a time to give thanks.

with all of our food issues, we decided to stay home and have our own little family thanksgiving. kevin, with his celiacs and high gluten sensitivity, and my allergies to gluten and dairy, it would just be impossible to eat anywhere else. for those of you who are not aware of what gluten is...it's basically wheat, barley, rye and oats (which are usually contaminated). bread, pasta, crackers, cakes, cookies...pretty much everything has gluten in it. with celiacs, you can't eat any of those things and you have to be extremely careful with contamination. it can be very stressful and overwhelming (especially going out to eat), but we are starting to get used to a gluten-free house. i recently found a flour blend that i'm in love with and i can now do all of my favorite recipes again! they turn out perfect every time and no one can tell they are gluten-free. i am also not eating dairy, which makes it a little tricky. the only dairy i use when i cook is butter (which of course makes everything better). the kids and kev still eat plenty of cheese. oh how i miss cheese! i use a lot of coconut milk and rice milk. i don't like to use much soy. kaden is actually only drinking rice milk, we opted out with cows milk with him. he eats plenty and is a growing, healthy boy!

cooking gluten and dairy free this thanksgiving was no challenge for me! our meal turned out amazing and i look forward to doing it again next year...except i might ask someone else to cook the turkey. i just can't handle touching a whole, raw turkey. makes me gag. maybe i'll just skip the whole brining thing and just simply roast it. to go with our turkey, i made cornbread stuffing (totally going to be our new tradition), rolls, sweet potatoes, mashed potatoes, gravy, and cranberry sauce. i need to have the sweet potatoes every year, with marshmallows, and kevin needs to have mashed potatoes. so we had both. it was lots of food...which only meant LOTS of leftovers! always a good thing.

after lunch, we headed over to the haskins place for dessert. it was really nice to relax, drink coffee, fill our bellies even more with treats, and look through the black friday sale ads. we also all went on an evening walk together. i didn't plan too well and forgot to bring our winter coats, so we borrowed a few. all 16 of us bundled up and headed down 3rd street. it was a wonderful way to end our evening with friends. good conversation. good laughs. a good reminder of the many things in life we have to be thankful for. 2010 has been a rough year, but God has blessed our family in more ways than we can count.

one of kyri's favorite things.
matching jammies.

lunch is served.
we saved kyri's adorable placecards from last year.

best gluten-free rolls...just melt in your mouth delicious.

ready to dig in!

pumpkin pie made with coconut milk. give it a try!

happy with a full tummy.

the fall cake.
gluten-free gingerbread cake with maple buttercream.
yes, it was tasty...and everyone loved it.

ready for a good time with friends.

thanks, haskins, for a wonderful evening!
you always open your arms to us and make us feel like family.

the hennings. what can i say, we love these guys!

another thanksgiving ending with feeling very blessed.
thank you, Jesus.

15 months.

kaden michael.
15 months.
23 lbs. 14 oz.
31 inches.

we are loving every minute with our son. kaden is non-stop smiles. all day. saying that he is a happy baby is an understatement. full of joy! he is also quite the little love. unlike kyri was when she was a baby, kaden will go to just about anyone. he has his favorites, but he will come up to you and put his hands up for you to hold him. not only to hold him...but to cuddle too. oh man. his cuddles are so sweet. sucking that tiny thumb and nestling on your shoulder. we are experiencing lots of tender moments with kaden. he will just walk up to us when we're playing on the floor, and put his arms around us, holding on tight. just his way of saying, "love you."

when he's not melting your heart, he's being a crazy boy! kaden is all over the place. full of energy from the moment he wakes up. when he gets really excited, he smashes his face on you. loves to be rough! he is often found pushing his cars around or reading his books. books are still his favorite thing to play with. he will sit for quite some time, turning the pages himself or being read to. kyri is now starting to realize what its like to share her toys. kaden loves to play with his big sister, but always wants what she has. they really do play so well together. kyri is a HUGE help and is so protective of her little bro. she is always making sure he isn't getting into trouble. she is my biggest help when i'm making dinner. that is the one time of day when kaden wants to be clung to mommy. so convenient. she will usually take him to his room to play...until daddy comes home and saves the day! love that when kev gets home and they both run up to meet him at the door with hugs and kisses. kev is convinced that it is one of the reasons you have babies. we are both really enjoying having a baby again, experiencing this wonderful stage with kaden!

kaden has been doing really well with his signs. "more" is his go-to sign. he does it so perfectly and always with a smile! he can also do, "please, thank you, milk, and all done." kaden knows that his snacks (joe's o's and chex) are on top of the fridge. so he goes up the fridge, points to the top and does the sign for more. that boy loves to eat! as long as there is food on his tray, he will keep eating. kyri and kaden are both good eaters, not picky, but kyri eats like a turtle...and kaden can't get it in fast enough. we have been working on basic words with kaden as well. he knows a few, but the most precious is "tickle, tickle." when we ask him to make animal sounds...it is always "grrrrr." for every animal. every once in a while he will say "moooo" for a cow. he is always talking away in his little baby jibber-jabber. he just couldn't be any cuter. God has blessed us once again with a beautiful child, which we are honored to love and care for. kaden boy...your smile is contagious. love you, little buddy.

apple hill, tacos, friends...and lightsabers.

early this month, we were delighted to drive to placerville to see the goodlin family! jenni, brett, and maya were in california visiting family. we spent the afternoon at apple hill on the most beautiful fall day. kyri and maya are such cute friends. even though there is a 2 year age difference, they have so much fun playing together! kyri is a little sad that maya no longer calls her "kyki." maya is growing up into such a precious little girl! we love her. we attempted to find an organic apple orchard, but no such luck. a highlight of the trip...seeing a whole roasted pig at one of our stops. maybe not so much a highlight. nasty. after our apple hill adventures, we went to jenni's parents house for tacos. jenni gave kyri one of her adorable headbands that she makes. you can check them out here. kyri wants to wear hers everyday! kaden was able to take a nap while jenni and i helped her mom make dinner. it was a long day for him, but he did wonderful...as usual. such a sweet boy. speaking of boys...brett and kevin got to get their inner "boy" out when they had an epic lightsaber battle on the back porch. jenni and i took some fun pics. the only way to explain our time with jenni and brett...a breath of fresh air. they are friends for life. for sure.

giddy up, little darlin'!

tiny cowgirl.

perfect start to a great day!

girlfriends.

getting close to the duck...

and brett getting attacked by the duck.

we love apple hill.

jenni...a women i will forever admire.

mamas and daughters.

goin' on a little plane ride.

so many fun places for the kids to play at high hill ranch, our fave!

choo-choo.

looks so much like his daddy.

i call kaden my "honey bear."

close to daddy...best place to be.

love me some good squishy cheeks. so kissable.

watching the horses.

goofy girls.

crazy to think about where it all started.
jenni and i were high school bff's. so were brett and kev.
now we are both married with kids.
love that we are still sharing life together.

let the battle begin!

fight to the death.

good vs. evil.

my hot jedi.

trick-or-treat.

trick-or-treat...give me something good to eat!

barbecue dinner at the ernst family home.
lots of cute kids in their super fun costumes.
sugar, sweets, and lots of treats.
spooktacular halloween memories with friends!

monster cupcakes.
found the fabulous idea at annie's eats!

crazy green ones.

...and monsters with one eye too.

cutie karis bug.

the gang all ready to go trick-or-treating!

buddy was so adorable carrying his bucket.

he knew just what to do.

precious nemo face.

love my little cupcake.

the cherry on top!

kyri's two bestest buds.

being a part of this family is my favorite.

all done.

garrett getting all of his candy in a row.

jackpot.