Karis Turns 8!

We had a party for Karis the morning of her birthday. Ten of her friends came to celebrate with her. 

Karis had a Beanie Boo Adoption Party. There were many Beanie Boos looking for a good home. 

We blew up balloons and put a number in each one. The kids grabbed a balloon and sat on it to see what order they would pick their new pet. 

They filled out some adoption papers and gave them a medical check up. They also decorated a bed for them. 

Afterwards, the kids ate lunch and sang Happy Birthday. 

Since Karis doesn't like cake and frosting we had jumbo chocolate chip and M&M cookies.

Karis had a great time and loved all her gifts. 

Two of Karis's best friends didn't come to her party because they were running fevers that week. They came over later the next week for a mini Beanie Boo party. They got to adopt a Beanie Boo and do all the party activities. 

The girls came over right after school. It was half day and pajama day at school. 

Celebrating 8 at School

Karis got to celebrate her birthday at school on Friday the 9th. She brought her favorite birthday treat again -- candy coated pretzels. Unfortunately her teacher doesn't allow parents to visit during snack time so we don't have any pictures. 

Daddy visited during lunch since it was also Mavs Dads day. 

The following week, Lindsay and Jamie visited her during lunch to bring her Cane's chicken and a cupcake. 

They stayed for recess and played. It was such a special treat for her!

Thanksgiving Day

Our Thanksgiving meal was small but full of love and yummy food! The church where I work gave each preschool employee a smoked turkey. A friend gave us a Thanksgiving meal in a basket so we used a few things in it, along with the sides that I made. 

The girls may have started a new Thanksgiving tradition. While waiting for dinner to be ready, they made cards for each family member. When we sat down to eat, we read our love notes that showed how thankful we are for one another. 

Our First Family Camping Trip

We decided at the last minute to check out Jellystone Park for some family camping the week of Thanksgiving. The park was only about an hour away and it had cabins, running water, a full kitchen and Wifi. Sounded like a great place! The weather was perfect and we found lots to do during our four day stay. 

A hay ride around the park. 

The kids loved meeting the Yogi Bear characters. We met Boo Boo bear the first day.

The human maze was a big hit with the kids. The girls were great at figuring out where the entrance and exits were. 

I took the little ones for a nap one afternoon while Daddy and Karis, hiked, played paintball, bounced in the bounce houses and played horse shoe.

We took a night time ride on a vintage fire truck where we met Yogi Bear. 

Kyle was a bit frightened by the large bear. He would only take a picture if Daddy was there to protect him. 

The kids loved just hanging out in the cabin. The girls stayed upstairs in the loft. 

Daddy and Kyle playing cars. 

Coloring by the fire.

Our porch

There was a playground.

And plenty of space to run around.



I made the kids a journal where they wrote every day about the weather, what they did, and what was their favorite activities.

A train ride. 

We spent a lot of time in the mess hall coloring, playing ping pong and dancing on the stage. The kids learned all about Yogi Bear during our stay. We even found a couple of old TV episodes on the iPad for the kids to watch. 

S'mores!

The campsite had activities throughout the day. We went to craft time where the kids made paper turkeys and wrote what they are thankful for. 

Big kid on a big tractor. 

Playing on the vintage fire truck. 

We definitely made lots of memories on our trip!