Hi all! Just thought I would share about our day yesterday...there were a couple of memorable moments. The first (we don't have a picture for this one) was that I got in trouble with Andrew's teacher because Andrew announced to his preschool class that Santa Claus wasn't real (haha). At first I was frustrated because I had told him not to spoil the "game" for other kids but then when I talked to him I realized I was really proud of him because he was just trying to tell the kids the truth, not be a bun. He told them... "Santa Claus isn't real, Christmas is Jesus' birthday!" So anyway, I got in trouble but at least my son knows the true meaning of Christmas. Now he knows he can go to class and pretend about Santa Claus with the other kids but he is free to talk to them about Jesus' birthday too (even though the teacher didn't really like that). :)

Second memorable moment of yesterday was this one you see a picture of...Tyler's first peas! At first he got the worst expression on his face when he tasted them but then he gulped down the whole jar...except for what you see spread all over his body!

Oh and thirdly, Jeremy got into preschool! He will be starting in January in the same class Andrew was in last year...he is very excited!

So that was our day...thought I would share!

Quick Thanksgiving preview

Don't worry mom (and anyone else concerned)... I will be reposting later on with a much SLOWER slideshow that has captions so that you can savor every pic to the max!!! This was just a quickie so that you could get an idea before too much time passed by! There are thumbnails that can be looked through at the end of the show using the menu provided at the bottom! Hope this tickles your fancy till the real deal shows up. Love you all!!!!

"Willfully Leaving A Perfectly Good Plane At 13,000 Feet..."

A peak into our thankful celebration!

What a great start to the day! It wasn't quite as warm as your hike, Don, but it sure was pretty. It started snowing as we left the house and it was cold enough that the snow stuck to the ground. Just beautiful. We let the dogs off leash at State Park. They had such a good time. Maggie is FAST! The only problem is she enjoys eating ... let's just say she enjoys eating things squirrels drop in the park. Disgusting!



Not my favorite picture of me, but the men I walked with sure are handsome!






It's beginning to look alot like winter. Peaceful beauty.
(and coooooold!)







Dean and Murielle Hess and their son and daughter-in-law joined us for dinner and the evening. The dinner was great - and we didn't burn down the house either! How was your pie, Kristen? Mine was pretty good, but I think I had too many apples in it. I needed my snitchers! A 3, 4, 23, 25 and 28-year-old snitcher!

We missed you all so much. But it was good to hear you all having fun together. Thank You, Lord. You are so very good.

Thanksgiving Pics COMING....

Hey Mom and Dad,

Thanksgiving pics are coming... and there are some GOOD ones. Just posting this in the mean time because I haven't had time yet to sift through and transfer then pics to the internet yet. We took a lot. Anyways, I made a iphoto album of the highlights, so it is only a matter of time before I get back to my place and upload the thing!

At the Gibson, working tonight, so I'll be all tied up until late, but this pic is definitely one of my FAVORITES. Thought I'd share.


Andrew wanted to wish you guys a happy Thanksgiving... and apparently now HE CAN WRITE?? While he's super proficient with his name he needed a little help with a couple of the letters in "Happy Thanksgiving". I made a bunch of little boxes for him to fill in with the letters. The rest is all him... especially the late, oddly placed, impromtu signature that falls between "HAPPY" and "THANKS-"!!

Also, he has Kristen's hitchhiker's thumb. Well done, dude!

Love you guys.
More pics pending.

Thanksgiving Day Hike

Hey,

This is not the "main" T-give post, but I thought I throw some pics up and share a little bit about my hike with the boys and Eli.

I wasn't one of the "key" components in the kitchen, so I was primarily hanging out with the boys today, a job I thoroughly enjoy. So we decided to go for a hike and to take Eli with us. Eli was having so much fun. We were trying to get him in the car and he was so excited he kept jumping in the part where Andrew and Jeremy were sitting and I had to get him out and put him in the back, but every time he got out, he would jump right back where he wasn't supposed to be. It was pretty funny. Anyhow, we walked up an Edison access road back near Amgen. I knew we could go there undisturbed so Eli could go leash-less. The boys had a blast. Eli stepped in a Cactus, so I had to figure out a way to get the cactus barbs out of his leg without getting them stuck in my hand. I got most of it out, so we decided to go home so I could get the rest out.

Here are some pics.

Happy Thanksgiving Eve!

