A normal morning.

Deep breath.

Dropped Audrey off at preschool. Came home for a millisecond to work on Christmas gifts and do chores while Allie watches a show and Ava sleeps.  Took Allie to Kindermusik, was late. Once there ,got a super important call from the Doctors office. Took the call, got disconnected twice.  Resumed class. Went to get Audrey early from Preschool for physical therapy on her ankle. Left her at PT to get the littles something to eat and drink and change diapers. They were melting down.  In the middle of diaper number 2, I realize I have a VM from PT. Oh geesh. Audrey peed her pants. I'm to bring clothes. Poopy diapers resolved. Bottle made for Ava. Check. Sippy cup for Allie. check.

Load up the car,  and grab Audrey clothes. Finished therapy. Off to the store to get food. I'm starving. Get food, get distracted by the toy aisle. 

Take a deep breath.

My life is full of interruptions, unexpected poopy diapers and as of late, stress over what to eat and what not to eat. Life was simpler once. But it wouldn't have made for a very interesting blog.


Sarah

What I'm Thankful for this holiday

On Thanksgiving day we go to my Grandma's on my mom's side ALL day, because we never get to spend Christmas with that side. We eat, I facilitate a craft for the kiddos and young folk, people plan out their black Friday shopping, boys go outside and do boy things (obviously, I'm never invited to partake in that) and then most everyone comes back to eat supper together. It's a big group. Then, on Friday, we go to Jeremy's side of the family and eat another HUGE meal, play games, chat,  fry up some potato cakes and the kids play until it's time to go home. As a gluten free girl for six years now, the holidays tend to add more stress than they alleviate. Being a mom comes with it's own amount of holiday stress--packing enough clothes, diapers, formula, etc for an 8 hour day, but then packing food and drink for me. This year, I didn't even know what to take my eating habits and various diets I've been trying have been so bizarre. Despite all that mess, here is what I'm Thankful for this Thanksgiving: and I'm just going to say, yes, I'm very blessed and thankful for my family, my amazing husband and my beautiful baby girls. Of course.

This list is just a random list of other things I was thankful for this holiday:

1. gluten free oven ready turkeys.
2. the outhouse located at the nature center. (don't ask)
3. watching the Macy's Thanksgiving day parade with my girls
4. 41 chairs at my Grandma's Thanksgiving table.
5. warm weather
6. lots of cousins to play with my girls
7. my camera
8. religious freedom
9. our small group
10. my ability to make gluten free pumpkin pie.








Sarah

First steps for Ava

This afternoon, in her little prairie girl christmas gown, Ava took her first three steps in the kitchen. Rarely, do both parents get to experience this at the same time. Jeremy grabbed his phone to try and video it while I cheered her on. 9 months and 17 days. She beat Audrey, who walked at 10 months. Allie walked at 9 months and 6 days, so she still carries the torch for the first walker of the family!

Ava still prefers to crawl. It's much faster. And she is the cutest little crawler. She is the only one of our girls who text book crawls, both arms and legs. It's adorable.

Sarah

Elf on the Shelf Brunch

Our Elf on the Shelf came today for the season and we welcomed him with a gluten free brunch full of sugar. Because the three food groups of the north pole are candy canes, candy corn and maple syrup.

Blueberry Waffles and Pure Maple Syrup

Bacon

Sausage and Cheese Biscuits 

Orange Juice and Green Tea

North Pole Cupcakes

Audrey named our elf years ago. His name is Oak. He always leaves notes for the girls and brings them a little gift from the North Pole. This year he brought the older girls plush My Little Ponies and Ava got a plush "My First Christmas" ornament. The girls were thrilled to bring Oak back out. Daddy read the story of Oak and explained to Allie why she can't touch him. (Because if she does, his magic he uses to fly every night to the North Pole will go away). This brunch always signifies the start of the Christmas season for us.

These North Pole cupcakes I thought turned out cute, even though I didn't put the tag titling them as such, like the ones I saw on the internet. I used vanilla cupcakes from King Arthur (gluten free), almond decorator frosting, a Spangler candy cane (gluten free) and a red M&M on the top. I got the idea from Kara's Party Ideas and then just made them gluten free. The icing is both gluten and dairy free. And, I will say (even though I've sworn off sugar a million times), they were yummy.

sweet bacon

Pamela's baking mix, shortening and milk. then I added sausage and cheese. I didn't eat them due to the dairy, but Jeremy and the girls liked them. 

Ava super excited about the brunch

Jeremy reading the Elf on the Shelf book

the girls reading their notes that Oak left for them.

After the yummy food, we wrote letters to Santa.

Sarah

Thanksgiving Day

Our day began with turkey shaped pancakes and the Macy's Thanksgiving Day parade. We then went to my Grandma's, who decided to hold her gathering at the christian church this year because we as a family, have outgrown her house.  Most all my cousins, their husbands and kiddos attended and stayed throughout the day. There were 41 chairs set up around countless tables and every single one was occupied for lunch. 41 people makes for quite the Thanksgiving buffet selection. After the feast we decorated sugar cookie Christmas tree cones and shopped the black Friday ads in the paper. The girls played all day with cousins we haven't seen in awhile and then we came home.

