Life as a Leach

This year, I'm thankful for health and family...and that my healthy family can all celebrate under one roof!  Last year, my dad and Abby were both in the hospital.  We praise God that they are both doing well after a tough year! Here is a collection of Thankfulness quotes and Bible verses I liked.  Enjoy! Happy Thanksgiving!  What are you thankful for this year?

It’s Thanksgiving Day and the table’s all set. All day in the kitchen I chopped, cooked, and sweat. The green beans are ready, the potatoes are, too. The cranberry sauce is a gorgeous red hue. Sit down, have some stuffing, it’s seasoned just right. Please tell me you’re going to have at least one small bite. How about the star of the show: roasted turkey? Why are your eating habits so freaking quirky? How can it be that you fear mashed potatoes, when I’ve seen you eat dirt, rocks, some paper and Playdough? You’re making a scene, ok, please just stop crying. My dreams of a calm Thanksgiving are dying. Fine, just eat the bread. I’m tired. You win. Once again, I’ll be scraping your plate in the bin. But if you get scurvy, don’t come looking for me. It’s not my fault you eat so damn crappily. Another roll? Go ahead, please help yourself. But tomorrow get ready for Elf on the Shelf. Source:  www.momsnewsdaily.com

Bestselling favorite Parable books bring fun throughout the year in this new four books in one format. With more than 1.1 million units sold in the Parable Series, Liz Curtis Higgs has given parents and kids alike beloved parables they can read throughout the year. This adorable compilation,  Parable Treasury , allows families to get all their favorite stories in one value-packed book. For nearly twenty years, Liz Curtis Higgs has made the holidays a little brighter throughout the year with her Parable Series. In a lovely padded hardcover format, the Gold Medallion–winning books from the Parable Series will include: The Pumpkin Patch Parable,which focuses on the harvest season and shows that we can let God’s love shine through us The Pine Tree Parable,a heartwarming tale of the farmer and his family, who nurture tiny seedlings into fragrant Christmas trees The Parable of the Lily, which helps children understand the power of grace and forgiveness and the true meaning of ...

In just 2 weeks, we will be heading to Disney World!!!!  

To the siblings who sometimes feel invisible...I see you. To the ones who have celebrated Christmas and Thanksgiving in the hospital instead of around your dining room table...I see you. To the kids who get shuffled from one family member to the next during hospitalizations...I see you. To the children who trade video games at sleepovers for blown up medical gloves during hospital visits...I see you. To the students whose parents have missed games, performances, concerts, and school presentations...I see you. To the kids who turn speech and physical therapy into fun games…I see you. To those who have blown out birthday candles in hospital playrooms...I see you. To the kids who share their houses with nurses and therapists...I see you. To the students who have been picked up unexpectedly from school, only to find out your sibling has been taken to the hospital again…I see you. To the children who had to grow up too fast and have way too...

Inspired by this article and photos, I decided to do a little photo shoot with Abby. Abby:  Then and Now! She got a little silly after a while :) We keep this picture on our mantle to remind us of how far she has come.  Although some days can be hard, we are so blessed with her health, spunk, and zest for life!

We got our Magic Bands today!! We are getting sooooooooooo close!! I've made our packing list and am gathering our suitcases.  It will be here before we know it!!

2016 Halloween costume...check!  I love 90% off sales.  He is thrilled!  Let's hope he still likes it next year like he says he will.

Look who learned how to write her brother's name?! This was hanging up outside of her classroom.  Too funny! And  dance she does!  All. Of. The. Time. We had a conference with Abby's teacher the other day and we are thrilled with how well she is doing!  She has learned so much already and I am especially impressed with the knowledge she has about number combinations.  In the car the other day, she was spouting off, " one and three equal four, one and one and two equal four, two and two equal four!" without any prompting whatsoever.  She has a fantastic teacher who is perfect for her.  Matt and I especially appreciate how she is holding Abby to a high standard, so she isn't getting away with anything!  :)  We love our girl and the natural sassiness that has made her into the fighter she is, but we don't want it to become a problem in the classroom!  :)

Since I'll be celebrating my birthday Disney-style this year, my sweet husband took me out a little early.  We went with our wonderful friends Jenn and Steven to Bobby McKey's, which is a piano bar about an hour from us. We went to dinner first, since Bobby McKey's is more just bar food. We had a little time before the show started, so we checked out some of the stores in the area.  The guys were wearing very similar shirts and got a real complex about being twinsies, so this is the only picture I could get of them.  Steve enjoyed the softness of the bamboo bath mat.  :) This lady gave us so much entertainment.  She had "pre-gamed it" before coming to the show, so she was pretty hysterical! If you've never been there, it's pretty fun!  The guys on the piano are insanely talented and play everything by request.  You will hear everything from 80s music, to rap, to country, to show tunes!   Have you ever been to ...

      Do you have a little girl who loves princesses?  How about stickers?  These books combine the two loves of so many little girls into faith-filled stories for your little ones.  Designed for ages 4-8, these books have 50 reusable stickers that help tell stories about Joy and her four princess sisters.  The stickers are easy for little fingers to remove and can easily be repositioned as needed. Since "Joy" is sort of a theme in my house, I was drawn to Princess Joy right away.  Since Princess Grace was another one in the same series, I knew my girl would love it too! These are fun books for the car, to take on the airplane, or to do while waiting in the doctor's office.  In fact, one of these just might get packed for our plane ride to Florida! Disclaimer:  I am a Book Looks Blogger and get free books in exchange for an honest review.  All opinions are my own!

There have been so many blessings that have come out of our journey the last five years.  At the top of the list is most certainly the Ronald McDonald House of Baltimore.  The staff has created such a warm community there, and it really is our home away from home.  We love it and shout that from the rooftops! We were so honored that they invited us to their Hamburgala fundraiser.  The kids presented flowers to the chair of the committee, and we all held signs to direct people to dinner.  It was such a fun evening and a great way to raise money for the new house! Abby loved her new dress and enjoyed twirling in it! Caleb got so many compliments on how sharp he looked. Abby decided to practice her princess wave for Disney World while we waited for the shuttle to take us to the Gala at the Four Seasons .  :) Our menu for the night. Everything served included McDonalds ingredients!  (but much fancier!)...