Thanksgiving and Temple Trip

This past weekend was a lot of fun for our family. It all started Thanksgiving morning. We got up early and watched the Macy's parade on our computer (we have a TV, but don't have it hooked up), while I decided to be ambitious and make cinnamon rolls for breakfast. It was my first time making them, and while they came out a tad bit dry (in my opinion at least), they weren't bad.


After breakfast, we all got ready for the day, and finished our family's contribution to Thanksgiving dinner: mashed potatoes and two kinds of pie. I also decided we should have an alternative dessert for Will and Alice, since I wasn't sure how they would do with pie. So the 3 of us made turkey cookies. I wish I had taken a picture of them before they went in the oven, because they got quite a bit bigger than we expected and you can hardly tell what they are. Oh well, now we know.


After finishing the food preparations, we all drove over to Bobby and Susan's house, where we had a yummy dinner and a lot of fun spending most of the evening together. I think Will and Alice's favorite part of the day was jumping into the big pile of leaves that everyone raked up for them in the backyard. It was a lot of fun for the adults to watch, and after a while everyone got into the action of throwing leaves up in the air (and at each other), until it got too cold to stay outside.




The adults then got a little alone time to play a card game while Will and Alice watched a movie. It was a wonderful day, and we're glad we had family to share it with.

The other fun part of the weekend was going to the temple in St. Louis, also with Bobby and Susan. Normally, we drive down the morning of, then drive home in the evening, which sometimes makes it a long and tiring day for everybody. This time, we decided to drive down the night before and stay in a hotel, so we could be there early the next day. The hotel wasn't the greatest, but it served our needs, and Will definitely had a lot of fun jumping up and down on the bed for a while.


(Forgive the red eyes, but I had to include this, because it is such an awesome action shot)
On Saturday we all went to the temple, and Bill and I watched Will and Alice first while Bobby and Susan went through a session, then we switched. We got to know a
couple of other families while we were there, and it was fun to see everyone's kids playing together. Once it warmed up a bit, Bill took Will and Alice on a walk around the temple for a little while. It was funny to see Alice bundled up in my coat, but they seemed to have a good time.



The drive home took an unusually long time for some reason, but we made it home safely, and being able to go to the temple made it all worth it.

I'm thankful #5

Today I am thankful for my family. I have been blessed with one of the most amazing families in the world. And not just my husband and my son, but my parents, sister, grandparents, aunts, uncles, cousins, and of course, in-laws. Each of my family members have influenced me in so many good ways. My parents taught me the importance of responsibility, hard work, forgiveness, and many other qualities that I am striving to use in my own family. My sister and I have always been close, and have had many wonderful experiences together. I have very fond and fun memories of family reunions, Christmas programs, dinners, and other activities involving both sides of my extended family. I definitely lucked out in marrying into a wonderful family. Each of my brothers- and sisters-in-law are so much fun to be around and talk with. I have enjoyed getting to know them all over the last 4+ years. And Bill's parents have been so supportive and loving toward me, and making me feel so comfortable in their family. And of course, I can't say enough about my fabulous husband and adorable little boy. They are two of the best things that have ever happened to me, and I am so lucky that I get to be with them forever, as well as this new baby and any other children we have in the future. I am one lucky girl!











*Sorry for all the pictures. I couldn't narrow down which pictures I wanted to use. And if I forgot anyone in these pictures, I apologize and I love you anyway :-)

I'm thankful #4

Today I am thankful for good friends. I've been blessed with many amazing friends as early as elementary school, some of whom I am still in contact with. I'm grateful that I've never seemed to have much of a problem making friends, because I enjoy spending time with people and getting to know them. Many of my friends have helped me through some tough situations over the years, and I am truly grateful that they have been willing to listen to me vent, cry, and deal with my stress. Connected with the subject of friends, I'm grateful for the visiting teaching program of the Church. It has forced me somewhat to become friends with people I might not have otherwise. I have had companions and women I teach who are much older than me, but somehow the gap becomes a lot narrower as we serve and talk with one another. I enjoy feeling a sense of sisterhood whenever I am around the many wonderful women that I've met over the years.

I'm thankful #3

Today I am thankful for holiday vacations. It may sound kind of silly, but it's the truth. Mostly I'm grateful for them because it means that my husband doesn't have so much to do for a few days. So far this week Bill has been gone for a few hours yesterday to finish some homework, and will probably have to be gone a few hours on Friday to do some research, but for the rest of the week he gets to be home to help me and be with our family. Will and I really enjoy having him home with us. I enjoy it because he's a big help with things around the house and keeping Will entertained while I get things done. Will enjoys it because he loves his daddy and being able to play with him during hours when he's usually at school. So I am grateful that we will get to see him a little bit more over the next month or two.

