Three Little Turkeys

Thanksgiving has come and gone. We sure had a good one spending the holiday with lots of our friends but, it certainly wasn’t the same as being with our families back home. We definitely didn’t get to doze on the couch stuffed with turkey while watching football. Those days are gone. My heart is very full of gratitude for all that we do have to be thankful for; especially the three little things that make dozing on the couch with Jake nearly impossible. I wouldn’t trade them for anything.

Ellie tells me she is thankful for pumpkin pie…which we had to put a limit on because she loved it so much I worried she would be sick. Hudson says he is thankful for turkey sandwiches. He has been looking forward to thanksgiving all year. Last year we ate dinner at two o’clock and Jake and I ate so much we didn’t even think about feeding the kids again before putting them to bed. That night Hudson crawled out of bed and informed us he was hungry, so made turkey sandwiches and ate them on the couch in our PJ’s. Hudson thought this was the greatest thing ever and has been talking about it with a lot of excitement and anticipation ever since. This year we once again had our late night turkey sandwich snack with Hudson. He was so excited I think it will be our Thanksgiving tradition for years to come!

Just before bed we got to Skype with the Powell’s back in Utah, and got a wonderful surprise when Sam and Erin announced that they are having a boy in April. Since no one even knew they were pregnant I think everyone was a little shocked, but we couldn’t be happier for them! There is no greater blessing then children.

Our little Autumn continues to do well.  Sadly, she did end up getting a cold from the rest of us. The sound of her little cough was so sad. She had some pretty rough days, but seems to be feeling a lot better now.  Today she 9 weeks old! She has made it to ten lbs and is starting to get a sweet chubby face that I can’t stop kissing. She is starting to take real naps and only wakes up once at night to eat. Sometimes my sweet husband will even get up and feed her for me so I get a heavenly full nights rest. It’s an amazing feeling! She loves to smile and coo when you talk to her, and especially loves the kids. We were even able to catch some of her smiles on camera.

Four in the Bed

♫♫♫There were four in the bed, and the little one said, “Roll over, I’m crowded”.

So they all rolled over and one fell out.♫♫♫



♫♫♫There were three in the bed, and the little one said, “Roll over, I’m crowded”.

So they all rolled over and one fell out.♫♫♫



♫♫♫There were two in the bed, and the little one said, “Roll over, I’m crowded”.

So they all rolled over and one fell out.♫♫♫



♫♫♫There was one in the bed, and the little one said,
 "I’m LONELY”.♫♫♫



This week has been so LAME! Everyone but Autumn has been sick with our first colds of the season. Our house has been a snotty cough fest for the past week, so I will feel very lucky if she doesn't get sick. There is nothing worse then a sick baby. Since everyone has been so sick our week has been adventureless.  We have made a few quick trips outside to play, but  it has been cold and the kids have been ill enough that out outings don't last long. The kids have filled their days with movies, trains, hide and go seek, and mostly destroying the apartment while hanging out in their jamies. If there was a font to express sarcasm I would tell you that, "It has been a lot of fun!"

Little Autumn is seven weeks old today. We are seeing a lot more of her pretty smiles. 

Ellie is still doing good with her potty training, although she uses needing to go potty to avoid doing things she doesn't want to, like going to bed, or sitting at the dinner table for meals.  Kids learn to manipulate way too fast!

Hudson has informed me that my belly is so big that I am having another baby.  He has even decided that it is a boy and named him Dusty. I guess that is a not so subtle hint to me that I need to either get pregnant or do something about my belly. In that case, I think I will be heading back to the gym soon.

November Blessings

Another busy week has come and gone.  Thanks to after Halloween sales Hudson picked out this costume to wear to the trunk or treat.  He was pretty pumped to get to dress up like Thomas the Tank Engine. I think he made a pretty cute train! Although I bought Ellie a few more costumes to play dress up with, she would not even consider wearing anything other then her kitty cat costume.  The kids are so sad Halloween is over.  They keep asking if we can go trick-or-treating again. Fortunately they have Thanksgiving and Christmas to get excited about.

Autumn is six weeks old now! She is sure a sweet girl! There are still times when life feels a little crazy as we are adjusting to our new addition.  One day this week I was feeling a little overwhelmed and blue. That evening as I stared at her, she looked up at me and gave me her first real smile.  Its amazing how my stress melted away and I felt nothing but joy and gratitude for all the love I have in my life. I know that my heavenly father knows me personaly and sends me little blessings when I need them. On another day we needed a few things from the store so I loaded up Hudson and Ellie into the stroller and put Autumn in the sling around my neck and headed on foot to make my purchases.  As much as Hudson and Ellie love eachother they love to tease one anothe even more and sometimes it makes my life difficult. By the time we made it to the store Ellie was crying, Hudson was yelling and every bit of my patience was spent. I got quite a few looks of sympathy, and coments like "wow you have your hands full", from passersby. Admitedly, I was feeling a little sorry for myself as well.  An old woman approached me and I prepared myself for yet another "helpful" coment.  She looked at me and asked if she could take them off my hands.  I gave her a courtesy laugh expecting that her coments was given with sarcasm. She came very close and wrapped her arms around Autumn and proceeded to tell me how beautiful my children were and express to me how children are such blessings from god.  Then she warpped her arms around me and gave me a kiss on the cheek.  As I walked away from her I couldn't keep the tears from rolling down my cheeks.  I was reminded not only that my children were precious gifts, but also that my heavenly father was always there with me to lead me, guide me, walk beside me, and once again I felt his love for me as stonge as I ever have.  I don't ever want to forget that day in the store. I want to look for opportunities to help someone else be reminded that they are loved children of our Heavenly Father.

