November Misc

A few miscellaneous happenings from November...

Tuesday nights

Nearly every Tuesday night when Daddy has his online "pastor class" (the term Jason uses with Jaden and Cody for his SMP class), Grammy and Papa come over to help our family. They regularly bring dinner for us, clean up all the dishes, play with the kids, help with baths, and keep Amy company until Jason is done. What an awesome gift this is! Lately, during many bedtime storytimes, Jaden and Cody will listen to a story read to them AND each read a story themselves. They've made a lot of progress as little readers so far this school year. Grammy was a great listener and encourager.

Christmas Outfits

Grammy and Papa ordered these sharp-looking suits for Jaden and Cody and this adorable Christmas dress for Adley as part of their Christmas gifts. When we tried the outfits on to check the size, Cody said, "I look really nice!" Mommy and Daddy agreed and thought the suits made the boys look very grown up. Both boys wanted to wear the outfits right away! We attended a wedding for some church friends right after Thanksgiving, so it was the perfect time to wear these fancy outfits. 

Nathan's birthday

Our nephew Nathan turned 3 in November and celebrated with a fire truck birthday party. Kim and Matt had arranged for a REAL firetruck and real firefighters to come to their home. How fun is this?! We all learned a lot from the firefighters and got to see one of them dress up in all of her gear.

A highlight for the kids was getting to sit inside the firetruck.

At the end, the firemen gave out hats to all the kids. Even Adley liked trying on a firefighter hat. Kim and Matt planned such a fun party! We loved celebrating our sweet nephew Nathan!

Playtime

Cody and Jaden continue to impress me with their playtime creativity. I rarely have to give them ideas for what to play at home. One day, they brought these paper bag platypus puppets home from school (which they made based off Janet Stevens' book Plaidypus Lost). These puppets then became the inspiration for what Jaden and Cody called their Platypus School. The boys made desks for their puppets out of blocks, wrote and read stories to them, created math flashcards for them, set up center time activities, and even let the platypuses have recess time. During this particular recess, the puppets were wearing Jaden and Cody's Wild Kratt suits.

Time at the Park

November was a gorgeous month weather-wise. We had a good mixture of cooler days with the warmer ones. On one nice not-too-hot but (of course) not-too-cold day that the boys didn't have school, I took my three to the park.

I loved seeing how Jaden and Cody truly are eager to play with Adley at the park.

This girl absolutely loves swinging!

We even brought along a picnic lunch to enjoy. Adley, of course, started getting into all the food the moment I stepped away to take this picture. She's certainly at a busy stage, and she's quick now too!

Naptime Lullabies

Recently, I've mentioned that Jaden and Cody have enjoyed making up their own lullabies to sing to Adley before her naps. Their words to her always warm my heart! This month, I was finally able to capture their lullabies on video. The boys obviously knew that I was recording them, so they give lopsided grins towards the camera. Still, the videos showcase the boys' sweet love for their little sister! We are so thankful for this!

Cody's Lullaby:

"Adley, you're the sweetest person in the world

You know that God loves you so

And I will also like to say... I love you so." 

Jaden's Lullaby:

Oh sweetie, you are so great

We love you as our sister too

I hope you love God when you're grown up

We love you, great Adley Grace

I hope you love Jesus when you grow up.