Keeping Up With The Smuckers: November

OK. So November came and went really fast! It's hard to believe it's already December. This post probably should have been broken in to several throughout the month, but... Thanks for bearing with me on this long post. There are some cute pictures! Enjoy!

Here are the highlights:

Rachel is smiling more and more these days - which is great fun!

Rachel is almost 3 months old now. At about 2 1/2 months, I finally let Emma and Heidi hold her. My thinking was that if I let them (primarily Heidi) hold her, that would open the door for thinking they/she could pick her up whenever, carry her around, etc. Heidi had been asking to hold her for quite awhile. She just kept saying, "when she gets bigger, then I can hold her." :-) So here are the proud sisters!

Heidi really LOVES holding her. She generally doesn't care if she's crying or wiggly. Although yesterday when she was holding Rachel and she started crying, Heidi said "your turn." :-)

Rachel has also started cooing and "talking." Here we are having a conversation.

The weekend of November 13-15, the US Boomerang Team Trials were held in Conyers, GA. We were kind of the hosts (even though Conyers is about an hour from our house). But it was a gorgeous weekend and the event went well. Teams were selected to represent the US at the next World Cup to be held in Rome, Italy next year. Jason was selected to be a member of Team 3. These pictures were taken by a newspaper photographer and posted on their website.

I am desperately trying to get back to exercising. I go jogging with our friend Jim two mornings a week, and then a group of us often meet on Saturdays to exercise. Anyways, Jim is gracious enough to push the jogging stroller if Heidi and/or Rachel go with us in the morning. This particular morning, Jason was in to work early, so Heidi and Rachel went with us. It was kind of chilly. But here is Rachel bundled up for her first early morning stroller ride - the first of many. :-)

In November we celebrated Thanksgiving! Both the girls were out of school the whole week of Thanksgiving. So, the Thursday before, they both had "Thanksgiving Feasts" in their classes. Rachel and I went to Emma's class for their feast. All the kids dressed as either pilgrims or Indians. Emma was a pilgrim. Unfortunately, I was not prepared and did not have our camera. Another mom took some pictures that I need to try to get. But it was a delicious feast and lots of fun to participate with Emma.

That same day, I went to pick Heidi up at preschool and all of them were dressed as Indians! Very cute! So she wore her costume home and I got some pictures once we got home.

Insert cute Rachel pic here (at 11 weeks):

The week of Thanksgiving, I took Emma and Heidi to get their hair cut. This was Heidi's first haircut. Yet again, I was not prepared with a camera. It didn't even cross my mind 'til we were done, had eaten lunch out and were headed home. But here is a picture of the end result.

Thanksgiving Day we had a really fun, low key time up at my parent's house in Dahlonega. We enjoyed a delicious meal together, went on a walk in the woods, browsed Black Friday ads, and the kids decorated gingerbread houses. It was a fun day with my whole family. And additionally Jason's brother Nate and his wife Laura came down to join us.

It was a real treat to have Nate and Laura spend Thanksgiving with us and to spend a few days at our house. The girls very much enjoyed having them here. And Aunt Laura is a wonderful playmate and jungle gym. :-)