I crossed off a huge task from my to do list this week; POTTY TRANING, or Potty Prison as Jake and I like to call it. I have been putting off potty training Ellie until things settled down a little. Honestly, I have been a little nervous of taking on this task because my little Ellie can be aaaaaaahhhhlittle willful and I was worried it might be quite the battle. She really surprised me however. With the help of some hello kitty stickers and Halloween candy she has done really awesome! I'm so proud of her. She is getting to be such a big girl.



Fall Fun

These past few weeks have been a lot of fun.  We have had tons of fun fall activities. Our lives have been saturated with pumpkins, candy, and excitement.  Everywhere we go the kids spot the spooky decorations around town.  As much as they love all the scary ghosts, witches and monsters that they are suddenly surrounded by, they have also been somewhat plagued with bad dreams and pretty regularly show up in our room at night for reassurance that the scary things are just pretend.

Autumn just keeps growing.  Today for the first time she had tears when she cried. Its heart breaking to see them.  She also made the big move from our bedroom into her own.  Although she still prefers to sleep on one of us.

4 weeks old

We went to a children's fall festival at Shavers Creek. While there, we went on a hike down some nearby trails. Ellie, of course found many fantastic sticks.  That same night we went to a pumpkin festival at the arboretum. It was at night and there were hundreds of carved pumpkins all lit up on display. The kids thought it was so great that they got to be out in the dark. 

The stadium had trick or treating one night.  The athletes handed out the candy and Ellie charmed extra helpings out of most of the them.

Saturday mornings the kids usually climb in bed with Jake and I for some snuggle time.  It is one of my favorite events each week. Although, I'm starting to think we need a bigger bed now that Autumn has joined in.

 The kids were so excited for the first snow of the year.  They loved playing in it and even did a little sledding.  They seem to think it is Christmas now though and can't stop talking about it.

                                                                             5 weeks old!

Spider Man and Kitty Cat

The kids have been talking non-stop about going trick-or-treating. I already loved Halloween, but they make it even better.  They sure loved going door to door for treats.  They certainly weren't shy- Ellie walked right into a stranger's home and Jake had to go in after her. After working the neighborhood, we went to a Halloween party at some friend's house and made haunted houses out of gram crackers and candy.  The kids had such a great Halloween and I'm sure they will be counting down until next year.  Fortunately we have our ward Trunk-or-Treat tomorrow so the fun can continue for one more night. 

HAPPY HALLOWEEN!!!

Early October

Another couple of weeks have flown by.  Autumn is nearly 4 weeks old.  She still feels so new to me and I  catch myself staring at her in amazement. She is our little cuddle baby and we have sabotaged our nights by training her to think she needs to be held every moment.  She is such a sweet little thing and even her brother and sister treasure her.

One afternoon we set out in search of a nearby forest that due to land disputes, has never been logged.  It is full of trees that are over 500 years old. Most of the trees in Pennsylvania are only about a hundred years old, as the forests here have been clear cut three or more times since the area was settled. We were excited to see it. However, as Pennsylvania dirt roads go, we once again got lost. We still had a great time. It was a beautiful drive with fall colored leaves. We were still able to go on a little hike, which the kids loved.  One funny thing about Ellie these days, is that she is obsessed with sticks.  Everywhere we go she collects as many as she can carry and is heart broken when she has to leave them behind.  Often times she is so loaded down with sticks she can hardly walk.  She comes in pretty handy when you want to make a fire!

 Our Hudson boy turned 4!!!!

I cant think of anything more worth celebrating then being able to have our wonderful son for four fun filled years. He is such a good boy, and it has been a joy to watch him grow and learn more every day.

It was an all day celebration, with chocolate chip pancakes, games, presents, blue train cakes, and a pizza party dinner. Grandma Wendy got to come and share the big day with us. Hudson told us it was the best birthday ever and hasn't stopped talking about when he will get 5th birthday yet.

We took a trip to the nearby Altoona Horseshoe Curve, and historical train museum. It was really neat to see the trains pass through the 220 degree arc, and the historical museum was really interesting as well, but of coarse the kids were just thrilled to get to see all the new and old trains. 

I think it is safe to say Hudson was most impressed by this enormous train table in the gift shop.



Riding the tram up to the top of the curve.

Hopefully this one learns to love trains as well! 



Much thanks to Gram Wendy for coming to visit us and helping us out so much.  She took the kids on adventures and kept them entertained.  She also took turns with Autumn at night and let Jake and I get caught up on a little sleep. Jake and I even got to go on a couple dates thanks to her willingness to baby sit.  More then anything it was just nice to have her around.  I'm sure missing all of our family back in Utah right now.