A very happy Thanksgiving!

Yesterday was awesome. Around 8am Jason played in an informal Turkey Bowl with a bunch of people, and since I didn't have any real dinner preparations to worry about, the kids and I went along and hung out on the sidelines. I don't know exactly why it was so much fun, but it was! We got some huge donuts for breakfast afterwards and then went back home and lounged around for a while before leaving to the Wilsons' home for dinner.

We are so grateful to our friends for their hospitality and kindness. It was so nice to just sit back and enjoy the day. The kids had fun playing, the meal was amazing, and the hours flew by. I've always said how much I enjoy our little family holiday dinners when it's just the four of us, but it was also very special to be with others and share in the holiday spirit together!

This morning we all did more lounging, but the kids and I "decked the halls," so to speak, and had a great time putting out the Christmas stuff. Rhiannon and Wade keep coming back to the Playmobil nativity set and acting out the story. Good times! Tonight Jason and Wade are going to a hockey game, and Rhiannon and I are going out to eat and making a Blockbuster run. Happy Black Friday, and Merry Christmas!!!!!!!!!

(I'll put pictures up soon)

Moments

A tag from a good friend of mine...

Happiest moment of my life--this is a hard one for me, simply because I find happiness in both the big things and the everyday things. I get a lot of joy over things like a cuddle with my kids or a date night with my hubby, so you can imagine how I've felt on those truly big days like my wedding day or the days we took our kids home from the hospital. I distinctly remember the first time I got to hold Rhiannon, though. I was very ill after she was born and wasn't in any shape to see her for a few days, so when they wheeled me in to see her for the first time in the NICU, well, you can just imagine how I felt then.

Scariest moment of my life--hands down it's the events that led to Rhiannon's emergency c-section birth. It's a miracle that I am alive and well, typing away at this computer!

Saddest moment of my life--probably when my Grandpa Max died. I knew I would see him again someday, but that didn't take away from the intense grief that I felt. I think I was 14 at the time. His death did help me understand the plan of salvation better, though, and helped me handle the deaths of other loved ones better. Death is not a scary thing; it's being apart from the ones that we love that is hard for me.

Most embarrassing moment--just like happiest moments, it's hard to choose here because it happens so often, being embarrassed, I mean. :) Just one out of many was when Wade was a baby. Jason and I were at some kind of get-together (Christmas, maybe?), and I realized halfway through the party that several of the buttons on my blouse were not done up. (I was nursing then.) I don't think I want to know how long it was like that.

Most exciting moment in my life? Lots to choose from here, too! Our East Coast adventure has been full of excitement! Going to Europe was exciting! Using Facebook has been exciting! Shopping for Christmas presents this week has been exciting! Aren't you getting excited just by reading this! :)

I tag...hmmm...I tag anyone who has a lot to be grateful for this week!

Award winner!

The picture is horrible, but the moment is TERRIFIC! Rhiannon won a very special "Community of Caring" award at her school's town meeting yesterday. She was so happy, but her favorite thing was that DADDY was there, too! It worked out for him to go because he had an out-of-town meeting that wasn't until later in the day. She was thrilled to see him. The way Jason put it, she got an award for being "an overall nice kid," one who consistently shows respect, responsibility, and kindness to others.
HOORAY, RHIANNON!!!!
WAY TO GO!!!!!!!!

So glam!

Rhiannon was a sweetie and let me roll her hair up last night while we studied for her geography quiz. It's fun trying something different! :) After I took the rags out this morning, Rhiannon looked in the mirror and said, "Oh! I look like Hermione!!"

Brrrrrrr

I had on 5 layers yesterday and I was STILL cold; with the wind chill the temperature felt like it was in the 'teens. Thankfully it's supposed to "warm up" to the 50s in a few days, but I think winter is here to stay. There were even a few snow flurries when I picked up Rhiannon from school. I may be spending more time on the treadmill throughout the day, not so much for exercise, but just to keep warm!!!

This week Joy School is at our house. Yesterday we did a lot of different activities, everything from pudding fingerpainting to puppet shows to talking about physical disabilities (we were ending a unit on bodies). Tomorrow we get to have a Thanksgiving party--it's going to be terrific. :)

Here's a video I tried to upload of the cranky crew. It's old news now though; today Wade woke up in such a happy mood--he definitely rubbed off on me, in a good way. :)

"Thankful"

"Thankful" (lyrics to Josh Groban song)

Somedays we forget
To look around us
Somedays we can't see
The joy that surrounds us
So caught up inside ourselves
We take when we should give.
So for tonight we pray for
What we know can be.
And on this day we hope for
What we still can't see.
It's up to us to be the change
And even though we all can still do more
There's so much to be thankful for.
Look beyond ourselves
There's so much sorrow
It's way too late to say
I'll cry tomorrow
Each of us must find our truth
It's so long overdue
So for tonight we pray for
What we know can be
And every day we hope for
What we still can't see
It's up to us to be the change
And even though we all can still do more
There's so much to be thankful for.
Even with our differences
There is a place we're all connected
Each of us can find each other's light
So for tonight we pray for
What we know can be
And on this day we hope for
What we still can't see
It's up to us to be the change
And even though this world needs so much more
There's so much to be thankful for

Call in the Cranky Crew

Yesterday "someone" woke up pretty cranky and said, "I NEED SOME PEACE AND QUIET." Wow, I didn't think a 5-year-old knew what that was! Oh, well, I called in the Cranky Crew (Rhiannon) and she helped make everything better....


