Thanksgiving 2009

This year we spent two nights at Midway, UT with the entire Hill family (38 people - that is right) We had a great time and ALOT of great food!! Our first night we went to the Polar Express on the Heber Railroad. Sam thought this was great, and was so excited to see Santa Claus telling him he wants a white saber tooth tiger! (I'm not sure if Santa can do one of those) We then spent Thanksgiving Day eating, swimming, playing flag football, eating, swimming, eating, and swimming, oh and then eating again. We did our Christmas celebration here too with the Hill's - now that our families are getting so large its really hard to get everyone together for Christmas with presents in tow, so this was a great way to do both. I love my family so much and it was great to all be together for a few days.

Shawn and I were in charge of dessert - we supplied 2 pumpkin pies, 2 apple pies, cherry cheesecake, raspberry cake dessert, fudge, and peanut putter ricekrispy treats! We also had two turkeys, 4 bowls of dressing and ALL of the fixings. Its amazing to see how much 40 people can eat. Sam and Jack both had a great time playing with their cousins and we hardly saw them, so it was a nice vacation for us too. Thanks Mom and Dad for a great holiday - we had a great time.

Hayden, Addi, Ledger, Brooklyn, Tyleigh souping it up

Ryker, Sam and Cole ready to board the Polar Express

Jack telling Santa he wants a chair

Playing Football - Sam was a great little running backWe headed to Temple Square one Friday to see the first night of Christmas Lights. There were a lot of people with the same idea, but the lights are really an INCREDIBLE site. It is one of the top 100 Holiday things to see in the nation. Sam loved seeing the inside of the tabernacle and Assembly Hall, as well as seeing the presentation of the nativity in front of the North Visitor's Center. He is so smart and remembers so much of the Christmas story! Jack on the other hand tried not to fall asleep being strolled around in a bundle of blankets. It was a great way to start off the Christmas Holiday.

Finally to end the holiday PEFECTLY we went HERE (nothing better than a burger animal style):

and watched THIS! GO COUGS!!! Shawn was able to go to the game and enjoyed storming the field at the end of the game. Thank you Blake Family for making his dream come true!!

Happy Thanksgiving

In the spirit of Thanksgiving I want to express gratitude for my three greatest blessings - Shawn, Sam, and Jack. What a wonderful life it is to be surrounded by these wonderful, handsome, fun, loving BOYS!!! Here's a few things I'm grateful for about each of them.

Shawn - the GREAT father he is. Really, I don't think there is a more dedicated, loving father out there. He loves being with his boys and they love him. He is also incredibly smart, and humble about it, which I admire since I'm one to gloat about my own "smarts!" Its hard when you know everything:)

Sam - His imagination - right now he is crawling around on all fours, with Bolt ears, a collar and tracking "food". He always is the first to remind me to say a prayer at meals, he loves to learn, and is so BRAVE to have mastered swimming!!

Jack - I LOVE this little guy. His jabber as he totters around, his smile, his laughing at things that are funny, and naughty. I love how he gets his shoes when we're leaving, how he snuggles up to me, and how he shakes his head no to everything - even when asked if he wants a pony!

I'm so grateful to be with my family, since I know many of my friends and their families have been away from their spouses. I'm grateful for the gospel that allows motivates me to be better so that I will qualify for the chance to have my family for eternity. I'm grateful for the freedom of living in America. I'm grateful for wonderful family and friends who have supported me and our family - we love you all. Thank you!!

A New Look Alike?

Jack has always had, how should I put it, a "big ol' round head" - Shawn made the observation the other day that he had an Elder Oaks-like head. I think that is a good sign! What do you think?

Thanksgiving TidBit Tuesday

Happy Thanksgiving to all! We love Thanksgiving here in our house, and I especially make it a point to do things centered around this sadly, overlooked and almost forgotten holiday (Christmas commercials are already all over! AHHHH!!) Yes I'm one of those -- we don't listen to Christmas music, look at Christmas decor, think Christmas thoughts until we've fully stuffed ourselves sick on a yummy Thanksgiving Dinner. Since I'm going to be baking some yummy treats for our own celebration next Tuesday, here are some fun crafts, treats, and games to help you celebrate your Turkey Day! Enjoy and have a very happy Thanksgiving!

(I'm loving that Sam is pulling up his pants in this pic and pulling such a goofy smile!

Don't you love our turkey, named Sparkles because I accidently bought sparkly paint!)

Sweet Turkey Treats:

Oreos

Candy Corn

Whoppers

Frosting

Take 1/2 of an oreo cookie to use as the base of the turkey. Take one whole oreo cookie and use as the body sticking into the 1/2 oreo's frosting. Use frosting to attach whopper as the head, candy corn as the beak and feathers, and to pipe eyes. (We tried using Reese's Pieces for eyes too) Enjoy!

