Thanksgiving

I have to start off by saying how thankful I am for the life I have been given. For the wonderful husband that I have who continually provides for me & our kids without complaining, for the amazing 4 kids that Heavenly Father has entrusted me with, for the spirits that they carry with them that continually make me want to be a better person. I am most thankful for the gospel in my life. Where would I be without it...who knows. To have the knowledge of my Savior and his sacrifice for me and for the plan of salvation, just to know that I can be with those who have passed on if I live my life worthily, what a blessing. I am so thankful for where we currently live, the ward we are in, and the amazing friends that we have been blessed with. Life is great and I have very little complaints, and the ones I do hardly matter! The Lord has indeed blessed me with a amazing life that I am thankful for each and every day. What a blessing it is to be alive at this time in the world, we are continually faced with new trials everyday, but knowing that we wouldn't be sent here at this time if we couldn't make it helps me get through my days! I hope this next year brings on many more things to be thankful for, even if that means trying times.

This year for Thanksgiving we went to my parents house in Taylor. It was so great to get away for a few days, was just to bad that the weather was rainy and cold. We got to my parents house around 7:30 Wed night. The drive up there was long & pretty boring. Todd does not like to talk while driving. So for almost 14 years whenever we drive we just don't talk, probably one reason we haven't taken any real road trips, that would be like a slow boring death for us. He informed me on our drive home that he has conversations with himself in his head, so there is no need for "real conversations" ummm can you say PSYCHO, having conversations with himself in his head, who does that, apparently the man I love does. Anyhow, so we get to my parents, of course my mom has the house all clean & perfect, ready for my kids to mess it up! She has most of the Thanksgiving dinner already prepared. She has some little smokey sausages in the crockpot for us when we got there, which the kids really seemed to enjoy. I have never made them because Todd got sick on them one Christmas Eve, but he ate about 30 of them, so of course he was going to get sick. We ate & laughed & visited, always great to be back home with my parents. This year my brothers didn't visit. Michael & Clarice stayed in Pima & had their own Thanksgiving with Nolan & Trisha. Pat had Thanksgiving with Megan's family. So it was pretty quiet. Thanksgiving Day we ate & ate, the food was delicious as usual, wouldn't expect nothing less from my mom! Then I worked on making a baby blanket for my new nephew, which turned out to be the blanket from heck. We decided it would be such a great idea to do a blanket with peekos on it (the little triangle things around the edge of the blanket) well I had never done it before, and neither had my mom. So that was an interesting task of figuring it all out, we did though. Then I decide to use my Gma's sewing machine...big mistake. We didn't get along well, not sure why but it was not working. So we busted out my moms & I used hers to finish it. Maybe I am just used to my own, but I had the worst time binding that blanket together. Anyhow it turned out so stinking cute, I loved it, almost kept it for myself. While the blanket making is going on my dad & Todd are watching the annoying TV. They had to have watched like every annoying show possible that afternoon/evening. My mom was going crazy listening to it and I was about sick of it myself. I am so used to Hannah Montana, Zack & Cody, Mickey Mouse Clubhouse, anything Disney, very seldom is our TV not on Disney, so I am not used to the constant bleeping of words & wondering what people are going to say or do next...with my kids sitting there watching. Not saying everything I watch is wholesome, I have my share of TV smut that I like, however never would I watch it in the same room as my kids, I reserve those shows for my guilty pleasures! The kids at least stayed in the office & played Nintendo most of the time & Makenna played the piano, trying to teach herself primary songs, I was very impressed with her diligence in figuring them out. I believe we got all the leftovers out a few times that evening, then finally went to bed. We got up early Friday morning...not for the Black Friday sales, but to go to the Temple. We went to the 8am session. I was glad to be in the temple, but luck would have it that during the session my nose kept running like a faucet, so I have my kleenex constantly wiping the nose, then I happen to look at the kleenex and it is all bloody, so there I am sitting there wiping my nose which keeps dripping blood, I have to ask my mom for a new kleenex, because I am determined that I will make it through the session, I do not want to have to get up. Luckily it wasn't a full on bloody nose, I have been fighting a head cold for a week now, I am still not sure why this happened at this point in time, but it did. So my temple experience wasn't as I hoped because I spent the whole time being paranoid about my nose. After the temple we hit Sonic for some Blackberry Sprites, then back home to the kids & my dad who was not feeling well, to much food I guess! I then finished the blanket, finally. Then we went to Shevell's to see if we could get a few Christmas gifts. We ended up getting several things & of course had to get some of the fudge they now make & sell, wow, yummy stuff. After that we picked Todd & the kids up and went to the movie. First pick was Madagascar, we get there, sold out of course, and we were totally early! We settled for Bolt. It was fine, the kids liked it, I slept through like the last 20 minutes of it. Then a quick trip to Wal Mart & I mean quick, Todd was not having any part of being at Wal Mart on the day after Thanksgiving. Back to Taylor, we then did another baby blanket. Then mom decides to go through my Gma's Christmas decorations & sort through them. That was fun to reminise about stuff. She let the kids pick out a few ornaments that they wanted, they really enjoyed looking at everything. Also after the temple the kids & my parents put up the Christmas tree, I think my mom really liked doing this with the kids, they of course loved it. So while she was finishing up with her organizing of things I watched Rocky Balboa with Todd & my Dad, we had just watched Cinderella Man on Thanksgiving night, seriously...more boxing movies? And in the previous week at home we had already watched most of the Rocky movies and Million Dollar Baby, hello...totally sick of boxing movies. After the Rocky movie my parents went to bed & we stayed up with the kids & watched Bridge to Tarabithia. It was pretty good, they seemed to like it. Finally it was bed time, it was like 1am. We woke up Saturday morning & had to pack up for home. We had a baptism at 4pm that Todd had to give the Holy Ghost talk in for his nephew. Another stop at the book store, then we were on our way back home on the long drive to Buckeye. Seriously seems like days to get home. We hate travelling in the car. I told Todd he should work on getting his pilots license, could be his new goal! Would make seeing my parents much easier! I am such a complainer, it is not like it takes that long, but it does feel like forever when you have a baby screaming, the 13 & 9 year old wrestling in a small area, and then Garret asking every question imaginable, it turns in to one of those when is this going to end moments! Anyhow it was a great Thanksgiving, pretty low key, but was nice to get away and be with my parents. They are amazing people and I am so thankful for them!