Happy Birthday Dad!

I'm a little late getting this one up here, but I just have to say a quick "happy birthday" to my dad! He is seriously the best dad in the world and I feel so lucky that he's mine. It was so hard not to be there to celebrate it with him, but we thought about him a lot. Here's some of the things we decided we love about him ...

He works so hard, and he can build almost anything! (and will)
His beautiful grass (This is from Kutter. He's developed quite an appreciation for Grandpa's lawn!)
That he will cry at the drop of a hat!
His corny jokes.
The friendship he has with my husband and my children.
He doesn't think we're too little to go fishing or golfing (from Tray)
How much he loves his family.
His example.

Thanks, Dad, for being such a wonderful, Father and Grandpa! We love you!

Happy Thanksgiving!

I know, I know. I'm a little late, but this has been one busy weekend! Jody invited his whole family to come up to our house for Thanksgiving, and even though only a few could make it, it was pretty crowded here! We felt pretty lucky to get Treva, Kay, Shane, Veronica, Jaeli, Brian, Triffini, Dominique, Daidre, Dristan, Davis, and Isabella to drive so far to spent the holiday with us! Even though I've been married nearly 15 years I have never actually been in charge of the entire Thanksgiving feast. I was a little nervous, but I decided it was about time! While I spent the morning in the kitchen, Jody took the opportunity to saddle up the horses. They were a big hit!
Even though it was freezing, Brielle had to be the first to get on! Trayson and Dristan did everything together this weekend, even riding the horse!

I think our little Jaeli Jo loves riding almost as much as her cousin, Brielle. She kept making her daddy take her back out again!

Then came the feast. I have to admit, I was a little disappointed. I guess I was so determined to make the meal that my mom makes every year, and I should've known that that level of perfection cannot be achieved overnight. Everything was, however, perfectly edible and just good enough so that everyone could say nice things without feeling like total liars. I'm calling it a success!

I totally forgot to take a picture of our big old turkey (it was quite pretty) but, you know me, I regained my memory around dessert time. This was definitely the highlight for me! Veronica brought cheesecake, I made a couple pies (One was my Aunt Sue's famous dutch oven apple pie. I was immensely proud of it's beauty, but I have to admit that I didn't quite cook it long enough!) and Kay made her delicious cinnamon rolls. Those were bliss!

The rest of our weekend was pretty much dedicated to eating leftovers and watching movies while the kids ran wild. The guys did find some time to take the boys out riding motorcycles. Some friends of ours have a small bike that the kids can ride themselves and it was a huge hit! Doesn't Trayson look way to grown up?!

One of the best parts for me was watching all the kids play so great with their cousins. They don't get to see them often, but they all have pretty great relationships and they just pick up as if they all played together the day before. It was hilarious watching Brielle try to make friends with Bella, who is only 10 months old. Brielle didn't quite know what to do with someone so small, and Bella was pretty overwhelmed by all the people, but they did eventually manage to spend a little play time together. How cute!

Thanks for coming guys!

So many fish...

...so little time! Every year about this time, the men in my family grab as many friends as they can find and head off on a big old fishing trip on the Green River. Jody's missed the last couple of years so he was thrilled when he finally made it this year, especially since it was one of their most successful trips. I'm guessing that's why he brought home so many pictures!
Now, I have to admit that I don't quite understand the thrill of this kind of vacation. They cram a bunch of guys (only seven this year, but only one hotel room) into a couple condos, get up each morning at the crack of dawn, spend the whole day in the river (did I mention it's November -- in Utah!) and prepare all their meals "the manly way" (basically, whatever is easy and not exactly that appetizing!). Whatever makes them happy, right? And somehow, they do all come home grinning from ear to ear and bragging their heads off. I guess there's nothing like a couple big fish to turn a group of men into a bunch of kids. This is Kim. He's practically family. See what I mean about the grin? I guess this one is mostly about the "beautiful" scenery. This must make all the cold and lack of sleep worth it?

Cody and Jody. Don't they look so cute and so proud?!

This is my Dad. Jody says he holds the fish way out front so that they look bigger. I'm guessing I get a call from my Dad saying the fish was actually even bigger than it looked! More grinning!

I think my Dad has the greatest "I just caught another huge fish" grin ever! I have to say that I am glad that Jody has found such a great group of guys to go do all that "man stuff" with, so I won't EVER have to go fishing in that freezing cold river. Thanks guys!

New Clothes

We just got a huge garbage sack full of hand-me-downs from Hayley and I was just dying to find out what fit Brielle. I was sure it would be a huge fight, so I chose the most important thing first -- the pretty green Christmas dress. Not only was I able to get it on her, but she was ecstatic. She went into full princess mode and started twirling and prancing all over the house. She made everyone look at her and that's when I realized that my biggest problem would be getting it off of her. It didn't take her long to figure out that she had more new things and the little turkey didn't stop until she'd tried on almost everything! She put on a mini fashion show for us and loved every minute of it. I think the sparkly red vest is her favorite, followed closely by the fluffy pink one. She is turning into such a GIRL!

Thanks Hayley, for the new clothes, and the entertainment!

Bedtime!

Jody is always willing to help me get the kids to bed...the problem is this is pretty much how he wears them out! No wonder we are all sleep deprived!

Sorry about how dark it is! I just love her little giggle so much that I had to post this!