed" on us!



The grand finale.... Santa Claus!



The parade was so much more fun because we shared it with friends!



Thanksgiving Snapshots

We had a really nice Thanksgiving celebration at my mom's house. Thanksgiving is mom's favorite holiday and she always prepares such a delicious meal for us. Thanks mom!

It just wouldn't be Thanksgiving without watching the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade. We went to Mass and then curled up on the couch to watch the parade, scan the newspaper ads, and eat some cinnamon rolls. We spent some time talking on the phone with our far-away relatives. ;)

This is Jon's famous Chex Mix. He makes it for us every year at Thanksgiving and Christmas. So yummy!



Jon was really eager to dig into that turkey! He had a colonoscopy on Wednesday, so he came to Thanksgiving dinner ready for some serious eating!



Thanksgiving dinner at mom's.



My beautiful Mom! ;)



Reenie and Mike



My Uncle Duey



Of course there was football to watch!

The best part of the day.... PIE!

Before I took a big nap on Mom's couch, I took the boys out and ran them around a bit..... a little football, a little soccer, a lot of mud.

To top off a great day..... we had our first sleepover! The boys' cousin Carter came home with us and spent the night! He stayed with us the next day while his mom worked. Here are Jon, Ray, and Carter playing Monopoly on Friday morning. My mom's in the background. She came and picked me up for some Black Friday shopping.

It was a great Thanksgiving for our family!

Thank You God For....

I forgot to include these projects in the previous posts. The boys worked very hard on them all week.

Ray is thankful for....

Adam is thankful for....

Happy Thanksgiving!

From our family to yours..... may you enjoy a day of abundant blessings, loving family, good food, and peaceful rest. For we are all so very blessed with the comforts we have, the freedom we take for granted, and the opportunities that each new day brings. Thank you God.

Thanksgiving Projects

I guess it's the former elementary school teacher in me, but I just can't let Thanksgiving go by without some Turkey, Pilgrim, and Indian crafts. That's just part of Kindergarten and first grade, right? So here's a peek at some of the projects we've done in the past few weeks. Almost all of them were inspired by Pinterest.

Symmetrical (almost) turkeys

Word Family Turkeys

 

Number Family Turkeys



Cornucopia Snacks

We've also been reading lots of Thanksgiving books and praying lots of thankful prayers. It's so great to be able to truly celebrate and savor this beautiful season together.