Making our Thanksgiving Place Cards

For the past several years, I have always liked making personal place cards for our Thanksgiving table. This year, Angel helped and did a fabulous job making hand and finger turkeys...the perfect size hand for this project. She wasn't too sure about getting her hands dirty at first....my little clean queen!

Emma's gifts or Angel's new toys??

Emma's Birthday Party

On Monday we celebrated Emma's birthday with a spaghetti dinner (which she loved as long as it was ground up) and the most delicious cake....I have made it the Hartsell kid's traditional first birthday cake now...the super moist Chocolate Carrot Cake. Angel and I enjoyed making a poster and decorating the house with streamers for the party. Marmee and Poppy brought some balloons and we all had a fun time watching Emma (or Angel) open her gifts (including a piggy bank, beautiful engraved jewelry box, blocks and a dolly) and of course eat her birthday cake!! (video below) (although she was hesitant, making funny faces and just wanted to mush it more than eat it....she would rather have ice cream...which I gave her after she got messy!) Thanks to all for her gifts and birthday wishes!! (there are some funny pics in slide show including one of my dad with the new doll!!)

Off to Nationals in Daytona

Last weekend, we went down to Portland to watch my sister Caitlin play soccer for the first game off the National Tournament. It was a great game and she even had one shot on goal and three assists. They won 5-1 and get to head to Daytona, FL today to continue on their chance to win nationals. It was a little bittersweet because after about 10 years of watching her play soccer, this could have been the last time as she graduates in May. But we are hoping one day maybe she can coach her nieces. We stayed the night so we could have some time visiting and catching up with her and enjoyed hearing her give her testimony at church the net day for Christ the King. Way to go Caitlin and good luck in FL...wish we could be there!! Here are the STATS from the game and definitely READ THIS for the write up and a great pic and comment about Caitlin. And....if you are interested in following them in Nationals you can go to this NAIA site for game times and HERE to pay a fee to watch which games you want to on the computer.

(the slide show has some cute pics of the game)

Story Time

Our Angel Fairy

(thanks to her friend Lili in Australia)

The Bear Hunt

Angelica loves the book "We are going on a Bear hunt" and her Papa decided that they should go on their own personal bear hunt...all around the house....and....

......they did.....

...and they found one!!

Birthday Clips

Emma had a fun birthday...(sorry I know I am just getting around to posting things)...Since we were celebrating on Monday, we just enjoyed the day, let her open the cards that came in the mail, and had some ice cream with a candle of course!! Angel kept telling Emma all day "Happy Dirt-Day Emma honey!" So cute....and yes dirt-day is how she says birthday. Enjoy the clips...will post birthday party pics soon.

-They enjoyed some fun times playing in the tupperware drawer...like they do every day!!!

-This is Emma not really interested in opening cards, would rather play with the toys, but Angel decides to volunteer to open them and read them! I think she was confused why all the festivities were for Emma.-

-Finally got her to open a couple, even though Angel still wanted to read them herself!-

-And the ice cream birthday wishes!! With Angel blowing out the candle....of course!