Happy Thanksgiving!!!!

We had a very nice Thanksgiving celebration this year!

Here we are enjoying our little Turkey Dinner on Thursday with my Dad, Sherri, Jacob's sister Katy and her fiance, Jordan.



Yes, I said fiance! Jordan proposed to Katy at the table. What a wonderful surprise!!!!!!!!!!!

We can't wait to celebrate the big event with them!

Maverick seemed to enjoy his first Thanksgiving dinner. Look at that little Turkey! :)




Potatoes were a favorite!

I Love Lucy

Our little neighbor & friend, Lucy earned her angel wings over the weekend. She had a brain tumor and fought a very tough battle, but her little body just couldn't take it. :( Our heart goes out to her mommy, daddy and sister.

Here is a little something I created to memorialize her.


Besides the glowing point of Maverick's birth, 2010 has been a sorrowful year. We've been to more funerals than weddings this year with many of them dying before their time (in my opinion).
January - Amy - breast cancer

February - Uncle Bill - old age
April - Morgan - leukemia

May - Baby, our cat - old age

July - Beth Herman (high school friend's mom) - breast cancer

October - Jacob's Papa - old age

November - Lucy - AT/RT Malignant Brain Tumor

Bring on health and happiness in 2011!

Fall Foliage

We have tried to enjoy what's left of the nice fall weather! My Dad and I took the boys to Antioch Park last week....the leaves were so pretty! We all benefited from some fresh fall air!

My Dad carrying Maverick...walking on one of their beautiful paths.



Mitchell stopping to admire the ducks and taste the railing? Gross!

Mitchell standing to watch a goose waddle in the lake....to get away from him.

We were driving the other day and Mitchell pointed to a tree with pretty red leaves and said "Mom, are those the prettiest leaves you've ever seen?" "Why, yes, they sure are, Mitchell." :)

Although she refuses to let me post her picture...we also enjoyed a nice visit from Aunt Darci this week! It was a productive visit too - we picked out bridesmaids dresses for Kel's wedding! Thanks for making the trip, Darc!

Mandi Folks Photography

I have recently had a few more friends and acquaintances ask me to do their family photoshoots....thus the launch of Mandi Folks Photography.  I haven't done an official business launch yet, but maybe soon? 

Here are some recent photoshoot pictures. 

Bible Pre-school Performance

Right before Halloween, Mitchell's Bible School had their first performance of some songs they have learned.  This is a little video of the first song.  He is in the 2/3 year old class...most of his classmates are right around him.  The older kids are on the stairs above.

He gives us our own personal performances of these songs most every day. :)

Trip to Omaha & Minneapolis

The boys and I took a trip to visit 1) Jacob in Omaha and 2) Mom & David, and Kel & Mark in Minneapolis. 

We all loved our trip to the Omaha Zoo.  Here is Maverick in front of the penquin aquarium.

Beware of lions....

After a short visit, we left Daddy in Omaha to work and headed to Wisconsin!  (I actually had a work training downtown Minneapolis, so it was a perfect excuse to visit!)

Mom, Aunt Kel and I took a trip the boys on a little pumpkin farm.

One morning, Mitchell entered my bedroom at 6:30am and said...

Mitchell "Mommy, wake up.  I have a surprise for you."

Me "Good morning, Mitchell.  What do you have...as I groggily held out my hand."

Mitchell took whatever was in his hand and put it in mine, but it was dark and I couldn't see it.

Me "What is it?"

Mitchell "A beetle bug"

Oh, the joys of parenting boys..... :)

The weather was nice enough to wash cars in November!  Grandpa volunteered to watch the boys while I attended my training.  Thanks again!

Mitchell really wanted to bring Grandma with us when we left.  He even asked Grandpa's permission, but unfortunately we had to leave her there :)

We had a great time and the boys were surprisingly good on the long drives! They have begun wrestling with each other lately.  Here they are burning off some energy at a rest stop park on the way home.



Papa

This week we celebrate the life of Jacob's grandfather (Papa)....90 long, great years...a wonderful husband, father, and grandfather.  He passed the way everyone dreams of passing, in his sleep along side his loving wife. 

I still haven't seen a picture to prove it, but apparently Jacob's red hair gene came from Papa (Granny claims he had auborn hair in his younger years.) I can not tell you the number of times we have already answered the "so where did the red hair come from?" in reference to Mitchell's hair....so we will have a fond reminder of Papa for years and years to come each time we answer that question.

Jacob has very fond memories of growing up with Granny & Papa.  Papa always spoiled him by taking him to the Indian Trading center.  

Jacob said his fond memories of Papa also include many games of dominos. 

Family photo in 2000ish

One of my favorite family photos at Christmas.  Katy and I are wearing new scarves that Granny made for us :)

My favorite picture of the two of them...from our wedding in Sept 2005.  

 

 It was a long trip for them from Oklahoma, but we were so very thankful to have them there. 



Jacob's family....from L to R

Katy (sister), Rick (stepdad), Jacob, Karen (mom), Granny & Papa

With Mitchell's birth, Papa became "Great Papa".  I will never forget the first time we visited them in Oklahoma.  Mitchell was FUSSY and needed a nap.  I had a hard time getting him down for a nap, but when he was finally asleep, I needed a quiet dark place to lay him.  I laid him on Papa's closet floor.  A bit later when I checked on him, Mitchell had woken up and made a mobile out of Papa's pants that were hanging on the closet rod above him.  Mitchell was reaching up his arms and kicking his legs, watching the pant legs sway back and forth.

We last saw Papa in June of this year.  We stayed with them for a weekend, it was such a great trip.



When grandparents get to this age, each time you see them, you can't help but wonder if it'll be the last.  We stayed up late, late listening to old stories about how Papa & Granny met, and  about Papa's experiences in the war.  I knew it would be a night that we'd all cherish...so I tried to get a short video of one of Papa's war stories.  He was a cook, so they are asking him what his favorite thing to cook was and about the northern lights.

He'll be truly missed, but we know God was waiting at heaven's gates for his arrival!