A week in Uproar

Over the past couple of weeks there have been several terrorist attacks (Russia, Mali, Syria) across the globe and the world has been in an uproar and distraught since the latest attacks in Paris over a week ago. I still can't believe how people want to hurt other people so badly and why they have to bring so much pain and suffering to the world. Especially during this season of thanksgiving. Shouldn't we all be thankful for having one another and sending love and prayers to each other?!? 

          God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble; therefore, we will not fear. (Psalm 46:1-2) 

I found this bible verse and think that despite all the terrorism going on in the world, there is always hope; hope in God and that we should not be afraid but rather stand up and trust in him.

In other news, we had lots of things going on this past week and were out and about a lot. Last Sunday, Amelia was invited to one of her classmate's birthday party. The girls had fun playing and Amelia was so happy to help her friend unwrap her gifts. Happy 5th Birthday, Leona!

Then on Monday, the kids got their flu vaccines (and Amelia got also another vaccination). Here is a picture of them before the nurse came in. They did well and the tears only lasted a few seconds because when you are a toddler, a lollipop can fix almost anything.

While Amelia is in school, Elliot enjoys going for walks with me and paint. Every time I try to do a craft project, he joins in on the fun and paints his little heart out. 

This week, the weather has been all over the place. First it was cool, followed by warm and muggy weather, then it rained one night and on Friday, a cold front moved in, just in time for the weekend. Despite the fact that the daytime highs are in the low 50s, I enjoy this colder weather much more than the warm and muggy weather or the heat we had in Florida during the holidays. This weather gets me all excited and I'm so ready to decorate the house for Christmas....but not before Thanksgiving. One holiday after the other, please. On Tuesday afternoon, we made a spontaneous bonfire in the backyard and ate dessert (S'mores) before dinner. It's probably the last time this year that we had an outdoor fire, so we really savored it.  

After picking up Amelia from preschool on Wednesday, I took them straight to the playground and then the library. The kids love being outdoors and usually play every afternoon in the backyard, but this was a nice little change-up.

This is how my boy looks when he has fun in the backyard. He loves the dirt. By the way, this was his third outfit of the day as we had two potty training accidents prior to that. Nonetheless, I was tired of cleaning him up, even though he looks mighty cute even when he's dirty from top to bottom.

The librarian gave us a craft to take home and so we got busy and made a turkey necklace and a loopy-legged turkey. Amelia and Elliot were proud of making these crafts almost all by themselves. (By the way, this is Elliot new "cheese" smile:))

On Friday, our MOPS group had a farewell lunch at Chick-fil-a for a fellow mom and friend Betsy Jo. This fast-food establishment is great for kids: they love the food, free ice-cream, the mascot and the playground while the mommies can chat a bit.

Luckily, we didn't had to say our goodbyes to Betsy Jo and her kids right there as we enjoyed having them over one last time for dinner that night. The girls had a last play-date that ended in tears as Amelia realized there and then that her friend Eva will be moving on Sunday and she won't be able to play with her again. Poor girl. Leaving friends behind and letting them go, can be tough. I know how that feels. But luckily friendship doesn't count miles because it's measure by the heart!

The girls had one last chance to see each other though as we met up at the Christmas Tree Lighting ceremony on Saturday evening. This was the first Christmas related event we participated in this season and there are many more to come. Due to the crowds, the kids were not able to ride the choo choo train or visit with Santa, but they enjoyed chasing each other around the tree. It looked beautiful all lit up. And then, for the last time, we hugged our friends goodbye and wished them all the best on their new adventure. We will miss them, that's for sure.

Hopefully, this will be a much calmer and less fearful week so people can relax and enjoy Thanksgiving. Despite all what's going on, we have so much to be thankful. Follow along as we celebrate Thanksgiving and the start of Christmas season.