Thanksgiving 2012

As much as I love traditions- the great memories they create and looking forward to them each year, it can be also fun to not know what's going to happen. That's how Thanksgiving is for us. Each year is a different story.

This year we stayed here with my sisters for the food part and then took off for Zion to be with Dana's family for the weekend. It was a lot of planning and preparing for the first part of the week last week, but it was all, of course, worth it.

Thanksgiving dinner (or lunch-ish) was at Amy's house. Their new place has really good lighting. It  makes me just a little jealous.

My adorable sisters (well 2 of them:) working hard to get everything ready.

Tweeners preparing hard.

More hard work :)

The kids working up an appetite.

And finally...it's time to eat! Yum! Is there anything better than Thanksgiving dinner?

I was in charge of potatoes and stuffing. I made both stuffings from scratch- one was quinoa which was tastier than I expected it to be- but no, not as good as the traditional one. (which I made it w/o dairy so I snitched a little).

Amy did the turkey- which was awesome, and a couple pies (which I didn't get to snitch). Miranda made some amazingly delicious roasted veggies- which I shoulda got a picture of because they were so pretty, and a yummy pre-dinner fruit platter.

Ok. Time for prayer- Kate, put the camera down. Oh ya.

I wanted to get a picture of our beautiful spread and had to fight back the hungry savages at the same time. Even still, you can see their eager plates edging closer.

(Oh there's the veggies ^)

We got to eat outside and enjoy our perfect AZ Thanksgiving weather :)

 The little kid table.

The big kid table.

The grown-up table. (We moved the table out of the sun after the picture).

Jane made these cute place cards.

The worst thing about Thanksgiving this year? Not being able to give-in to the tryptophan hangover afterwards!

We were off straightway to Zion. Hope your Thanksgiving was as wonderful as could be this year.

November Happenings

We've been enjoying our new TV. Although it took Dana 3 tries to get through this movie. We discussed the fact that it's fairly corny at times.
I still found myself enjoying it without a problem.

We never forget the popcorn.
I've really gotten used to mine with olive oil and quite like it.

We had "School of Rock" day at school. Holly decided not to participate this time. Sadie was all in. I had her at "pettiskirt" and "lots of jewelry".

As predicted, my hair is growing back in and sticking straight up all over my head.
But I am grateful it's coming back in :)

Emma did her first 10 hr. project for "Evening of Excellence" in Young Women's. She worked on garden projects.

Miranda turned 29. We got to have a girls dinner.

I feel so blessed to have another sister here :) We introduced her to free birthday Joe's Farm Grill yumminess.

We went to the track and have been soaking up our amazing weather.

The kids laughed at Dana's "sprinting face". Look out Bolt- Dana's coming for ya!

We also rented the newest "Jane Eyre". I really liked it. I'm for sure going to read the book which I hope will be even better- as books tend to be. 

As of this week, I'm trying not to already feel overwhelmed by the holidays as I try and nail down what to get everyone, and new events are being scrawled on the calendar each day. 

Like Dana's pic, I'll be doing my best to take it in stride. 

*Please swap out grimace for face full of Christmas cheer.

Face Off

In this corner we have the 5 year old. Happy overall, but very much appreciates getting her way. And don't let those blonde curls fool you, she can be a feisty little thing. It has been said that she knows how to push buttons. She's such a fun, good girl. As her mom, I can see that she's learning where her boundaries are and what she can and can't get away with. Not everyone is feeling the love for some of her "moments" though. Least of all her brother.

And in the other corner we have the 10 yr old. (although in this growling face picture he's 6). He is Ca-razy (and dare I say sometimes annoying?) but this does not help him cut his littlest sister much slack. She drives him up the wall and back down again- sometimes for reasons that aren't so apparent to everyone. Like chewing too loudly. Or singing. Oh how he does not like the singing. We have told him that everyone in our family is allowed to sing. But then when she knows it's bothering him, she seems to remember the song better and carries the tune with a new found zeal. 

Saying that these two can butt heads is an understatement.

The other morning these 2 fighters really went head-to-head. In the end, they were both hurt by some words that the other had said. They were each convinced that the other hated them. Dana intervened and got Eli to see the bigger picture. Then he decided to write her this note:

{heartmelter!}
And she wrote one back :) (no doubt someone helped her spell sorry).

Little reminders that underneath the bickering- they really do love each other. Now they need to keep showing that love.

I found this old picture of them that is so sweet.

We're hoping the keep the gloves off for awhile.

Halloween 2012

Halloween was fun as could be this year. We checked all the usual things off our lists.

 Ward Party

It was at the park closest to our house this year which was nice and convenient :)

Sadie was a BYU cheerleader.

Holly an Indian.

Eli an army guy, which was a last minute pick and turned out to be a good one because he and Dana play army/spies sometimes.

Emma was a ninja and I didn't really get a picture of her because she wasn't around me very much at the ward party. But all their costumes were repeats except Eli! Score! Emma decided to be a ninja again so she didn't have to walk into the "Spirit" store and see the flying devil-babies overhead leering at her with a chainsaw in one hand, bottle in the other. Who can blame her really? I definitely didn't question it. I love free costumes:)

I did catch a group one on Halloween night:

We carved the pumpkins (at the very last minute).

Sadie actually liked squishing the "goop" this year!

She is really going through a silly phase. I'm still waiting for the other ones to grow out of that phase too.

All that work and we forgot to light them up on Halloween. Can you believe it? I did make some really yummy seeds this year though. The recipe called for 2 T. of sugar and they were like a little treat.

The kids had their fun at school- except Emma who is beside herself that there is nothing fun in Jr. High. Ever.

 Sadie's Kindergarten festival.

With her friend Corbin :)

Holly's class party

Eli's class party

Alix, Jay-Jay, Eli

On Halloween night it was my turn to pass-out candy. Dana got the fire-pit going for me in the driveway and put up a table with our sound-sensored witch-head on it. That thing was the star of the show. I watched people take pictures of their kids with it all night and now I wish I would've got one. We had a pretty steady flow of kids and I came within a few pieces of running out of candy. A couple across the street from us had the nerve to give out FULL-Sized candy bars. Every kids dream come true. But hey- no one's forcing my mini tootsie-rolls into your bags, kids! Haha. I'm just jealous because that was my unfulfilled dream as a kid:)

Happy election day tomorrow! So exciting. Go vote!