Wednesday, November 30, 2016

November.

It was November 1st and I was already over Halloween and all the orange and black.  I bought some gold spray paint and painted our leftover pumpkins.
I don't ever feel like a snuggle my kids enough.
Pete got a black eye from his big bonker a few days ago.
I forgot to get a picture of Gregg's finished pumpkin.
Pete likes to seal the other kids scooters at the bus stop while we wait for the bus.
The weather has been AMAZING.
Pete working in the cookie trailer.
Pete can't have the cookies so we stocked the trailer with some Oreo's for Pete.

I have been cutting my own hair for years - every once in a while I get a really good cut :) and I have to document it for myself.
Truman || 2nd Grade.
Bodie || Kindergarten
I must say these are not my most favorite school pictures of my kids .. oh well.  What do you do?
Bodie came home and said, "mom, I did my best smile for you"
Truman entered the school PTA reflections competition.
Got to have good ear protection while you work!
Like I said before, the weather has been amazing!  We have been walking to the different parks in our neighborhood everyday after school to play until the sun goes down.
Here mom, have some sand.
We finally got our Money Binds put together the way we wanted and the kids love them.  We are doing a tithing, savings, spendings plan very similar to the way I did it as a kid {including the binders}.  I felt like the kids quickly grew out of the banks they got for Christmas last year.  This way they can really see their money and where it is going and how they earn it/spend it.  The only bad part is Bodie can see all his money in savings and he always wants to spend it :)  I keep telling him we can open a bank account for his savings but he isn't sure he trust the bank with it yet!!!
Pete's black eye is getting worse as the blood drains down into his eye lid.
Show me your black eye Pete!!!
Such a cutie.
Primary program parts.
Road trip.
He loves this pillow with some matchbox cars.
Keeping him entertained in the car is awful.  He is by far our worst traveler.
Beautiful.
Glowing bubbles.
We tried out the new park in St. George - it has the best kids train.
Donuts and the pool.
Working by the pool.
At least he is with us and at the pool.
Ruler of the pool and the water gun,
Fun in the evening with great grandpa and grandma Arave.
Norah's first quilt shop experience with her great grandma Arave.
Bodie crafting with me.
He helped me pick out some fabric for some upcoming projects.
One morning my parents were gracious enough to watch the kids while Gregg and I went to the temple.
Time for some biking fun.
The pool is always better with cousins.
Ender Cragun, Pete, Truman, Lincoln Cragun, Bodie
Unfortunately this was our last time seeing Cragun's in St. George because they are moving :(
Cousins.
Lucy and Norah.
Pete loves Lucy.
We had some beautiful biking weather.
I love getting picture text like this.
and this.
Norah slept great in the closet.  Fourth child!!
I know we have Swing up north - but for some reason it's so much better from St. George.
Thankful fo sleeping kids on the way home - it was a big weekend and they needed some rest.
Primary Program Sunday is the BEST Sunday.
Cuties.
Loved seeing this at school hanging in the hall.
Cooking time: 999
Oven Temperature: 900
Salt on top.  Olives on the side.  Hot sauce on top.  Cheese inside.  Meatballs on top and potatoes on a plate.  So Truman and so cute.
November is Turkey-Tales reading at the elementary school. Dad, grandpa's and uncles get to read to the classes.
Grandpa Bob took a turn reading to Truman's class, he was a HIT.  He had all the kids laughing, they loved him.
Pete loves cars, especially ones with sirens.  Wee-ohh.  wee-ohh.
He also likes to load them full of goodies like this.  Gum.
Norah has the craziest hair ever.  This day I tried pigtails with some bangs.  She looked ridiculous, although it did start to grow on me throughout the day.
Gregg's turn reading.
He also read in Bodie's class.
Pete loved being in the middle of it all.
Frantically trying to get our fall clean-out done before the snow comes.
Bodie was an awesome help sweeping the garage and topping our car's off with wiper fluid.
Fall yard work.
I always leave it until the last minute.
Pete's speech therapist recommended I get magnets so Pete can show me what he wants.
We got these awesome magnets made of people and things people often likes/wants so he can show me the picture of what he wants.  He loves it.
So sweet.
Pete LOVES books and loves when anyone will read to him.
Cousin sleep over and grandma and grandpa Quinn's house.
I was reading the kids some Bearstain Bear books at bed that I used to have read to me as a child - I felt super old when the books said "bring your tape player"  My kids didn't know what that was.
BYU Football game!
I set Gregg and the boys to a Saturday game so I could get caught up on some stuff around the house.
Win, win!
Beautiful night out my back window.
Such a cute and fun little girl.
Gregg and I love watching Saturday Night Live.  It has been so good lately with all the political sketches.
Sunday night I invited my parents and McKay and Rachel lover for dinner ... and to help put up the tree {they didn't know about the 'help put up the tree' part}!!!
My dad watching a YouTube video on how to fix my lights.
My little helper.
My kids beg me to make banana bread.
I gladly oblige.
I signed Gregg up to go on the kindergarten filed trip to the dairy :)
He was a good sport about going and they had fun together.
When I checked on the boys one night they both had Santa hats on.  So cute.
We had or second RS activity.  This time it was a day activity where we got together and learned different techniques for making pie crust and then made our crust for Thanksgiving together.
My picture of Grandpa Bob reading to Truman's class made it in the paper.
The kids think they are famous now!!!
I took some pictures for my friend's Christmas card.
Her girls have the best eyes.
Found this picture on my phone! Ha!  Me sleeping and Truman taking selfies.
Thanks McKay for serving me up some nice looking pie.
Loving Norah.
Thanksgiving Eve Pie.
The bad traffic in LA on Thanksgiving made the nightly news, it brought back lots of mission memories.

