Thanksgiving

This morning we woke up late to our boys in their room laughing and playing.  Clark was calling Kalvin a 'diaper baby' which is quite the insult in his mind, and Kalvin was laughing hysterically. 

We got the turkey started early and then we just sat back and watched the Macy's parade.  I've never watched it before and I don't know why, cause I loved it!  The kids thought parts of it were funny, but they were more concerned with building a train track.

We didn't get to be with family this Thanksgiving.  Brads parents are in Oklahoma staying with Erik and Christy and all of Brads other siblings were with inlaws and most of my family was in Idaho.  We were a little sad, but honestly it was sorta nice just the 4 of us.  Since we moved out to Overton, we have had lots of family around all the time (which has been awesome) but I just didn't realize that it hadn't been just our little family in so long.  So it ended up being a really perfect day!  

The turkey turned out absolutely amazing!!

And all the rest was just as tasty!!  Homemade rolls that FINALLY turned out the way I wanted them to, pomegranate salad, my Mom's famous veggie dip that is to die for, lots of veggies, stuffing, mashed potatoes, gravy.  Really, it was the greatest dinner ever!!!

My sweet family :)

After dinner we watched a Mickey Christmas cartoon

And then the turkey kicked in

But not for everyone

My Grandma and Grandpa Merkley came down from Vernal to spend the winter in Bunkerville, so we drove up to visit with them and have some pie and ice cream.

It was so great spending time with them and having the boys get to know them a little better.  They were so sweet and went out and bought tractors for the boys to play with.  We got to visit and talk about family and they told us a little about their missions.  Being with them always brings me back.  They just haven't changed much since I was a kid.  Same cream soda in the fridge.  Same iced oatmeal cookies on the table.  Same stack of newspapers by Grandpa's chair.  Same laughs and smiles.  Makes me want to go play with their record player and try on all of Grandma's jewelry just like I use to 20 years ago.

After pie and ice cream it was time to go, but we you never leave Grandma's house empty-handed.  We left with arms full of toys and chocolates and quilts.  We love them so much!!!!

My grandma just whipped these two up and gave them to me.  She is so talented and I want to be just like her!!!

I hope that Brad and I are lucky enough to grow old together like my grandparents!!  I hope we get to see our kids grow up and have families and then even see our great-grandchildren.  What an amazing blessing that is!!!  To see how far your family extends all because the two of you fell in love and got married.  So amazing!! 

We are very blessed and I am so very thankful.  We have so much.  All of the important things are just as they should be.

End of Fall

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Oh how I love this glorious season!!!!

It absolutely gorgeous

Everything about it makes me happy

And I felt like it was so long that I was awaiting its arrival

And now suddenly here we are in the middle of the last week of Fall

The last week of perfect weather

Last of the pumpkins and colorful leaves

Makes me a little sad, but I know that wont last

I really, really love the Christmas season

And I love the New Year feeling

And I am crazy about Valentines Day

I love a lot of things haha

So we get to have lots more fires in the fireplace

Lots more sweaters and boots and hats

Lots more layering PJs for bed, because man is that basement cold!!!

Lots more snuggling in bed long after the alarm has sounded, because we cant bring ourselves to step onto the freezing floor.. and then finding ourselves in the same predicament when faced with stepping out of a hot shower into the freezing bathroom.

Our little space heater will be getting a lot of use this winter!

But luckily winter here in the valley is still quite a pretty sight.

And now that I have my fabulous new camera, I will be documenting in all in great detail.  Aren't you lucky ;)

Today is this sexy mans LAST day at the clinic he has been working at.  He has really enjoyed this one a lot and I think he is a little sad to be moving on, but excited to begin work at his very LAST internship before Graduation!!  How strange is that?!  He is already on to his last one.  So proud of him.  Just incase you didn't know, he is the greatest, smartest and most fun Physical Therapist ever!

So this week will be spent doing lots of Thanksgiving baking and prep

And on Thanksgiving, even more time in the kitchen.  But then we are going to eat the most delicious turkey dinner that's ever been prepared!!

And then we will be taking down fall decorations and putting up Christmas.  Yay!!!

There has been some talk of going up to the mountains to cut us down a Christmas tree, but I don't know that we will be all that ambitious.  We shall see.

And we are going to spend the week missing G&G, because they flew back to Oklahoma to spend Thanksgiving with Erik and Christy and Lily.

My 28th Birthday

My 28th Birthday was the first Birthday where I actually felt a little anxious about getting older.  I've never cared much, but 28?!  That just seems like such a big, scary number!  I was freaking out a little bit the night before.  But, Brad made sure my day was full of happiness and I totally forgot about the fact that Im old.  My day consisted of:

+ Waking up to Brad laying in bed singing every birthday song he could think of in both English and Spanish
+ A scalding hot bath
+ Brad making me blueberry muffins and hot chocolate
+ Brad completely surprising me with a brand new camera!!!  One that I have been wanting for SO long!!!  I was totally shocked and am in heaven!!!
+ A rain storm that lasted all day
+ Time to actually paint my nails for once in forever
+ G&G taking the boys for the rest of the day
+ Brad driving me to St. George
+ Going to eat a Texas Roadhouse and eating a thousand rolls and barely even being able to attempt my entrée.
+ Doing a little shopping at Target and Rocky Mountain Chocolate Factory
+ Going to see Catching Fire (that movie was the greatest thing ever!!)
+ Driving home and telling Brad the entire third book from the hunger games series, cause he didn't want to wait another year to find out what happens
+ Coming home to 2 happy boys
+ Eating cheesecake and watching lots of Office

Playing in the Leaves