Christmas decorating at Grandma's

After our Thanksgiving meal at Grandma's, my cousin Lisa and her husband Alex, and my Mary and Sarah and I helped put up Grandma's Christmas tree.

Sarah also helped sort the branches.She absolutely loved being a little helper.

Lisa fluffing a branch

The girls posing with the finished tree...minus a few ornaments (Lee brought his up, but we were making him put them on the tree)

Lisa Sabo, Mary, Sarah and Emily Urso

Mary & Christmas decorating

On Thanksgiving we helped put out Grandma's Christmas decorations.
Mary was a very good sorter...Lisa would give her the different branches and Mary would pile them by number. "What's this??"

Helping Alex get the higher branches on the tree.

Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade

Thanksgiving morning was spent at Grandma Lippert's house...watching the parade and helping prep the meal.

Mary, Sarah and Jude enjoying the parade.
Grandma actually sat down and enjoyed the parade for the FIRST time...good job Grandma!

"Hannah Montana is coming up NEXT!!"

Conducting the band.

A true classic...a Smurf

Gotta love the BIG screen!!!

Computer Fun

While Sarah and I were busy folding laundry, Mary was enjoying herself...playing on the computer. One of my friends from the Church, Kym Shetter, gave Mary some computer games that were her daughters'. They are very educational, and Mary loves them. It's a great combination...plus it helps strengthen Mary's computer skills. She is becoming quite efficient at using the mouse.

Thanks KYM...for the games, and the sweater and pin wheel...oh and I almost forgot...the robe!

Mommy's Little Helper

On Wednesday I was trying to catch up on some laundry...a never ending job around this house. As I was returning to the living room to begin folding...I caught Sarah in my pile. She had found ALL of the socks and was sorting them, and rolling them up. She made the largest pile of rolled socks, and was so PROUD of herself. She would call out to me whose sock she was folding. It was the cutest thing.She was very serious about this task

And here she had to pose with her pile...what a great little helper!!!

Happy Thanksgiving

I just wanted to wish everyone a Happy Thanksgiving. In the midst of our lives it is often easy to forget to be THANKFUL, but God has truly blessed us and given us reason to be thankful. I pray that each of you can go through today and every day with a thankful heart. It is sometimes hard in the midst of difficult times, but remember that God is with you, and he loves you very much!! Sometimes pain on the earth side is truly healing in God's eyes. Hard to understand, but let faith get you through it.

Things I am thankful for:

• God who sent Jesus to die for me;
• my loving husband, best friend and father of my girls;
• my 2 beautiful girls and the little ladies they are growing up to be;
• my parents;
• my other set of parents;
  
• my grandma;
• those family members that have gone to glory before us;
• the food that I am provided with daily;
• the house I live in;
• the Churches we serve;
• the WONDERFUL people of these Churches;
• Extended family;
• Good friends;
• (a yummy turkey, mashed potatoes; noddles and gobs of dessert I will be enjoying today)
• the best life I could have ever asked for!!!

Thanks be to GOD!!

Happy Thanksgiving

Boo and Bee

Two more pictures from yesterday.

Fort Fun

It was a VERY cold and yucky day here yesterday, so we didn't venture out. I knew the girls are getting restless from being inside, so we built a fort in the living room. Mary stocked the Fort with lots of toys and snacks (yummy blueberry muffins). I kept it up all morning and the girls really enjoyed playing in it...especially Mary. Sarah kept knocking it down because she wanted to use the sheets as a trampoline for her baby. Just chillin'

Enjoying the muffins

Checking on baby...and this time it wasn't Onion. She must have been napping!

You can't tell, but Sarah was eating a muffin; and she did not want her picture taken.

It's a BOY!

I have probably told most of you, but my friend Marianne had a baby BOY!! And this makes 3 boys for her. Dominic Steven Pumford was born on Thursday morning November 20th at IRMC. He weighed in at 8lbs 1oz. And I think he was 20 1/2 inches long. Marianne and Dominic are both home and doing well. These were taken on Sunday at their house.

The girls were so anxious to meet the new baby. And Dominic really seemed pretty happy to meet Sarah. Marianne was holding him, and his eyes kept following Sarah. It was very cute! I'm guessing it was actually the pink on her shirt, or her voice.

Big Brother Joseph...enjoying a lollipop

Big Brother James...enjoying his "Bah"

Off to CHURCH!

This past Sunday after I dressed the girls, it dawned on me I had just dressed them in red and green. They looked so cute, so of course I had to take a few pictures before we headed out the door.And you thought Mary was the camera Queen?

A new chair!

PawPaw went to Amish country on this most recent visit and found this Captains chair. Grandma already had one captains chair (it has been around since my Dad and Uncle Rick were little boys, so it has survived many generations of kids). Being that Dad has 2 granddaughters, he felt we needed the 2nd chair for at grandma's house, so both girls could be Captains! It is very similar to the old one, and seems as it just might hold up as well as the other one. As you can tell from the pictures, Sarah claimed the new chair as her own, and Mary is settling for the old one...especially since PawPaw and Mommy both used to sit in it. :) Enjoying a pretzel from the Chocolate Shop in Smicksburg.

Thanks PawPaw...we love the chair!!

And now when we grow up, we will each have a chair.

Horsie, Onion & Yummy!

Pictures taken on a recent evening at my Grandma's. I believe these were the night before Dad was heading back to Texas.

The girls love doing "horsie" on any willing and able leg. Daddy just arrived, so he gave in to the big brown eyes begging him. Just checking on Onion!

Yummy mac n cheese and cheddar wursts

Enjoying sweet potato fries made by Aunt Renee!

I just liked the expression on her face

I notice she hasn't emptied her plate very well!

Mail Time!

The mail arrived, so PawPaw and the girls decided to get it for Grandma.Lots of cards for Grandma

"I'm gonna beat you PawPaw!" -Mary

I was taking these through the window..not sure why the first ones came out clear and this one blury, but Oh well!

They were saying, "Hurry up..it's cold out here!!"

PawPaw had to help get the boots off.

Notice he was wearing shorts...one crazy TEXAN! You know it was cold though, since he actually had a jacket on, not a winter coat, but a wind jacket.

Snow Babies

Here are some pictures of my babies playing in the snow. They are getting so big, I guess I shouldn't call them babies anymore, but they will always be my baby girls.

We went to my Grandma's house for the day. We got snow over night, so Mary was set on playing in the snow. I told her Grandma would have plenty of snow to play in. Mary wanted to build a snow man in the worst way. Unfortunately it wasn't quite the right snow. I'm sure we'll get one built soon. Lovin' the snow!!
Sarah fell asleep on the way to Grandma's house. Mary played and I shoveled snow while she slept. She wasn't the happiest of campers when she awoke. And she doesn't care for snow suits and snow boots.