Giving Thanks

"What I'm Thankful For --

Dear Mom, I am so thankful for you.  I am glad to have a mom that takes care of me.  I love you very much.  Happy Thanksgiving.  Love, Isaac"

(😍😍😍)

Is it technically Groundhog's Day and I'm only just now blogging about Thanksgiving?  Yes, yes it is.  And am I also planning on fudging the date for this post so that when I (eventually) get around to printing out a blog book for 2023 it will have everything in it?  Again -- yes.  Yes, I am.  LOL.  I don't know what to say, folks.  Time just keeps flying on by and I can't seem to keep up!  Hahaha.  I'm going to have to go with "done is better than perfect" for the next few posts otherwise I'll be tempted to throw in the towel completely on my blogging career.  🙈

• Grace's birthday --

I'm gonna take it WAY back to the beginning of November to cover Grace's 19th birthday before moving on and covering the rest of the month.  This was the first time we've been apart for her birthday, and -- to be honest -- it was really strange.  Hahaha.  Luckily for her, she didn't have to spend the day completely family-free and after a hibachi grill dinner with cousins and friends that evening, she headed over to their house for some cake (or rather some birthday brownies) and presents.  The brownies were a really thoughtful touch since she doesn't particularly like cake and I'm pretty sure the only reason she ever has one at home for our family birthdays is because I make it according to her themed request.  Lol.  

Happy Hibachi Birthday!

Not birthday related, but Grace has loved going over to play with the puppies at her cousin's sunbeams's house.  (They breed and sell golden doodles.)

Also non-birthday related -- "dressing up" for the Taylor Swift Eras Tour movie with friends.

• Isaac's birthday --

This was a big year for Isaac!  Turning 8 was pretty great, and even though he's still patiently awaiting the friend birthday party he was supposed to have, he still enjoyed the family celebration we threw for his big day.  An added bonus was having my brother Freddie here for the week, but -- once again -- I apparently have no photos for the record.  Doh!  

Modeling his "birthday crown" from school.

(School birthday fun)

The cake -- I do believe I outdid myself with this one.  Lol.

Don't let the chill vibe fool you -- he was super excited with the results of my (labor intensive) efforts.  Hahaha.  And in case anyone is wondering what the heck this cake even is, it's a spirit fruit from the game Fruit Blox, of course.  (I just do what I'm told.  Hahaha.)

I still have not gotten used to having only 4 kids at home.  It is so weird.

This last minute gift I found at Target was a major hit.  Like, I was surprised at how much of a hit it was.  Haha.

As a bonus, I found this drone on clearance for like $35.

The Koosh ball paddle set was another sleeper hit.

And -- obviously -- no birthday is complete in this household without another Squishmallow (or two).  Hahahahaha.

• Thanksgiving --

For Thanksgiving this year, we decided to head out to Utah for the week, just like we did during Ethan's freshman year.  We get the whole week off of school here and since a big chunk of our families are all out that way, we thought it would be the perfect place to have Isaac's baptism.  

Scott actually had to be out at BYU for some HR conference thing right before the break, so he flew out a few days before us and once we joined him (and Grace) it was nice not to have to rent a car since we all fit perfectly in Percy (the Pathfinder).  While we were out there, we enjoyed playing games, hanging out with family, going out to eat, seeing the lights at Riverwoods, and going to the movies.   Spending time with family is always such a treat, and we loved seeing everyone who was there for the holiday.

Before we embarked on our Thanksgiving vacation, however, poor Isaac caught pink eye at school and spent the last couple days before we left quite miserable.

(Here he is earlier that morning, showing off his "wacky sock" for spirit day, before I got the call from the school nurse to pick him up.)

And, since he missed the last day or two of school before the break, he never got a chance to turn in his "disguised" turkey.  (He really wanted to go with this character from the show Gravity Falls.  Lol.)

A quick pic after Grace picked up Scott from the airport.

We went to see "Journey to Bethlehem" with Scott's family and it was ... something else.  Hahaha.  Think a Hamilton-style retelling of the Christmas story, but with Christian music and no rap.  Favorite moments from the movie all include quotes from Isaac's running commentary of the show, such as: 

ISAAC: This was before the Roman Empire was destroyed

ME:  Oh yeah? How do you know that?

ISAAC:  I'm learning about the Middle Ages in GT

and

ISAAC: (in a loud stage whisper during the middle of King Herod's power hungry solo)  The only good part of the movie so far is the music.

and

ISAAC:  Mom!  I thought this movie was going to be bad!

ME:  Oh -- so you're enjoying it?

ISAAC:  No -- just the music!

Hahahahahahaha.

We went to eat at Rodizio Grill with Emily and her family one of the nights we were there and then had fun wandering around Riverwoods when we were finished with dinner.

These two were too cute for words one of the mornings we were at Emily's and I had to snap a picture of Kate and Isaac asking each other questions from these Brainteaser cards.

(I'm a total sucker for these coloring tablecloths they have at Target every year.)

• Baptism day --

And now for the main event of our Thanksgiving break -- Isaac's baptism!  It was such a special day to have SO many family members there to celebrate with us -- including Ethan via video chat.  Unfortunately, I didn't get around to taking any pictures at the baptism, so I had to rely on others for the few that I have here.

One of the girls took this picture before the baptism started.

Kristin took a picture of the infamous CTR sugar cookies I was up until SUPER late making the night before.

Isaac was excited to get his brand-new scriptures with his name on them, along with a few other trinkets.

Emily thought to snap a picture of us before we left the church, and I'm so glad she did because we don't have any other photos of our whole family from the day.  😬

It was really cold outside, so I took pity on the kids and didn't force them to stay outside waiting for me to get the "perfect" shot.  Thankfully, out of the 2 or 3 pictures I took, I managed to get one with all the kids smiling and looking at the camera.  😊

While the rest of the kids ran inside to change and warm up, Isaac humored us with one more picture in the backyard with just me and Scott.  And that was a wrap!

And there you have it -- November 2023 in a nutshell.  Next up?  A December countdown...