Thanksgiving 2008

Last year, if you look HERE, for FHE we did a Thankful Tree. This year we made a Turkey and we all wrote what we were thankful for. We kind of slacked a bit though, and our Turkey isn't quite as full as I had pictured him-- not that we don't have so many things to be grateful for, becuase we do-- only because we're lazy!


















The day before Thanksgiving I took the kids to see BOLT. It was one of the best movies I've ever seen! We all loved it and can't wait to go again when it comes to the dollar theater.


















Also that same day, through much trial and tribulation (and two house fires later), I FINALLY finished 26 of these:




We had them every year growing up, only using cake cones that were special ordered to have the pointy tip. Sugar cones are much, much harder to use for this!






Thanksgiving Day 2008 started with an early-morning Turkey Trot 5K in American Fork. I was convincing enough to get Reecy &
Marcie up to meet me there and do it with me. We really had a great time and the weather was perfect!















On the year that everyone is away for Christmas we celebrate Christmas on Thanksgiving while we're all together. I think it is a great tradition, it is so special for all of us to get to be together and celebrate both holidays at the same time! We are so big and so grateful to be able to use the church. I missed taking pictures of our Thanksgiving dinner, Mom always whips up cute table centers and makes everything so nice! I hate that it takes forever to prepare the meal and the table, and then whithin 20 minutes it's all over.
Here are some highlights:











Micki made us all aprons for Christmas and gave us a baking kit. Cutest idea ever, we just love it! Josie has been wearing her apron around the house, it is so cute!















Josie adored her cousin, Lucy, this time seeing her. They wanted to hold hands and walk around. Their conversations were about the cutest thing I've ever heard!













Day-after-Thanksgiving 5 a.m. shopping brought us one of these:

















I got to see my BFF, Stephanie, from Seattle-- which always makes me happy. I got to see her THREE times this year! It's a record and I'm looking forward to more visits (hopefully us there) next year.














And we got to enjoy a night out with all the adults for dinner. Thanks to the big cousins for babysitting! We did miss Eric & Charisse who had to head back to Las Vegas for school stuff, but we're grateful we got to have them here for Thanksgiving slash Christmas!















We had a great holiday and we are so grateful to have got to spend it with our families. The older I get, and because we've moved around so much, I am always more grateful every year for the time that we all have to be together. I'm looking forward to Christmas when my whole family will get to be together for the first time in forever! I'm also grateful during this time of economic hardship for a good job and husband who pushed himself through school and works so hard for us. And where would we be without the gospel? Johnny is getting baptized on Saturday and my heart has been so full this week as I think about the responsibility that comes with that covenant. He is such a good kid, I just hope that I can be the example and teacher that I need to be for him. And I'm also grateful for good friends, who always make life fun!