A Banner Thanksgiving and a Low-Key Black Friday

Yesterday we had one of the best Thanksgiving days we've had in years. After a slow start to the morning, we watched the parade broadcast at my parent's house, and I was amazed that it kept the boys' interest almost the entire time. We went back home for a quick nap and to make a pie for later, then we ate dinner at my parents house. The elders from our ward joined us, and it was a smaller gathering than in years past but still very fun. The food was great, as always, and Gram, mom, and I all contributed dishes. Following dinner we went over to see Darreck's family and eat pie. They're in the process of adopting three young kids, so with the kids and the dogs, their house is always a little crazy. Dessert was just long enough to be ready to take the boys back home and get them to bed.

We woke up this morning to no hot water, courtesy of Luke who turned off the hot water heater. In spite of swearing I wasn't going shopping today, the black Friday sales still called us, and we ended up going to the mall, Target, and Walmart, even though we finished up most of our Christmas shopping a few weeks back. We didn't buy much, but I still love going out on black Friday and feeling the energy of the crowds. It always gets me in the holiday mood.

However, we can't forget that Thanksgiving isn't about the sales and the shopping. We have so much to be grateful for this year, especially welcoming Jack into our family. It's been a long year with plenty of ups and downs, but I'm truly thankful for the way everything has worked out. I'm grateful to still be in our house, even though we spent many months trying to move. I'm especially grateful now that our remodeling is done for the time being. We're also extremely grateful about the ward change that allows us to attend church with Gram and my parents.

We're thankful that Max is doing so well in school, which is a huge load off my mind because we spent the better part of last year planning to homeschool him. Max has really come into his own the past six months, and he's a delight to be around right now. I'm thankful that Luke's medical issues are improving and that he's beginning to talk more. I'm even thankful for his mischievous, cold-water inducing ways. He's smart, and I can't begrudge him that. I'm thankful that Jack is here with us and healthy. I'm thankful that he has such a sweet disposition. He really is a great baby.

I'm thankful for Darreck's job and the growth he's seen at work lately. It's such a blessing that we can provide for our family, and I know that it's a direct result of Heavenly Father's intervention in our lives. I'm grateful for the opportunities I've seen in my work this year, especially with my writing. A lot of new opportunities have presented themselves, and I'm thankful for the opportunity to use my talents to further God's work.

Most of all, we are all very thankful for our Heavenly Father and his son Jesus Christ. We're thankful for the role of the Holy Ghost and personal revelation in directing our paths. We're thankful for the prophet, his apostles, and their divine counsel. We're thankful for the commandments that keep us safe and the covenant that help us stay on the path back to Heavenly Father. We're so thankful for Christ's atonement and the grace and mercy he affords us everyday. The greatest blessing we have is the gospel in our lives. It enriches us, blesses us, directs us, guides us, and helps us become the people Heavenly Father needs us to be, and for that we are eternally grateful.

And... of course... another holiday means another photo op! Happy Thanksgiving!

First Report Card, First Sentences, First Food

I've been meaning to write this post for an entire week, but life has been getting the better of me. We decided, more or less on a whim, to redo the floors in most of the upstairs, so my life was hijacked by remodeling. More on that later with before and after pictures. However, today I want to brag on my boys a little.

Max received his first report card last week and got glowing marks from his teacher. She wrote that he is a pleasure to have in class and contributes often. When we met with her for conferences this week, she also said that he's in the highest reading group and is doing very well in all his other subjects. I was concerned about putting him in school this year, wondering how he'd do, but he's done nothing but thrive. He's made some great new friends, his reading has grown by leaps and bounds, and he seems to be genuinely enjoying himself. I couldn't ask for much more.

Luke started using sentences this week, in other exciting news. He's still behind in his speech, but he'll be restarting speech therapy at a new clinic soon. And, for the first time, he's been trying to speak more on his own. This week especially he's been stringing two word sentences together such as "daddy go" and "more wa-wa (water)". It's a big milestone for him, and it gives me a little more hope that he'll start talking to us eventually.

For his part, Jack is talking up a little babble storm lately. After getting the go ahead and debating over what to try first, we started him on oat cereal this week. Man, that boy loves, loves, loves his food! Because Luke is slightly allergic to oat, banana, and avocado and I'm reluctant to use rice cereal because of potential arsenic levels, it was quite the task to decide what Jack's first food should be. However, he's doing very well with the oat so far. Unfortunately, it hasn't helped his sleeping yet, and he's still up three or four times every night. I'm trying to be patient, but it's getting harder and harder with each passing week. Sleep is, by far, my favorite activity.

I'm so proud of my boys and all their many accomplishments. We are so blessed with our three musketeers!

Jack is 4 Months

I had the best of intentions to take pictures and write about Jack's four month birthday yesterday, but he didn't have the best response to his shots. He was pretty cranky all day, and it was an incredibly busy day. Poor kid. Four months and forgotten already.

Jack did go and see the doctor yesterday, where he weighed in at a whopping 17 pounds 4 ounces (83% percentile) and 25.75 inches (75% percentile). I can't believe how big he's getting! He doesn't even resemble the little tiny baby we brought home from the hospital four short months ago. I'm happy he's healthy, but a little sad at how quickly he's changing.

In other Jack news, he's in the middle of his four month sleep regression, which means I'm not getting much sleep. It's getting a little old. But, he's almost made up for it with his new habit of babbling. He loves talking to us, and he has a huge smile. What a sweet, lovable rolly-polly. We love our Jackaroo so much!

Family Portraits

My friend Wendy Parrish took our family portraits back in September, but between the normal wait time and my indecision, I didn't receive the final proofs until a few weeks back. I'm not sure what it is about this batch. Wendy did a great job, and I completely believe in taking family portraits each year, but taking pictures only two months after giving birth is not my favorite. I was still adjusting to my new body image, and I'm not totally in love with these pictures. Either way, the boys are cute, and that's really all that matters.

Primary Program

Today was Max's first complete primary program at church. It was so sweet! The primary president asked him, through e-mail, who his favorite scriptural prophet was, and after a good amount of waffling, he settled on two. He said he like Ammon because he saved the sheep, and he said he liked Nephi because he taught him to not complain, a line straight out of a book we have. She wrote him a part about Nephi, and he delivered it beautifully. Unfortunately, I didn't make him memorize it this year. I've been such a slacker this year with all the remodeling we're doing. More on that later...

Anyways, the program was great. The kids did a good job, Max only shoved his finger up his nose once or twice, and he sang all the songs pretty well. It was a good day. Oh, and here's a random picture of Luke in the bumboo. Yay for random pictures.