A picture is worth a thousand words

It was all Sam's doing... I was in the other room, and by the time I heard someone playing with the tp roll, it was too late. When I asked Isaiah why he didn't tell Sam to stop, he said, "Well, I was just so freaked out, and then I started laughing." So there you have it.

Thanksgiving

We've had a fabulous Thanksgiving. It has been really weird to essentially have four "Saturdays" in a row. We've had lots of relaxing family time. Dan and I even managed to sneak out to a matinee on Saturday to see The Blind Side. Definitely a new favorite.

As you can see, Sam loves to help cook (i. e. eat!). It was messy, but oh well!

At Aunt Janet's...

With Great-Grandma

Goofing around with their cousin

Zoo trip

Some photos from our zoo trip today... The weather was pretty nice. It rained a little when we first got there. But the trip was very relaxing because of the cool weather and not too many other visitors.

Picking up leaves...

The re-decorated stingray tank! A beautiful mosaic!

They're finally contained.

Eating lunch in the polar bear tunnel

Isaiah looked at the beavers and said, "That one is going skateboarding." I responded with the normal, "Ok, honey." Then my mom realized that he thought the beaver's tail was a skateboard. Too funny.

"Don't take financial advice from broke people."

This is a quote from Dave Ramsey. Dan and I have quickly become fans of his. We appreciate his approach to finances and agree with most of it. But he said that quote about financial advice the other night on his TV show. It's so simple, yet so brilliant. And it can apply to so many areas of our lives. Are you looking for advice on how to raise kids? Ask people whose children are following God's way, making a difference in the world around them. Want marriage advice? Ask a couple who has been faithful to each other in marriage for 50+ years.

You've got to be kidding...

Hoping to reach my goal of completing all my Christmas shopping before Thanksgiving, I bought the boys a few things at Target tonight. While shopping, I saw two boys about 10-12 years old, clearly brothers, going around the toy and game aisles with those scanners you use when registering. Really? Now kids register their Christmas wish lists at Target? Please.

(Bonus points if you know who the bratty kid in this picture is...)

Troy, come back!

Losing in OT against KC?! How can this happen?! Do we really have NO DEFENSE without Troy?! It was a good morale-booster for KC, but did it have to come at our expense? Black Friday shopping is always ugly with many tempers flaring, but add to that an unexpected Steelers' loss? I'll be lucky if I can get my Christmas shopping done without a black eye.

Western Pennsylvania Model Railroad Museum

Tonight we enjoyed an evening with the boys at the train museum. Isaiah remembered going there last year, so he was really excited to go again. Sam also had a great time, and loved pushing the buttons to make the trains go.

So excited to see the James train

Only in the 'burgh

Hmmm. The burger king at McD's??

Watching the man in the control room... there were a lot of trains to keep track of!

Finishing off the night with train cookies

Laughing out loud

So tonight I was browsing around the Houghton College online bookstore. I'm feeling the need for a replacement Houghton College sweatshirt. Although my current one is definitely a wardrobe favorite, I'm feeling a little bored with it at the same time, as I wear it several times per week. While looking around at their products, I came across this GEM... A Houghton College Snuggie!!!

What have I become?!

On Friday around 10:30 a.m., I was driving down Community Center Drive as I pulled out of the Mars Bank parking lot. I saw two boys who looked to be about ten years old standing by the road. I noticed them, because, obviously, it was Friday morning, and, as far as I knew, they should be in school. One of the boys bent down, and I looked in my rear view mirror as I passed them just to see him throw a rock at the minivan. So what did I do? Drive on, shaking my head in disgust? No such luck.

I stopped the car in the middle of the road, got out and yelled (not angrily, but just because I was a good distance from them) "What are you thinking?! Go do something productive with your lives!" The boys backed up from the crazy lady yelling in the middle of the road, and, as an SUV slowly pulled up behind the minivan, I got back and drove on. I have the police non-emergency number in my phone and thought about calling it. (This is a suprisingly difficult number to find...) I was weirded out enough by my reaction to the rock-throwing and decided just to move on. Strange!
(See some pictures below... unrelated to this incident.)

The last few days...

The boys played outside while...

Dan blew leaves 12 feet in the air Peeking through

Helping me fold laundry... which mostly consisted of him putting clothes in and out of the basket, and then climbing in, of course The boys in their jammies

Caught doing good...

We expect Isaiah to help set the table, but have never asked Sam to help. He sees his brother doing it, and wants to prove he can help too. He's very determined. =)

Dan is a Champ

For three reasons...

• Last night he made me a pumpkin spice latte
• He watched the Notebook with me
• He used a walk-behind leaf blower on our yard for about 4.5 hours today