Holiday Break

We started Thanksgiving with the traditional Macy's Parade. It was fun to watch the singing and dancing as I made rolls.

Tyler couldn't wait another minute so we broke out appetizers in the car. They thought it was so funny to eat them off their fingers.

We had turkey dinner at the Nelson's this year, and Rachel was a kind hostess. The spread with this family is always incredibly amazing.... I should have taken a picture of all the food!

Grandma cooked the turkey and Lynn did the carving.

Tyler munched on carrots and found the piano while we waited. 

My girls love all the attention from their cousins. 

This is the best we got of a family picture. Mike was a good sport and held the wiggly toddler on his knee so I could enjoy my meal. He looked over at me and said, "You're in heaven, aren't you?" That's a good way to describe the experience. It's worth waiting for once a year.

After dinner and some movie downtime, the kids needed to get energy out so Mike took them outside to play fox and the pie!

The fox waiting to catch her prey.

 Ella and Ty mostly chased the kitty.

I realized I didn't get a single picture with my turkeys so we posed on in pajamas at the end of the day.

We finished off a fun day wrestling and playing with Daddy!

The next day we took advantage of holiday break to get together with Mike's siblings again for a game night. Pizza, popcorn, yummy treats, and games made for a fun evening.

A little Blokus in the front room.

Four square in the basement lasted about 5 minutes.

Monopoly in the dining room.

And Pictionary in the living room (after the BYU soccer game was finally over!).

The next day was still a lazy day.... love it! We decided it was time to Deck the Halls.

My little helpers did some prep work.

Their favorite was unpacking and setting up the nativities.

My amaryllis is blooming just in time.

I am loving my new hutch with Christmas accents. 

 Someday I will have a mantle, but for now the stockings are hung here.

Daddy got to work too and hung the lights outside. 

Good thing it was a little warmer than last year! However, now that's done I'm ready for some Christmas snow!

The best part about the holiday was having Daddy around all the time. It's hard to go back to real life after being spoiled!

Happy Thanksgiving!

A few things we are thankful for...

Maddie lost her 2nd tooth! Yay for another buckaroo from the Tooth Fairy!

Tyler loves loves loves his books.

 Playdates! They are my saving grace now that my girls don't snooze every day.

A super fun Daddy. These kids can't get enough of him.

We are thankful to have Grandma Osmond back from Georgia!

We had a fun time decorating her house for her return, and we look forward to a wonderful family dinner tomorrow. Hope everyone has a happy day!

Ty's First Snow

Tyler loves playing outside better than just about anything on earth. Thank heavens we bought him a parka the night before it snowed! He loved it and lasted as long as a toddler can before his fingers freeze inside wet gloves.

The girls are old pros and loved the early snow. They wished we had gotten more like other parts of the valley.

Cute little monster!

 

The girls realized they could write their names in the snow. Pretty fun!

Daily Dish

Here's just some small stuff from our little lives.

Ty woke up like this from a nap. I think it's time for haircut.

Little guy followed me around the yard today while I planted some last minute bulbs and winterized my perennials. He loves his tractor! "Runs like a Deer."

The little monkey has learned how to climb on things lately, so now it's his favorite pass time.

Little Ella Bella bo-Bella is counting down to 4! After finishing her Halloween countdown she knew her birthday was next, but we had to visualize just how close for sanity's sake.

Maddie girl is writing all day every day. She writes invites to her friends to play (and delivers them at school), thank you notes for invites to birthday parties, messages to all of us family members, cards to mail to loved ones, "hopskoch" instructions, and even shopping lists for me. I love it!

I love November. For Young Women's last night we made 365 Days of Gratitude books, to write in every day for the next year one thing we are thankful for. The quotes the leader found are inspiring and I know this will be an uplifting challenge!

My kids are working on our annual Thanks and Giving trees. It's fun to see what they come up with and how it makes them more aware of their actions and blessings.

Daily life with my kiddos is not always easy, but it's all so worth it! We are very blessed.