Thanksgiving Day 2010

We started the day with a cold, windy 5k. The three youngest kids were going to ride in joggers for the run, but it was so stinking cold! We left four of the kids with Jason, and Carter insisted he wanted to ride, even in the cold. It was a great run. I ran hard and felt good about my time, especially considering I was pushing a double jogger into the wind nearly the whole way. It felt like I was pushing a sailboat against the wind. Yeah, tough. It felt so good when I was done. Kristen and Aaron were awesome. They don't run regularly, they just jumped in and ran a 5k...pretty impressive if you ask me.

This is my dreamboat, putting the herb rub on the turkey. He thought it was a gross job, but somebody had to do it. Lily was pretty much grossed-out by the sight of the raw turkey too. It turned out sooo delicious.

I made my aunt Lynn's make-ahead butterhorn rolls. Aaron and I first tasted them 12 years ago and were hooked. My children are hooked on them too. I daresay, Jason and Kristen and their kids are probably hooked too.

Pie. Yum.

Pumpkin pie. We made my favorite pumpkin pie. It's not too strong and pumpkiny...it's just right. We also made a pecan pie, for the first time. I used a butter (as opposed to corn syrup) recipe. It turned out so yummy.

No pie...just ice cream.

Ice cream too.

Ice cream!

Sweetness.

This little guy loves playing in the dishwasher. If we were working in the kitchen, he was nearby...either playing at the dishwasher or in the pantry.

It was a wonderful Thanksgiving.

First house guests!

It was so great to have my brother and his family visit us!! They were our first house guests in our new home. I really enjoyed time with my brother and his wife. I especially loved watching my children play with their cousins.

Braving the cold for a polar bear swim. Brrrrrrr.

Jason was the only adult to get near the water. We were way too chicken. Actually, he didn't want to get in either, but did so at his little girl's request. What a sweet daddy!

The wee babes watched from the side. Aren't they cute? This little guy reminds me a lot of my kids. He and Carter could pass as brothers with their blue eyes and blond hair.

The bakers, making rolls for Thanksgiving.

Jason and Kristen brought us an indoor smore maker. The kids thought it was the coolest thing in the world.

Love it!

I love this movie! My expectations going into the theater weren't extremely high for a few reasons: 1. the last few Disney princess movies were only so-so, 2. the trailers had a slap-stick feel to them, which I don't enjoy, and 3. the title was rather random, not classic. I got the impression this was just a shot at Disney having one more thing to market. But I was wrong! I completely agree with my sister-in-law when she said this is the best princess movie since The Little Mermaid.

I love this movie! The characters are lovable and engaging, the music is fantastic, the art is beautiful, and the story is the traditional Rapunzel fairy tale, with a super fun twist. I loved it and am itching to go see it again.


*Spoiler alert!* If you haven't seen Tangled yet, go see it then come back and finish reading my post!

My family saw the movie with my brother and his family who were in town for Thanksgiving. Curiously, my beautiful long-haired blonde and their adorable short-haired brunette resemble the lovely princess.

I'm so excited!

Tonight at dinner Aaron told the kids and me that he had a surprise for me. He said I could have it after dinner. I thought it would be something small and funny, or if I was lucky, a Milka chocolate bar. Whoa, my baby really took me by surprise! He gave me tickets to see The King's Singers perform a Christmas concert in December. I am so excited!!

Their music is so much fun! Aaron and I saw The King's Singers way back in 1998 when we were first dating. It was such a lively, fun concert. I'm so looking forward to seeing them again next month! Aaron won some serious points with this one!

Awesome Halloween cookies

Carter and I made the Halloween cookies this year. He wanted a gingerbread man one.

So he got one.

Right after I snapped this photo, the tray tipped and cookies slid onto the floor. Don't worry, they still tasted good.

More of Awesome October. Here are a few pictures that I loved. My Grandma and Pops are so dear to me. It was special for us to spend an afternoon with them.

Papa read the coolest construction book to Carter.

Hazel and her little cousin Ian.

Rise and shout, the Cougars are out!

I love BYU! It's my alma mater. I learned so much there, in the classroom and out. I had so much fun with friends there. I met the love of my life there. I am utterly grateful for the time I spent at BYU. I would love for my kids to have similar experiences there as young adults. And so, I've started early to instill a love of BYU in their young hearts.

