Thanks for the fun

Our Thanksgiving was totally fun this year.  We stayed at my parents house for a few days and celebrated with the immediate family (We've gone from 6 to 9!  It's so fun to grow!)  We had Nana there as well, so it was an even 10.

We started off the day with all ten of us going to the movie "Tangled".  I have hoped that Disney would make a Rapunzel movie since I was little, so I have been excited about this!  It lived up to my expectations :)  I loved it, and cried at least twice (it doesn't take much). 

I take a lot of pics of Claire these days :)  Can't help it...soooo cute.

After the movie, we went home and had a feast...of Chinese food!  Ha ha, we all decided it would be fun to have a non-traditional meal.  So while others had turkey and stuffing, we had General Tsao's chicken and wontons.  The best part was, there were hardly any dishes to do!  Don't worry, we still had awesome homemade desserts later that night.

Scott took a nap for a bit and little Claire was kind enough to share her chips with him while he was sleeping.  Too funny!

As if seeing a fairy tale movie wasn't enough, that night the 'kids' (I use that term loosely since we are all 18-25) turned the clock back even further and played sardines (like hide-and-go-seek...but backwards) for hours.  It was a blast.  One round, poor Luke hid so well that no one found him for about 40 minutes!

 It was a great holiday, we had fun letting loose and not taking things too seriously.  It's nice to do that once in a while.

Thoughtful Gesture

I'm in the middle of a Nutcracker week. It is fun, but long.  As I left the house Thursday morning I forgot to take my violin and black clothes with me.  Luckily I had just enough time to run home after work.  I was really excited that I'd get to see Scott for an hour (our schedules haven't matched up so we've hardly seen each other this week).

I walked in our home to find this...

What?  Seriously?  A candle lit dinner.  I was smiling from ear to ear.  Not only did he cook for us (and even included a vegetable! I was so proud), but he put it on our china, which we have never used before!

It was extremely sweet, I want to always remember it.  I'm so blessed to have this man in my life!  I love you Scott!

Emotions

Drained, we are absolutely drained.  The past two days have been a marathon of emotions; anxious, sad, thankful, heartbroken, excited, bittersweet happy, and on and on.

On Tuesday morning, our nephew Beckham was born! We have been so excited for him to come.  He is the first grandson on both our sides (we have eight adorable nieces).  We were able to go see him on his birthday, and oh my heck, just check him out.  So cute.

 

Later that evening, the mood got much more somber.  We attended the viewing of Scott's dear Aunt Laura, who passed away last weekend.  We are so thankful for our faith in the gospel at this time, it is one of the only things that can bring any sort of comfort when something like this happens. We saw a lot of extended family at the viewing; Laura has 8 siblings and 7 beautiful, courageous daughters.  Everyone came together and supported each other through this loss.

That night, Scott's immediate family gathered together and we spent time talking about what would be happening the next morning...our brother Jeff would be leaving on his mission to Georgia.  There were many happy tears that night, we are so excited for him.  It's always hard to say goodbye though.

Wednesday morning we all had breakfast together, then said our goodbyes to Jeff.  Tears all around!

Here is Jeff saying goodbye to Scott, and below, Julie (little sis).  Scott asked me to put these pictures up on the blog. His siblings are very close and he was glad those sweet feelings could be captured on camera.

Straight from there, we went to Laura's funeral.  Many more tears there, but the spirit was strong.  Her family paid her amazing tributes and it was evident how loved she is.  She was buried in a really picturesque spot and amazingly, the weather was cool, sunny, and beautiful. 

By this time, Scott and I (and probably all of our family) had a splitting headache from so much crying. We can't believe the baby, the funeral, and the mission all fell within 48 hours of each other.  We are full of love for all the people involved in these experiences, we have had a lot to pray about each night.

I guess it's really over

I think I mentioned that Scott and I had season passes to Lagoon this year.  Now that it is closed, it feels like summer is officially over.  I am a little sad!  We went one last time this past weekend (with my brother Luke, who also had a season pass).  

 

I love these guys!

 

 

Scott wanted to win a Giants baseball helmet.  He had to throw a ball at least 70 mph to win it...he threw it 71!  Good job babe!

  

 Luke has never been on Skycoaster (a giant swing thing), so he and I did it together!  I hadn't done it since high school (with Jenna and Emily!).  It was just as awesome as I remembered.

 

At least winter will bring holidays and family gatherings, those get me through!