Thanksgiving at Pigeon Forge

Dennis took us all to Pigeon Forge, TN for Thanksgiving. We had a wonderful time just enjoying each other. We did not do a lot of shopping but spent time at the park. The boys loved playing there.

I guess little boys are never too big for a carousel!

Brotherly secrets....

Climbing rocks at the top of Clingman's Dome.

Happy Friday

Whew! I am not wishing my life away but this is one week that I am glad is over. It was such a busy week at work that I did not stop a second! One good thing, my sweet co-worker Anita gave me this bag with pumpkin bread inside! I might add it was the BEST pumpkin bread I have ever eaten! YUMMY!! She is such a sweet person!

Then, because God knew I was tired and frazzled, He let this be the sight that greeted me at my door today when I returned home from work. Don't you just love this? This is Tom, who just took up at our house this past summer. He seems to think he is the top cat around here. I guess he figured if I was not going to throw away the dead plant, he would just turn it into a bed! Hmm, wonder if he went inside and helped himself to a Coke Zero.....

This and That

I took this picture of Nikolas because he was just so cute and he was cooperating with me. I can't say the same of the rest of my family members who just didn't have time for mama to take a picture of them! That's alright, Nicholas love me!
At school, we had a Veteran's Day program and all my JROTC students wore their uniforms. Aren't they handsome? I am always so proud of them!

The first thing we did this morning at school was to have an earthquake drill! Now, we rarely get earthquakes in our part of the state but I suppose it never hurts to practice!!

And, tonight, Nikolai had to do his chores - sweep the floor and ...
wipe the table. I am not sure what he is using to wipe the table. Hmm....

It's been a fairly uneventful week, which is good. I am looking forward to this weekend when I can catch up on my sleep. I always have a hard time with the time change.

All smiles!

We are all smiles at our home tonight! Dennis got a good report from the doctor - he's good for another year! The boys both have their braces now. Deniska decided on orange braces since he is a big Clemson University fan! Nikolai has not decided on a color yet but will perhaps get colored ones when he goes back in December.

Aren't they cute?! I have the sweetest boys ever!!

Welcome Home!

Those can be the sweetest words you can ever hear at certain points in your life. One of those times was 6 years ago today. We had landed in Atlanta, GA airport and was going through customs when a very nice customs man said exactly that, “Welcome home!” What made this time special, among other things, is that we were returning from Russia with Deniska for the very first time. I remember thinking that the Russians would change their minds and we wouldn’t be safe until we landed on American soil. Those memories are still very special to me. It was a long flight home. I was sick and out of it. Deniska was giving his daddy a run for his money on the plane. It was a long, long flight. Welcome home. Welcome home to the greatest nation on earth. Welcome home to our family and friends. Welcome home to our own little house, now a home with a child. Welcome home to everything familiar - including Big Macs from McDonald's! Welcome home to the rest of our lives. Welcome home! Sweet, sweet words!!

This was made at the Hotel Ukraine the night before we left. Look how little he was.

This was in Frankfurt, Germany as we waited for our connecting flight to Atlanta. Deniska would not have anything to do with me. He only wanted his daddy. He dumped Dennis for me when he figured out what “mama” was all about! Don’t they both look exhausted?!

This is one of my most favorite pictures of those early days. Deniska loved my mother and she adored him. This was made before the Alzheimer’s got so bad. This picture always brings tears to my eyes. I miss my mama.

I have the nicest husband…

This morning I had to go to work and Dennis stayed home with the boys. The boys were out of school for a teacher in-service day. He took an annual day to stay home with them. They went in search of a Christmas present for me but since none of them could think of anything that I needed (except for a pair of scissors!), they ended up just eating lunch out. To be honest, I do think Dennis bought my annual charm for my charm bracelet today. They looked for an office chair but couldn't decide on what they wanted.

The best thing he did was to make my bed for me! I had pulled the sheets off this morning to wash before I left for work. I had dreaded all day coming home knowing that I would have to make the bed before tonight. My sweet husband did that for me. Not only did he make the bed, he put on the new quilt that I bought at Belk’s on Saturday. This quilt was marked down 70% and cost way less than what I could have made it. It’s perfect – lightweight and all the colors I love for this time of year.

Thank you, Honey, for making the bed. You are the BEST and I love you!! I know I am the luckiest person in the world!

Sam appreciated the bed being made as well. He loves a freshly made bed! Poor kitty got into a fight yesterday. If he is not better, we will be going to the vet tomorrow!

After I had posted this blog entry, I turned around and Nicholas had made himself comfortable on the bed. Isn’t he sweet?