Thanksgiving 2013

Thanksgiving seems to come faster and faster each year and this year was no exception. On Wed morning we loaded up and headed for the airport(I will be so sad one day when we can't fly everywhere...I hate driving). We made couple of stops and got to the airport in great time to get through security and to our gate. A lot of people ask if its stressful to travel with kids...I say not really maybe the 1st time but we fly so often to Vegas they know the routine and its usually pretty relaxed. Once we were boarded we got the kids set up so they could watch some little einsteins.....

 can you say zoned...didn't even get a glance when I asked them to smile for a picture. Matt and I took advantage of how zoned they were and watched a movie as well. Other than brief pauses to order drinks and snacks after a couple episodes we were landing in Vegas.

 We got there about lunch time and were the 1st ones to arrive. After naps we helped Grandma and Papa put up the Christmas lights. Gracie was in heaven she loved all the lights.

 Now Matt on the other hand may have not have been in heaven but was a great sport and helped alot. 

 I had to document this since he usually never helps put up our lights at home

 Gracie once again we more than willing to smile for the camera...oh what will we do with this beautiful little girl

 After dinner Nic and Kyle arrived with Grandma in tow and it didn't take long for the grandkids to involve her in something. She was so wonderful with the kids. She played and laughed. I feel very blessed that I as well as my kids are getting to see this side of a grandma I never knew.

 First it was nail painting

 On Thanksgiving day we did a lot of sitting around, hanging out, and cuddling. One of my favorite things is typically when we are together at time people would have a hard time trying to figure out whose kid is whose. We all just kinda take care of whomever needs something. Gracie loved her cuddles and back scratches from aunt kim

 We, of coarse, had to look through the ads but weren't really impressed at all this year with what there was out there. Matt and I were able to get the few things we were interested in ordered online and shipped to our house for free! No loosing sleep this year.

 But of coarse we did spend some time in the kitchen getting ready to eat 

 The kids helped taste test everything

 The weather was perfect and completely gorgeous. We played on the trampoline and ultimately decided to eat outside. I don't know if I have ever eaten Thanksgiving outside...at least not in perfect weather.

Later that evening we decided to also celebrate our "Christmas" since its our years with our "other" families. We were planning to do it later in the weekend but someone asked the kids if they wanted to open the presents and we had no chance after that. The nice thing was that the kids were very patient and opened their presents one at a time so we could all see what they got.

Luke got his stylin hat

Someone stuck this sticker to Luke's head and he didn't even seem to mind we all got a good laugh about it.

My grandma gave all of us a very nice gift as well as Santa pillowcases for all the little kids. She also made my mom and dad a hand stitched trico blanket. As kids we loved our blankets made of this...they were great to slide down the stairs and perfectly cool on a hot summer night.

After we opened presents we got the kids in their pjs and off to bed. Then the real fun started and the adults opened our gag gifts. They we inappropriately hilarious and we laughed so hard that we cried it was a good time. The next day grandma harris had brought some cookies for the kids to decorate we decided to do these instead of houses this year and I think the kids enjoyed them just as much of not more.

Hallie and her gingerbread boy

Gracie ate most of her candy before it even made it on the cookie. The decor that did end up on Gracie's cookie did still get eaten even while I was trying to take a picture...this silly girl!

After looking through the ads Thursday we decided to sleep in and about 10 the boys headed out to go shooting and us girls we were all up and ready for the day so we headed out to see what we could find. As you can see Gracie did a great job entertaining herself

Hallie decided she wanted to go shooting with Matt and had a great time as well

Doesn't she look ready for anything fun!

Her and Rigs hung out in the back of the truck and ate snacks while everyone else had a turn

Now for the downside of our Thanksgiving...sickness! Friday night Maddi came home from babysitting saying she was sick. We all initially thought she just wanted to be home with us but when she threw up before she even got through the front door we knew she really was sick. Saturday morning Ez got sick and we were hoping it was food poisoning from the chicken place only a couple of us had eaten at. Saturday night I went to bed early with the girls thinking I was just tired since no one was sleeping great since we were all sleeping in one room. At about 1am I woke up super sick with diarrhea and throwing up. I woke Matt up to give me a blessing and get me a few things. Things were pretty blurry between them and 6 when we had to be up to catch our flight to go home. I was really worried about how the flight would be but I just kept thinking I wanted to be home sleeping in my bed and throwing up in my bathroom. So I said a prayer and threw up on our way out the door. And we were off to the airport. We were able to get back to Utah without any problems and I actually felt pretty good til we landed and then it slowly got worse again. I was just grateful I had made it through the flight. I spent Sunday on the couch and Matt waited on me hand and foot...love him. We were all pretty worn out as you can see from the below picture.

Although being sick is no fun we did have a good time being together and eating some food. Im excited that my parents are now going to be able to come after Christmas so we can spend more time with them then. Love time with family and the sacrifices made to do so.

Slippers

Matt bought me these cute slippers last year for Christmas I wore them a handful of times before spring and summer hit and they were to warm to wear(they are fur lined). I had forgotten how much I really liked them until it started to cool off and I got them back out. Now there aren't many places I go without them on my feet. See they have hard sole bottoms so I can wear them outside and lately I have frequently been forgetting to change into real shoes when I leave the house...the picture below was one such day. But like I said at least they are cute.

