EV is the Natural

Last week I introduced the Natural to the kids and it is their new and hopefully last Favorite Movie, "She did it, EV did it..."

Thanksgiving and Advent

Thanksgiving 2011

We had a full house for Thanksgiving.  Our largest crowd yet of 19 people.  I got to use my new oven and kitchen sink faucet for the occasion -they are early Christmas presents of mine :).  I made the little kids pilgrim outfits along with their own felt version of Thanksgiving dinner.  I was able to finish sewing 4 of out our 5 new Christmas stockings while the week leading up to Thanksgiving every one in the family was sick as a dog except ironically me, the one who still has low white blood cells.  How is that possible?  We had lots of good food.  We are very thankful that our Import store imports turkeys from America for the occasion.  I cooked a 15+lb and my friend also cooked a 13lb turkey.  We had rolls, cornbread stuffing, stuffing, mashed potatoes, sweet potatoes, broccoli cheese casserole, green bean casserole along with chocolate cheese cake, apple pie and pumpkin pie. 

 We managed to get most of our Christmas decorations up on Saturday before we hosted again on Sunday morning.  And we were able to start our family tradition of Advent.  I am really looking forward to this year as we take each night from Sunday until Christmas to teach the kids the story of Jesus' birth.  We also sing together and pray for others to know Jesus.  Four years ago we hung pictures of unreached people groups on our Christmas tree and would take one each night and pray for them.  This year each kid picked one and we are focusing on those three people groups for the entire month.   We want the focus of this season to not be on getting presents ourselves but we want to teach the kids how we can pray and give to others.  I think I am going to find/make boxes to represent the gifts we are going to be giving to their unreached people groups.  We will also participate in helping our local friends this Christmas as well. 

(pictures to come... the Internet is not wanting to load them right now. :)

 We've been getting ready for Thanksgiving around here.  More pictures to come!

EV's Adrian Beltre Impression on the Fastball

Homerun off One Knee Like Adrian Beltre in Game 5 of the World Series.

I was bringing the heat too, didnt faze my Little Mike Napoli.

Photo Shoot

Her hair is so long!

I thought it would be fun to take a photo shoot of Evangelia around our apartment complex to document her 5th birthday.  We enjoyed watching the leaves turn colors and attempted to "play" in the leaves.  As I was taking the last two pictures Ev told me that the street cleaning lady was coming up behind me with her broom and dust pan ready to clean up the leaves that Ev threw up and landed on the side walk.  I guess only us foreigners enjoy playing in the leaves.  When the cleaning ladies get too tired of sweeping the leaves off the side walk and streets they take their brooms and beat the trees to get all the leaves to fall off so they don't have to deal with the falling leaves any more. 

As a 5 year old Evangelia loves purple (thanks to Rapunzel) and turquoise (thanks to me).  So this outfit suits her perfectly right now.  I find it ironic how last year she was all about pink and now she only wants to wear purple. I know her daddy is happy.