This Year's Thanksgiving Just Wouldn't Have Been The Same Without...

• Aimee undercooking the turkey
• The sweet potatoes overflowing in the oven, filling the house with smoke
• Dinner with the Beutler's, Hillstead's, and Jones's (it was awesome!)
• Grosse Pointe Santa Claus Parade and the kids catching candy and mini-footballs

• Clayton getting off work really early on Friday and almost ending up in the parade
• Freezing cold trips to the park to wear the kids out
• Thanksgiving leftovers
• Epic battles at "the clubhouse"

• Sharing a postage stamp bathroom among 4 adults, 2 potty-training kids, and a destructive toddler
• Sanders' Bumpity Bliss
• Cute Jacob too scared to sleep in the dungeon/basement, so party in the kids' room!
• Playing games and walking down memory lane while kids sleep upstairs
• Brad, Becca, and Jacob driving from Louisville to hang out with us

Can You Feel the Love?

I would never presume to say that my kids don't fight.  We have sibling wars constantly raging in our house.  However, the un-posed hugging scene I captured below bears witness to the fact that there is a lot of love between Luke and Audrey.  Audrey really does adore and look up to Luke, and Luke loves having a little playmate.  I know I put up three of basically the same picture, but I love them all--Luke hugging Audrey's guts out, two little cuties, and Audrey's adoring look at her big brother.  

Thankful

It becomes more and more apparent each year how blessed we really are to have things that so many others don't--like a warm house, a steady job, healthy children, wonderfully loving and supportive family and friends, testimonies of our Savior, reliable vehicles, money for food and utilitites, etc., etc.  It also becomes harder and harder each year to remember that.  We vow to keep Christmas small, and the excitement of Toys 'R' Us starts melting our resolve.  Commercials and billboards tell us of all the things we need, while we forget we didn't even think about them the minute before.  Although Canadian Thanksgiving in October is wonderful, it's kind of nice to celebrate the later American version, as it comes at a good time to keep us thankful.

There are always the big things on our list of thankfuls, but there are so many little things, too, that we rarely even think about.  Aimee is thankful that Clayton usually takes the first shower of the day, as our hot water is a little sluggish in the morning.  She is also thankful for her walk-in closet, internet access at home, and that she can hear the bells of the Lutheran church down the street, which play hymns in the evening.  Clayton is thankful for vacation time, iPods, and a reliable alarm clock.  Luke says he is thankful for "sports, candy, and shows."  When we asked Audrey what she was thankful for, she said, "Happy!"  If only we could always remember to be happy with what we have been given, even if it seems like less than others.  It is probably a lot more than most.  

Canada, Eh

                             
A couple of weekends ago, we took our first epic family Canadian adventure since we moved to Detroit.  We mainly went to pick up mail at our post office box, but we couldn't resist stopping in at Superstore and Canadian Tire.  Clayton and I looked at each other, embarrassed, at the checkout counter of Superstore when we realized we had only purchased junk food.   We did get organic "Funshine" cookies made of wheat germ and "Squiggles" made of all fruit... but it was still cookies and fruit snacks.  We also picked up Nanaimo bars, Turtles, and Toffifees.  What a party!  

We stopped at Canadian Tire to check out ice skates for Luke.  Luke was hilarious.  As we put a pair of skates on him to make sure they fit, he did a twirl and hockey shot before falling right over.  "Mom, do they have any that aren't so wobbly?"  Hmmm.  Are we ready for this?  Maybe we need to check into a helmet.  

Anyway, it was all excitement as we chose a pair and sat for a moment soaking in the Canadian Tire atmosphere.  Aahhh, memories.  As Clayton stood up to go pay, he looked down at his pants and gasped.  Luke had somehow exploded out of his Pull-up and pants all over Clayton.  It wasn't just a little bit--it was quite an amazing amount of feces everywhere.  Aimee couldn't help it and starting laughing uncontrollably.  Luke was in big trouble.  Clayton dragged Luke to the car and sat pouting while Aimee drove home, trying hard to remember not to set our important documents on Clayton's compromised lap.  At least we had an excuse to use at the border in case they were taking too long.  The U.S. worker must have smelled something foul, as he barely looked at our passports and waved us through.  

The question to ponder is, where do we belong?  Canada or the U.S.?  We're just not sure.  We don't seem to fit in well anywhere.  Hopefully our families will be patient with us as we try to figure out our niche, while still trying to make sure our kids know their grandparents.  For now, we'll border hop between Windsor and Detroit, proudly display American and Canadian flags side by side in our house, and smile proud smiles when Luke throws out an "eh" in natural conversation while talking about his "new house" in Michigan.

The picture above shows us on the American coast with Canada just across the water in the background.

Two For the Price of One

I know Halloween is long gone, but I just had to post this.  I signed Luke up for a music class called "Merry Melodies with the Merry Music Maker" to help him come out of his shell.  Since day one, it has been hilarious to watch Audrey really let loose.  Usually, Luke cowers in the corner with me as Audrey joins right in with the group.  (To be fair to Luke, though, he's warming up more and more, and he loves participating in jumping songs!)  Sometimes the class will come to a standstill as everyone watches in awe as Audrey carefully follows the teacher's instructions or dances along with the kids.  She always gets the props the other kids get:  drums, finger cymbals, dancing scarves, etc., and she always seems to use them properly.  I think she's really inspired by the music and loves to "play music" as it's sometimes called.  I felt bad after a couple of sessions and offered to pay for her too.  The teacher just laughed and said she loved seeing her every week and wouldn't accept more money.    

Unfortunately, I've never been able to capture what I'm talking about very well on video.  Halloween was the closest I've come.  The class was tiny that day (I assume because of no school for older siblings), and I was at least able to catch a little bit.  The first half of this video makes me laugh every time, although Audrey kind of freezes for the second half.  Anyway, who doesn't want to see a cute doctor and little cheerleader doing a few moves!  Who can spot the little Dora who got her hair cut just for Halloween?