Fantastic Thanksgiving this year! We missed all of our family but we had a great group of missionaries over. Thanks to my dear sister Beth, we also had the BEST turkey I've ever had! Who knew that brining a turkey really would make that much of a difference? Trust me, it does. The day started off calm and we were all pretty happy. The turkey cooked to perfection, the rolls were piping hot, the mashed potatoes fluffy and creamy, new-recipe green bean casserole was mouthwatering, and I go into tears when I think about how delicious the gravy turned out! I don't think that I'll ever be able to recreate that meal! I think the best part of the whole day though, was that we had it all cleaned up by six. And when I say all cleaned up, I mean everything! The house, the pans, the dishes, the kids' toys-EVERYTHING! I had the next day off work and with the house so clean I thought that it would be the perfect time to go get our Christmas tree. It's a little earlier than we usually go, but I just felt like being way on top of things. I'm not sure how the kids felt, but you can check out the following pictures and judge for yourself...
You may think Chase looks bored in this picture, but he's really brimming over with excitement. He just wanted to practice the art of being a cool, disinterested teenager. I'd say he's got it figured out.
Corbin was dressed and ready to go instantaneously. He LOVES going outside. Plus, he didn't have to take the time to find his hat, because he never takes it off!
Wow. If you know what's good for you, you won't make this one wait.
We have a Christmas tradition at our house. On the day that we go to get our Christmas tree, we give the kids their new ornaments for the year and they get to open them after we've put up all the others. I really like it. This year we got all of our ornaments while at Peach Days in Utah. It was a lot of fun picking them out and although the younger kids don't fully understand what's going on, they still love the tree and seemed to have a pretty good time.
Yeah, Chase and Mia look a little goofy in this one, but really, that's nothing new.
Bet you can't see the kid hiding behind the tree without his pants on. Sometimes it's just better that way.
Mia loves the ornaments and the lights. She'll get just close enough to touch but hesitates and stops at the last second and then looks up at you and whispers "No". Yep, she's a smart girl.
And the finished product with all the lights in the house turned off. This is my favorite tree ever. And I'm sure that when next year rolls around that tree will be my favorite, just like last year's was, and the year before that...and the year before that...and...well you get the picture.
