The Tree is Up!

So, we had to toss our fakey Christmas tree a couple years ago since a stray cat got stuck in our garage over night and peed all over it. We've been using loaners from family for a while, but no family close by this year...so, I sent Scott out early to hit the sales on Black Friday. He came home with this winner, and here are a couple shots of him putting the star on the top. I love my Scotty - he's such a huge help and a good sport for all this holiday stuff.

Thanksgiving Continued...at White Sands

Here is the other fun part of our holiday. Had to take the relatives to White Sands! I told you I would have a lot of these pictures...can't help it!

 

 

 

Thanksgiving 2012

This was our first Thanksgiving away from family, and therefore, the first time that the burden of cooking a turkey has fallen to me. This may not be an intimidating thing for the average wife and mother, but for someone who has a hard time cooking a basic casserole (me!), it was a nerve-racking challenge. I didn't want to bug my mom (who's on a mission) or my sisters (who are out of town and busy with their own dinners), so I did a lot of research online - how to make turkey and gravy mostly. I saved myself some stress by buying frozen rolls and pies. The mashed potatoes and sweet potatoes were no-brainers and the stuffing was courtesy of Stove-Top. Other than that, all we needed was some guests! I'm happy to report that we found some good ones. Sofia and John and their relatives who were visiting made a great group. They brought some beautiful table cloths and a delicious salad. I loved every minute of it! And of course, I am so THANKFUL that everything turned out well and we were blessed to be able to share the holiday with friends.

 

Turkey Day at Yucca School

Such fun. One day this November the kids' elementary school served a Thanksgiving lunch and invited parents to come and eat at the cafeteria. Scott even left work so he could join in. I loved seeing them in their element and they were SO excited to see us!

Temple Day

Well, I expected the temple in Albuquerque to be peaceful and beautiful, and it was. I also expected a full day of relentless shopping and dining out to be a total blast, and it was. What I didn't expect was to find so many fun friends in a strange little New Mexico town. Lucky me.

Halloween 2012

 

Our Halloween was happy. All the kids got the costumes that they wanted, except for Reed who didn't have a say. Nolan said he was tired of super heroes and cartoon characters and wanted to be something scary for once. Hanna wanted to be Merida, the newest red-headed Disney princess, even though she was terrified by the movie Brave and cried the whole way through. Colby and Liam were both ninjas, and as it turns out, two ninjas are WAY funner than one. We went to Trunk or Treat at the church as always, and then took to our street with our scary vampire neighbor, Sofia.