My baby boy is three now! Since our birthdays are only three days apart, we did most of our celebrating together. We went out to eat, and Daddy made us a chocolate pie for dessert.
Cooper got a bicycle helmet, which he LOVES, and a dump truck, which Don is a little jealous of.
He got a number of other things, including a new wagon (a hand-me-down from a friend of mine) . . .
. . . and a new "big boy" bed!
We also celebrated on Cooper's birthday by bringing cupcakes when we had lunch with our friends that we go out with after church most Sundays.
On the Sunday before Halloween, we went to "Awesome Autumn," which was a Halloween alternative at a local church. Cooper wore the same costume he wore last year, which he had almost, but not quite, outgrown. He still looked pretty cute in it (at least in his mom's opinion).
We've been going to "craft class" at my friend Debby's house every other Monday, which has been fun for both of us.
We also went to Pump It Up one day with some friends from my MOPS group, where we climbed and bounced and slid down slides and did all sorts of things that reminded Mommy that she is not as young as she used to be.
The weather has been mostly nice (though we did have our first snow a few days ago -- the earliest I ever remember, but it was short-lived). We've been making the most of the nice weather, though, and getting outside as much as we can.
We've been working on potty training. It has not been as easy as I had hoped, but we're making progress, slowly but surely.
Don is still unemployed. This has been a longer journey than we ever expected it to be, but we're surviving. Hopefully something will come along soon. As we celebrate this season of Thanksgiving, we are thankful that, though this year hasn't turned out like we expected it to, God has provided for our needs, and we are all healthy and doing okay. Life comes with bumps in the road, and I think we will look back on this one and be able to see the good in it. God doesn't always do things according to our plans, but His plan is far better, and we are holding on to that knowledge.
I am thankful he's been around for three-quarters of a century now, and that he's still in relatively good health. Should we shoot for a full century?? You never know -- his mom lived to be 97.
Apples to Apples is a family favorite!
I think everyone had a good time, though it turned out to be just a bit too much for some of us. (I was feeling this way by the end of the night as well.)
My mom is turning 70 this week, and we (my brother and I and our spouses) decided to make a scrapbook for her, getting friends and family from throughout her life to contribute to it. It was a MAJOR project, which I couldn't blog about because it was a big surprise! 
We also had a surprise party yesterday, inviting a few of her close, local friends and family. My brother and sister-in-law made the wonderful food for it, but it still kept me busy with invitations and RSVP's and getting my house cleaned up (no small task). 
I believe my mom was very blessed by all this, as we had hoped she would be. She hasn't been looking forward to this big birthday, but hopefully this made it all a little better.
The 
We had an elegant and tasty dinner which included a salad, prime rib, au gratin potatoes, asparagus, rolls and strawberry shortcake. After dinner, there was a 1-hour show that we watched from our tables. It was called “Country Music USA” and was a tribute to many of the key figures in country music from its inception until now. They displayed pictures of them on a screen and sang a hit song for each one of them. The show also included a bit of gospel music (also a big industry in Nashville) and patriotic music. It was very entertaining!
We sat at the table with a local couple who was celebrating their 51st anniversary, and another who told us that she (the wife) had donated one of her kidneys to him (the husband) one year ago. They were both doing well.
This was the first time Don and I had done this, but I would definitely do it again if I had the opportunity. 
