Thanksgiving and Family Fun...

Pictures don't quite capture the beauty of the view in Grandmom and Pop Pop's backyard

G and Mercy - their first Thanksgiving together :)

Thumbs up from Odesco... he definitely enjoyed the meal! This is his lunchtime turkey and fixings -not to be confused with our mid afternoon meal with the other side of the family!

Sweet sisters in a sweet moment together

5 'sabu heads' as Mercy and Odesco would call them, This picture makes me smile!!
M and 4 of his 5 brothers...do you see any resemblance?!? (this pose was not my idea, really!!)

.... one of my favorite part of any gathering at my in laws is seeing how much M and his brothers just love being together. They could talk for hours and hours if we wives didn't nudge them on to our next destination. I didn't catch a picture of the B older boy cousins over on the other side of the driveway doing the same thing gathered around one of my nephew's trucks...they are definitely following their fathers' example!!

What's Thanksgiving without a little football??

The cousins! Destination #2 with my side of the family ...we actually rent the hall of a local church and use their kitchen and multi purpose room to contain all of us! Our kids love being together...so much so that we left the gathering with 2 more cousins in tow for an impromptu overnite' :)!!

~Sweet cousins~

Meal #2... a few hours did lapse so this was more like an early dinner(really!!) Mercy was watching my brother carve the turkey from steps that overlook a little window into the church kitchen. Her eyes got really big when she saw turkey on the bone and she boldly asked to reserve a piece!!

A picture paints a thousand words... Odesco got his bone too!!

Sorry Uncle John, couldn't resist!!Some of us laughed about going upstairs and taking naps on the padded pews of the sanctuary...but we didn't as you can see above!

Friday morning breakfast ...a full table with the addition of 2 cousins :)!!

We had a wonderful first Thanksgiving with our 2 newest additions. They met some family members on both sides for the first time and thoroughly enjoyed feasting and being with their cousins. It was a gorgeous day...many trees are still quite full of vivid leaves so the ride was breathtaking at times. I love asking the littles why God makes the leaves change color...in unison they reply, " For His own glory!" It certainly does make me stand in awe of Him when I marvel at the wonders and intricacies of His creation.I told Mercy and Odesco that once again, it seems as if the Lord orchestrated this just for them. Months ago, we tried to explain to them the changing seasons and they just couldn't get it. Now they are so enjoying the beautiful display of color all around us although I did notice thatby Saturday the trees were beginning to look a bit 'snaked' as L says ( aka: naked/bare!).
Our dear friend BAA spent Thursday and Friday with us and we always enjoy her company...she has become an 'honorary' member of both families so it is a blessing when she joins our holiday festivities. Yesterday (Friday) we headed back to Mimi and Pop-Pop's to spend the day with my brother and his family who were in from upstate NY. It was refreshing to just be together and do nothing planned. Pop-Pop took the littles on two 'expeditions'-walks around the neighborhood and the kids were so excited to show us their discoveries ( a few sticks, bottles, cans , and the bonus: a real softball!) The decibel level in the house decreased significantly during these walks!!

Saturday night M had each of the kids say one thing they were thankful for. Each of our bio kiddos said in one way or another that they were grateful Mercy and Odesco are home. Even those who struggle the most relationally with our new blessings said this and it did my mommy heart good to know that they love and appreciate their new siblings :) L also added that he is thankful God took his spots away- so are we!! Odesco said he is glad God brought him here and Mercy added that she is thankful for her new 'B' family. So, even if they were just parroting one another, it is good to hear them all acknowledge God's goodness to us in bringing Mercy and Odesco to be a part of our family.

Sunday afternoon I took Mercy to the Lakeshore Learning Store to spend her birthday money from Grandmom and Pop-Pop B. C came along too and we exchanged many smirks across the aisles as she entertained us with her usual level of boundless energy and enthusiasm. Everything she saw, she liked...even if it was something she can never use like decorations for a classroom bulletin board :) Finally, I narrowed down the choices to 3 and she was still lamenting over the difficulty deciding. It must all be so overwhelming to her and Odesco as going to a store to shop was just never a part of their growing up experience. After making her final decision, she still had a small amount of money left over. She spied a bin of cool looking pencils and decided all on her own to buy one for herself, G , L and, Odesco. I encouraged her to put them away for Christmas. So, we got home and she secretly gave me the pencils to stash away. After about 15 minutes, she couldn't stand it and wanted to bless her siblings right now. So down to the basement I went to my gift hiding spot...she was so excited to share in this way....and it was great to see her be a cheerful giver.

This week has been busy with our final play rehearsals, home school, and no week is complete without at least one visit to a doctor or dentist:) Monday, Mercy was complaining of increased mouth pain and she was having some bleeding from her 'silver tooth' so off to the dentist we went only to learn it was a problem with her bite plate resting on her upper gum. We came home long enough for a call to the orthodontist and thankfully they they were able to quickly see us. They adjusted the appliance and increased the spring load on the front tooth. Already her tooth has moved significantly which is good news but she was not a happy camper due to the discomfort this causes. She has been taking Motrin/Tylenol since then but this morning she has not mentioned it...yet! I'm sure I'll have some fun pictures from the play...the kids are all doing so well and the little ones especially are very excited.
Thanks for checking in...
Love, MamaB
PS kids say the silliest things:
* As we were driving to dress rehearsal on Tuesday night L excitedly announced, " I see Paris!!!" He was referring to a rather large pointy looking decoration- a Christmas tree on the lawn of an apartment complex. And truthfully, it did sort of resemble the Eiffel Tower. We have not yet studied Paris in great detail this so I was quite curious where he learned such facts. His reply, "Ratatouille"
Ahh, what a relief to know that while he was vegging on the couch watching the movie that Mimi generously purchased for him after his surgery, he was actually being educated :)
* Today we stopped to get gas and the attendant said," Thank you, Miss." G then asked indignantly," Doesn't he know you are a Mrs.? Does he think you're just babysitting all of us kids or something?" So I explained that Ms. or Miss is the proper title for a lady and then L chimed in ,"What is it illegal for him to call you Mrs.???" Guess you had to be there, but to hear these kiddos banter back and forth, can be quite entertaining!!
* Today during school I was doing an activity with L where I read him a poem and he needed to narrate it back to me. The poem was about a pasture and a cow who was licking her calf. I asked him why he thought the mommy cow would lick her baby. He thought for a second and said, "That's how the calf takes a shower"...then he thought some more and then seriously asked," But Mommy, who gives the mommy cow a shower?" Hmmm good question, L , good question!!