We had dinner with neal's parents and siblings last night. Good times! This is a picture of the grandchildren and grandparents. I love it! Especially the pudginess in front. We had delicious ham and gourmet potatoes. Yummy! And my kiddos we're quite blessed by everyone =) 
Here are all the cousins. Only six? Looks like we have some work to do, adding more to the family!
As I was finshing up my photo shoot. I caught aliana looking at ornaments on the tree. And then when I downloaded them on my computer I couldn't get over how much she really looks like my mom. Michael and Rob have been telling me that lately, but I guess I needed to see it.
It is the hair. I am constantly trying to do something with it, but tonight, I felt at peace about just letting it go. She has my mom's hair and the stubborness. The fighting power to accomplish anything! She's been so hard to train up right now. I needed tonight to make me sit back and reflect on feelings and emotions. Get it out and then get back to raising her up to be strong, just like my mom would have wanted! It was quite a refresher.
I took more pics tonight and I thought it took a lot of work, but as I review them, the kids did pretty good. And I ended up getting some fun one's.
"It's a very stressful thing having so many pictures taken of you!"
Being Silly
I know it's blurry but I love the laughs.
Look at these mischevious looks!
Grumpy Girl!
I love this pic (even after round 2) but my very wise picture taking friend agreed it was too blurry to share with everyone.
This is a close up of the horns.
The proud hunters and their kill!
I can't believe that she was willing to do this, but she wanted right up there in between them. On one side she's holding onto the deer's tounge.
My Boy in his glory!
No that is not a typo. I have a 3 1/2 year old who is going through a very literal stage right now. And you just cannot tell him any other way. I try to correct him, and he just won't have it. So we did not make a "Gingerbread House" (well we did, just don't tell rowan that) we made a "GingerBoy House." It was a lot more fun then I thought it was going to be, I was worried about the mess, but it wasn't to bad. The sugar high 2 hours afterwards was crazy but just in time for naps!
I really wish I would have taken more pics. I think I say that every time! The friday after thanksgiving, the kids and I walked down the road to get a christmas tree. I pulled them in the wagon. We picked out the one we like, (I was more the desicion maker). I put it up on the table and the guy say's "Your husband is coming back to pick this up in his truck right?" I looked at him with confusion, "What do you think I brought the wagon for?" (I didn't say this) I pulled it through the netter (don't laugh too hard T) and told him I'll just put it in the wagon right here. And started to move it, he held onto it. I guess he didn't believe me or he wasn't wanting to let me!? Anyway I pulled our christmas tree home in the wagon while aliana screamed at it the whole way home because she wanted to sit in the wagon, and well, obviously she couldn't. But R was a huge help as he has been into lately! And so he wanted to decorate the tree, and so I let him! Here it is, isn't she a beauty? I am really starting to find it quite humerous these christmas tree stories every year.
On Friday Nov. 28th Neal lost his great grandma. She was just 2 weeks shy of her 97th birthday. It was a hard week for us. Trying to juggle visits and the emotions. But through it all Olive never complained. She would tell us over and over that she can't walk anymore and hardly see things, but she can close her eyes and visit all the places she traveled. She did a lot of traveling! She kept telling us she wanted to go home (heaven) and we wanted that so much for her too. But for some reason she just hung on. I think the family needed to release and be at peace with it. I think they are there. I spent a lot of time with her more so in her last few days then ever. And I am so grateful for that. See I never grew up with extended family (aunts, uncles, cousins, and grandparents) I only ever knew one grandma. I would sit in there and talk to Olive and tell her how grateful I was for her and that my kids not only had a grandma but a great, great grandma, how awesome is that! Thanked her for doing such an amazing job of bringing up such a hard working, and disciplined family. She truly was the "Root" of this family. She will be missed but I am so rejoicing with her, as she has gotten to meet her maker!
I explained all of this to Rowan and he is just so amazing at how he has taken all this "Big" stuff in. He was so serious and yet never afraid. I love his child-like faith, that helped us through the week.
One of oliver's favorite things is to be put into a stroller or now a buggy (one of aliana's new b-day presents). R will just put him in and he lays down, there is no forceing him do do any of it, I promise!
