THANKSGIVING

Our Thanksgiving was so much fun! It was just the five of us- I think for the very first time-and it was so relaxing! (Check out Nick's "stuffed turkey" in the photo above....he has written things he is thankful for on the front of it....The University of Utah, numbers, cowboys, eagles!)The kids had the day before Thanksgiving off from school so we made pies and listened to Christmas music and then headed to the library to stock up on good books!

Is there anything better than reading by a fire on a cold afternoon?!

We started a couple of new traditions this year, too. The first one is PIE NIGHT. We borrowed this great idea from some friends.....the night before Thanksgiving is declared PIE NIGHT and after a small dinner, all the pies get cut into and enjoyed. In our case, we had three pies for five people so more than enough for pie night and Thanksgiving and many days afterwards. The kids loved being able to eat all the pie they wanted. Here is Ben with some of Nick's pumpkin pie, topped with ice cream and whipping cream. No sugar junkies in this house....

On Thanksgiving morning, Chris went to play football with a bunch of the guys from church and the kids and I bundled up for our other new (and very chilly) tradition...a Thanksgiving neighborhood scavenger hunt. They each had a list of things to find on our walk: A chimney blowing smoke, a beautiful leaf, a family playing football, an out of state license plate, early Christmas decorations, a driveway with five or more cars, something frozen, an acorn, etc. etc. It was nice to get out early for some fresh air and the kids really worked together to get their items checked off!

Later on, Christopher "Bird Man" Smith pulled his very first turkey out of the oven. It was beautiful and so delicious!

Olivia was in charge of setting the table and she did a really nice job, too. She made turkey place cards and had us write down on little slips of paper why we were thankful for our family members and tuck them into the pockets of each person's turkey placemat (see photo). After the prayer and Nick's darling Thanksgiving poem, we read the sweet notes written by the rest of the family! It was super cute.

Nick challenging his mother to our annual wishbone contest.
I won for the first time in my life.
And I can't get this picture to rotate for anything!

The rest of the afternoon consisted of napping, the Diary of A Wimpy Kid movie, games and just hanging out with the kids. I am so thankful for these little people. And the man that loves these little people as much as I do. We are so blessed to have a warm home and plenty of food and the opportunity to enjoy such wonderful moments together. I am grateful to my Father in Heaven every day for the sweet blessings he has given our family!