Cousins.... the 2009 Edition

Thanksgiving 2009

It's probably been 10 years or more that we've all sat down together and had a picture made. Mark's never even met Aaron, I don't think. My cousins on my mom's side. (L to R):  Mallory, Me, Bill, Holly, Ryan, Mark and Aaron. I feel so blessed this year, and was so happy to see all of you. Can't wait until our Big Ed's meet and greet.

Love,
Heather

Thankful

It's not everyday we're all together like this. My family. My Heart.

Thanksgiving: November 26, 2009.

and then there were 9

OK, that's really only true if you count the dogs. And I do. I'm officially a freaky dog person.

And no, I'm not having multiples, so chill out.

Once upon a time, there was a guy. We'll call him Sam. Sam lived with his parents and went to college and had a normal life. His best friend was a girl, we'll call her Pam. Pam got tired of living with her moocher friends in a van down by the river, so she promptly decided to move into Sam's parents basement and share the room with him. In the time theylived there, they bought a dog. A beautiful dog they loved very much. They accidentally fell in love and after 5 years od living in Sam's parents basement, they moved out and got their own place.

At their new place, their beautiful dog was involved in a scandal and had a cute litter of mutt puppies. The first was born when they were moving to their new diggs. The couple kept one sweet puppy from this litter. A short while after moving to their new diggs, Pam's father passed away. After this, Sam and Pam got married and they and their two beautiful, sweet dogs bought a home.

After living in this home for a year, the neighbors' dog got the sweet new puppy pregnant. Sam and Pam once again, kept a puppy from this litter. He was adorable and Pam couldn't help herself. After a while, Sam's friend Carl told Pam and Sam he needed a place to live. With all the spare room in their big new house, they gladly made room for Carl. Carl was an excellent room mate. They loved him very much. After a while, Carl got on his feet and moved out. Another friend of Sam's, Miller,  approached them about homestead, and again, they happily complied. After about 6 months, Miller asked if he could rescue a dog to bring into the family. As long as he got along with the beautiful dog, the sweet dog, and the adorable dog, they had no problems with it. The new loyal dog fit in well.

Pam's sister Polly was having a rough time though. It made Pam very sad. After sometime of hard thinking and soul searching, Polly told Pam that she and her husband Wally were getting divorced. For a while, Polly worked on her own to support herself and her son, Cole, but things were just hard. Pam knew Polly needed a support system, but didn't know how to approach her about it. Finally, Polly approached Pam about moving in as well. Sam and Pam discussed it, and decided that it was the right thing to do. They loved Polly and Cole very much.

Polly and Cole moved in at the end of October.

And then there were 9. 

it's not always easy, but we are one happy blended family.  : )

down time

* thanks to Jackson for capturing this photo opp...

*Moments like these must be saved and cherished....

the ramblings of Ryan

Ryan is getting so BIG! Not only is he growing and running and playing, he is really starting to learn. He talks a lot  all the time. He says cookie, cracker, shoes, mama, hedda, unca mak (uncle Mark), grammy, numm-numm (food), brusie (for all dogs, not just bruiser) and the newest thing is SIT! (to the dogs). He's learning so quickly! He knows where the dog treats are and how to feed the dogs way too many, he knows Uncle Mark can usually be found in the office, he knows where the bathroom is and where the garbage cans are, he can blow his nose, and show you where his ears, nose and head are. He knows what's hot and whats cold. He is so smart!

He is all smiles....

He falls asleep eating... (he learned that from uncle Mark!)

He's a future DJ...

He loves to say SHOES! (and then put on any pair he can find)

(told ya)

He's the cutest thing I've ever seen.

He's my nephew. And I love him so much.

Bonfire's Ablaze

These pictures are from a span of several weeks. I think we managed to get 3 bonfires in this month.

We had my old Fox Den ladies over, a few friends Mark works with, a few of Mark's old work cronies from Walgreens, and many others. November makes perfect weather for bonfires. Good thing my man knows how to chop wood! Several of these nights we listened to the game on the radio and made a pitcher of Tom Collins. Somehow, Mark and I managed to wear the same clothing for each fire. Just noticing that...I also managed somehow to not get a picture of the actual fire.

Such is life.

Halloween 2009

"Dress Up, or Don't Show up"

Maybe you can't tell, but we also had a Halloween Party..

            We had lots of guests ranging from Bella Swan and Edward Cullen to Dr. House and the Iron Chef. We had a few other guests: a piece of toast, a vampire and vampiress, Jon and Kate Plus 8, Lady Gaga and Peter Skarsgard.

Even Brett Michaels showed up at the end of the night with a one-eyed hooker in tow. All in all, a fantastic party. Here are a few pictures to tell the rest of the story. Between all the jello shots, pudding shots and moonshine cherries, my memory is slightly fuzzy.   : )

I do know we managed to go eat cracker barrell the next morning.

the horse says Moo!

Er, so, I'm way behind in posting. The end of October and the whole month of November has been filled with things that were both fun and exhausting. We only had one trick-or-treater this year. He was awfully cute, though.

I found this costume at Walmart. Holly had been looking for something warm enough that Ryan would also look cute in. The packaging said it was a horse, but we all agreed Ryan looked more like a cow.   : )

Mark always does FANTASTIC pumpkins. Here is this years favorite, from 'The Dark Knight'.

I too, enjoy carving pumpkins, just not on the elaborate scale Mark does. I made the "olivia" and "ryan" ones myself. Too cute, and so much fun.

Happy Halloween!