Thanksgiving Day at the Pendletons

No family gathering is complete without the men playing Scrabble

I am thankful for my amazing husband!

My sister-in-law, Kari, the Samurai...great job on those potatoes!

Katelyn's first Thanksgiving...

The "turkey crew" with hands buttered up, ready to rub down the bird

Photo shoot with my sweetie on the cute front porch

Found David and Caleb climbing a tree in the backyard...

Katelyn with her doting cousins, Meg and David

Katie dressed up in the same outfit Emma wore on her first Thanksgiving

Katelyn has become Daddy's girl #2 these past couple weeks

Uncle Trey is quite smitten with his little niece...

Katelyn is 8 months old!

The next milestone for Katie will be climbing...time to put a gate on our stairs!

Backyard fun

Before our neighbors moved in, Jonas would let the kids ride their quads in the backyard. Helps keeps the weeds down and it is just plain fun! Here's a clip from the summer...

Katelyn activities

When she's not driving around to the other kids' schools or various activities, Katelyn enjoys her jumper and playpen. We get such a kick out of watching her bounce like crazy...

Tennis lessons

The week after soccer ended, with its schedule of two practices and a Sat. game, we decided to enroll Emma in dance, swimming and tennis, while Caleb takes on karate and tennis lessons. Best not to slow down while you're still geared up, right? Katelyn's extra-curricular activity is staring out the back window while constantly cruising around in her car seat. Poor thing, at least we got her a new cushy one this week, since she spends half her day in it.

Here's a couple clips of the kids at their first tennis lesson...Emma thinks she's done after week one--she prefers private lessons with Daddy. Caleb plans to continue, though, and is off to a good start.

Soccer finale

The Firecrackers have finished their season with honor. Caleb decided, the last game of the season mind you, that he truly does enjoy soccer and wants to do it next year. Hmm, would have been nice if he had desired to play during the season, but that's okay buddy. Glad you finished with a smile. Coach Carolyn, you're awesome...thank you for your patience and encouragement!

Ready for church

Wow, how often do we have it together enough to snap a few pics before church in the morning? The fact that I actually did on this particular day is blog worthy. And yes, I think we were still on time!

Happy Halloween

From Emma's school party to trick-or-treating around the quaint neighborhood we go to each year, this was such a fun Halloween...Katelyn's first and the first at our new home. Thank you for joining us Grandpa and Grandma Nancy, Grandma Jo Anne and the Bailey family :).

Katelyn resting during the school costume parade

Emma and her new teacher, Mrs. Cook

Sharing treats during the class party

Icky hands!

Jonas and I wore shirts the kids decorated for us, Emma is Tinkerbell's friend, Silvermist Fairy, Caleb is Logan "Wolverine" from X-Men...minus the claws and mask

Katie's onesie reads "This is my costume"

Grandma Jo Anne came in costume

Katelyn at 7 months

Katie has been army crawling for several weeks...her newest skill is squealing (quite loud).

Parents' 40th Anniversary

My parents invited all the "kids" to join them in Newport Beach to celebrate their 40th Anniversary. We enjoyed appetizers at their hotel before heading over to the harbor for a dinner cruise. My dad had a slideshow of pictures chronicling their lives before and after marriage which was fun to watch. He also presented a new wedding ring setting to Mom which is beautiful. Congratulations Dad and Mom and thank you for your faithfulness and commitment to each other! We had such a great time...

San Diego Zoo

Caleb, Katie and I joined friends for a day at the zoo in October. Our family had last been there just before Katie's birth, so I enjoyed walking all around this time and not having to worry about going into pre-term labor!

Thanks again for, Jill and Tracy, for inviting us!

Fall Photo Shoot

Fall is my favorite time of year, so I asked Tracy to also take shots of the kids dressed for the season. Emma is pictured with her American Girl doll, Nicki, Caleb is going to be Wolverine from the X-Men for Halloween, and Katie is our adorable little pumpkin.

Thank you Tracy for a wonderful experience (and if you can say that after a two hour shoot with three kids on a hot day, you know you're in the hands of a gifted photographer!).

Katie at Six Months

Katelyn has discovered her will upon entering the latter half of her infancy. She's not quite as willing to smile and put up with everything. Truthfully though, she's still such a sweet and happy baby. However, for two weeks in a row they've had to come get me at church because Katelyn pitched a fit in the nursery. Why? She wants Mommy to give her the bottle, thank you very much.

I've treasured every second of her first six months ...what a sweet gift from the Lord she is.

Our friend, Tracy Dodson, is a talented photographer, so when she offered to take Katelyn's six month pictures I jumped at the opportunity. They came out soooo great!