a little cleaner and thanksgiving part 1

november was a really busy month for us. **it has taken me 2 1/2 days to complete this post**

now that i'm working (only on tuesdays and fridays!), i am feeling a little overwhelmed trying to keep the family running while i'm working.  i did this for the first year of oakley's life, but i was working full time.  honestly, i don't know how i did it.  (i really have a new found admiration for all of you working moms out there!)  i also have an extra little one on thursdays and MOPS every other monday, which adds to the busy-ness of our week.  i love it, though!  i'm not good at sitting down, so i guess it works for us.  anyway, i've been cherishing my evenings with my family, which is the reason for the delay in posts.

we spent a sunday afternoon organizing the garage right before we had our first freeze.  yes, we were those people who had a huge two car garage and parked both cars on the driveway.  it is so nice to park inside and not have to get up early to scrape windows!  i'm so thankful for our two car garage.  i thought to take before-ish pictures (mainly of oakley playing and helping because he was being so funny) but forgot to take after pictures.  just imagine the before pictures, just way more clean and organized!

where is oakley?

boo!  he did this...oh...about 100 times.  he thought he was so funny.  and he was.

helping mommy hammer nails into the saw horses

look at that mess!  the first time organizing the garage since we moved in.  it was quite a job!

we also had our "thanksgiving" with my mom and steve.  mel and matt (and dozer), brian, oakley and i all met out at my mom and steve's house for the day.  we really enjoyed our time eating, eating, watching football, eating, sleeping and more eating.  we ate. a lot.  we decided to have a "leftovers" meal instead of the traditional thanksgiving meal, since we would all be eating that the following week.  so my mom cooked a ham and a turkey and we each brought a few appetizers.  we had turkey/ham sandwiches on deli rolls and all the appetizers.  after nap and football, we had pie.  it was fabulous and the company was great, too!  we missed amanda, chris and maddie, though. :(  i only got a few pictures because (of course!) my battery died after being there for like an hour.  grrr.

oakley insisted that i take a picture of brutus.  he set him up on the chair and said, "take a piture of bwutis!"

love this one of o and my mom playing

 i am so thankful for our wood burning fireplace.  we pretty much have it going whenever we are home.  brian spent a day out at my mom and steve's cutting and splitting wood so we would be able to have a fire all winter.  thank you brian, steve, and adam!