Thanksgiving

Oh, it's been way too long since I've blogged this time.

Thanksgiving has come and gone. We hosted for the first time ever. I was excited and it was fun. John made the turkey, I made a cassarole and a jello salad, neither of which were perfect, but both edible, and Julie made pies. Delicious.

Heather and Ryan and kids came from St. Louis. It was fun to have visitors in the house for a few days. We ventured out to the SPAM Museum. (What else would we do?) It was lots of fun.














I love this picture of Sawyer and Gertie looking at the train.












I took Grace and headed down to Iowa City with my sisters and my mom. My Grandfather's funeral service was on Saturday. My mom has a good friend from high school that offered to put us all up. It worked out so well. We had an emotional weekend, but it was shared with so much family. I absolutely love seeing my family. I love them all, and it was a treat because some cousins that I don't get to see often were there, and their kids. It's fun to catch up.




We arrived back in Austin with about a half an hour to spare before we headed off to Grace's baptism. It was so rushed (and I knew it would be) that I wondered if it was really the right time to do it. I did talk to Grace about it, and felt that God would honor whatever circumstance she presented herself to Him in. It was a great experience for her in her walk with her Lord.



And look at the picture I captured:

This is ridiculous. That is our pastor's head as he bends over dunking Grace. I think I had it on delay for red eye, which is totally unneccessary for a shot like this. It is a once-in-a- lifetime shot, and I get this. Very upsetting.








John fixed it by taking this:















So, we've covered Thanksgiving, funeral, baptism.

My other highlight is that while I was away, Ryan cut Ethan's hair. I absolutely love it. Every time that boy comes home from a haircut, I seem to feel disappointed in the job they do. Not so with Ryan's handiwork. I would drive down to St. Louis for another one of these. My son is so cute now. I love it. Thanks, Ryan.

This was too brief for all I wanted to say, but I missed my husband this weekend, and I want to spend some time with him. It's almost time for bed. I am so grateful for my family--the one I married into, the one I created with my husband, the ones that created me, and all the families of their families. They bring me much joy.