It's been rainy and muggy outside today, so we've been taking it easy. Rhiannon and I had a blast out and about town earlier, though. She tried on dresses, we looked at shoes, and then we got yummy cookies at Barnes and Noble and browsed books there. I love hanging out with her!



"The boys" worked on one of Wade's b-day presents--a boat kit! I'll be sure to take pictures of their finished product later--the paint's drying right now...

Music, ah, sweet music

The kids and I had a total blast adding to the music playlist just now. Rhiannon is singing her heart out right now to "Proud to be An American," and Wade's excited to listen to the Indiana Jones theme song! :) Hope you enjoy our little mix--it has everything from Rock Band favorites to the Beatles to Jonas Brothers to MOVIE themes! :) We're on a roll--and taking requests! :)

We're all feeling much better (thank you for all the well-wishes!) Yesterday Rhiannon's school put on a terrific Veteran's Day program, then later Jason and I worked on the yard (translation--LEAVES). Jason got up on the roof with a leaf blower--he's my hero! The smell of rotting leaves was pretty nasty, though...

"It's going around."

Yesterday was a surprisingly good day in spite of our sick, sick household. Jason and Rhiannon have horrible coughs, and Wade has a stomach bug. So far I'm okay--I had a fierce sore throat a couple weeks ago, though. We talked about it last night over dinner (saltines for Wade and chicken primavera for the rest of us), how sometimes you're sick and sometimes you're healthy, and, well, that's just life! We'll make it through. There's always an upside, such as getting sick now and not over Thanksgiving, right?

Rhiannon and Wade did a TERRIFIC job in the children's church program yesterday. They knew their lines and sang well. Wade gave a talk later in Primary, too. And then after church we got cleaned up quickly and got our annual family picture taken by a good friend. She took lots of pictures and we came away with some winners! I'm happy, and Jason is THRILLED about it being OVER. :) Here's a sample--it's pretty good, but I'm keeping the best ones secret for Christmas!

Today

Today I...

enjoyed not having to rush to the polls. (hurray for absentee voting!)

cleaned the house top to bottom with Rhiannon and Wade's help.

updated the blog.

got McDonald's for lunch.

took the kids to the park.

enjoyed a nice walk in the woods with the kids, with rain AND leaves falling down--talk about peaceful and quiet!

finished reading Twilight for the second time.

made plans and preparations for a big youth activity tomorrow night.

decided on scallopped potatoes for dinner.

did not even think about checking on election results. I'll deal with it...

TOMORROW! :)

The library of all libraries!

Yesterday Rhiannon had the day off from school, so Jason took off work early and we went on a field trip to the Thomas Jefferson Building, one of 3 buildings making up the "campus" of the Library of Congress. It was more like a museum than a library, with beautiful architecture and art.



We got a birds-eye-view of the largest reading room but weren't allowed to take pictures of it. Wade instantly recognized it from a scene in National Treasure 2: Book of Secrets, so that was fun! The public tour we went on was interesting, but I think the kids were disappointed that they couldn't check books out. :) You have to be 16 years old to handle any of the library's collection of books, and books never leave the library. You can ask to see any book they have(once you get a good-for-2-years card), and then someone hunts the book down and puts it on a conveyor belt that brings your book out at the reference center. For space reasons they don't carry a copy of every single book written, but every book is given a record that's kept in the Copyright Office.

I'm happy we could go see it, have Jason with us, and check another thing off our very short "still-to-do" list! :)

Trick or treat!

This month we celebrated Halloween 4 different times! We went to the Wilsons' Harvest Festival, our ward's Trunk-or-Treat, neighborhood trick-or-treating, and Jason and I went to a fun adult costume party. On top of that Wade also enjoyed his Joy School Halloween Party, and Rhiannon got some treats at school, too. If you can't guess from the pictures,

Wade was IRONMAN!
Rhiannon was a BLONDE FAIRY with BUTTERFLY WINGS!
Jason was a BEAT-UP HOCKEY PLAYER!
And I was "Raining Cats and Dogs," with a poncho, rainboots, Rhiannon's blonde wig, and an umbrella full of stuffed animals. ;)

Good times!