Thanksgiving

We had a lovely Thanksgiving. Here are pictures of a few of my favorite things about this year's holiday (by the way, I forgot to take a picture of the turkeys):

Everyone helping to prepare the food (fun peeling potatoes)



Finishing touches on the dessert



Homemade rolls ready to bake



And of course an assortment of pie.



In the spirit of the season, here are my top 10 (ok so I included 11) things that I am grateful for this week. I'd love to see all of my friends and families' lists.

1 - The love and support of my husband (in spite of my many short comings)
2 - My 5 precious children
3 - The knowledge and peace of the Gospel of Jesus Christ
4 - Mondays - Troy and I both have this day off, but the kids are in school :-)
5 - Having a job that I enjoy
6 - An uninterupted night's sleep
7 - The many miraculous beauties of nature - especially beautiful sunsets
8 - Extended family
9 - Low gas prices
10 - 4 live in babysitters
11 - Chocolate

A Mom Can Brag a Little Can't She?

This is one of those moments where I really miss having Mom and Dad around. Praising my children for their good efforts to their Grandparents is an easy thing - they always respond with pride. Not exactly sure how others might respond, but in their absence, I needed to share. My kids have worked really hard and I am proud of them. I don't know how often a parent gets to see 4 straight "A" report cards, so I have to cherish the moment.

Halloween

I made this polar bear costume 13 years ago for Wesley to wear. At first Quinn wasn't so sure he liked being dressed up.

Then he started to get used to it.

And finally, he decided it was okay.

Haylee wore the poodle skirt I made for Amanda about 11 years ago.

We even made a Cleopatra costume for Amanda to wear to Monster Mash.

Finally, here's the whole gang (including some neighbors). Recognize that costume Heather's wearing? My mom made it about 30 years ago. It was a fun nostalgic Halloween.