Checking out the sales on Thanksgiving morning.
We got our first snow of the season, Pete wheeled Norah over to the patio door to see the snow.  He loves her so much.
Just a little sprinkle but so pretty.
"snow"
Rachel, McKay, mom, dad, and me at the Turkey Trot.
I don't really blame my family for not wanting to join me on the turkey trot run - it was SO cold.
It was kind of nice to run and have a minute to myself.
Pete was ready to play in the snow when I got back.
The kids went sledding before Thanksgiving dinner {which made us super late}
Look at Pete's face!!!
McKay carving the turkey.
Darling place settings.
Turkey butter.
Epic.

One member of our family was way to tired and hungry to be happy about a family picture.
Truman had the turkey head on his roll.
Norah's Thanksgiving dinner.
Norah had her first bite of mashed potatoes and she loved it.
Bodie was so much happier after a nap.
I love a man who does dishes.
After dinner naps.
Sleeping grandpa.
Bodie playing some songs for grandma.
I will miss these sad faces some day.
Why have one slice when you can have one of each!!!
I was proud of my grandma for finishing off this pie AND eating it from the pie tin!
We don't do selfies very well.
Pete insisted on going out an feeding grandma's cat.
Nasty.
Bodie has been asking me to each him how to knit.  I told him when my grandma Arave came to town he should ask her to teach hime because I don't know how.
Truman and Bodie were so funny about the Thanksgiving ads.  They looked at them again in bed.  Love them.
He' prepared for any additional snow we might get throughout the night ... in his bed.
The start of puzzle number three.
My first tart.
I wanted to try and make a "left-over's"pie.  I made the crust, then put the left over stuffing in the bottom.  I chopped the leftover turkey up and put it in next.
I smashed in a layer of mashed potatoes - 
And topped it with a crust.
It was SO heavy and took FOREVER to bake but it was so good.  Some people topped it with gravy.  Yumm-o.
Saturday after Thanksgiving we helped host the Missionaries with my parents.
We made them our famous homemade margarita pizza.
The BYU puzzle AGAIN.
Pete "borrowed" this firetruck from grandma Quinn's house.  We brought it home, cleaned it off and gave it some new batteries.
This little boy was in HEAVEN.  No need to get him anything for Christmas.
Gregg's mom loves him.  She made him a homemade apple pie, he wouldn't share it with ANYONE, not even me - I have to sneak a bit when he was asleep.
I love him too - I bought him his other favorite pie :)
Football for Gregg and laundry folding for me at night.
I was so confused having both a Utah and BYU game on at the same time.
Truman came home from Primary excited about the 'Light the World' campaign.  He wanted to clean grandpa and grandma Simon's driveway for them.  He was pretty disappointed when we drove up and their driveway was already cleared so he shoveled the back patio.
Playing with new makeup at my friends house.
Truman and Bodie helped me shovel the driveway and went sledding before school one morning.  Excited for snow.
Pete helping.
Pete got ready all by himself to play in the snow.
Friends, snow and hot chocolate.
Not bad for a Monday afternoon.
And finally we finished off the month by making our ginger bread house for family night because I wanted to have it out for the entire month of December.

Now it's time for the 'most wonderful time' of the year.