Thanksgiving

We went to Arizona for Thanksgiving this year.  We were ALSO able to see Alesha and her family.  We hung out with cousins playing games and listening to their tunes....

We had a pie making class from Grandma Brenda on Thanksgiving morning with the older girls.  Rebecca was dying to make pies with her, but I think that I was the one that walked away having learned all of the pie tips.

Aunt Lael taught us how to play crazy kick ball.  You don't have to run to the next base if you don't want to and players can pile up on bases holding hands and running like crazy when they could....

Every day the kids swam in Aunt Lael's pool...

I like this one of Hannah with Grandma Brenda.  They were playing Sharks and Minnows and Hannah was making sure that Grandma was NOT going to make a peep.

 

We ate A LOT of food from our Thanksgiving feast to grilled steak at the park and plenty of appetizers in between...

 

Did a little photo shoot of Aunt Racquel and Paul....

The guys stayed up late EVERY night playing Settlers of Cattan, they also managed to fit in Tennis one morning AND a movie at the Dollar Theater.  The girls all went out to a Mexican restaurant ONE night.  We also went to see the Mesa Temple Christmas lights, BlackFriday sales, Tangled at the drive-in, Santa at Outdoor World, played in Uncle Paul's tree house, and  mini golfing....

 

  When we first thought about going to Arizona, I thought "Oh that's going to take a lot of money that I could buy this or that with".  BUT there is really NOTHING that I could buy that would replace the memories and the relationships that were strengthened.  Thanks for the fun holiday Thompson's AND thank you Aunt Lael for letting us stay with you!!!

Tangled

We spent last week in Arizona for Thanksgiving.  Stephen's parents and SIX sisters all met for a big rendezvous.  While we were there we went to the drive-in to see Tangled. 

It is sooo cute!  My sister had given me the idea to do little invites for the girls with a brush.  And guess what ... Target's dollar section had little brush and mirrors.  So I made some for my girls and nieces.

It's the perfect size for them to keep in their purses and then they can remember the night that we saw Tangled.  The boys reminded me that I didn't do anything fun for them when we went to see the new Harry Potter.  Why do kids always have to keep track of what the other is getting?!?!

Notes on Treats

I love to take a favorite treat, write a note on it with a Sharpie, and then give it to someone.  Last week I bought Stephen his favorite pie from Village Inn (Banana Cream Pie).  I wrote a sweet note on the top in Sharpie AND he had a grin on his face the rest of the afternoon.  Well, I HATE Banana Cream pie.  I didn't even take a bite of it, but thought of how I "should have" bought one that we BOTH liked.  BUT I knew Stephen needed his Banana Cream.

Well, today I took the older kids to Harry Potter with the Mason's and look what was in the fridge when I came home....

MY favorite pie with a sweet note.  Totally made my day!  Oh how I love sweet little surprises!

YOU are awesome Stever!!!

The Cumulative Total

LOVED this quote from a comment on my friend Lacey's blog. 

"What we discover is that the good days and the bad days and the ordinary days all mount into a cumulative total to build the strength and durability you just can’t get any other way.

The good days alone won’t make it. It's by stretching to overcome the bad days, and continuing to reach toward our best selves on the ordinary days, we enlarge our capacity." -Beppie Harrison

Isn't that soooo true!

Newborn Shoot

I REALLY love doing newborn shoots.  They are just so tiny and cute. 

Once again I usually don't post these on my family blog BUT I thought that some of you would enjoy seeing this little angel since you are "kinda" family (AKA all you Spillane's)...

 

Isn't she just beautiful!

My Native American

I posted Kaylee's Medieval pictures from Friday morning and caught grief from Rebecca for not putting hers on here.  SOOO here they are!  She wore moccasins that Grandpa Thompson had made out of leather with Jacob.

Notice the red little face?  It's not sunburn, it's just that COLD Colorado weather in the morning.  Oh, it is getting COLD!!!

For Rebecca's Native American day they rotated classrooms doing different activities.  One room they played games, another room they made crafts, another one they heard a Native American story around a campfire and then created their own sentences using symbols.  They finished off with a little feast of nuts, vegetables, dried fruits and meats.  Here are a few pics....

AND that was Native American Day!!!

Medieval Day

Today was BUSY with a preschool feast, Native American day for Rebecca, Medieval Day for Kaylee, afternoon Skate City, Nathan birthday party to go to, Nathan basketball practice, Jacob camp out with scouts, Rebecca Jazz class, and Kaylee basketball tournament started tonight with TWO games.  I was having anxiety trying to get to everything.  Stephen was like, "Relax, we will get it all done"  AND he was right we made through the day!

LOTS of fun pictures but wanted to post these of Kaylee tonight.  I try to get pictures of the kids in the morning when they have these special days at school.  So I dragged Rebecca and Kaylee out before they left for school.  There is never enough time in the morning, but I sure try.  Kaylee insisted on wearing the cloak that I had made for the boys when they had medieval day.  She had a fancy costume dress under it.

   She is so fun to take pictures of because she gets SOOOO giggly....

   

Just wanted to add Kaylee's activities.  One room was a monastery where they copied quotes with a feather and inkwell.  The room was all black except for little candles on the desks and a stain glass sticky on the window.  They took a vow of silence before they entered the room and were given Shepherd bread and water to eat.

One room was a market where they were given coins to barter with.  They could buy Robin Hood hats, shields, goblets, wands and then food as well.

Another classroom was a castle where they had a little feast with chicken legs and other yummy food all together at a long table.

They jousted in the gym on stick horses with a noodle and dangling ring.

The other room had sheets that hung all around that had a forest scene on them.  It was the Sherwood Forest.  There they learned and did a little dance with partners.

AND that was Medieval Day!

Count Down Box

Last year I saw this at my friend, Jamica's and couldn't resist putting one together.

An old wooden pop box has 24 holes, which makes it perfect for a countdown.  I found little Christmas trinkets to fill each space.  Some are sentimental gifts, others were made by the kids at school, and others are just cute fillers. 

You wrap all of them and then each day one little package can be opened and placed on the shelf. 

We also have a felt countdown that the kids take turns moving Mary and Joseph.

Even when we read our Christmas book each night, the kids count how many books are left in the basket.  So that too I consider a countdown.  Oh, Christmas is such a fun time of year!!!! 

I'm off to finish wrapping my trinkets...