A Moment in the Life of Daphne the Hamster

This video is for Mark, who has inquired about the life and happiness of Daphne the Hamster. I chose this video of Daphne because she was running around her cage; and, you will note that Madeline was yelling "Super Duck" in the background. Quite the little picture of life around our household. What you unfortunately do not get in this video is Daphne running in her wheel - she goes so fast that literally you cannot see her legs, just a blur, and she will get going so fast that I have actually witnessed her flipping herself completely over in the wheel. All in all, I'd recommend a dwarf hamster as a pet - they make you laugh and you only have to clean their cage once a week :-)

Trimming the Tree

After the turkey is eaten, I immediately get into the Christmas mood, so I did my mega online shopping extravaganza (all shopping complete except Steven's, John's, and Melissa's - please provide lists!). Then Madeline and I decorated the tree :-) First we put up the traditional first ornament, the chimney sweep - a tradition that goes back to when I was a little girl.




Then, the Janie & Steven love 1994 heart,




the traditional ornaments,



and a new thing that Madeline loves, the Tree Train!





Check out the pics, and let me know what you think of the Tree Train. It took me a few minutes to get used to it, but I do think it's cool now :-)



Madeline working hard on the tree :-)

Family Fun

We had a great time having Thanksgiving Dinner today - I think that every one of us got our allotted calories in! We really had fun, and everyone was very kind to me with my constant coughing, etc. It was a great day!

Thanksgiving Blessings

This Thanksgiving I have had a good lesson in being thankful for what you have, and not wanting more. This morning I woke up not feeling too well (I think I overdid it cooking yesterday, and coupled with the pneumonia it got me down a bit), and I don't get to spend this year with my family (because of the pneumonia). So, I called my Mom and got all teary about not being with my maternal family when I could hear them all laughing in the background. I was so teary, in fact, that I didn't call my sweetie little sister, because I knew I would cry for sure. Then I spoke with a friend, who told me of a family with a brand new baby that she knows. The Father who is in his 30s has colon cancer, and had to have surgery very recently hours away from his Whitesburg home. So, he and his wife are sitting in Cleveland today with their tiny baby in the hospital, with all of the terrible fear that has to go with that. It reminded me that I am blessed that I could call my little Mammaw and hear my laughing aunts, and that I could spend the day with my other family, laughing and giggling with them. My husband is healthy, my baby is a beauty, and I am blessed! So, here are my wishes for you:

I wish you enough sun to keep your attitude bright.



I wish you enough rain to appreciate the sun more.



I wish you enough happiness to keep your spirit alive.



I wish you enough pain so that the smallest joys in life appear much

Bigger.



I wish you enough gain to satisfy your wanting.



I wish you enough loss to appreciate all that you possess.



I wish you enough hellos to get you through the final good-bye.



Thank you for being my friend, and for spending your time reading our family blog!

Madeline's Thanksgiving Program

Last night Madeline's class did a little Thanksgiving program for the PTO meeting. She was soooo cute, and very proud of herself! I thought you might want to see a few minutes of it :-) The next time you see her you'll have to ask her to sing her songs!

Veteran's Day

I thought that Veteran's Day was an appropriate day to recognize our nephew, Neal, who graduated from Marine Boot Camp on November 1. We are so proud of him! The stories he has to tell are amazing, and honestly, I do believe he came back a man, when I felt like he was a baby when he left. (He also came back with blisters on his feet the size of the palm of your hand.....) Here are a few photos (of him at graduation, not of the blister):

First Visit with Sophia

I had a wonderful visit with Rebecca and Sophia this week-end. While it was shorter than I would have liked, it was perfect because I got to spend time just with Rebecca and Sophia - I had an opportunity to spend some real quality time with both of them. Sophia is a really cute baby, and it is neat to see Rebecca blossom into a great new Mom. Rebecca went to the grocery and let me feed and care for Sophia. She didn't cry at all, and I have decided that she likes me! So many fun things are ahead for all of us! My sweeties gave me lots of love when I got home, I think maybe they missed me. Madeline loved the wedding dress for her horse that I got for her, and of course I had to put my baby in the slide show too :-)