Thanksgiving
We usually stay home, but due to circumstances, we thought it best to travel to Washington to spend Thanksgiving with Justin’s parents. 2 days of driving each way is less than ideal, but at least gas prices aren’t what they were when we did our road trip this summer. We stopped at BYU and picked up Justin’s niece so she could spend the holiday at home with her family (her dad has lung cancer, but is doing extremely well). We mostly hung out with Grandma and Grandpa, and the kids got to spend a good amount of time playing with cousins. Justin and I were able to go to the Portland temple with his parents and did a good amount of running on their impressive hills. Thanks to Mike and Monica for a fabulous Thanksgiving meal. Justin’s mom and I made the pies and rolls (Thanks cousin Sara for sharing your squash buns recipe – they were yummy!). And Justin couldn’t have turkey without our cornbread and chorizo stuffing – so I made that as well.
Unfortunately, I often forgot the camera, so I don’t have many pics. Most of what I do have isn’t fit for sharing – kids caught giggling in the middle of the night, me leading the kids in an evening dance workout (Justin took pics from behind, ugh) and lots of the kids reading (mostly Calvin and Hobbes). However, we did stop for lunch in Arches National Park on our way home. It was a beautiful day (except for the wind) and we spent a bit of time seeing a few arches and impressive rock formations. The camera was ready and I got some very nice pics of the kids and the scenery.
The kids just after lunch with the wide open space behind them.
Double arch.
The kids at the bottom of double arch.
And now I’m trying unwind from the trip and gear up for the busy holiday season ahead. I’m thankful for the many blessings and bounty that I have and look forward to carrying that forward into Christmas and sharing it with dear family and friends.
Uncategorized | Comments (2)Happy Birthday Ada Jane!
Ada and her fairy castle cake.
We’ve been away on vacation for a week, but before we left, we celebrated Ada Jane’s 4th birthday. She was so excited to turn 4 and have a birthday party. We invited her group of friends over for a magical fairy party. (and I was relieved when it was all over)
Ada and her friends with their fairy wings that they painted.
We made up cute invitations that sported a good amount of fairy dust, but my favorite part was the fairy dust necklaces we made for all of her friends.
Ada has such a wonderful personality. She’s sweet and cuddly and loud and demanding. She’s not afraid to tell you what she wants. She’s a little girl with a big voice. She loves preschool and playing with her friends. As a keepsake for her, I’d love it if you’d share your thoughts/memories of Ada in the comments. 
