We invaded Massachusetts . . .

G and I took the kiddos to Boston for the weekend to visit with friends.  Although we enjoyed seeing everyone very much and miss parts of our lives there, neither one of us plans to do that again anytime soon ;-)  Let's just say it was a comedy of errors that we have no desire to repeat and little Eli is definitely NOT an E.Z. traveler!  It's good to be home :)

Kyle's Auction . . .

was a HUGE success!!!!  The Auction was last night and we were overwhelmed by the love and support shown to Kyle.  Sadly, Kyle was not feeling well at all and had to leave early but he was glad to have gotten to attend and was touched by the support.

It is impossible to thank everyone as this was such a team effort, but there are a few folks who I must mention:

• My amazing Mom-in-law, Adele Fisher, truly was the brains of this operation and without her, this event would never have happened.  She worked tirelessly to secure volunteers, donations, and everything else we needed.  Thank you so much Adele!!!

• Brady Hammrich, our fabulous auctioneer.  He had everyone in stitches and did a great job of raising bids and donations.  Thanks Brady, I haven't laughed that hard in a long time!

• Keith Garton was our chef and prepared a delicious pasta bar that was enjoyed by all.  Thank you Keith for your wonderful food and for donating your time, it was much appreciated!

• The teachers, staff, students and PTSO of Orchard Heights Elementary School, who secured many donations and showed up in great numbers at the Auction.  It meant so much to have your support!

• The teachers, staff and students of Marcus Whitman Junior High School who helped set up for and helped with the auction and secured many donations.  Kyle is lucky to attend your school!

• Patti Wamsher, Kyle's former day care provider was an amazing help in all aspects of the auction ~ from procuring donations and selling tickets to setting up, baking for and attending the auction.  We could not have done it without you Patti!

• John and Joanne Sprague and Cindy Peterson, who donated their time and expertise to registering everyone for the auction and making the payment process so smooth.  We truly cannot thank you enough for donating your time and expertise!

• Jean Schneider, my mom and Kyle's Gram, who did much of the behind the scenes work and baked all of the yummy desserts that were served at the auction (all recipes are included in Kyle's cookbook available for $15!).

• The many individuals and businesses who donated items to the auction, those who attended and of course everyone who prayed for the success of the auction.  We love and appreciate all of you and your support!

God bless all of you!  Please keep Kyle in your prayers so we can get him feeling better.  This is an amazing young man and I am so proud to be his Aunt.

Alli the comedian

Last night since G was in class, Alli & I had dinner with my folks (Eli was happily snoozing under their Christmas tree).  Alli was sitting across from my dad and half way through dinner says (very innocently) Papa has a big noggin ~ Mom and I bust out in uncontrollable laughter.  This was Alli's clue that she said something very funny and she started smiling and giggling.  Dad didn't seem to think it was quite so funny.  Go figure!  Alli of course loved that she was so funny and kept saying What did I say?  Oh yeah, Papa has a big noggin.  Let's talk about Ducky Papa's head more!

Too cute!  My dad will be thrilled that this made it on the blog . . .

Our "EZ" Angel

Is there anything more precious than a sleeping baby????  G put Eli on his playmat this evening so we could eat dinner.  It was very quiet so we had to check it out, this is what we found . . .

He was zonked ;-)

Sibling rivalry???

After decorating the tree, while still watching the Cougs get pummeled by the Huskies (OUCH 30-0!), G was snuggling with both kiddos, which was pretty sweet.  Then we saw the pictures . . .

Alli is looking a little less than pleased that Eli is with her & Daddy!

Getting a little better, maybe she's starting to realize he's really not going away :)

Eli has nothing but smiles and admiration for his big sis!

Win the day for Crimson & Gray!!!

It is once again time for the Apple Cup.  For those of you who are not from WA, that is the big football showdown between the Washington State University Cougars and the University of Washington Huskies.  No question who we're rooting for ;-)

Go Cougs!!!!!!!!

You can see that Eli is not too sure what to think of game ~ his face sums up how most Cougs are likely feeling right about now ;-)

Such a wonderful Turkey Day ;-)

We are stuffed and tired but very happy!  We had such a great day with our families and ate lots of yummy food :) 

Here we are on our first Thanksgiving as the Fisher Family of Four!!!

The kiddos looked so cute in their matching outfits and for the most part, had a great day.  Eli is teething so he was a bit uncomfortable but was a trooper.

As a side note, here's a little trivia for you . . . 11 years ago (Thanksgiving night 1998), G and I finally figured out the whole dating thing and shared our first kiss ~ we've been together ever since ;-)

Happy Thanksgiving

We have so much to be thankful for this year . . .

First, we are so thankful for our two healthy children!  It was just last Thanksgiving that we learned we were pregnant with Eli and now he is here with us :)

We are so thankful to be here in WA near family.

We are thankful that we chose to live in this particular neighborhood.  Our neighbors are wonderful and have become dear friends.

We are thankful for the generosity of the community here and across the country ~ so many people have rallied behind our nephew!

We are thankful for the births of our dear friends' children this year ~ Lauren, we are still so excited to meet you!  Kaden, welcome to the world little one ~ enjoy your first Turkey day.  And of course, Baby Selah and Baby Abigail, we are so happy to have you as friends!!!

We pray that each of you enjoy your Thanksgiving and take a moment to share those things for which you are thankful.

A Pirate Party

Sorry for the lack of posts lately, we've been incredibly busy with the Auction ~ only two weeks to go!!!

Today, G took Alli and Eli to a friend's 4th birthday party, which had a pirate theme.  I met them there after church and got to see all of the fun :)  Here is a shot of our little "wench" as G called her.  Not my favorite term but G assures me it's not bad, just Pirates and Wenches ;-)  As you can see from the pictures, everyone got involved in the fun   . . .

Concentrating very hard on the puppet show

Eli was just so excited Mommy arrived ~ think he even noticed??? ;-)

Hmmm, maybe the Fisher boys just don't show excitement

Eli found his thumb!!!

So we realize that not all parents would be as excited by this as we are, but we think it is great!  Well, Alli is not as impressed as she desperately wants Eli to love the binky, but G and I are thrilled at this point :)  He has been trying so hard to suck that thumb since birth but couldn't quite figure out how to do it, often sucking on his knuckles instead.  This morning, I went in to wake him (I think he would sleep until noon if I let him!) and he was sound asleep, happily sucking his left thumb.  I was so bummed that I didn't have the camera but no worries, he was happy to suck it many times during the day, allowing me to get some cute shots ;-)