Turkey Time Game:

1 piece of paper divided into 4 squares

2 die/ team

pencil

Objective: Each team (2 players per team) tries to be the first to draw a turkey by rolling a pair of dice in the correct order.

Divide group into teams of sets. Each team will be creating their own turkey by drawing the turkey parts. ONe team player will do the drawing while the other team player rolls the dice. When the leader says start, each team begins. THe turkey MUST be drawn in order start with the body.

1 - Body

2 - neck and head

3 - beak and gobble

4 - eyes

5 - legs

6 - feathers (6 times)

Double six - your turkey's been shot, start over.

After rolling a one, then you must roll a two, and so on until you complete your turkey. The six is the feathers and must be rolled six seperate times for each of the six feathers. Once a complete turkey is drawn, the team yells "Gobble, Gobble, Gobble" and the round ends. If you roll a double at anytime your turkey has been shot. You have to cross it out and start over on a new square. Its a really fun game and easy for all ages to do.

Girls Pilgrim Hat

Materials Needed:
12 x 18 Piece of White Paper

White Ribbon or Yarn

Scissors

Stapler

Instructions: Fold the piece of paper in half the long way, then unfold it so you can see the crease. Now fold up one side of the paper so the edge is even with the crease (folded up along the dotted line on the image). On the other side of the crease, cut two slits, evenly spaced as shown in the image, going almost all the way to the center crease.
Now poke a hole on each end of the folded half of the paper portrayed by the dots on the image. Cut 2 pieces of ribbon, about 15-inches long, and tie one end of each ribbon to the hole you poked. The folded section will be the front/brim area of the hat and the ribbons can be tied under the chin or left hanging at the side of the head.
Notice the "+" I made on the 3 'flaps' created by the slits you cut in the other half of the paper? The 2 outside flaps are brought together under the middle flap - imagine lining up all the +'s in the image. Staple these 3 together and this will form your finished bonnet!

Indian Headband

Materials Needed:
Construction Paper
Ruler
Scissors
Glue
Stapler

Instructions:
1. Cut headband (2-1/2" x 24") out of brown construction paper. Fit the band of construction paper around the person’s head that will be wearing it. Holding it together, remove and staple where the construction paper overlaps.
2. Cut 5 feathers out of different colored construction paper. Cut small slits along the edge of each feather - but not too deep. Glue feathers to the back of the headband. Lay feathers on a flat surface and allow to dry.

Three Cups of Tea - if you are looking for a good book to read, pick this up. Random maybe on a Thanksgiving post, but this is an incredible TRUE story of one man's life pursuit to educate children in Pakistan and Afghanistan as a means to not only help them, but to give them other options than terrorism. It is written in an easy to read story and the things that take place will amaze and inspire you. It made me especially grateful to live in the U.S. where we have public education offered to all, to be a women in the U.S. where I can pursue my dreams and goals, and to have freedom to do that. Really a great book!

Saturday Soup

The past few weeks have been flying by and filled with our normal daily routine. However, I was able to take a little trip up to Idaho by myself on Tuesday to go to my doctors appointments, and was able to do a lot of thinking in those unusual quiet hours. I had a couple of thoughts that I feel like I should record. First, I can't believe how quickly my boys are growing. Sam will be in school in another year, and Jack will no longer be our baby in a few short months. It made me appreciate being able to be with them everyday, and also to make it a point to be more PATIENT with them. I find myself losing my temper over very small, insignificant things - and especially with Sam I can't afford to not spend every moment I have left with him. Second, I'm so grateful for the little things everyday that they do to make my life happy and full. It is an unimaginable thing prior to having children of your own to think how much joy you can find in a squeal of laughter or a new discovery. I'm a lucky lady to be a mom. Finally, I was thinking about our family's blog and how well it records our life, and I've decided that though I highlight mostly the fun, funny, or encouraging events in our life - that's okay! I'm still "keeping it real" (and we do have many time-outs, spankings, tears, arguments, etc.) but I chose to have my boys look back on their childhood and find good, happy memories rather than me ranting and raving over things they did that drove me crazy. So if I brag or show off my kiddos its because that is what I want to remember for years to come! Okay now I'm done with my soap box/reflection.... Here's some things that both boys have been doing or saying lately that make me smile:

Sam taught his first Family Home Evening lesson and did a great job. If you haven't had your kids do one, I recommend it. He went through our Gospel ABC book and said a lot of big words like 'especially, of course, remember, next" and so on... It was such a sweet FHE and I know that he knows who Heavenly Father is and that Jesus Christ died for him.

Sam also has been such a big helper around the house and with Jack. When Jack is sad, Sam is the first to go and find a toy that he can play with (he's also the first to usually make Jack cry by taking a toy away!) and he loves to help take out the garbage, set the table, and take his dishes to the sink.

