voss voyage

We started a new tradition last year of celebrating the Thanksgiving weekend in Atlanta with Patrick's sister and her family. They live in a beautiful home and welcomed our large, loud crew with love. We had such a relaxing day, beginning early by watching the parade & sipping hot cider. We didn't eat until later so we had plenty of time to prepare the meal, while snacking on Patrick's sausage balls and artichoke dip. The dinner was wonderful as well complete with a perfect turkey & all the fixings and finished off with a stellar pumpkin pie. Brining the Turkey Sonja's beautiful Thanksgiving table. Food just taste better when you can eat it like this! But the best part, really a miracle to me, is that I was able to eat my entire meal while it was still hot. Yes, you read that right....the WHOLE meal. The twins had already napped and happily ate beside me in their booster chairs. Mia was still napping. Allison sat at the "kid table" with ...

This is the third year that we have been able to celebrate Thanksgiving at JPP (the kids preschool). And lucky for us, we got to attend two days in a row because the kids were split up this year. The kids and teachers work really hard to pull off such a precious event. We gather in the gym on blankets to watch the kids perform their thanksgiving songs, and then we feast on a potluck meal. With several different ethnic families in our preschool, we had a few different treats this year, including some sort of asian dumpling, a german fruit dessert with delicious vanilla cream & a french pastry. My friend Robn went on a search for the recipe for the french delight (an extremely light pastry with a coffee flavored cream filling). She found the mom and asked, "was it hard to make?" Her answer: "yes." Ok then, guess we won't be trying to recreate it!! She was bursting with pride. I LOVE this little pilgrim!!!!! The best shot of the family. Jenna never ...

We had a fun Halloween this year. Mia and Allison both had 'parades' at school. They got to dress up and walk around for about 30 seconds. They thought it was the best thing ever! Mia dressed as Belle and chose her own outfit and accessories. Allison was a flower girl. The girls preschool is ethnically diverse and I love that. Mia has 2 kids in her class that have English as a second language (one speaks French, the other Chinese). Allison has a friend that speaks German. Mia's teacher in the red hat. She has a passion for 2 year olds and is good with them. Mia's class A typical look from my middle child. Classic Mia. I also love that the little boy next to her is sucking his thumb. Gotta love the 2 year olds! This is supposed to be a video....I'm working on how to load it properly. Allison's 4 year old Class.  Mia helping Patrick mow the yard. Allison never did this, but Mia loves to spend time outside with Patr...