I'm thankful #2

Today I'm thankful that I get to be a stay-at-home mom. Ever since I was young, that's always been one of my biggest goals. I know how important a mother's influence is in the lives of her children, and I want to be there every step of the way. Admittedly, the last 3+ years haven't always been easy, and I sometimes get frustrated or stressed with being home alone all day, especially when Will is throwing a tantrum or just being unusually difficult. When I sincerely look at my life and think about what a gift I've been given, however, I honestly wouldn't trade this job for anything else. Will is such a sweet boy, and I love helping him learn and grow. And I'm excited to go through it all again with this new baby. Being a mother is definitely the best job in the world.

I'm thankful

Being the week of Thanksgiving, I decided that this week I am going to write one thing I'm grateful for each day. Obviously, I'm thankful for a lot more things than just 6 or 7, but for this purpose I will narrow it down a bit.


Today I am grateful to be a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. We had our Stake Conference yesterday and today, and it was a wonderful experience. There were many talks and musical numbers which uplifted me and gave me a renewed determination to be a better wife, mother, and overall person. I am far from perfect, but being a member of the Church and using the gift of the Atonement each and every day gives me the opportunity to learn and grow, and to be closer to my Savior and Heavenly Father. I am grateful for the knowledge that families are eternal, and that the blessings I enjoy now can be with me forever. I know it sounds cliche, but honestly, if I didn't have the gospel I don't know where I'd be right now. It has blessed me in so many ways over the years. And now that I'm living in a place where being a member of the Church is less common, I have gained a great appreciation for that blessing. The Church gives me peace and joy in a way that nothing else can, and I am grateful for it.

Braving the cold

So...the afternoon Thanksgiving activity didn't happen, due to my lack of being able to reach any of the ingredients I needed. Instead, Will and I ventured outside for one of his favorite activities - picking crab apples off of the trees by our apartment. I don't know what started this fascination, but Will loves to go and pick at least one crab apple every day. Unfortunately I'm not the photographer that a lot of my friends are, so these pictures aren't that good. Plus after only about 10 minutes, both Will and my hands were practically frozen, which made picture-taking a little hard, and forced us to make a hasty retreat back to the warmth of our house.

Ahh, the joys of pregnancy....NOT!

Don't let the title fool you too much. I really am glad to be pregnant, because it means that I get to have a new baby to love and teach here in a few months. I love feeling her kick and move around inside me, I love looking at cute girl clothes when we go to a store, and I love imagining what great friends she and Will are going to be. However, I am constantly having to remind myself that the journey is worth the end result. Because I seem to have forgotten something in the 3 years since I was last pregnant - Pregnancy is hard and painful! I have not been so tired, or so sore, or so emotional in a very, very long time. It's definitely starting to wear me down. I feel so bad for my family, because they have to see me at my worst. I try and put on a good face when I'm out in public, but the minute I get home again, watch out! I try my best to take care of myself, by making sure I eat right, get enough sleep, and let myself rest as much as possible, but lately it doesn't seem to be doing much good. I just hope I can survive the next 112 days, or however long I have left. Sorry for the depressing post, I just had to get that out. Next post will be the fun Thanksgiving activity I have planned for this afternoon.

To sleep or not to sleep

Lately, unfortunately, Will has chosen not to sleep. He used to be so good about taking at least a 2-hour nap every single day, but for the past month or two, he has decided that naps aren't for him anymore. This creates quite a bit of stress for all of us. For one thing, nap time is pretty much the only time of day that I have to get much done or have quiet time. Also, if Will doesn't take a nap, then by about 6 or 7 that night he is tired and cranky, which makes life hard on all of us. I have tried to read to him quietly and sit with him in his room for 10-15 minutes, but that doesn't seem to be working anymore either, because as soon as I leave he gets right back up again and starts playing. I know how important it is for children to get as much sleep as possible, I just don't know how to fix this problem. Anyone have a suggestion?

Aren't the holidays great!

After being married for almost 5 years to a man who gets slightly frustrated with stores and with people who kind of gloss over Thanksgiving, I've started to inherit some of his way of thinking. So I decided the other day to make a small Thanksgiving decoration for our apartment. I tried to get Will involved as much as I could (hence the hand-shaped turkeys), and I think it turned out well. I just wish I had thought of it a couple of weeks ago so we could have a little more time to enjoy it before all the Christmas stuff goes up. Oh well. Next year maybe I'll be a little more on-the-ball.




Will admiring our handiwork