Thanksgiving day was a VERY lazy day for us. We had a few offers to join others for the day,but it was a decision we made to stay home..enjoy the day, and enjoy being together for a change. With school, work and our other happenings, it seems we've all been in different directions.
Kristin & I spent the day in the kitchen, preparing a few new recipes. Kristin made the table pretty with Nain's china and some thanksgiving decoration. 
Bill cooked the turkey, 
and it was a joint effort in cleanup. All in all, it was a lazy day, and we enjoyed being together, watching movies, and mmmmm, pumpkin pie!Enjoy the few pictures we got.....Happy Thanksgiving!
The Flu Bug Got US!! 
We've been through the whole house now....everything from fevers to bad colds....poor Bill has been sick twice. Just send your kids back to school, and they bring home everything under the sun! Haha....
Poor Kristin had a fever for a few days, and laid around like a wet dishrag. Those of you who know Kristin well, know this is not her! Thankfully, it was a weekend, and I was able to be home with her, and didn't have to make the "do I go to work or stay home with my kid" decision! This is a picture of her after she was feeling a bit better...trying to get a kiss....she thought the bag would keep the germs away!! 
Thanks to all who have been praying for us. Your prayers have helped us heal....now for the coughing....that never goes away! Other than sickness...Ryan spent the weekend with his friend Hunter. It was a big weekend...as it was his first High School football game that he went to "unchaperoned"!! A big step for us..but he had a blast, and enjoyed his weekend with Hunter.
Ryan's birthday on Monday was somewhat uneventful due in part to Kristin being sick, and it being the first day that I was up & around. Thankfully we had celebrated when my folks were here....so other than his gift from us, and his special dinner, it was a quiet day. His birthday came & went, and as hard as I tried to put a brick on his head...he still turned 14! WOW.
Things are going great for Bill at school. We are very proud of him. He aced all his finals, and is pulling A's in his classes....woohoo Bill!!
I am enjoying work, but not enjoying the time away from home. Its been fun to be collecting almost full time again...between Joe's and the Credit Union I'm working about 35-40 hours. It does make it tough to be away from the kids and to have to work when Bill is off, but at least the kids are only home 2 days without one of us around.
The kids are doing great in their computer school lessons....it's been a blessing for all of us....and Kristin is amazing me with her math--she's doing so much better...guess the computer is a better teacher than me! Praise God for that gift of curriculum from the Brownsville district. Ryan is enjoy his math as well, and both kids, although not enjoying it, are doing well in grammar, english & spelling.
Last but not least...Robert is doing great in school as well...acing his Algebra class, and of course pulling A's in his music classes....but we would expect nothing less of him....he's the smart one in the family! Not that he needs us to be proud of him, but we are...as he's just as much a part of our family. 
Sorry for the lag in updates...being sick & busy makes it tough to get it all done! Leaving you with a picture of one of our cute kittens (who isn't so small anymore)....Zorro, catching a nap...with his cute little paw under his face!!
Time seems to fly by now. We move from one item to another--getting through the day...just to make it to the next day. Thankfully, God has been good, and we are able to keep our sanity. This week was full of "stuff"!! Monday was a heart dissection at school--if you haven't seen it, you can check it out here. On Monday, after Homeschool Group, Ryan came into my class, and said he was not feeling well. I told him I had a meeting and we would be leaving shortly after. He said he would be in the car resting. Thankfully, he did that, and I found him with a fever of 102 when we got home. He continued to feel poorly for the evening, sleeping most of the afternoon, and then through the night. When I woke on Tuesday to go to work, he was 103 degrees. Every motherly instinct in my head said I needed to stay home. Bill had his long day at school (Tuesday he goes 9-11--that's AM to PM!), and he had some mid-terms, so him staying home was out of the question. I worried about calling into work, due to the fact I've only been there 5 weeks....oh goodness, what will they think? Motherly instinct won out, and even through Ryan is 13-almost 14...there was no way I could be an hour away in one direction, while Bill was one hour away in the opposite direction. I called work and was so relieved when my boss said I should be home with Ryan. Praise God--I have been so blessed with such an understanding workplace. Ryan started feeling better in the evening, and his fever was down to 100 by bedtime. Wednesday, I did return to work, and the response was the same...everyone concerned about Ryan. How lucky can I be?? A wonderful job, and great coworkers. Thankfully, no one else got what he had. Robert still has a touch of what Bill had last week...but other than that...all are healthy--Ryan is still coughing like he's going to lose a lung! 
Kristin worked on organizing some clothing. She was looking for someplace to lay out her clothes--Dad seemed like a good place....poor guy...but what a good sport! 
On Friday--Bill met with Alice. He has decided it's time to let the rentals go. We've been killing ourselves trying to get them worked on....leaving things around here go, and the stress of worrying has been tough. I was very worried about letting Alice down, which is why I've been protesting letting them go...but Bill was insistent and talked with her. She took it very well, said she understood, and will look for someone else to work on the houses. We will continue to do the "emergency stuff" for her, and small things, but the 1950 renovation is off our plate.
Saturday, after a lazy morning in bed (check out the photo Robert caught complete with kitties) Bill & I had some repairs to do at the rentals, so took off for a busy day. Our goal was to get the repairs done, errands run, and then Bill's desk set up for him, as his small table is no longer working for all his books and items. He had this great idea to use the cupboards from our old headboard--and make a desk. It turned out great....and the storage he has is adequate for all his school stuff. We also hit the Teen Challenge thrift store, and found this great oak shelf for my desk...just what I needed! We spent Saturday afternoon & evening sorting, cleaning, building, and boy does it look nice! 
New headboard(Thanks Vi & Gene!) Bill's desk creation above, from our old headboard! He's so handy!
Shawnna's new shelf on the desk.
Bill cooked the turkey, 
and it was a joint effort in cleanup. All in all, it was a lazy day, and we enjoyed being together, watching movies, and mmmmm, pumpkin pie!
