Happy Thanksgiving

Happy Thanksgiving! We had a great week. Tiring, but good. This is our feast from Thursday. We are still eating it up. Delicious! I didn't want to cook, especially since we had a midwife appointment on Wednesday. It ended up being an all day affair. Stuart had lost one ounce from the week before, so we are really trying to get him going this week, and I'll get him weighed again this Wednesday at the pediatrician.





Here we are digging into our feast. It was a picnic in the living room... the kids favorite.












Yesterday, Sunday, we went over to Mom-maw's and had a real Thanksgiving turkey with all the regular side dishes. It was fun and crowded. I managed to get them to all sit down for pictures again. This is the closest to family picture they've had in years. They are missing one brother, Woody. But the rest of them are there. Isn't it awesome!








Here is everybody that came. Some people are hiding but its the best we can do. We had a lot of fun being crowded in such a tiny house.











This is our Thankful Turkey we made for Family Home Evening one night. Grandma Allen was here to help us. Each of the feathers is something we are grateful for. We sure had a lot to give thanks for.

Hope you all had a good thanksgiving too!

Introducing Stuart Eldon

These are shots taken in the last 3 or 4 days.

HE came!

HE CAME!!!!

Stuart Eldon

Born November 13, 2008

6:18 pm

7lb 12 oz

20 1/2 inches long

He was born at home in his parents room. In the living room JoBeth, Goldie and Josiah had a pizza party.

Moments after his arrival, his sister and brother were eager to hold him.

Here is the most awesome person ever holding our Stuart. Christie caught him after 16 hours of labor. We were so happy that she spent the day with us. We love her!

Sleeping at Mom-Maw's

If you didn't know we've been spending every Wednesday night at Mom-Maw's. It's been fun. This week we've forgone the adventure since I am 39 weeks and one day pregnant. However, we are excited to return after the baby arrives.

Last week was the first one when the kids slept in sleeping bags on the living room floor.


The week before we'd also spent friday night at friend's in Tennessee and that was the first time since summer camping for the kids to sleep in their sleeping bags. It was awful.




However, after reassuring Mom-Maw that the children would not freeze to death, (Mike wrapped them in their blankets inside their sleeping bags) they snuggled in and went to sleep in the usual way - their parents singing and telling stories to them.

They slept through the entire night! I was so impressed. I guess Mom-Maw's was familiar enough that their sleep was not disturbed.











Usually, we divide and conquer, Josiah and Goldie sleeping with one of us, or lately they both sleep with Mike and I get the night off. But enough about our sleeping habits on the road.

Here is a fun picture of Goldie with both her and Josiah's recent finds at Frontier Industry. This is a store comparable to Deseret Industries out west. It is a great store that we try to hit when we find ourselves in Johnson City, Tennessee. It's about the only place we can get white shirts for Josiah to go to church in. We are still looking for a suit...Someday!

Tale of Two Pirates

These are the Richardson Pirates. Rishi made these costumes and actually finished them a couple of days before Halloween.

Goldie had wanted to have a party for a long time. We finally did have one for her friends here in Princeton. We played "Pin the Hat & the Broom on the Witch."

Here is our super model pirate showing of his latest fashion wear.

I know, I shouldn't say it, but I'm really proud of these costumes. See how I made her skirt match the headpiece and shirt. That was my own little deviation from the pattern. Someday I'll be brave enough to do it entirely without a pattern.

One final sample of Goldie's coloring. She is so vibrant!

October Goings on

We hung out and took pictures.

Josiah is introducing the Incredible Twinkie. His Aunt Rosa gave him this dog and he loves it. A week later she asked him what he was going to name it. He had no idea and Mike said Twinkie. I thought that was an awful name, so I said Mr. Incredible. Josiah settled on the Incredible Twinkie.

Here we are all at Mom-Maw's having our Halloween Party for the cousins. We were making monsters with ballooins and stuff.

Yes, Goldie does have her skirt on backwards.

Another trip to Mom-Maw's and the holler, but I like this perspective and wanted you to see it since most people who look at this blog have never been there. The house you see is the one Mike grew up in and to the right is heading back down to the house his mother lived in. Heading to the right and also up where the photo was shot is the fields his dad worked and had animals on. Behind me is a white thing. That is the satellite dish that now houses tadpoles. It is beautiful land.

The girls posed along the trail/road for pictures.

Midwife Appointment

Last week at my midwife appointment, we went to help her out with her chores after she checked me out. Here is Angie and Goldie feeding the goose.











Then they milked the goat. Goldie put her hand on it's teat to try, but then she shied away. Angie gave me the best homeade yogurt from the goat's milk. It was delicious!









Then we helped to feed the other goats. This is a baby goat named Feather that Josiah and Goldie both enjoyed feeding until he got a bit rambunctious.

We had a fun time helping out with the chores.