Ever So Thankful!

Last year, the day before Thanksgiving we found out my grandmother, who I was very close to, had terminal cancer. This mind blowing news of nan's short time left with us overshadowed the day. Needless to say, this year it was difficult to see that empty seat on Thanksgiving day, but it was impossible to dwell on nan's absence for too long, especially with our newest family member. Max has filled our lives with more joy than we could have ever imagined. His cooing, smiling, and laughing is an amazing gift. He is such a happy healthy baby. I've always dreamed of being a mom, but I never imagined it to be this rewarding. And, never on Thanksgiving have I been so thankful! Max has been the most precious gift, and I know that nan's spirit will live on in her namesake!

Ok, enough with the overwhelming emotions!!! And onto the pictures. Max has mastered a new talent - grabbing and playing with his new favorite toy - a blue chiming elephant attached to his car seat. On the way home from our Thanksgiving festivities, Max played with his elephant for about 30 minutes before taking a snooze for the last 15 minutes of our journey. It was so cute to watch him play!

Max has settled into our KU basketball obsession quite well. We had a great time last Friday watching the game with Friends - GO HAWKS! Speaking of KU, Zak and I have decided that it is best for me to finish my master's degree next summer while we have a large assortment of teachers who can help out with Max during the 5-6 weeks it takes me to finish up. Zak will finish before me, he'll be done with school the beginning of February - we simply can't wait!

And a little more of what Max and I have been up to...

Max and I have been SO busy 'staying at home.' I have been blessed with some awesome opportunities that have allowed me to make a little money, while staying home with Max. Working for Insight (the online high school), has been a lot of work, but overall a huge financial blessing! Not to mention the fact that I really enjoy it. I am still interacting with students, and feel like I have the chance to make a difference in the lives of my students. My job supervising teachers for KU has been another blessing, and I am gearing up for round two as my student teachers enter the schools again in the spring. And, of course, there is eBay! Above you see a chubby Max enjoying some Hallmark ornaments. This month has been a great income earning month with all of the hallmark stuff I have saved up from garage sales this summer. We are so busy, but we're having a blast.

As for the promised video - Zak is working on figuring out how to upload it to the blog - hopefully we'll have some video VERY SOON!