Happy Thanksgiving!!

We have so much to be thankful for this year (and every year). It has been a busy year full of change (again, that seems to be a recurring theme for us). This year I completed my Master's and I am extremely thankful that it is DONE! Everyone that knows me, knows that I whined and complained each and every step of the way but I am very glad to have accomplished that goal. I guess my graduation is in a few weeks. I wont be attending but will be eagerly awaiting the diploma in the mail.

This year we were able to decorate the house indoors and out. Last year we had just moved in and the outside of our house was so ugly that I didn't feel like lighting it up and drawing attention to it! I will be posting pictures of it soon. Kaylen doesn't seem all that impressed. Every time I ask her if she likes the lights and decorations she says no! I don't know why she doesn't but she says they aren't pretty. Burst my bubble, why don't ya?!?!

I am also thankful for this time in Kaylen's life. I love spending time with here these days. She says the cutest things all the time and her little singing voice is beautiful! I need to be videoing more seriously because I know there will be a time when that voice is gone and grown. tear. She talks nonstop these days. I never thought there would be times that I wanted her to take a talking break but those days have come. She is really constant and when she doesn't have anything to actually say, she starts making up words.

Allen and I have been able to get really involved with our youth group at church and we are both leading a small group of kids. I have 11th grade girls and he has 10th grade boys. We have both received so many blessings from these kids. It has been a major highlight in our year and I finally feel at home in a church. I love my girls and we have a lots of fun together. Allen's guys have started a brotherhood. They have a creed and they have all these "notches" for their paddles that they have to earn like memorizing scripture, community service projects, etc. His guys are so into it. They came up with their creed together and they have a name (Animal House - insert eye roll here) and they have a "gang" sign that they flash up all the time and now they are coming up with their logo as well. I have to say that I have never seen young boys so eager to get involved with something. It is on the obnoxious side to say the least but also an incredible way to get young guys involved in the church and give them a place as well. We are doing a coats and cans drive for the Care Center right now and it ends next Sunday (so if you are reading this and are wanting to donate to the Care Center anyway - please donate to my girls group because we have 6 girls to his 12 guys). The losing group will be serving the winning group dinner at our Christmas party on the 21st. My girls did go door-to-door collecting and I am seriously exhausted from our excursions but we had good success. All of these kids are so serious about winning that I think it will be a toss up until next Sunday.

This post is getting long and I have two more things to say. We are also extremely thankful for baby #2 on the way. I am 14 weeks along and this pregnancy has been completely different than Kaylen! I haven't been nearly as sick (again something I am EXTREMELY thankful for). I have had headaches and have been very nauseous. The biggest thing is my attitude. I am really thinking that it has been a hormonal thing but I have been in a bad mood this entire pregnancy. I am publicly admitting it because I really do want to snap out of it. I just can't picture an actual baby joining our family quite yet. It might be a small fear from my previous miscarriage and now I am guarding myself from getting too attached to quickly... I don't know.




Lastly... it is snowing right now... here in Huntsville, Alabama... on DECEMBER 1!!!

Okay... I was tagged to do my top 5 fav. movies... I am horrible at this... but here goes in no particular order:
1. Notebook
2. Hope Floats
3. In leiu of Christmas: It's a Wonderful Life
4. The Matrix Series
5. The Lord of the Rings Series

I tag no one!!! :)