Thanksgiving and Jacob's 9th Birthday

Matt, Carrie, and their kids decided to join us for Thanksgiving weekend and we were so excited for them to visit.  Their four kids are about our children's ages and they all get along perfectly so we love getting together with these cousins.  (Actually we have a lot of cousins on the Stuart side that are the same ages and get along perfectly so it's always a party that we are excited about!)

They drove into town just after the kids got home from school on Wednesday so they started right in on the playtime--riding bikes, shooting hoops, salons and spas, playing "house" and babies, video games, and making Thanksgiving treats and crafts.

 We made donut hole Acorns, pilgrim hats from Fudge Stripe cookies, and Oreo turkeys.

 Zach and Jake didn't want to make treats so they were watching TV with Matt and Joe.

 Clark and John are definitely 13 year olds--big teases and pesky older brothers.

 McKell, Katelyn, Carlee, and Megan.  Sweet and silly girls. 

On Thursday morning we were especially excited to celebrate because it was Jake's birthday and Thanksgiving!  I made Jake's favorite breakfast of scrambled eggs, bacon, pineapple, and cinnamon rolls, and then started preparing our Thanksgiving meal of turkey, mashed potatoes and gravy, raspberry salad, deviled eggs, sweet potato casserole, rolls, and stuffing.  We ate in the early afternoon and everything tasted wonderful, even the new recipes that I tried.

The girls set the tables so they ate with us and put the boys at their own.

When we were completely full and the kitchen was cleaned up, Jake opened his presents.

 He got a bow and arrow from Clark.  Now he can practice with this one before using his real one.

Katelyn gave him "Diary of a Wimpy Kid--The Last Straw".  

He loves these books and just flies through them over and over again.

 The Hansen cousins gave him a Nerf gun.  We love Nerf in this house!

 A remote-controlled helicopter from Carlee

 And the latest video game trend, Skylanders Giants from Mom and Dad

Then we went to see "Rise of the Guardians" and the Swaseys joined us.

When the movie was over, we came back for Jake's requested "Turkey" birthday cake, Joe's delicious pumpkin and apple pies, and ice cream followed by a nice warm swim in the pool.  The adults sat around the fire while the kids swam.  It was such a nice night and the weather was great.

We lit the Turkey cake with tricky candles.  He would get them all blown out but one would start again and slowly a few more would re-light.  He was laughing so hard but finally got them all out!

We are so grateful for all of the countless blessings that we have and especially for our son, Jacob.  He brings so much fun and happiness to our family.  He is a sweet and sensitive boy with a playful attitude and wonderful sense of humor.  Not much has changed about him in the last year.  He still loves to stay at home and is the best snuggler around.  Jake is always the first one done with homework and piano practicing so that he has time to play with his Legos and action figures.  He loves to go to bed moving the action figures around in the air while he lays on his pillow.  He has the best sound effects and giggles while playing video games.  And he is the first to say, "I love you" and give hugs out of the blue which I always need.  We love you, Jake the Snake.  Happy Birthday and Happy Thanksgiving!

Carlee's Turkey Trouble

Carlee had a cute little Thanksgiving party at school before our Thanksgiving break.  Mrs. Cifelli read a book entitled, "Turkey Trouble" in which a turkey knows that he is going to get eaten for Thanksgiving dinner so he decides to dress up in different disguises so nobody knows he's a turkey.  When she finished reading the book, a special guest came to the door.  It was the turkey dressed as a pizza man!  So they got to eat pizza and pumpkin pie for their Thanksgiving feast.  It was a cute story and so much fun.  And we love Mrs. Cifelli.  She is the best!

 Here is the turkey/pizza man!  And here is Carlee with a turkey crown.

Jubilee of Trees

We attended the Jubilee of Trees in St. George to kick off the holiday season.  I remember going to the Festival of Trees in the Salt Palace when I was a kid.  There were rows and rows of trees and I would ooohh and aaahh over each one and always pick a favorite.  Because I had such fond memories of the festival and I knew they had one just 90 minutes north, I have always had this on my list of things to do but it has never worked out until this year.  We didn't have anything scheduled on Saturday so we jumped at the invitation from my sis.  My parents were coming down for the weekend as well so it was fun to see them for the day.  Clark and Katelyn stayed home due to commitments with friends so we enjoyed taking the younger two.  It was nice to spend some time with Jake and Carlee and we all got to ride in the "little car".  

We went to Jim and Steph's and waited for them to get back from the temple.  When they arrived a few minutes later, we hit a Chinese buffet for lunch before stopping at Costco to load up on my loaves of bread that I can only get in Utah (Grandma Sycamore's--YUM!).  Then we headed to the Dixie Center for the Jubilee.  There were rows of trees but not as many as I had remembered or imagined.  There was also a cute little gingerbread display, booths of activities for the children, and handmade crafts and goodies.   Honestly, I was a little bit disappointed that the venue wasn't completely filled to the brim with beautifully decorated trees but as always, my imagination and expectations are greater than the end result and I am slowly getting used to this reality.  However, it was a fun little outing and I did end up loving some of the themed trees.

 Jake's favorite was this Lego tree.

 I had to take pictures of these trees for Katelyn.  She is obsessed with anything related to Paris!

 And here is a Hunger Games-themed tree just for Clark.  The cornucopia is very clever.

 The Dr. Suess-themed trees were really fun--the Grinch and the Lorax

 I loved this Peppermint tree and this cute gingerbread house.  The details were amazing!

 Carlee's favorite, Angel Tree in silver and gold

 Carlee and Madi also liked the Madagascar-themed tree

After the Jubilee of Trees, we grabbed some frozen yogurt and hit the outlets really quick to look for a jacket for Joe.  He was successful in his stop and then we headed home to meet up with our other two.   All in all, it was a great kick-off to holiday traditions.