Happy Thanksgiving and what I am thankful for...

First and foremost, I am thankful for my husband, Lucas. He spends 6 months of the year apart from the family to go work in dreadful conditions where is light all day or dark all day and survive freezing conditions, just so he can provide a good life for us. Secondly, I am grateful for my kids. There's not a day that goes by that they don't make me laugh and smile. I am thankful for my mother who is dutifully serving her country in less than great conditions. From what she tells us about her life in Iraq, I know I would break down in tears everyday, but she sees the bright side of everything and that is something I am jealous of. I am also grateful for all those times I was a bad kid and my mother restrained herself from beating me to death. I am grateful for my Mom and Grandfather( who recently passed) who taught me the value of hard work and doing a job well done. That is a gift that has helped me out so much in life. I am thankful for my brother and sister. We don't always get along great, but I know that we are always there for each other. I am especially thankful for my brother who suffered for years to care for my grandparents when my father did not step up. He is now suffering from wrath of Terry (my father) and doesn't deserve it. I wish I was there to support him and help him out. I am thankful for my nice home, when I know there are people who will be sleeping on the streets tonight. I am thankful that I didn't have to cook the big thanksgiving dinner. I let Kennedy decide what she wanted and chose a Stouffers Frozen Lasagna. All I had to do was stick it in the microwave and she told me this was her best thanksgiving. Selfishly, I am grateful for my computers and the knowledge that they have given me. Who would have ever thought that a 22 year old girl who one day picked up a computer manual would end up working for Microsoft. I am really blessed. I am thankful for the gym (I know it sounds weird) for keeping me healthy both physically and mentally. I am grateful for Lucas who puts in so much work in the summer on our 1/2 acre lot. You don't really know how big it is until you try and work on it. I am grateful for the entire Skinner and Gilbert families. Since day 1 they have always welcomed me into their homes and never once judged me... just loved me and Kennedy like we were on of them. I am grateful for all the Skinner girls. It's nice to have a big family to lean on. I am grateful that I can run, jump, talk, see, breathe and all the other gifts that God gave me. I am grateful for so much more that I just can't fit in... but most of all, I am grateful for all of you who read this today. Thanks for the love and support!

For Josie

Hey Josie, here are the designs. If you guys don't like them then let me know and I'll work on some more. Thanks for asking me... I was getting bored. Just click on the picture to see them full sized.

Happy Halloween from the Pirates!

Since Lucas will be gone for Thanksgiving and Christmas, we decided to go all out for Halloween. We all dressed up as Pirates. It was really fun!

Rowan actually left his hat on all night... we think it's because he thought he would only get candy if he had it on.


Kennedy and her friend Addee. She dressed up as a pirate too.

The whole family!

Dad and Rowan. What a couple of cuties!

Don't forget Kennedy. She looked pretty adorable herself.

Kennedy turns 8!

Well, another year has come and gone and my little girl turned 8 on Halloween! How time flies... it seems like yesterday that she was just a baby. Now she's all grown up with earings and everything.

Here is a picture from her party. We made masks out of feathers and jewels. That was about as creative as I got for this party.



Kennedy blowing out her candles. Rowan got a few of them before she did so we had to re-light some for her.


As you can see... I went all out on the decorations... HaHa! It was a pirate themed party and we actually had a bunch of really cute pirate things.


Yes, this is her cake and yes, I made it all on my own. Let me tell you... fondant isn't as easy to put on as they make it look in the pictures. As I was trying to smooth it down over the sides it kept ripping so I made a thin layer to go around the sides again. That's why there is black icing around it... to cover up the seams. To top it all off, none of the girls liked the fondant and ripped it all off of their pieces. Oh well... she loved her cake anyways.

Happy Birthday my little buttercup!