Whenever we go to Utah we spend a day at BYU: eating ice cream at the Creamery, bowling in the Games Center, getting a souvenir from the BYU Bookstore, hunting animals in the Bean Museum, listening to the carillon bells, and walking around campus. I always point out where I lived as a freshman, including the freezing cold concrete outside that their daddy and I sat on late at night, talking and sipping hot chocolate. I love that place and want them to love it too. How can they not when it includes BYU ice cream and chocolate milk??

I came across these ferocious cougars in the Bookstore. I stayed far away from the second one...it was particularly wild. They both calmed down, however, after I took them to the candy counter and let them choose some candy.

On this trip we went somewhere new: we meandered through the HFAC and briefly enjoyed some exhibits in the Museum of Art. The memories came swarming back to me as I walked through those buildings. (The MOA got me all lovey dovey and missing Aaron because we used to go on dates there all the time.) Those buildings smell exactly the same as they did 10 years ago!

I wanted our day at BYU to be perfect, but it was much more like the above picture. :)

I told the kids about the amazing library. They thought it was so cool that they were walking on the sidewalk, and there were people under them studying in the library! Carter was enthralled by the sidewalk sweeper pictured above. He thought it was so dang cool!! I told him that when he grows up and comes to BYU, he can get a job on the maintenance crew and drive one of those sidewalk sweepers. He was in heaven. He looks forward to that day!

Like I said, I'm instilling the love of BYU young. Isn't it great?

Cousins and corn maze

I love seeing so many cousins together! We live far from these guys and miss them so much! Four of these boys belong to my big brother, Jaren. The other little guy belongs to my little brother, Jordan. I adore this picture because it's all kids and babies, no grown ups. It's fun to see the little kids growing up enough to help take care of the babies.

Run!

One little person cried in the maze because we kept hitting dead ends and he thought we were lost. Poor kid.

The unnamed little person was relieved when we saw the exit sign, and absolutely ecstatic to see a huge excavator dumping dirt onto a conveyor next to the maze!

This is a great photo! Look at J.J. man's face! I love it!

Hazy and I had fun too!

Grandpa Clark

As soon as we got home from Flagstaff, the kids and I turned around and headed up to Utah for my Grandpa Clark's funeral. It's sad for those of us left behind, but Grandpa was ready to move on. While we miss Grandpa, his funeral provided the opportunity to get together with lots of family. I loved seeing my Grandma Clark, my dad, aunts and uncles, cousins and their cute kids. I absolutely loved the time with my family. It was a short trip and there was not enough time with them all!


I love this picture of my dad (far right) and his siblings. He's the oldest of the six. His sisters are the wee babes. The other boys are somewhere in between.

This picture makes me smile!! All of my dad's kids (5 boys and 3 girls) were able to come for the funeral except one. I loved being with my siblings, even though it was so quick. I wish I'd had more time to spend with them.

A family funeral gathering isn't complete without a funny face by J.J.

This saddle belonged to my great grandpa. When my grandpa inherited it, he put it on this big old spring for the kids to ride. It is so much fun. My grandma brought it to the family luncheon and the great grandkids were lined up for this thing!!

Chilly air in Flag

Our fun friends invited us up to enjoy the cool air in Flag. Our goal was to see leaves changing colors and teach our kids about autumn, since we don't really have one here. We were a little early for the leaves, most were green, but we caught sight of a few colored ones. We enjoyed the cool air and the company of our friends.

Andy and Andrea took us on a fun hike.

Lily climbed right up this big old rock. Andy was a great spotter.

Lily was a great little hiker and found lots of leaves, sticks, and pine cones to bring home.


Carter had some technical difficulties...relieving himself in the great outdoors proved a little challenging. :) But he sure is cute anyway!

Hazel enjoyed the ride on Aaron's back.

They aaaalmost reached around it!

Look at those yummy pizzas! Andy and Andrea had some great pizza ideas to share. If you know me well, you know that I love to make homemade pizza. I'm excited to try their tips at our house:
1. Pre-cook the pepperoni in a pan for a few minutes then dry it on a paper towel. It gets rid of a lot of the grease.
2. Slooooooowly caramelize onions in butter. We're talking hours in a frying pan over low heat.
3. Basil pesto instead of red sauce.

Those pizzas were delicious and hit the spot after our jaunt in the fresh air. Thanks, Andy and Andrea!