They love to push him around.
The stroller comes apart and can be a cradle too. Well here's big baby oliver. I know this blog is for posting photos of the kiddos, but this was just too funny not to share!
"For you created my in most being; you knit me together in my mothers womb."
"All the days ordained for me were written in your book before one of them came to be"
"Bearer Of Light" "
"I will also make you a Light of the Nations so that My Salvation may reach to the end of the Earth."
Isaiah 49:6
"And this is my prayer: that your love may abound more and more in knowledge and depth of insight, so that you may be able to discern what is best and may be pure and blameless until the day of Christ, filled with the fruit of righteousness that comes through Jesus Christ, to the glory and praise of God!"
Ephesians 1:9-11
Check out that face!
I tried for a real cute one of her smelling the mum's but she refused. That's okay I am liking candid's more and more.
She kept riding away from me and I got like 10 pics of the back of her. But as you can see, she is wearing a piggytail in her hair. 2, to be exact. I am so delighted that I have been able to start putting her hair up in piggy tails. She is so girl now. And we get lots of compliments and attention at the grocery store.
She has started talking more and more. Today she was on the phone with pop-pop and she just babbled away. Every couple of words we're "pop-pop umhmm" We we're both laughing! Neal had the electric heating pad out and she picked up the part where you change the heat settings and said hello, I guess she thought it was a phone. Hehe!
"As a shepherd carries a lamb, I have carried you close to my heart"
Isaiah 40:11
As I gear up for aliana's birthday party tomorrow, I am sorta reminiscing. And was wondering how much R and A looked alike at two. And found this pic. Lot's of laugh's!!!
I can't hardly believe it! Aliana is coming up on two already. She is exploding with more words and some more attitude too! She's really getting into role playing lately, that has been fun and helpful with her communicating better. But how you forget the little pudgyness they we're. I have been so blessed to have my little girlie! Hubby often reminds me when she's being challenging, that if it weren't for that stubborness she wouldn't be here. He's right! 
The other week mara and seth came for an evening. It's so fun to see how they interact with R and Ali. There are a number of years difference between them. But you couldn't tell. Mara just loves the kids and wants to spend time on the floor playing with them, even with being a preteen! Aliana follows here around trying to act like her, kinda like a little/big sister relationship. I love this pic. Mara handed her mp3 player over to ali.
I think she's giving me a naughty face!
Seth teaching rowan how to play video games. R really thought he was playing he just kept pushing the buttons.
About a month ago (for a week or two) Rowan was waking up at 5:00-5:30am and coming down stairs and turning all the lights on and helping himself to snacks and juice box's. It was annoying but hilarious to see what you would find.
On this morning rowan took about 50 pics, starting at 5:36am and going to 6:06am. There we're tons of pics of blobs. Once I downloaded them onto the computer I realized that they we're cats.
Evidence!!!
This pic does not do this cocoon justice. Every time I would zoom in it would get too fuzzy and not look right. It had like this gold laced trim at the top with gold speckles all over the green coloring. Just another amazement at God's creation. And the kids got a lesson on creation witch coincided with their sunday school lessons. 
Pear Sauce
Spaghetti Sauce
Tomato Juice
Cortland Apple Sauce
Today I found out that what I tried to believe in my gut wasn't true. Is! Isn't that one of the worst feelings. Your stomach is all tied up in knots. And you just want to shake it and make it go away but yet God keeps pressing.
Bella
Oliver
The kitties officially have names. Rowans girl is now "Bella" and the Boy is now "Oliver". They have their first vet check-up this week so we had to give them names. I am hoping all goes well and that they are healthy. The kiddos are still loving them. Rowan is so gentle with them and talks so sweetly to them.
2 Fridays ago we went and visited the Hands On House childrens mesuem. It was a lot of fun. The kids really enjoyed all the stuff to do. There favorite thing was face painting. Although the group before them pretty much cleaned out all the paint. They water colored their faces.
Ali really liked the enormous light brite. (Hmmm Christmas Idea, I'll have to check yard sales) And she loved dressing up.
Rowan even got into the dressing up part, in his, way to big, phillies uniform.
Going Fishing
Aliana looking at herself in the mirror.
