Thanksgiving

 

Let's just say on a scale of 1 to 10 where 1 is I ruined Thanksgiving and 10 is I succeeded, I'd rate my overall job as a 2.

 

2 points for the good food.

 

The company was perfect but I made a hasty last minute decision that caused drama and now I feel horrible.

 

I must have poisoned Joe because he slept the whole time and felt sick after.

 

I'm pretty sure people were angry with me.

Sigh.

 

 

The carrots were really good. Can good carrots make up for what I lack?

 

My Yaya almost didn't come. I was so devastated. But then she braved the cold and came at the last minute. Love my Yaya!!

 

Dad cooked & carved the turkey! It looked delicious!!

 

TOBI!!!!! Love our Aunty!!!!

 

New chairs from Grandpapa & Grandmama. So kind of them to bring them for the children.

 

After dinner I had to get some tupperwares from my dad's house. (Sorry dad, I'll return them) I ended up crying on my mom's bed for 20 minutes. Such a bittersweet day. Wish I could have heard my mom say how much she loved the food. Wish I could have seen her play the farting pig game with the kids. Wish I could have hugged her. Wishes. Wishes. Wishes.

What good do wishes do.

God knows best.

And therein lies the sweetness.

Mom knew the food was good. Mom saw us playing the game and was happy we were happy. Mom is waiting to give us hugs.

Just be patient.

3rd Turkey Trot!!!

 

Turkey breakfast of champions. We woke up early!! And it was a bit cold outside....

 

But we had our family!!! Elijah in the car said, "Who's going to win the race? Maria's going to win the race!!!!!"

 

Of course, it's not about winning. It's about just doing fun things together and enjoying our time!

 

Ella loved the turkey, but it made her a little nervous.

 

This wonderful paramedic gave Elijah a teddy bear. He was thrilled. It was so kind of him since Eli wants to be an ambulance truck when he grows up.

It got a little bit too cold, so we warmed up in the car for a while.

 

We think Elijah will be ready to run next year.

 

And here they come!!! Champions!!!!!!

 

Papa joined in on the last leg too.

So grateful for Yaya Kota who always encouraged them to do this. This was the last thing she paid for before she died. Always giving.

 

What a great way to start the morning!!!

Class Thanksgiving Feast

Jello cups are my favorite class treats. They are simple and always turn out impressive. Maria also wanted to take tofurkey. Hooray for fun teachers who throw great parties at school!!

Happy Veteran's Day!

 

I believe in peace. If given the ultimatum, I would choose death over fighting... I do believe. The story of the people of Ammon who laid down their lives rather than fight their brethren really just hit home in The Book of Mormon for me. Do I still admire Captain Moroni and his vigilance to keep the Nephites safe and their freedoms? Absolutely. It's a weird double standard I suppose, however, it's the way I feel. I believe in peace, but I'm so grateful for the men and women who sacrifice so I can have that peace.

 

I guess I really just wish there was no war and that everyone could get along. I remember when I was little that was always my request of Santa instead of toys.

 

YOU FAILED SANTA.

 

I love going to the parade because I love to clap and cheer and thank all those soldiers who have given so much. I want my children to always be grateful for their service.

 

Thank you to all the service men and women out there and there families! Thank you for being our heroes. Thank you for your commitment to country and goodness.

Tobi the Turkey

 

We got to have Tobi over for dinner and do our gratitude turkey together. Always thoughtful and pensive about how blessed we are!!

 

(Enjoyed Eli's thought, "Friends... especially ones like Allen)

Snow Day Holiday!

 

Last night Joe was supposed to come in at 6PM from his grandmother's funeral in Ohio. Of course, we had a horrible snowstorm and his flight was diverted to San Francisco, then Los Angeles. He ended up sleeping in LAX on the floor for a whopping total of 3 hours.

 

Ah, life.

 

The kids were very excited to play in the snow thanks to a 2 hour delay for school. And of course, in honor we had to have snowman pancakes.

Eli was so happy. Quote, "This is the best holiday ever!!!"

 

We did have a tree that broke in half and is now in our front porch.

Fun times.

 

Just a beautiful day. Grateful for the snow.

It made me think of when I was a little girl and we were leaving my mom's preschool. It was snowy and icy and she slipped and fell, hard. I hated seeing my mom fall. She fell quite a bit actually.

I'm so grateful I don't have to worry about her falling anymore.

She is safe. My dear sweet best friend is safe.

And keeping us safe!!!

I was in the storm for 3 hours trying to figure out what was going on with Joe's flight, with 3 of the kiddos. Horrible drive, not as bad as the pass, but still so stressful!

 

Thank you Heavenly Father for always blessing us.

Healing With Horses

 

That has to be my worst blog post title yet. WHAT IS WRONG WITH ME!

And yet, I'm entertained by it.

 

It really was such a lovely thing to have our friends from church invite us over to ride their horses.

 

The girls were just thrilled! Eli took about 5 minutes to warm up to the horses and then was all about them. Unfortunately, he did have some allergies that almost swelled his eyes shut. But hooray for Benadryl. Within 2 minutes he was just fine.

 

Ella liked them but wanted to keep her distance. The weather was a perfect fall cool. Plus our friends are just so nice and thoughtful. They were teaching us and telling us all sorts of interesting stories!!

 

It was really a perfect Sunday!!