Brrrrrrr...........that's beyond cold!

We had a very FRIGID week here in Casper, Wyoming. Temperatures dipped to 20 below 0.



But we stayed nice and warm inside and passed the time making treats for the Mom Time Cookie Exchange.

The worst part is having to bundle the kids so tightly, it takes 20 extra minutes to get ready to go anywhere! This is Savannah's favorite coat because it's from her cousin Madison.

Allie's future in dentistry?

Allie has become quite popular when one of her sisters need a tooth yanked out. They actually suffer through the pain in order to not have a wiggly tooth.


This is totally voluntary, folks.


A few minutes later, Lindsay came running to me with a bloody hole where her tooth used to be......

Christmas Lights and Decorations

After a busy Thanksgiving weekend, we decided to add to the mess of the house and bring the decorations out. Timothy enjoyed helping with the tree assembly. Maybe next year we'll go cut a real one.......

After getting everything out and put away, it feels so festive and cozy. I get so excited each day to sit down and read letters and cards from family and friends. We hang most pictures in the entry way to enjoy all month long.

The outside entry way. Jesus is the reason for the season!

Thinking about the cross -- check out this beautiful song called It's About the Cross.

More decorations

Grandma Jeannine brought a new Christmas display. Savannah is very interested in it.....

...and it's so hard to look and not touch!

Now she knows how to turn it on and off.

The tree and the santa village.

Fresh cut Christmas flowers add such a special touch to the atmosphere.

Speaking and Recording our THANKS!

As part of our family devotion time during the month of November, we read small sections of a special Thanksgiving book. It was a book that 'refreshed our memory of the enormous sacrifices the Pilgrims made and of God's provision for them'.

As part of this new tradition, we took time to express our thankfulness to God. Each night I would cut a different shape from colored card stock and all of us (except Savannah) would write down one thing they were thankful for that day. What a JOY to see how excited the kids were each night to write their next "thankful thing".

Thanksgiving - A Time to Remember by Barbara Rainey, had beautiful illustrations and rich history lessons for all of us.

A summary of our many little pieces of paper filled with thanks -- some little and some great!!

The Hubert Family 7 is thankful for/that……..Thanksgiving dinner, swim meets, food, school, almost bedtime, Pastor Jack preaching the Word, we have a shower, Jesus died for my sins, Timothy helping sisters, safe travels, AWANA, car washes, coffee, morning devotions., mom helped me with math, dinner date at Lime Leaf, teachers, money, friends, freedom, car, parents, electricity, warm water, watching Beckman’s puppies, family, grandparents, breath, P.E. substitute, hospitals, Valley of Vision book, play dates, tomorrow is Friday, church, that God is in control, Godly friends, sisters, sword fights, bathroom remodeled, hot lattes, warm beds, eyesight, hearing, parks, Casper Children’s Chorale, and that God hears prayers!!

Meal plan for Dec. 7-12

Have I mentioned that the kids now think they cannot survive without this posted on the fridge. A little late today, but it will be posted by lunch time :).

Monday
Eggs, cheesy hash browns, and fruit
Spaghetti and sauce, beans, apple slices
Homemade soup from freezer, rolls


Tuesday
Cereal and milk
Soup and grilled cheese sandwiches
Leftover roast, potatoes and carrots


Wednesday
Overnight Caramel Rolls and scrambled eggs
Chicken Salad Tortilla Rollups
Parmesan Chicken, Rice, Carrots in almond sauce


Thursday
Oatmeal and Fruit
Leftovers
Meatloaf, Hash brown casserole, salad, corn bread


Friday
Bagels and cream cheese, fruit
PB and Jelly, chips and yogurt
Chicken Enchiladas, black beans and Chips, salsa and guacamole


Saturday
Overnight French Toast
Soup and Sandwiches
Beef Ribs, baked potatoes and buttered corn

More Thanksgiving Fun!

Friday morning I was the first one up and as I opened up the curtains, I was amazed at the beautiful sunrise. Just one other thing to be thankful for.........

Some more random pictures of our fun Thanksgiving holiday.

Jack cannot wait to play pirate games with Timothy (good pirates, of course...)

Oh my, melt this Momma's heart with those eyes that just light up when she smiles.

Timothy is very purposeful in his park playing army jacket!

Mariah, Allie and Jack are much more laid back and relaxed.

Brook joined in on the fun and excitedly chased the Frisbee from any one who would take time to throw it.

Waiting for dinner.... Gary, Jeannine, Dave and Missi visit as the kids play quietly with each other.

Greg (Phil's step brother) had a good time playing UNO with the kids.

Timothy sat on his lap so he could show him which card to play!

Whee! Push me higher, Daddy!

Ooops - we need to remind Savannah that she MUST NEVER let go at the highest point of the swing.

After her fall, Savannah was content to sit on the swinging without actually being swung!

Savannah and Jack contemplating the serious things in life, especially why one cannot eat the playground bark......

Slides and Silliness

This slide line up started out very impromptu, but the moms got involved and got all the cousins arranged so we could snap a few photos. Wish we could do math though -- Ella should be in front of Mariah according to age. Oh well....


From Bottom up: Jack - 1, Allie - 12, Sarah - 10, Tayler - 9, Lindsay - 8, Meg - 7, Mariah 4, Ella - 5, Timothy -3, Savannah - 2.




Next up: The Casper Hubert Family!

Faces of Thanksgiving

A big celebration for Thanksgiving was held right here in Casper at our house. All of Phil's family made the trip during some part of the Thanksgiving break. Starting off on Wednesday were Wayne and Sandy followed by Phil's sister Kim and her family Gary, Tayler and Mariah. (Krystal spent Thanksgiving with her dad in Las Vegas). Arriving early Thursday was Phil's brother David, with Missi, Meg, Ella and Jack.

I had to catch up on some Savannah time as I had not seen her all day Tuesday. It was so nice to come home from the hospital Wednesday, take a shower, bake pies and hang out with the kiddos!

The weather was BEAUTIFUL. We all got lots of fresh air on Thanksgiving Day. Savannah was delighted to have one-on-one "pushing" time by Grandpa.

Timothy preferred to stay in a watch a video. As you can see, his little mouth was still pretty sore.

The kids love that Grandpa will sit down on the floor and play a lively game of cards.

...and then let them tackle him on a moment's notice!

Phil and Missi busy in the kitchen getting ready for the feast.

The kids at the kids' table patiently waiting for dinner.

Kim and Gary devoured the newspaper looking for Black Friday deals.

Jack Wayne....the legend!

Ahhhh... I can still feel the warmth of the bright sun on my face as I was talking with my mom in Maryland.

I think Sarah or Lindsay sanpped this happy close-up of Wayne and Sandy.

Food of Thanksgiving

Some of these are from Thanksgiving, some from our Turkey Tetrazzini the following evening.  Both meals -- fabulous!

Turkey, ham, stuffin', corn, potatoes, yams, beans, cranberry, rolls - OH MY!

The spread.

Kids' Table

Adults (and toddlers).

And the best for last -- the pies!  All homemade by Allie and I.  Pumpkin, Pecan, Apple-Cranberry and Cherry.