 My Grandma had surgery on her leg the day before. That's why she's sitting in this picture. She was wheel chair bound. I hardly ever see her sit. She's always up doing something, especially at family gatherings.

The set up. Everyone lined up ready to go through the line. Waiting on the prayer. 

This is my Uncle Randy. Audrey started calling him "Uncle Silly" because he made her laugh at a rehearsal dinner and she was too young to talk, but old enough to sign "silly" in sign language to him. 

Ava, the center of attention. 

Ava and Grandmother

Sugar cone cookie Christmas tree lollipops. 

Sarah

Tee Pees

The girls and I made these tee pee sugar cone cupcakes this morning. 

I saw these on Pinterest and thought.....let's make these gluten free. 

So after I baked the cupcakes in the cones and cut off the ends. 

The girls dipped the ends in chocolate, rolled them in appropriately colored sugars and the one tiny jar of fall sprinkles left in our town two days before Thanksgiving. 

After we decorated the bottoms (the top of the cone), I piped a little more chocolate on the top and added some gluten free pretzel sticks.

yum! 

Sarah

Tis the season to decorate outdoors

An unseasonably warm day and the forecast to turn bitterly cold = Jeremy puts up the outside Christmas lights today. 

Sarah

Audrey's Thanksgiving Feast at School.

4 year old Thanksgiving feast at preschool

The feather in her cap said that Audrey was thankful for Strawberry Shortcake and going out for pizza with Daddy. I had a girls night tonight, so Jeremy decided to take the girls out for pizza. 

Audrey's class sang their Thanksgiving songs, had a feast that included popcorn that Allie just couldn't get enough of and listened to an interactive story. Ava slept through the whole thing. Grandma also came to the feast this morning. 

a little nervous about singing

singing songs

Allie joining in on the fun

love how she had to take out of headband to put on her hat and put her headband around her stomach.

Sarah

x-rays and baptisms

Today Audrey got her first x-rays and our family got to witness two private baptisms at church during small group. Two men in our small group and two fathers of our girls' friends got baptized tonight at church. I am really glad that Audrey and Allie got to witness that. We had been talking about baptism all week.

Audrey has been complaining about her ankle hurting for a few weeks now, and everytime I think about taking her somewhere for it, it miraculously gets better. I think she twisted it or fell doing gymnastics, either at the gym or here in the family room. Tonight, after her afternoon nap, she couldn't even walk on it. This morning, at church, she could barely bare weight on it and Jeremy had to carry her out to the car. When she couldn't walk after her nap we decided to take her to prompt care, vs the ER since it was a Sunday night. The x-rays didn't show a break according to the Dr. I plan to take her to an orthopedic Dr. in the morning.

In the waiting room she was so upset that she might miss the baptisms!

She was a little afraid of the x-ray machine.

She cried a little

I believe her ankle hurts really bad. At small group she didn't run around or play with any of the kids. At one point, her and Gabrielle were hopping on one leg together. And before long three or four of them had "broken legs" So sweet of her friends to make her feel included, even though she couldn't walk or run like the others.

I am hoping this isn't a big deal. Im sort of afraid it might be.




Sarah

Our Thanksgiving, 2012

Today we celebrated Thanksgiving. It's the weekend before Thanksgiving and normally we make our own turkey, potatoes, gravy, cranberry sauce and the rest of the fixings the day before the national holiday. But this year Jeremy wanted to smoke the turkey in his meat smoker. 

Our menu today consisted of:

Smoked turkey
gluten free/dairy free mashed potatoes and gravy (see notes below)
cranberry sauce
citrus spiced green beans
pumpkin pie
pumpkin bars, gluten free/dairy free

As we have more children, we continue to make our favorites every year...like mashed potatoes. You can't have T-giving without mashed potatoes and gravy. But we've had to simplify a little. For instance, my favorite pumpkin pie EVER was entitled: Pumpkin Pie with maple whipped cream and sugared pecans. And it took about that long to make. This year, we had my standard gluten free pumpkin pie. No whipped cream, no sugared pecans. That way, I wasn't tempted to eat dairy and get sick. Jeremy doesn't like whipped cream anyway. I personally don't understand not liking whipped cream on pie. 

Everyone had to say what they were thankful for before we ate.
Audrey: my preschool friends
Allie: gymnastics
Jeremy: my family
Sarah: my girls. (and my amazing husband, of course)

My favorite part of the meal was when Allie wanted to eat the leg of the turkey. So, Jeremy cut it off for her and she ate it, just like a viking, and just like a caveman. Audrey, sitting right next to her, preferred to eat her turkey with a fork. This afternoon I sent the girls out to play while I baked pumpkin pies because it was unseasonably warm. Audrey danced around the patio, pretended to sing for an audience while Allie made it her mission to dig up all the garlic Jeremy planted a few weeks ago in the garden. She loves to play in dirt. 

Ava wasn't her self today. She's either cutting teeth or has a small bug. She's just been really fussy all day, but she was happy to watch us eat dinner while she snacked on her sweet potato puffs.

The girls and I made these little turkey place cards today. 

carving the turkey. I don't fancy up my turkey like the commercials. Jeremy smoked it this year, so there wasn't much in the form of garnish. Look at how Allie is licking her lips!

potatoes and chives, gluten free, dairy free. cranberry sauce. 

Sarah