thanksgiving in kansas.

november was an insane month with travel pretty much every weekend. shenanigans. it was super fun, but i feel like it will be mid-late january before we settle down from all the festivities.

anyway. we went to wichita to hang with jb's mom and the denver crew for thanksgiving. it was a super fun trip, capped on either end by trips to in-n-out burger in ft. worth, which the kids have termed forevermore as up-n-down burger. the weather was nice(ish) the first day we were there, so we hit up the park and went for a couple of walks in the wind. the next day and the rest of the trip, we got a TON of ice, so that made for lots of indoor time, but the kids had a blast chilling with their cousins, hide-n-seeking, drinking lots of hot cocoa, opening christmas gifts early, and watching movies in the basement. we ate all the things and i even did some knitting! no snow this trip, which was a bummer, but good family togetherness all around.

barely.

ek: "i can verily see outside because of the fog!"

five years.

i have now been a mother for five whole years, thanks to the most amazing little girl i know. emme's birthday was in a cluster of alllll the activity this year, but we managed to have fun and celebrate in spite of the busy-ness. because this is a child that deserves to be celebrated.

my parents came in for halloween weekend and we had a little birthday brunch for her that morning. she requested rainbow cake, and jb found the most amazing rainbow cake mix, so we made that and egg casserole, fruit, corn grits, and biscuits. three families came over, plus kk & jj, and it was the perfect little gathering for this year.

the next day, we met up with several other families at stanley's farmhouse pizza for some playtime and cupcakes to celebrate emme and her fellow scorpio willa. the weather was perfection - i love it out there, and the kids did too.

on friday, the day before her real birthday, jb and i brought her lunch at school and got to read books to her class. it was so much fun - i want to read to preK kids every single day. they are so delighted by everything. i also made m&m cookies for her class and she got to pick out a "special rest time show" to watch during rest time - wildkratts, of course.

we left friday night for louisiana, so saturday morning we celebrated again for her real birthday. my brother and grandmother came over and my mom made an awesome red velvet cake for her. she also got to open presents - always a highlight. the adults had a wedding to attend that night, so my mom had arranged for three babysitting shifts to hang with the kids, which they obviously loved. lolo and g-dad got the first shift and the kids adored them, of course. then margaret arrived with chick fil-a and a doll. then joe joe brought in the late shift for bath and bed time. she had a great day.

i am so thankful every day that i get to watch this child grow into the person she is becoming. she is smart and funny, silly and kind. she loves to laugh and to make other people laugh. she wants to know and understand everything - her curiosity is one of my favorite things. she has a ridiculous memory, which is a blessing and a curse. she loves to play dress up and to pretend to be a kitty. she plays mommy and baby with any toy she can find. she loves her brother so fiercely and is really amazing with him 99% of the time. she's bossy and she can be a really bad sport, but she's working on sportsmanship. she is cautious but willing to try new things. she hates shots and being told no. she adores her family.

weight: 38 pounds
height: 42 inches

i love this kid with every fiber of my being and i cannot believe she is five.

that time i went to japan.

in october, mom and i went to okinawa to visit my awesome childhood friend jessica. she and her family are stationed there for three years - her husband is a doc in the air force - and it seemed like a great opportunity to join her dad and see a place i probably wouldn't have another chance to see.

okinawa is an island about 400 miles south of mainland japan and 400 miles east of china. there are like 24 active military bases on an island of ~1.4 million people, so it's pretty unlike any other place you'd ever be. it's surrounded by the east china sea and the pacific ocean. it's the cleanest place i've ever been, ever.

staying with a friend on a US military base was an amazing way to experience everything. we got to have home-cooked meals some nights, and feel the familiarity of being with family. but jess is so self-sufficient and adventurous, so she was also a pro at getting around, discovering new places, and bringing us to all her fave spots.

i magically actually journaled the trip in a real journal, so i won't go into full detail here (nor will i post all of the 400+ pictures), but here are some highlights. it was definitely a fabulous and super fun experience. i missed my family and never want to be away from them for eleven days again, but it was worth it. AND, now i know just how capable jb is of holding down the fort and all.the.things while i'm gone. insert maniacal laughter here...