Author: Jessica Dickerson

Are you sick of watching Heather color yet? I hope not, because that’s how we started Thanksgiving Day:

Our lovely friends the Badgers invited us over for Thanksgiving dinner, and we had a blast. (Unfortunately, I only think to pull out my camera to take pictures of Heather, so that’s all I have. I’ll try to do better?)

We had a delicious dinner, then played games, talked, and did a puzzle. Before we started the game, Rebecca quizzed Heather on her letters (unsurprisingly, she got them all right, and their sounds).

And (demon) Heather helped Amanda get the puzzle started:

Heather loves all the Badgers, but I think she especially liked playing with the dogs (and on the dog bed):

It was a great way to celebrate the holiday, and I’m glad we all managed to have a healthy window in which to get together!

Every so often, Kyle rakes all the leaves in the front yard into a big pile. This time, the pile was commandeered by Emma and Heather. For fun and hijinks, naturally.

Since then, Heather has been known to play a little game when getting ready for bed. She pushes the clothes she wore that day into a little pile and then jumps on them like a pile of leaves. She thinks it’s hilarious.

One of Heather’s favorite things to do with the easel is for me to draw a bunch of shapes on it. Then she fills in faces!

Sick day (I feel like I take this picture every couple of weeks):

Don’t you sit in a diaper box (a.k.a. space ship) to read books?

Coloring. The girl loves to color.

She also loves her tutu. In this case, accessorized with a headband and pink princess shoes.

Trying to think if we did anything else noteworthy in November (besides Heather being adorable, that is). Kyle and Heather have both been sick a couple of times. I have miraculously managed to stay healthy so far. I went to see Catching Fire, and it was phenomenal. I really don’t think much else has happened in our little family (other than Thanksgiving, which will have its own post soon).

OH! My youngest brother, Cameron, got home from his mission. Safely, thank goodness! Unfortunately, we won’t get to see him in person for some time. Probably next summer, when my whole family will get together. I’m already looking forward to it!

And now, it is the Christmas season, my absolute favorite time of year. Music and lights and fabulous candles—I love it!

Last week, Heather and I went to the Oakland Zoo with Sarah and her two kids, Emma and Liam.

Heather needs to follow Emma everywhere and do everything she does.

Crawling through turtle shells…

…and sitting on top of one.

Sir Liam. Heather loves him and calls him “Yee-mum.”

Goats goats goats!

There were a whole bunch of otters playing in front of this window and kids just swarmed. It was adorable.

Seriously: best buds. So stinking cute!

We had such a fun time. Yay for doing fun things with cool people!

Halloween morning, Heather and I painted pumpkins. I didn’t know how well it would go (this was her first experience with water colors), but she really took to it!

It didn’t take her too long to settle on black as her favorite color.

Our fine work:

We went trick-or-treating for the first time with Heather this year. And I probably made her the only costume I will ever make her. She went as a …