Being back in Utah we've had to battle some major traffic. Today we were in a traffic jam, caused by an 8 car wreck for 1 1/2 hours! Yuck. While in a complete stand still Sam yells out - I've got to go to the bathroom! What do you do? No empty bottles, nothing. Shawn takes Sam over to the side of the cement barrier on the highway and lets him go! That's right we are gross, but what else do we do? Then we have both boys running amuck in the car as we have now turned off the engine, and they are scavenging week old Chex cereal and other random crumbs that are tucked in the seat. Gross again! What would you do in these situations?

He asked me today why his dreams come true? I wasn't really sure how to respond to that, any suggestions?

2. Jack is soooo smart - too smart if you ask me. He will through papers and wrappers in the garbage, will go and get his shoes, go to the bathroom to brush his teeth, and "clean" up his plate at dinner time. He has quite the attitude develop lately and will throw a huge tantrum if he doesn't get what he wants. At dinner he insists on feeding himself with some success. If I try to help him get a spoonful, he yells at me, yanks the spoon away and flings food all over! Then he usually laughs. He laughs at everything, which I love about him. He has such a happy demeanor. He loves Sam, and loves to do everything Sam does. Today Sam hurt his toe, so I put a bandaid on it and instantly Jack was pulling off his sock and trying to apply his own bandaid to his toe. It was so cute. He is into everything, toilets, cupboards, drawers, and most recently the dryer! He helps me pull out the clothes and eventually manages to crawl inside.

3. My doctors appointment went really well - the heartbeat was very strong and I'm growing like a weed! We get to find out what the baby is next month and I can't wait.... except I'll to wait since Shawn won't be able to come with me, I'm going to have the tech put the gender in an envelope so that we can open it up and find out together. We are so excited for another baby and hope that everything continues to good. Have a happy week and upcoming Turkey Day! Thanksgiving is my FAVORITE holiday.

TidBit Tuesday

#1. Chicken Pot Pie: Super Easy, Super Delicious, and Cheap!



1 pkg. of refrigerator pie crust (2 crusts)
1 jar of alfredo sauce (your favorite)
1-2 chicken breasts, diced and cooked through OR a rotisserie chicken shredded meat
1 pkg. frozen peas and carrots
1 potato boiled, or leftover baked, or frozen hashbrowns
1 small jar of pimentos
1 tsp Thyme, salt and pepper to taste


In a deep dish pie dish line with one pie crust. Mix in a bowl alfredo sauce with chicken, veggies, and seasonings and pour onto pie crust. Top with other crust and pinch sides to seal, cut four holes in top to allow for steam. Place on a cookie sheet, and bake at 375 for 30-45 minutes until crust is browned and or bubbling. Allow to rest for 15 minutes and serve!



#2. Pumpkin Bread

This is from the Summers' Family Cookbook, but is sooo good. Really if you don't have a pumpkin bread recipe, or want to give one a try THIS is it!

1 1/2 cups oil

8 eggs

3 cups of sugar

3 cups flour

3 pkgs. coconut pudding

1 can pumpkin (29 oz.)

1 1/2 tsp. soda

1 1/2 tsp. salt

1/2 tsp. nutmeg

1/2 tsp. cinnamon

Mix together well and bake 1 hour at 350, keep testing with a toothpick until it comes out clean. Makes 3 loaves (that will be gone before you know it!)

Halloween in the Hood

Robin Hood that is . . . we all dressed up as a character from Robin Hood, and it was really fun. Sam is now an official pro at Trick or Treating, and would have gone until midnight if we would have let him. We had a great time with our families in Idaho having a yummy Halloween breakfast and great trick or treating with the Wizard of Oz characters!

Little John and Robin Hood

Lil' Joh, Maid Marian, Robin, and Prince John

Tin Man (Tess), Wicked Witch (Mic), Cowardly Lion (Keaton),

Dororthy (Piper), and Scarecrow (Sadie)Hill Family Breakfast
Sam was all business, no lingering, just get your candy, say thank you and GO!

Before heading up to Idaho we had some fun throughout the week:

We went to Wheeler Farm in SLC and picked out some pumpkins to carve. The boys loved seeing all of the farm animals, especially feeding the ducks (or rather ATTACKED by the ducks, man those things can be vicious - they had Sam running for his life!)

Carving PumpkinsWe had our first round of snow, but it was great. It lasted only through the early afternoon and snowed enough for us to make a snowman. Sam loves snow and had a ball, Jack isn't in the picture for good reason - he cried from the time I put on his gloves and hat until the time I took them off back inside! Maybe he'll learn to love it.

This is the boys favorite nighttime activity. Daddy pulls them around on the sled. Who needs snow?

I loved this picture of Jack - he just looked so handsome!

Sam also started swimming lessons this past week and I already can see what a great thing this will be for Sam. He was sticking his face in the water and floating on his back with help from his instructor (which is HUGE!) for Sam!

By the end of the week - we were all spent! Here's Jack illustrating sitting in the crockpot - "Put a fork in me I'm done!!"