Thanksgiving

We went to JD's parents for Thanksgiving, and we had a great time visiting with everyone.  All 17 of us were there, and it was the first time we'd all been together in nearly a year.  It was tight quarters; Julia slept in a bathroom, and we slept in the office.  This seemed to be a great move, though, as Julia slept much better than when we were there for Granny's funeral.  We have so much to be thankful for, and a family with great love for one another is definitely one of those things. We took lots of pictures, and you can see them at this link:
https://plus.google.com/photos/100898797291090070183/albums/5953994178816856433?authkey=CI7e6LiI5Zvc7QE

Here are a few favorites, though:

Isabel's ballet class

 Isabel took her first ballet class this fall at the local rec center.  She really enjoyed it, and today parents got to sit in class for a little performance. 

Here she is stretching:

Point and flex, point and flex:

 First position:

 Releve:

 Plie:

 Happy with all of the applause:

So much excitement:

 

With her great teacher, Ms. Ellen:

And a video of her in action:

Pierce-Soccer

 Pierce and Madelyn both played soccer this fall.  They played through a local rec league and both enjoyed it.  One of the parents on Pierce's team did such a great job of taking pictures and always shared them with the team.  I have a few of Madelyn that I will post later, but I don't have nearly as many good shots of her as  I do of Pierce.

Here are some action shots:

Pierce getting his trophy (not for merit, just for being on the team.  I'll keep my thoughts on that quiet for now.)

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His individual picture:

The Transformers:

Julia's Cage

Julia managed to get Pierce's hamper over herself and decided it was a lot of fun.  She walked around the house for quite a while like this.

Happy Halloween

We have Princess Leia, Luke Skywalker, and Doc McStuffins this year.  Julia went out with the kids but our rule is "If you can't say 'trick or treat' or 'thank you', you don't get candy.", so she was just along for the ride.

Doc McStuffins:

 Princess Leia:

Luke Skywalker:

 Julia making sure she gets in on the action:

 

All the costumes:

 

 Happy Halloween!

See you soon, Granny

JD's grandmother died this afternoon after battling a short period of illness due to a variety of infections.  She was 95 years old and an amazing woman who lived independently until the last month of her life.  She leaves behind 6 children, 4 daughters-in-law, 1 son-in-law, one brother and sister-in-law, 15 grandchildren, 13 grandchildren-in-law, and 24 great-grandchildren (with one on the way).  She loved the Lord and left a legacy of service for His kingdom.  She heard "Well done, good and faithful servant." at 2:30 pm this afternoon.  Job well done, Granny.  We will miss you until we see you in glory.

Many women do noble things, but you surpass them all. Charm is deceptive, and beauty is fleeting, but a woman who fears the Lord is to be praised. Honor her for all that her hands have done, and let her works bring her praise at the city gate. Proverbs 31:29-31.

Braces

Madelyn got braces and an expander on Wednesday.  She has a crossbite (Her top and bottom teeth are misaligned.)  She'll be sporting this look for about a year.  She's had a bit of discomfort and has to speak slowly so as to not slur her words.  She hasn't really complained, though, which, quite frankly, I'm very surprised by.

Here's a picture of our metal mouth: