Thanksgiving 2016

This year we got to spend Thanksgiving with a lot of my extended family, and it's the first time that I think I've ever been able to do that. I wish, wish, wish everyone could have been there, and I'll keep my fingers crossed for one day. We all met up in a church in North Ogden and my mom and aunts did the best job decorating the tables and making the food. It was so nice to be able to catch up with family that we don't see enough.

After we'd been eating for a little while we had a little program where each family had to put something on, meaning that the kids showcased their talents, which is what everyone wanted anyway. Ellie was pleased as punch to be able to dress up in her ballet outfit and do a pre-performance of her Christmas recital. She had doe eyes in the beginning, but it took about 2 seconds after that for her to snap out of it and shake her groove thang. She loved it and kept asking when she could get back up on stage again. I was busy taking a video, so I don't have any pictures, but she looks very similar in this picture. She pretty much wore this all of December because she was obsessed with the Nutcracker.

It was so sad to clean up and send everyone on their way, but I managed to rope everyone into a group picture, and I'm so glad we did it. A few of us had to leave before we took the picture, but this is the majority. I'm so blessed to have such a good family.

On Friday we went out shopping around 6 p.m., long after the crowds have died down. I think we spent $14. It took every fiber of our beings to not buy a new TV. Not that we needed one, they were just cheap! Give us all the cheap TVs!

On Saturday we went to our Thanksgiving dinner with Grandma Bernella and the rest of Jeremy's extended family on that side. We went early to help and even started a modest kitchen fire to kick things off. Once we started eating, we let the kids run around and I think I sat and visited for the next hour. It was glorious, but of course, means no pictures. This year, pictures will be taken. We left completely stuffed to the brim. Thanksgiving food is the best food. Period.

These 2 little turkeys loved being with all of their family and being doted upon by all the older cousins. Fall was good to us this year and we're forever thankful for the many blessing in our life.

Also, I found these few random photos that I need to include. They were taken in the month of November, so it totally counts, right? The first one is Ellie's first time meeting baby Louie. We love the Allens so much and love watching our kids grow up together. Ellie is super into babies right now, ok I guess for a loooong time, but she's especially into real babies right now. All she wanted to do was hold and cuddle him. She was so good! She kept saying "he's so tiny and cuuute!" in her sweet high pitched voice.

And this one of Fitz is so random, but he is just so dang sweet. His personality has burst through in the past several months and we can't get enough of him. He loves doing his own thing and probably touches every toy in the house daily. He loves to carry and scatter things about the house throughout the day, which makes quite the pick-up marathon for me after he goes to bed. Watching him find joy in the most ordinary things make it worth it.