Thanksgiving

I am a few weeks late, but here are some pictures from Thanksgiving. We had a nice day at the Scotty and Cindy's, enjoying time spent with Maw Maw and Grandpa Ruall and the rest of our wonderful family. We ate, ate, and ate some more and then started a new tradition...the Irons pumpkin smash! When Jason and John were little, they would take their pumpkins into the backyard and throw rocks at it after Thanksgiving. We decided that being on the farm, we had plenty of room to let the boys throw rocks at their pumpkins. Well, throwing rocks turned into picking them up and hurling them into the air and smashing them! It was crazy and so much fun! We were all laughing and throwing pumpkins and saw Jackson running to the truck. ??? He comes back with his t-ball bat and started hitting the smashed ones. So funny and a memory that I will always remember! We are grateful for any time that we get to spend with each other, and Thanksgiving is a wonderful time to reflect on all that we have been blessed with throughout the year. I can start with a precious baby girl, a little boy who melts my heart, a hardworking, loving husband, wonderful parents and in-laws, amazing friends, health, our home, and countless other things. Even when times are difficult, I can count these blessings and realize that this is what matters in my life. I love Thanksgiving!

The boys attempting to throw rocks at the pumpkin


Here we go...









Jackson's first time to ride a horse!

10 months

I feel like we are officially on the countdown until Ella is 1! When I think about how quickly the past 10 months has gone by, it makes me want to cherish every moment even more, knowing that my baby is not going to be a baby for too much longer :(
Happy, sweet, bashful, busy, curious, cuddly, giggly, beautiful and precious. This perfectly describes our baby girl. She is growing up before our eyes and changing so much. She is so busy, pulling up and starting to stand on her own and even took a step the other day. She says "dah" for dog and loves to give kisses! She signs "more" and loves to eat, just like Jackson did at this age. She is perfect in every way and we are so THANKFUL for this baby girl!

A cold Saturday & The Yards

Saturday was a fun day for us. It started with an early, COLD soccer game. Poor Ella looked like the kid from "A Christmas Story" with her jacket, hat and gloves. She was so bundled that she could hardly move! She was fine because her Nanny snuggled her and kept her warm :) Jackson played great and almost scored a goal! He has improved so much and we are so proud of him! We went to eat breakfast afterwards with Nanny and Grandpa and then Jackson and I left to go meet Carlien and Micah to see the Backyardagains Live ("The Yards" according to Jackson). It was great and the boys had a ball! They laughed and danced and were so cute to watch. Here are a few pictures of our day.

Lovin' the Fall

As our sweet GG would say...what a glorious morning it was! Shadie and Heston came over and we played outside all morning! One of the things that Jason and I loved the most about this house was the backyard and all of the trees. The back is basically a big hill with trees everywhere...a little boy's dream. We envisioned the kids exploring and playing back there for hours and today it happened. They had so much fun running up and down the hill...sometimes rolling and sliding, but having a ball all the while! It made my heart so happy to see them playing in the leaves, digging for worms, getting dirty, and just being little boys. Life is great when you are a little boy playing outside. It puts things into perspective for me in moments like this. This is what matters. My family, being together and living life together..not this crazy world, the crazy markets and all the bad things that go on. I love my boys and I can't wait for my little girl to be running around with them soon!

Baby Corinne and Baby Chloe are here!

Ella is so excited that she has 2 new friends who have entered this world! Baby Corinne was born on Thursday and Baby Chloe was born on Monday! Both are beautiful baby girls, so tiny and so fresh from God! What blessings they are to us.

Yesterday Carlien, Jazen and I all headed to the hospital to be there when Chloe was born so here are a few pics. We walked in the hospital with 6 children, and needless to say had many stares :) All of the kids were great and we were so happy to be there when Jason brought Chloe out. Sweet big sister Lainey was so excited and kept saying, "It's Chloe everyone, my baby sister Chloe!!" She was so proud and so adorable!

Congrats to Mel, Scott, Aimee, Jason & Lainey!

Pop came to visit

Pop came in town for work last week so we got to spend 2 evenings with him, the first being at Uncle Buck's and Bass Pro. Jackson loved it! We ate and then walked around for at least an hour. We saw the fish, bears, snakes, and he is excited to go back to see Santa! We had so much fun, who knew Bass Pro could be so fun to walk around?? We had fun seeing Pop and love any time we can spend with him!

Dinner at Uncle Buck's

Jumping Bean

Ella finally learned to jump in her jumper!! I almost gave up! Check out our little jumping bean.