Thanksgiving 2013, part 1

We had a great Thanksgiving this year! Tyler had most of the week off of work so we went to Lufkin on Tuesday morning and stayed until Saturday afternoon. All but 3 members of my family were there, and it was quite a party! We had a great week.

Tuesday: arrived around lunch time and met everyone at Chik-Fil-A. Had a fun afternoon playing inside, since it was raining like crazy. The kids played Wii, the boys played pool, and the girls talked. Made s'mores in the fireplace for dessert, which Millie took approximately 3 bites out of. I guess she's not much of a marshmallow girl- she kept picking the chocolate off! Can't say I blame her.

Hashtags were a running joke throughout the week, and even the kids picked up on it

Millie loved baby Jane

Millie bonded with Tyler pretty quickly- he is such a sweet cousin

Wednesday: games at the church since it was still raining. Laura and Tom led everyone in a workout and the adults played volleyball while the kids ran around the gym. Kim won the planking contest, even though she is pregnant. Everyone else was very embarrassed! We brought pizza to the church and then went home for naps. Some went to see "Freebirds" while others stayed behind. We celebrated Dad's birthday, which was a few days before. The kids made a big banner for him and we had his favorite dessert- strawberry cheesecake. The adults played Bananagrams after the kids went to bed- I love playing games with my family!

Kelsey is quite the cuddler and loved Uncle Tyler

The family that sweats together, stays together 

Matching jammies

 Thursday: there was a temporary misplacing of the key to the church, so we did not go back for games. Instead we braved the cold and played outside! The kids loved playing in the leaves. There was lots of cooking and baking going on of course. In the afternoon we performed a little Thanksgiving program at Dad's facility. I had a pretty embarrassing moment, messing up a word in one of the solos and being unable to control my laughter! I blame it on my pregnancy brain. After singing we came home to put the finishing touches on dinner. When we got to baking the rolls, the oven shut down!! I guess some grease or gravy had spilled down into the range and it went into a safety mode. The boys attempted to bake them over the fire, which worked, except for the extremely smokey taste. We ended up slicing french bread to go with Thanksgiving dinner! The evening ended with pie and ice cream outside by a fire and sharing what we're thankful for. Once the kids were down for the night, we adults played a new (to us) game- 4 on a couch. It was perfect for such a large group and we had a great time!

A kickball game with the kids

The cup song, of course

Part 2 to come soon!

Things to remember right now

-The way Millie loves to talk and sing in the mirror

-How she loves to dance, and learns all her best moves from her dad

-Our waking up routine: I walk in and give her a hug, ask how her nap was, then sit on the rocking chair and watch her bounce for a few minutes. It usually takes asking her if she's ready to get out a few times before she says yes.

-How Millie says "Baby Gees" and "Joes" for Baby Jesus and Joseph. Everything is just cute coming out of her mouth

-The way these two laugh together, and make even the lamest things (like waiting for the doctor) fun

-The other day, Millie saw Tyler and I kiss before we started to eat dinner. She laughed and said, "again!" to which we did not say no. It somehow turned into this game, where she now says, "nuhwun kiiiiiiss!"(another one kiss) in this super-cute voice, and then we kiss. Sometimes she even throws herself in the mix, saying "Millie kiiiiiss" and leaning in. 

There are just some times when I feel like my heart is going to burst with happiness! I love my little family and our little life.

Scenes from our Saturday

I come to the re-realization every few months or so that life is just busy. I always trick myself into thinking that after whatever holiday or whatever event is over, life will slow down. Not so! I'm not sure why I can't just remember that and expect it. What we're busy with evolves, but life is just plain busy. So when a day like yesterday comes along, I just want to bottle it up and keep it for a while.

Millie and Daddy sometimes go to Shipley's on Saturday mornings for a little daddy-daughter time. Millie loves her donut holes, Daddy loves his kolaches, and they sure love each other. They let me tag along yesterday- lucky me!

"Millie, are you excited?"

Grammy came for a surprise visit shortly after we got home. Millie danced for her, of course, and then we all went to Gigi and Poppy's house. They're remodeling the kitchen and Tyler hadn't seen the latest progress. That turned into a lunch outing at Jason's Deli! It was a fun, spontaneous morning with family. I love that we're close enough to family to have those.

While Millie napped in the afternoon, I put up our Christmas decorations. Normally I try to wait until after Thanksgiving, but we're going to Lufkin for most of this coming week, and it'll be nice to have that done already when we come back. I didn't put up the tree yet though. Millie noticed everything that was different right away, and pointed at and talked about every little detail! I love her excitement about everything. It makes the work of changing decor so worth it!

