17 nights

17 nights... That's how long Joel has been gone on this trip to Pecos, TX, BUT he's coming home today!!!!!!!  I'm pretty excited.  This is the longest we've been apart, ever, and I'm ready to kiss his face.  :)  Molly's been missing her Daddy too.  We talk everyday about where he is and when he's coming home.  She was thrilled when I told her Daddy was coming home today!  You can bet there will be 2 anxious girls waiting at the airport to give him hugs!

             

I'm thankful for a great group of neighbors to help me get through the last couple weeks.  I got sick and they came to my rescue... we've eaten several meals together... and they've invited us over for play dates so I can get some adult conversation.  Here's a pic of our little angels from last night.

We're headed back to Oklahoma on Friday to spend time with our family for Christmas!  We're looking forward to a great trip!  Hope you all get to spend some quality time with the ones you love too!

Love, Jen

"Goober's a Silly Elf!"

So this is our first year to do Elf on the Shelf. We read the book and asked Mollypop to pick a name. She thought for a second and said, "How about Goober?" So Goober it is! She had a problem with Goober leaving our house every night to go to the North Pole though. She was literally in tears with the thought of Goober leaving (even though I explained he'd be back in the morning). Anyway, we decided maybe Goober could just call Santa to report back on how she's doing. Every morning when Mollypop wakes up, we go look to see what Goober has done. And every morning she says, "Goober's a silly elf!" Here are a few pics of what he's been up to...







I really hope we don't have a melt down when Goober has to go back to the North Pole when Christmas is over!

Love, Jen

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Happy Birthday Grandma Carrot!

Today is Grandma Carrot's birthday!  When Molly started talking, of course she gave everyone their own names.  For my stepmom, Karen, she started calling her Grandma Carrot.  We all thought it was hilarious, so it's stuck now.  

Here's one of my favorite pics of her with the kids...

  

In honor of her birthday, I'm going to make a list of 10 cool things you might now know about Grandma Carrot:

1. She has her Master's Degree.

2. She has a really fun lake home on Grand Lake.

3. She completed a half marathon.

4. She has a chocolate lab named Bella that sleeps with her every night.

5. She has let 2 struggling college students live with her for a semester so they could remain in school.

6. She's something big (not sure her exact position) with the Kansas Relay for Life.

7. She probably wears the same pant size as she did when she graduated high school.  

8. She has a rich aunt that lives on Balboa Island. 

9. She helps feed/take care of the Men's CCC Basketball team... even though they are twice her size. 

10. She LOVES all her babies... Molly, Drake, Jaedyn, Paige, and Bella

And just a few more pics...

Happy Birthday Grandma Carrot!  We Love You!  

Love, Jen