Dear Santa...

Yesterday, the girls wrote letters to Santa. Emily had a million things she wanted to ask for. Including a highchair and blinds among other things. When we ask her what she wants for Christmas she usually looks around the room and asks for whatever she can see. Madison can't talk yet, but had fun scribbling on the paper we used. After we were done writing them we took them to Macy's and the girls dropped them in the mailbox for Santa. They thought it was so much fun.

Thanksgiving

We had a very fun Thanksgiving. Joe went to Vallivue High school to play football with the men from our ward. While he was doing that I made peanut butter play dough for the girls. It is really easy to make:

1 C Peanut Butter

1 C Powdered Milk

1/4 C Honey

Mix well. Sanitize hands and table and enjoy.

The best thing about it is that it is edible so if they eat it, it won't hurt them and they actually get lots of protein. I was going to have them use turkey cookie cutters, but out of a box of 100 cookie cutters there were no turkeys. They had a lot of fun though cutting out gingerbread men and flowers.

While they were playing with that I made some rolls and we headed over to my parents house. We hung out with them, looked at ads for the next day and enjoyed a yummy turkey dinner. Our numbers were kind of few this year, but we had a great time anyway. After dinner my Mom, Rachel and I went to Walmart to look for fabric for a quilt I am making for Emily for Christmas and then Rachel and I went to get a Redbox DVD. We stayed the night at my parents house like we usually do on Thanksgiving so I can go shopping on Friday while Joe goes to work.

I am Thankful for...

(sorry for the aweful picture, it is the only one we have that includes JJ)

I know it is so cliche to do this for Thanksgiving, but I am going to anyway.

To start off I am thankful for my family. I am so blessed to have so many people that love me. I can't believe that I have such a great husband and awesome kids. As well as wonderful parents and great siblings, grandparents, aunts, uncles, cousins, and in-laws (I hope I didn't leave anyone out) I am thankful for the knowledge that families can be together forever. This makes me so happy to know this. I am also thankful for all of my friends. I am lucky to have great friends that help me out so much even if it is just to be there when I need to talk to someone after a long day. I am also thankful for a home to live in, clothes to wear, and food to eat. I can honestly say that I have never lived a day without these three comforts. I am thankful for the USA and the freedoms we enjoy here. I am so glad we are able to vote and pick the leaders we want to run our country (even if the ones we want don't always win at least we have that privlege). I am thankful for my health. I have never really been terribly sick (knock on wood). I am thankful for the gospel of Jesus Christ and the knowledge that he is my Savior. I am thankful for a prophet that leads and guides us today.

I am thankful for many more things, but I won't post them all.

Girl's & Guy's Night Out

On Friday night Joe had a guy's night out and I had a girls night out.
For Joe's guy's night out he went to a LAN party and played Counterstrike and Call of Duty with about 18 other guys. They ate pizza and lots of Candy. He got home around 2 am. He said it was a lot of fun.
For my girl's night out I went to my friend Sally Smith's house along with my sister Rachel, my kids, her kids, and her sister Laura. Her husband was at the LAN party. We made homemade pizza, apple pie, chocolate cookies, and popcorn. After we made all the goodies we watched a movie. By the time we left at 1 am all the Smith's were asleep and all the Neratko's were still awake (yes, even my children who had been laying in bed since 9 pm).
Saturday morning we all slept in past 10 am after our late nights.

Story Time

Today we went to story time at the library. We do almost every week because Emily and Madison think it is great. They actually do really well at the library. Today they read stories about chickens. It was the first time that Madison actually paid attention to the songs they sang and tried to do some of the actions. After story time we always go into the library and find some books to check out. We always pick a movie too. Usually Blues Clues, Veggie Tales, or Arthur. Emily and Madison watch the movies while I do piano lessons during the week.

Our Weekend

On Friday JJ turned 3 months old. Here are some of the pictures we took.

Madison decided that she was going to "fix" him while I was taking pictures and I thought it was so cute I had to take a few pictures of that too.

Friday night Emily went to a princess party. She thought it was great. They dressed up like princesses and watched a princess movie and ate princess cake. She even got a second piece because she told the Mom that her tummy hurt so she needed another piece of cake.

On Saturday we helped Ben and Sara move into their new apartment. It looks like it will be a fun little place for them to live for a while. After helping them move we went on our weekly trip to Costco. (Emily and Madison's favorite place to go) Then we watched the BSU football game.

Overall we had a great weekend.

Swim Lessons

Emily just completed her first swimming lesson class today. She passed the class and gets to move onto the next one. She loves to swim so much. She thinks she is such a great swimmer and kept asking the teacher to move back every time she would jump in to her. She thinks she can go a lot farther than she really can. She has started to move her arms some and can swim for a little while without anyone holding her if only she could figure out how to breathe. Her next class starts the beginning of December.
Madison is disappointed that she can't be in the class too. When we would get Emily dressed for swimming lessons she would run to the bathroom where her suit is hanging (we go swimming every Monday night as a family) and point to it and beg us to put it on (in her language of screams and grunts). Today one of the other moms brought me some diapers that her son doesn't need anymore and there was swim diapers in there. Madison was down on the deck trying to put it on.

Super Saturday

Today was Super Saturday. I haven't gone in a couple of years, but I decided to go this year so I could make some Christmas presents. I also made a book called 21 days closer to Christ. During the month of December we are supposed to read a page out of the book each day. It also came with some fun Christmas songs. I wasn't able to finish the Christmas presents I made so I will have to work on them some more on Monday.
Also, Joe and I have new callings in our ward. After almost 4 years of being the Primary Secretary I am now the ward organist. Needless to say I am really nervous. Today was the first time I have ever played the organ and tomorrow is the first time I will play for the entire ward to sing along with. I have played the piano in Young Women's, seminary, Relief Society, and for family, but never for the entire ward.
Joe is now the Young Men's Second Counselor. I think he will do a great job because he is really good with teenagers. When he coached swim team all the kids just loved him so I think that he will do awesome.

Halloween

Emily & Madison really loved Halloween. During the day we went to a trunk or treat that was with our ward playgroup. They thought it was great to go from car to car and actually have people hand them CANDY. We also did a picnic and the kids all played on the toys after the trunk or treating. Then on Halloween night we went to my parents house and ate scones for dinner. Then they got to go trick-or-treating around the subdivision. Emily was a princess and Madison was a sheep. JJ wore a pumpkin sleeper (he stayed at Grammy and Grandpa's house while we went trick-or-treating. After every house Emily would ask if she could get more candy. Madison was even saying trick-or-treat by the end of the night. After trick-or-treating we all had a doughnut eating contest and bobbed for apples. Even Emily and Madison joined in on the fun. Madison didn't quite get the point of the bobbing for apples and just kept leaning over the bowl. I know there is a lot of pictures, but I just wanted to include them all.