we love Christmas cookies!

As per our annual tradition, the kids and I made several batches of Christmas cookies. The kids love doing the decorating. While they get better at it each year, there were several cookies this year that were drowning in sprinkles. Gotta love it.

Our all-time favorites: Gingerbread cookies! 

volunteer work.

Some of the girls from Cassidy's Girl Scout troop participated in a volunteer service project this month at Feed My Starving Children. Our whole family joined the scouts and we packed meals for malnourished 6-12 month old babies. The kids got to try several different jobs (scooping, weighing, packing, and labeling) and they did great at all of them!

When our shift was done, they both said they'd like to do it again - woohoo! I'm so glad we all had the opportunity to do this.

The Gough's looking stylish! 

Lincoln packing food.

Cassidy at the weighing station. 

party at Build-a-Bear Workshop.

For her birthday party this year, Cassidy wanted nothing more than to take a couple of close friends to Build-a-Bear Workshop to make special stuffed friends.

The kids posing with their stuffed animals.

Posing with props. Adorable!

Cassidy and Lincoln worked together to give Max, the Grinch's dog, a bath before he came home.

Decorating their pet houses.

Afterward, we walked over to Dairy Queen for ice cream treats. What a treat it was to be at the outdoor mall and have the ability to comfortably sit outside in December!

Rani, Alyssa, and Cassidy

Big brother, little sister, Alyssa, and Rani.

Cassidy posing with some of her favorite new Shopkins!

birthday book club.

The November & December birthdays were celebrated at school with Birthday Book Club in early December. Below, you can see Cassidy and her BFF, Alyssa.

Cassidy's book of choice -- Super Diaper Baby 2: The Invasion of the Potty Snatchers.

thanksgiving 2015.

For the second year in a row, Chef Matt cooked the turkey on the grill. Looks delicious! It tasted just as good.


Below, you can see us all sporting our Lions gear. They actually pulled out a Thanksgiving win...something to be thankful for!

halloween 2015.

Halloween began on the 30th with the Monster Mash at the kids' school. They dressed up, played with friends, danced, and had an all-around good time.

This year, Cassidy dressed up as Dorothy from The Wizard of Oz and Lincoln was Harry Potter (mom secretly loves that they were both characters from books!).

Dorothy and Toto ready to go to the Monster Mash.

Dorothy and Toto.

Harry Potter. 

Nice scar, Harry.

Dorothy, Toto, and Harry Potter.

Harry Potter casting a spell on Dorothy. 

Onto Halloween night...the kids are all ready to go trick-or-treating...

Posing with their jack-o-lanterns.

Beer Man made his annual appearance as well!

Hope you all had a super spooky Halloween!

jack-o-lanterns 2015.

We had a busy week and finally got around to carving pumpkins on Halloween day this year.

Bleck!

Cassidy's ready to dig in.

I got some seeds!

The top is off.

Time to eat, Just kidding.

Peeking insdie.

Happy camper.

This is fun!

After the pumpkins are cleaned out, it's time for dad to step in and do the carving. This year, Cassidy wanted a Frankenstein pumpkin and Lincoln chose a Detroit Lions pumpkin.

Dad beginning the carving process. 

Hard at work. 

Frankenstein and Detroit Lions.