Road Trip

After Thanksgiving, Eric headed home to take an exam so that he can start attending classes next year in pursuit of his MBA. The kiddos and I headed on to St. Louis for much fun with my pal, Mrs. Evans, and her girls. As always, the days were filled with great food, games, shopping, belly laughs, coffee, more laughs and more coffee!


Mr. Evans has been faithfully and honorably serving our country in Afghanistan these past six months. We have enjoyed our extra time together with his girls in his absence, but are eager for his safe return to his dear family...very soon!

On this trip we were really blessed to attend church with the Evans girls - great fellowship and teaching! Later in the week the kiddos attended an awesome childrens program while we enjoyed a women's Christmas brunch. The food was delicious and we were extremely touched and moved by hearing eight women testify to what God was doing in their lives. It was a very worshipful time and we were so encouraged - a great start to the Christmas season for sure!

The Evans have turned their entire basement into a very impressive playroom. Several times a day we would lose the children to the underground for semi-peaceful coffee talks. But between coffee breaks, we headed out on the town for a train ride, an unexpected Santa chat, shopping, and a private (nearly the only patrons there!) lunch at the spaghetti factory.


One exciting milestone for Zane at the Evans was that he successful sucked water through a straw! Mrs. Evans was a wonderful cheerleader and encouraged Zane to master it. This is BIG, HUGE, INCREDIBLE! When there's a hole/fistula in the roof of your mouth, this can be quite challenging. Not sure how he maneuvers this, but if he puts the straw just so, he gets enough pressure to suck it up. It can get frustrating for him when it's not just right and he sucks wind, but he has continued to improve his technique. Zane does not fail to show us great determination and ingenuity!

We are so blessed to travel through life with these dear friends and always look forward to our next visit. In the meantime, we quietly take pictures of Zane with both of the girls in case there's an Evans/Wolfe wedding someday. ;)

Thanksgiving

Thanksgiving was a '3 brother-Wolfe' gathering...14 heads, 8 cousins, 5 pies, 60 cookies and unlimited card playing. Now all that, is something to be thankful for!

Our car doors opened, Elle embraced cousin Ami, and they disappeared. About the only time we saw them for the next three days was when they resurfaced for food. Those girls are silly and becoming precious friends - truly a joy for us to witness.

We found Elle and Ami 'painting' and dressing and dancing....


















Especially wonderful was having cousin Titus home for his first Thanksgiving.

He seemed quite entertained by all the action.

I love this pic of our boys connecting, while rolling and tumbling.

Zane still takes a bit of time to warm up at our large family shindigs. I certainly savor his cuddles and love that he still needs security and comfort from Mama. I know that all too soon this will pass and I'll be tackling him for some face time.

We knew our baby would get into the spirit of all things crazy and he soon joined in for some dress-up, piggyback rides and crafting.

























The only 'thing' missing was Grandpa and Grandma Wolfe, but they joined us via Skype for some laughs. Sadly, we could not pass them a slice of pie. :)

This Thanksgiving, the Wolfe family is grateful for our salvation and the fellowship we share through Jesus.

Cousins, More Cousins, & New Cousins

The first Saturday of every November is the Cousin Reunion. All the families from the five Mosher children (one of whom is my Grandmother) come together for a weekend of fellowship.

My Grandma is the last living sibling as her sister, sweet Aunt Doris, went home to heaven this past year. At 94 years of age, Grandma comes from California to 'little-town', Kansas each year to bless us all.

When Grandma arrived at the fellowship hall, everyone sang "For she's a jolly good fellow...." She was especially honored as 75 people sang her favorite hymns throughout the day.

Aunt Doris' children and grandchildren came to 'stand in her place' and we had the privilege of meeting new cousins for the very first time. I have some very cool cousins, leading fascinating lives with dear, kind hearts, reflecting Aunt Doris' sweet spirit...it truly felt like she was with us for all the festivities.

We hosted another bonfire during the weekend where everyone shares poetry, scripture and song. My second cousin, Adam, brought his guitar. One beautiful song he shared was an original that he had written and played for his wife at their wedding this past May. Life doesn't stop long enough for moments like these, so we treasure them deeply. I can't describe how dear these bonfires have become to us all. Grandma quoted from memory some of our families' best loved verses...the weekend was truly meaningful and memorable.