Sibling Date Night

When Nic and Kim first moved up north we did really well at date nights and family dinners so we saw each other all together at least a couple times a month it was great. Then summer came and then fall everyone is busy but Matt and I really enjoy them so we brought them up again and found that everyone else was missing them as well so we picked the following weekend and it worked so everyone could come so we got babysitter and met in Salt Lake to do dinner and some shopping. We ate at a BBQ place that was really good and was really laid back. After we finished eating we sat and visited for probably about another hour and then decided we better give our table up. Its nice to have conversation with my sisters with no kids and the only one I have to focus on feeding is myself. And of coarse the main highlight of date night is getting out with my sweetheart that seems to always find time for me midst his crazy schedule.

After we left the restaurant we headed for City Creek to do some shopping and walk around. It was fun we bought a few things and then it was time to head home. I hope we always make it a priority to spend time together both as families, as couples, and as friends. I feel pretty lucky that I have siblings willing to go out of their way to get together...its usually never convenient but always worth it.

A Fall Trip to the Zoo and an Unlikely Friend

This past week the weather has been beautiful. Trying to soak up what is left of our warm fall weather my sisters and I decided a zoo trip was in order. The weather really was perfect in the high 60s. Although the splash pad isn't running for this time of year that didn't keep the kids from playing on the slide and in the pirate ship. 

 While we were there we ran into Sara, on of the girls Matt dated before we got married. From what I remembered of her she didn't like me at all but I may have been wrong. She stopped and said hi, asked where our girls were, and pointed them out so her little girl could go play with them. Her little girl is not to much younger than Hallie so they had a  great time together. Sara had come by herself so I invited her to walk around with us. 

 We were a little disappointed that the polar bear was not out and about since he had surgery but the seals and sea lion were pretty entertaining. I think we had our first real group picture going to the zoo since one of us is always behind the camera but a older lady offered to take our picture and I was thrilled.

 They turned out pretty well although Luke is hidden behind kimbers head in the backpack. She decided to bring him in this rather than the stroller and it seemed to work pretty well.

 The zoo was pretty empty which made it nice to let the kids out of the strollers and just let them run...I think that made it more fun for everyone.

 Hallie really enjoyed her new friend, Jade. Sara and I had a good time catching up, talking about being a mom, dance, preschool, just adult stuff I guess. Its amazing how life changes and people you never thought you would have anything in common with suddenly you do. These are our darling kids and their cute and silly poses. With every smiling picture we had to have a silly.

 We even all rode the carousel which they all of coarse thought was awesome. 

 Look how big they are!!!!

By the time we were done all the kids were tired and ready to call it a day. We spent about 4 hours there which after thinking about it is probably a record. We all had a great time and hope this weather continues so we can enjoy it some more. I love days like today they are so relaxing and refreshing its the days its really fun to be a mom.

Leaves Leaves Everywhere

As usual the beautiful shade in the summer equals leaf racking in the fall and this fall is no exception. We did give in and buy a leaf vacuum this year and I will say I wish we had done it 6 years ago when we moved in it helps a lot. I would rake the leaves into piles and and then just vacuum them right up. It has a built in mulcher that makes 16 bags of leaves into 1. When we were done we still had 12 bags of leaves so I can only imagine how many we would have had without mulching them. But while all the work was going on the girls had a ball playing in the leaves and riding their "bikes." 

 It took all the day light to do the front yard I was frustrated, tired, and just plain done. The next morning I woke up to find Erin raking my leaves and Nic called to say she was on her way to help. I was a little emotional about it. Yes I am physically capable of raking leaves but I have had a hard time keeping up with everything with Matt gone all the time and still spend the time with the girls I want to. In the matter of a couple hours we had the backyard all cleaned up too. I am so grateful for the service I received it is really hard for me to ask for help but I was so grateful.

 These are just a few pictures of what Hallie has been learning at preschool. She is completely excelling and loving it everyday.

Halloween 2013

 Halloween is getting more fun the older the girls get. They seem to get what holidays really are and unlock the magic that holidays held as a kid...I think that's one of the best parts of being a parent. It also makes me thankful for my parents and the effort they always put into our holidays as a kid(as a parent you find out it is ALOT of work). This year Hallie changed her mind a handful of times with what she wanted to dress up as. Gracie was a lady bug and Hallie was tangled...at least for most of the events.

Halloween fell on Hallie's preschool day which made the entire day full of fun and candy filled events. Halloween morning we got her all dressed and ready. When she got home she was full of stories to tell about all the activities they had done. They had a fishing pond, pumpkin painting, ghost bowling, Halloween story time, and even a place to decorate cookies. She had a blast!

We had lunch then her and Grace both went down for naps. When they got up we got dressed up again and headed to Matt's office for trick or treating. The had a great time and ended up with a haul of candy. Seriously a gallon bag each! That night by Hallie request and what seems to becoming a Halloween tradition we had Chinese Take-out picnic before heading to the ward trunk or treat. Before we left Hallie decided she wanted to be sleeping beauty instead of Tangled and it didn't matter to me so he she is being sleeping beauty.

 It was a little on the chilly side so in a matter of 30 minutes start to finish we were done and headed home for the night. But not before the kids each got a ride with Brother Toone and his cool creation of the lawn mower pulling a wagon...it was a big hit.

As a whole we have more candy than we ever needed but we all know that in only a short time it will all have been eaten and not just by the kids. We had a fun and eventful Halloween.