Happy Thanksgiving

From The Rankin Family

We are thankful for so many things this year...the birth of Andrew, health, and the support of our loving families. We are thankful for our friends and all the moments we have shared with them. And we are also thankful for the opportunity to share our lives with those around us. We hope that you all are touched in some way this holiday through loving family, friends, and our Lord and Savior. Happy Thanksgiving to all of you!

Blue Birdhouse

Today while mom was out and Andrew was napping, dad and I went out to the garage and built a birdhouse together. I've been watching the birds all summer and with winter coming, I really felt they needed a real home in our backyard. So, with the scraps in our garage we built this sweet little home for the birds.

From The Rankin Family

Of course, we had to paint it. My first choice was yellow. Lowe's didn't come through for us though with a birdhouse size can of paint in yellow. So instead, the bird house is blue! Not a bad choice, it's my favorite color. I love doing art, painting, and making things. So this was a real treat for me to work in daddy's workshop.

From The Rankin Family

Now, we just need to find a place to hang it!

Fall Fun

We had a beautiful day here and I got to go outside with my first truck! My cousin, Will, donated some of his old toys to me and I'm loving them! I knew what to do with this big yellow Tonka Truck the minute I saw it. I definitely have some of my dad's gene's in me. Not only do I look a bit like him but I also have his affinity for trying to see how things work. I had the wheels off in no time.

From Andrew Tyndale Rankin

Here I am checking out the grass. Unlike my sister, I love the feel of the grass between my fingers and honestly, it doesn't taste too bad either!

From Andrew Tyndale Rankin

My First Musical

From The Rankin Family

Ainsley, mom, and dad had a rare treat on Thursday night. Thanks to Papa and Gigi, we were able to go out just the three of us. It had been a long time since we had some alone time with just Ainsley and she has had a big year! A new brother, enrolling in speech classes, parents who are busy...we wanted to reassure her and let her know that she has a very special place in our family and we are thankful of the blessing that she is to us. So we all got dressed up and headed off to dinner. One of her favorite spots is California Pizza Kitchen, so that's where we went. After a pepperoni pizza for three, we were off to the big event!

From The Rankin Family

Ainsley's first musical! I got the tickets awhile back for opening night and it was so exciting. Ainsley couldn't wait to see George and the Man with the yellow hat on stage. We took some time to let her know it was a story being played out right in front of her, that there would be music and dancing, and that there wouldn't be a break for her to go potty for awhile. She was absolutely enthralled.

From The Rankin Family

I know it made an impression. This morning I found her dancing and singing "That's a Meatball" in the family room. It was a pretty cute sight. I wish I could have got that on video!

Belton/Grandview Train Ride

From The Rankin Family

After a long period of fascination with trains, Ainsley finally got to ride on a real one with her Monday morning play group. We made the drive down to Belton for an authentic train ride experience. Here is the train conductor.

From The Rankin Family

The train is run by a group of volunteers and they make a great effort to keep it vintage. There were old suitcases on the train and really cool lights on the ceiling. It was a 45 minute ride to the next station up the tracks and then the train went "backwards" all the way back to the depot. Here is Ainsley getting her ticket punched. The guy had an authentic ticket puncher that made a really cool shape.

From The Rankin Family

Andrew came along for the ride. He did great and really enjoyed looking out the window. A friend of mine got this picture of the two of us. One of the few with just me and him.

From The Rankin Family

Ainsley enjoyed looking out the window as well. She was pretending she was on a treasure hunt and enjoyed playing "I Spy" as well.

From The Rankin Family

Overall, this was a great raveling experience. I'm not sure how they would do on a long train ride. We're hoping to take them on the train to St. Louis one day. I guess will find out if a short trip is what makes the difference.