Welcoming Grandma with song and hugs.

Grandma & Aunt Doris, 2009

With our Mom, Grandma and GREAT Grandma

Bonfire at the Wolfes
Staying warm by the fire and fellowship.

Grandma & Mom

Elle's GG (Great Grandma)

Gram's Birthday

Along with Gotcha Day, we've also had the privilege of celebrating with Gram on her birthday for the past four years. The day didn't go as planned, as I ended up spending several hours at the children's hospital helping a friend. But it was a blessing to be there and the kiddos had a blast with Mom at the hospital playground and were flexible to take their naps in the car.

While we were downtown, we did treat Gram to a delicious meal at a bohemian-like spot that I discovered on my birthday this past year. Mom enjoyed a green juice and we all feasted on lima bean pesto, goat cheese, roasted red bell peppers, artisan bread, butternut squash soup and wild field green salads. We finished our day with a homemade, gluten-free carrot cake. I know Mom missed Dad, but we enjoyed having her on her special day and hope that some of the little things made her feel appreciated and loved.

Mom stayed in Elle's room while she was here and in less than 24 hours from her arrival, we had the sewing table set up beside her bed and a stack of projects that had been waiting for her arrival. :) She hemmed clothes, fixed several patches on Elle's antique quilt and even edged it with yellow trim. It's purdy now and ready for another 50 years!

As every year, the weather was again beautiful during her visit and we treasure the memories of life shared together. Looking forward to next year!

Happy Birthday, Gram!

Gram taught Zane & Elle how to play Rock-Paper-Scissors. Zane was always a rock.

One morning Elle said, "I like that Gram.", as if we were deciding whether or not to keep her.

Gram taught Elle how to make stir-fry - it was yummy!

Harvest Party

Elle and Zane dressed for our church's harvest party. Elle wanted to be Princess Belle. We thought it appropriate since we always call her Elle-Belle. Elle doesn't know that Belle wears a yellow dress, so she was easy to please when I found a pink, $2.00, princess-like outfit at the consignment shop. Gram made a few alterations on the sewing machine and it worked beautifully. We added a homemade headband that she can wear anywhere, anytime. The dress will make for many more fun dress-ups during the next few years.

Princess Elle-Belle

Found a cute fireman outfit on clearance and Zane was good to go too.

Winning candy!

Elle and Zane had a lot of fun visiting the game booths, stumbling through the dark room maze, eating pizza and climbing through the jump-house obstacle course with a 30 foot slide at completion. Elle was so thrilled over the lightning bolt descent that she squealed and danced like we've never seen before.

Pumpkins & Laughs

With my Mom here at this time every year, we visited our favorite pumpkin patch together again. It was a beautiful day for Zane's first experience on the farm. The kiddos enjoyed the playground, trying to hoist up big pumpkins, picking out their very own, weaving through the hay bale maze, seeing the animals and finishing the visit with a honey stick.

Got very few and poor shots with my dying camera - ARGH!

Lost in the maze.

MOO!

We had such a relaxing time that we lost track of time and had to rush home so my Mom and I could get to the Chonda P*erce concert in time. She is the funniest comedian! We laughed, hard! Best part, Chonda loves Jesus, represents Him well and loves people. It was really a great night.

Here's a short video of some fun the kiddos have been having this Fall.

Pegs & Scooter

Zane got 100 stacking pegs for his birthday and we all love them! This is the best present we've ever bought him. He's very coordinated with his hands and enjoys the challenge. I like how they keep him entertained while Elle and I work on a preschool project.









He had a little help with this tower.



















We ran into a favorite consignment shop and found this outside the door for just $7. Elle flipped!

She thinks her cousins and their scooters are awesome, so it was a blast to say, "It's yours! Let's get it!"

Elle: What? Mine?
Me: Yes, let's go buy it.
Elle: (jumping up and down) Ahhhh, eeeek, yeaaaaaa! Thank you Mama, thank you!
Elle: (screaming from the sidewalk to the car) Dada, look Dada, look, a scooter! It's mine, we're buying it!