Project Life - November 1-15

Welcome to November's edition of Project Life! I am so happy that I have done this project for 2011 - and honestly, I'm impressed that I've kept up with it this long :) Yea!

This month I'm adding in a little 'I'm thankful for' for each day... I started doing it with Bennett, but we only lasted a few days before our schedule got in the way. Maybe I'll get his done before the end of the month. Or maybe not :)

November 1 - New haircuts! It is fun to go and get haircuts together. Bennett gets cuts every 4 weeks and I get them every 6, so every few times, we coordinate :) I think that my favorite thing is hearing Bennett's conversations with Mr. Rony while we are there. Priceless!

Today I'm thankful for Bennett - God really knew what he was doing when He sent Bennett to us. Such a privilege to be trusted to help raise this little man. He truly is amazing!

 November 2 - Oh my. The laundry!! At least I know that when it makes it to the dining room table, it is clean :) Have I mentioned that my least favorite part is putting it all away? In a perfect house, our closet would be big tables right next to the laundry room. Hmmm. I might have to think about that for our next house...

Today I'm thankful for the busy life that we have. We get to do so many exciting things! Some people (ehem...) sometimes give me a hard time about how busy we are - but we love it! Yes, there are times when we have to just stop and be still. But for the most part, we are busy doing things that we love doing! I'm thankful that God has given us such fullness.

 November 3 - The boys at the table doing homework.  (see how much Bennett loves getting his picture taken most of the time? :)

Today I'm thankful for Brad and how he always puts spending time with Bennett (and with  me!) as a top priority. It makes Bennett and I feel important and loved. Brad is such a blessing to both of us! 

 November 4 - The Candy Witch came! And she brought 2 brand-new action figures! Wow. She is awesome!

Today I am thankful for Angie! Today is her birthday and I could never dream of a better sister! I'm so thankful to have her not only as my sister, but as my very best friend!

 November 5 - Bennett spent the day at the Wes Helms baseball camp and he had a blast. He brought a baseball for all the professional players to sign at the end of the camp. 

Today I'm thankful that Bennett loves baseball - and all things sporty! It is so different than anything I'm used to and I have really enjoyed learning about the sport and cheering him on. Most of all, though, I'm thankful for his enthusiasm and his positive attitude on and off the field. He's almost always smiling - which isn't something all that common these days.

 November 6 - Picture #1 - Lovies. Oh. So. Sweet. Bennett loves Evie so much. I think she likes him too ;)

 November 6 - Picture #2 - Happy Birthday Angie! We celebrated Angie's birthday today after church. I'm glad that we got to celebrate together!

Today I'm thankful for my family. They are crazy sometimes, but they are mine. We have so many shared experiences that have made me who I am today. I'm thankful for each of you! :)

 November 7 - Caramel apples! (truth be told, I really think he just wanted the caramel ;)

Today I'm thankful for my friends at Bennett's school. I truly look forward to my volunteer days in the library!

 November 8 - Bennett and Poopa planted the most beautiful pansies in the yard after school! I love pansies and haven't had them in the yard for a few years. I love seeing the color!

Today I'm thankful for Brad's parents. They truly enjoy spending time with Bennett and think of fun things to do with him.

 November 9 - Dinner with friends at Wings before church. The clown stopped by the table to make balloons - and guess what the kids asked for... a hotdog and a football!! The options were endless, and that is what they came up with! Oh, 8 year-old boys crack me up!

Today I'm so thankful for my friends. I love getting to spend time with them whenever we can - even over loud dinners with chatty kids.

 November 10 - The view from the back yard. We've got more oranges sneaking in, but we've also got more bare trees. I love this time of year!

Today I'm thankful for the changing seasons. God's handiwork never ceases to amaze me!

 November 11 - 11-11-11 at 11:11am. We were in the drive through line at Zaxby's on our way to Nana's house. We had spent the morning at a wonderful Veteran's Day program. Fun times with my boy.

Today I'm thankful for our veterans and those who have (and still are!) fighting to protect our freedoms. As we sat through the Veteran's Day program I couldn't help but remember how my grandparents served. I'm thankful to be from such a patriotic family :)

 November 12 - We had a busy day today, but I loved looking outside seeing the boys resting and chatting at the bottom of the driveway. They had been at the park playing football and paused on the way back. I'm not sure what they were talking about, but I'm sure it was important!

Today I'm thankful for opportunities to be creative. I spent the morning taking pictures for friends and I loved it! Since I decided last year to not pursue a photography business, I've found that my love of the hobby has grown. I'm thankful for creative outlets.

 November 13 - I talked Bennett into a photo shoot in the backyard! All it took was mentioning that he jump into the leaves :) I know that this is crazy, but we've never done that before! He loved raking them up and running all-out into the piles. I do have to laugh, though, because he really didn't like the SMELL of the leaves! Ha! Like mother, like son, right? :)  For the record - I didn't think that the leaves smelled yucky. And, he did give in and let me get the pics I wanted. 

Today I'm thankful for our church and our church family. Spending the morning there, with Bennett as the acolyte, Brad directing traffic, and getting our angels off the the angel tree all made me so happy :)

 November 14 - Bennett's homework tonight was 'Pick out a tree that you want to do a report on'. Of course, Bennett took it about 100 steps beyond in true Bennett-style. He chose the Bradford Pear tree that we have on the side of the house. This tree is special to us because it has our first dog, Casey's, ashes under it. The funniest thing - can you read it? - He made a 'Family Related Facts' section and it says '1. My dad's first name is Brad'. Of course, this is very important information to be included in any report, right?  I love his attention to detail!!

Today I'm thankful for the wonderful educational opportunities that we have! Bennett often complains about school and Brad and I always remind him that we are so very blessed to have the opportunities we do. One day he'll agree. Right?

November 15 - Bennett called Bubba to discuss their weekend plans for Bennett's first Auburn game. To say that he is excited is just too much of an understatement. I don't think that he talked about Disney World as much as he's talked about the game! Fun!

Today I'm thankful for all of the people that love Bennett and make it a point to include him in their lives. Bubba taking Bennett to the game is just one example of how our family loves him and take such good care of him.  

We've only got 2 days of school before the Thanksgiving Holiday... and 3 days until Brad's birthday! Let the celebrations begin!