So are the pies baked yet? Michael, I can almost smell your pumpkin bread! Maybe that's my pumpkin bread I smell! I baked several loaves and Dad and I delivered them to our neighbors tonight. It was fun to visit. One gal I had just seen in passing invited us in and we had a really nice chat. Discovered a bit about who she is and what she enjoys. Turns out she's the youth director (volunteer) at a local church and she's leading a Bible study for about 6 high school kids. Another sister. God is so good as He continues to connect us with His family - and others He wants to invite in!

Grandma and I baked today. We finished the pies - pumpkin and apple. It wasn't near as much fun making the apple pie without you guys snitching! I only used 8 apples and the pie is full. It usually takes 10-12 because of all that disappears from the bowl in the process!! I sure miss smacking your fingers. : ) I know I can count on you, Kristen and Megan, to keep that tradition alive. We'll bake together at Christmas - snitchers beware!

Grandpa is doing amazingly well after his surgery. He drove to Ames today for another doctor's appointment and some meetings at Iowa State. He's quite a trooper. He and Dad are planning some serious football game watching tomorrow! Did you all get your pics in?

So Don, what time are you putting your turkey in the oven? I bet you'll be starting about the same time we are. I need a picture of the finished product!

Matt, what are you cooking?!?!!

I have our camera batteries charging so I can take some pics to share tomorrow. I can't wait to see your Thanksgiving feast. How very thankful we are for you all! We love you. Miss you bunches, but with full hearts.

Looking forward to chatting tomorrow. God bless you all as you celebrate His goodness together. : >

Thanksgiving!

Well it is almost time to eat. I can already taste Kristen's crisp granny smith apples smothered in cinnamon-sugar that I am going to snitch tomorrow before they make it into the oven! Mom and Dad... I sure wish you were going to be here as well... i know dad would grad some of those as well and get major busted... he's not as sneaky as Don and I ;) I am going to attempt the pumpkin bread (recipe thanks to Don's 4th grade teacher... what was her name?) but I am not promising anything... I posted on my blog a picture of some super good looking bread (I am salivating already) and i hope to live up to that! I can't wait to get the boys involved as well tomorrow... I know they'll want to help out with everything! Don's defrosting his turkey as we speak and kristen and matt... well... they're at IKEA... some things never change :) Well I will definitely post some pics tomorrow of the cooking and eating and playing that goes on here. I love you mom and dad and can't wait till you come out for Christmas... we'll have to make up some more pumpkin bread (it is NOT a one holiday food... it is YEAR-Round!!!... and I am "thankful' for that!)
Post some pics of the Iowa feast when you get a chance... or of your bread/pies/turkey/etc... that you make... we'll compare feast and share stories...

happy almost! :)

The All-Nighter

It's 8 minutes long, but here's a video if you want to know what we did!

Big Jer

08.16.07 Snack and Juice

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Uganda 2007

Jan and I with the two "baby school" teachers

Our last day afternoon at the school
The view of Lake Victoria from the village where we stayed
Some of the older boys playing the tunes for the show the children put on for us on our last day

Some of my favorite kidos from the baby class
The tall boy with the big smile is Fred. He melted our hearts. He was one of the children that Jan and I assessed and worked with independently
Here are some of the pictures from my trip to Uganda. I had the most wonderful experience working in the schools and getting to know the teachers and students there. Jan and I fell in love with every child we met and we wanted to stay and teach for a month! I made many friends and have already been keeping in touch with them through email. The people are all so gentle-spirited and kind and we felt very welcome every where that we went. I hope to go back again and look forward to seeing many of the same people that I met. They really made an impact on my life and I felt very privileged to be a part of the work that was done there in Bethany Village.

Saturday Evening...

Hey Family,

Just thought I'd post a couple of the pics from the evening. I got to go out to NP and hang with the fam. We had a great time just messin' around and eventually playing Guitar Hero. Kristen made me a steak quesadilla... which was actually a a sincronasada. It was awesome... and the best part of my night. (No photo of sincronasada included. It was consumed too quickly). Anyways, here's some pics. I love you guys!

We're thinking it's best to try and start Tyler walking up on tall surfaces... that way he'll never be afraid of heights. Good idea, yeah? Well, he seems to like the idea.

Irresistible.

In it to win it.

Little does he know his soldiers are about to get all shot up.

Flexibility is 50% of fitness.

Michael Thompson: live from Larson Platz.

Guitar Hero in training.

More swagger than Jagger.

She melts faces and blows minds.

Style is half the game. It's a good thing no one got a picture of my kick.

Focus is the other half.

Bob Dylan: 1964... scarf? jacket? hat? NICE.

Rockin' the Caspah... on medium.

Love you, Mom and Dad! Looking forward to seeing you soon!