Hunting bears in Kodiak, AK while I decorated 

I've been itching to buy a big (read: bigger than 4 feet) Christmas tree, so after Millie got up, we did some shopping. We went to a lot of stores looking for the best deal and ended up ordering one online later that night, but it was so fun to wander down the aisles and watch Millie get so excited about all the Christmas stuff. It's going to be such a fun Christmas with her this year! Also, one of my favorite quotes from Tyler that evening: "A lot of times when I listen to you when I'm driving, I make the wrong decision." Backseat driver much, Cam? That made me laugh so hard I had to write it down. We grabbed some pizza on the way home and discovered that Millie can't say pizza. She will say pizzi or pazza, but never pizza. Kind of hilarious.

This is a really dumb picture, taken after a really cute moment between these two. Wish I weren't so slow

Also, it's cold here this weekend. 84 degrees on Thursday, 44 on Friday. We're getting whiplash! But, it makes me smile whenever I pull out these bad boys below. They were purchased my freshman year of college, and worn every winter since, obviously. Tiki do you still wear yours?? I almost got a pair at BYU, but I just couldn't find anything I liked as much. These holey, worn-through beauties will stick with me a while yet!

Topped the evening off with a bubble bath and watching "We Bought a Zoo" with Tyler. Not bad at all!

Remembering Ryan

On Monday, we received the awful news that Cari's husband Ryan passed away. It was very unexpected and shocking. Cari and her 4 young kids were on our mind and in our prayers all week. Thanks to Gigi and Poppy, Tyler, Millie, and I were able to attend the funeral services with them this weekend. We flew to Utah on Friday and arrived home this afternoon (Sunday). It's still hard to believe that Ryan is gone, but we were so glad we got to be there with the family and see everyone. I believe that times like this are a big part of why we have families!

The most recent picture I have of Ryan, from the Dude Ranch this year. He's on the very left and Cari (holding Piper) is on the very right.

Fun at the airport:

"I excited!"

Also, my first time flying with Tyler. And Tyler's first time flying with Millie!

We went straight to the viewing after our flight. We were so glad to be reunited with everyone. Tyler and I finally got to meet Sydney and Hudson- we've been waiting a long time for that! Millie loved seeing her uncles and aunt and soaked up all the attention, of course. Major single child syndrome going on over here.

After the viewing was over we were all starving, so we went to Tucano's. That was one of Ryan's favorite places to eat and we were obviously all thinking of him! We ate a ton, but Garrett and Mitchell needed a little more as we were leaving.

It also happened to be the night they turned on all the lights at the Riverwoods, so it was packed with people- an Alex Boye concert, fireworks, etc. Millie loved the lights. She kept saying, "Another one Christmas tree! Another one! Lights!" at every. single. one. Good thing we didn't take her to Temple Square.

Saturday morning we went to the viewing and funeral services. It was very emotional, but we were all so impressed by Cari and her strength. She used every opportunity to teach her sweet children about how they will someday be reunited with their dad. Each of the kids carried a treasure box with little things to remind them of their dad- flowers from the funeral, a handkerchief with his fingerprint, etc. It was very sweet. We walked away from the funeral feeling uplifted and inspired to do and be better people! Ryan was a wonderful husband, father, and person in general. We loved our time in Utah when we got to see them often and cherish those memories with each of them.

At the graveside service, the kids let balloons go and we watched them float up into the crazy snowstorm. Cari told us they plan to do that every year from now on. 

There was a luncheon after that, where we were served Cafe Rio. We were just floored by everyone's kindness and generosity! The ward was so helpful with the services and there were so many other little moments that just showed how kind and compassionate people can really be. 

Playing with Sydney and Piper

After the luncheon we delivered some of the flowers from the funeral to Cari's house and ended up staying and talking for a little while. I was so glad we got to have some time with them! I love Cari and look up to her so much- always have. 

Out of order, but here's a picture of Millie experiencing snow for the first time Saturday morning before the funeral.

That evening we got to spend some time at the Provo Beach Resort, thanks to the generosity of a friend of Ryan's family. Cari wanted everyone to get together and have a fun time and remember that life is fun-- the way Ryan lived it! So we did just that.

Millie was very determined to get through this little playground obstacle. It was hysterical

Blurry on purpose to show how quickly she runs! We love her excitement

 We sat and watched our little girl run and just were feeling so blessed to be a family. I love this man.

Also, Millie had 8 adults watching her play (Mitchell isn't pictured, but he was there). Only grandchild much?

After playing our hearts out, we said goodbye and headed to Five Guys. This is everyone's "I ate soooo much" face.

Millie loves Gar-Gar and Dodo so much

We went to bed semi-early, since we had an early flight home. We were a bit delayed, and of course Millie slept as we sat in the plane on the runway, waking up as we took off! Oh well. She was so good the whole weekend as we threw off her schedule and took her around and around.

Thankfully, Tyler and I were sitting next to each other so she could sprawl out

So, that was our weekend. It was very emotional- both ways. We love our families and are so thankful to know that we can be together forever!