The here and there's of Novemember

There has been some cute baby holding going on with the new cousin.  Zoe is so tender and as soon as Shiloh sees Lydia, she is all over her.  She excitedly wants to repeatedly kiss her head.  I just have to be careful, as I know her love can get intense.  Just borderline obsessive  :-)

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We go to the chiropractor a lot.  We started Maximized Living over a couple of years ago and have gone at least a couple of times a week since.  The girls are very familiar with the routine and have been pretending to adjust each other every day lately.  

It is funny how they go through each of the positions and then switch and repeat several times. This is not something I even knew existed at their age!  (Not sure why Zoe is making this face in this picture!)

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Random warm days I try to take advantage of.  After a good walk Zoe looked at me, asked me why I was all sweaty and declared that I looked like a hot dog....not sure where that one came from!

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Dress up has, also, been much fun around these parts recently.

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Beach was asked to speak as an alumni this month at an event at CIU.  He did amazing!  It blows my mind that he doesn't really get nervous (esp. when speaking to over 100 people)....I think I get nervous enough for the both of us!  He has such a natural ability for sharing and I learn new things from him each time!

We also served up some coffee afterwards. 

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Yes!  Made it to the swap again!

And came home with many goodies!
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One of Beach's customers gave us a gift card to a local restaurant as a way of saying thank you for fixing her flat tire.  It was unexpected and a blessing.  We aren't able to go out very often, mainly because of the cost.  So it was fun to try it out as a family.  The last time Beach and I took the girls out was almost a year ago and things have changed since then!  It actually went well and, although it was not a healthy meal, as I would have liked, it was a success!  They were not crazy and sat in their seats.  Beach and I both did not have our phones with us so we have no pictures to capture the occasion. It was a lot of fun, especially coming home and there wasn't a kitchen that had to be cleaned.  I feel like that we spend so much time preparing food and cleaning up!  It takes up pretty much the whole evening every night.   

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Vista Lights has always been something that we have looked forward to going to in the past.  This year, however, we weren't able to enjoy the festivities in quite the same way as Beach was serving up Loveland Coffee at ByFarr.

They even had some cupcakes made from Loveland concentrate.

I took the girls later and they decorated Christmas cards and attempted to eat as many mini cupcakes as they could.  I had to intercept several times.  My parents came as well and we walked down to see what other festivities were going on.

It was toward the end of the event, but I'm so glad that we got to see the upcoming Nutcracker performers.  Zoe was in awe of the "princess".  We got some pictures and then she just wanted to watch other people get their picture taken, so she could watch her.  

Upon a break in the crowd Zoe had her chance to talk to her, letting her know that she, also, had a tutu and telling her all about it. IN AWE!

They also had music playing and a big stage set up, which of course meant many children dancing.  I'm sure there were performances we missed but we still had fun.

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Saturday puppet show excitement...and trying to get Shi to stay in one place!

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Zoe and Beach has a daddy daughter date to the zoo.

I'm glad that they can have such one-on-one moments, as I know having others around changes all the dynamics.

I'm pretty sure they had a blast and Zoe came home raving about her special treats!

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Loveland Coffee made the State Paper.  I'm so proud of my man and humble by the way God keeps loving on us in different ways.

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Finally, can I just say my kids are total goofballs....and I love it!

The Thanksgiving of 2013

Since we moved into our home that is a bit bigger to actually have guest over, Beach has wanted to do Thanksgiving at our house.  It's been nice and a bit different to be the hosts of our family and something that we both enjoy.  With the long afternoon naps of the girls, we decided to eat afterwards, which made for a nice slow morning (and day).  This was a blessing, as we typically don't take anything slow. 

Breakfast with my monkeys (yes, Zoe now likes to sit in a high chair, as she wants to be doing the same thing as Shiloh).

Lattes and the Macy's Day Parade (why does some of it how to be so inappropriate, sigh).

Making "jelly" with my helper, otherwise known as a fresh cranberry sauce, Zo's favorite.  She had to have many samples along the way!

Lauren came over a bit early and helped me finish the "thankful croissants".  This was a tradition that I started a couple of years ago.

Some of our thanks!

We all sure do love her!

Also, everyone who comes adds to the fun of our Thanksgiving tablecloth, signing their thanks each year.

And then the feast began.

The girls worked on a holiday craft afterwards.

 Zoe was really into it and so focused!

Shiloh enjoys hoodies, even inside, which she calls "hair bows".

And of course her baby cousin!

 
 Beach loves to make cheesecake.  This year it was with a coffee concentrate twist and oh my was it good!  The best yet!

Sisters are the best, much laughing involved, especially at with Lauren.  Check out her attempt for a double chin picture.  Poor skinny neck girl.

Ok, I guess we will just have to get a normal one.

Another year full of things to be thankful for!