96 hours of Thanksgiving

Starting bright and early Thursday morning!

6:00 am 

Get ready and start the turkey.

That's right, Ryan smoked one of the turkeys this year. Oh it was heavenly.

9:00 am

Thanksgiving breakfast with my family.

I love them. Yummy food. Thanksgiving birthdays. Searching the adds for the best sales.

10:30 am.

Kenzie Thanksgiving

decor. treats. a couple balloons (2 blew away early and 3 popped as they were being filled). wind. kisses

12:00 pm

Cooking the dinner.

Munching on appetizers.

Visiting with family.

Holding babies.

Laughing.

Naps

Football

Making memories.

- this little man smiled and laughed looking at this little miss. then he feel asleep. I'm sure they are the best of friends -

5:00 pm

Welcomed some very special visitors.

Oh I can not get enough of those lovey babes.

9:30 pm

The girls decided to brave the craziness and do some serious black Friday shopping. We picked up my sister and headed to Micheal's. Then ToysRus (which we quickly left as the line to get into the building was around the block). Headed up to park city and shopped the outlets until 3:00 am. We then stopped by: ToysRus (again) and Target.  We grabbed breakfast sometime around 7:00 am and didn't get home until 10:00 am. Misty and I ran home to relieve the boys of baby duty and they headed to the Utah tailgate/game.   

We drank a few cups of coffee, played with K and let the babies sleep before we loaded them all up and headed to a couple other places to shop.  

3:00 pm

Grab the boys from the game and head up to Heber City for the Polar Express!

1st class tickets

Hot Chocolate

Cookies

Carolers

Santa

Present

Although rather crowded and squashed. We had a lot of fun.

7:30 pm

The girls did their best to just stay awake for that 1.5 hr drive home. We were both going on 32+ hrs of no sleep. We were far to sleepy to cook so we grabbed Chinese and to eat at home while watching the Polar Express movie!  We all ate and at some point I passed out. Literally. I don't remember a thing after I filled my belly to the next morning.

8:00 am

Wide awake.

Playing with our favorite little people.

The dogs had each other

The boys had each other

So the girls decided we still didn't get enough shopping in and headed back out.

It was pretty much black Friday all over again and we ended up not buying much because we refused to stand in those lines again. 

5:00 pm

Came home to get ready to see the lights downtown

but decided it was far to cold and we were way to sleepy to go.

maybe next year.

But... we had a yummy rib dinner and played for hours.

9:00 pm

K and I felt the Dogs and Mike should have their nails painted.

It seemed like a necessity.

Harley looks amazin.

10:00 pm.

All the kids were in bed so we watched Bad Teacher.

We laughed.

Midnight.

Finally crawled to bed.

Sunday came way to soon and our visitors went home. I went to work and Ryan got ready for the next week. Our mini vacation is over and we are back to the regular.

I am so so so THANKFUL for our amazing family. For a wonderful Thanksgiving. For food. and for our sweet friends who came into town as a little vacation for them but turned into more of a vacation for us.  The next couple weeks are going to be hard. Not the best time of year. Wednesday will mark 2 years since their Ryker went to heaven and just 13 days after that will mark 2 years since our Makenzie followed.  We sure miss our babies. We miss that life. We miss the simple happiness we once lived. But for some reason, being together gives us that simple kind of happiness again. Maybe its because we are connected in a way not many are. I don't know. But I am THANKFUL for the knowledge that this isn't the end for either of us. That we will be with our Ryker and Makenzie again.

Thankful

I cant believe tomorrow is Thanksgiving.
I am in serious need of some turkey overload.
I love this time of year.  I am always reminded I can give more, do more and love more. Its never enough.  No matter where I am at in life I don't think there will ever be a time I cant help someone else. Because seriously--- There is always someone who is worse off than you.  If you have ever helped someone you know the feeling you get and there is nothing like it.
I wish everyone in the world would know how truly incredible they are. That they are individually made and made with a purpose. There is not a single being that was a mistake.  I know sometimes the weight of the world can just seem so unbearable. You feel you cant take another step. Maybe you wonder why you are even here. You want to give up. But you just cant. You have to complete your mission. You have to do what you are put here to do because there is no one else to do it. When I help someone else I hope it gives that person a little boost to remind them that the world can be bearable. That you just have to keep going. That no matter how bad it gets- there will be a moment in life you will look back and see why you had to walk that road. To get to where you really want to be. Whether its here on earth or in heaven.  This isn't the end.

I just want to challenge everyone out there to find something, anything, to do for someone else.  No matter how hard this year is. It doesn't matter if you have money or not.  You can give your time. Just give something.

Today I am so so THANKFUL for everyone that has ever given to us.
Whether its a gift to remember Kenzie, a card, a meal, a quote, buying a cookbook, a prayer... You have no idea how it has helped us. We are eternally grateful. so THANK YOU. all of you.

Today I am also THANKFUL for technology... Because how else could I thank each of you? and how else would I have met so many wonderful people? I love my email, my facebook, my blog.

Today I am THANKFUL for the Pilgrims. They gave us Thanksgiving. and I love me some Thanksgiving. Not just because its the day before black Friday... although that is a big part of it. but. because it gives so many people (including me) a reminder to sit down and really see all that we have to be THANKFUL for. and for the food and shopping.


Today I am THANKFUL for both of my jobs and for Ryan's job. Oh I have no idea where we would be without them. and we know that is something so many people unfortunately don't have. I pray things will turn around.

Today I am THANKFUL for so many more things... Lets just make a quick list shall we...
. remote controls
. mirrors
. picture frames
. snapfish
. costco
. reusable grocery bags
. ice cubes
. crock pot cooking
. flash lights
. gum
. blankets
. hammers
. stars
. snow
. the sun
. doctors
. flowers
. air freshener
. toilet paper
. hand soap
. comfy pants
ahh... so much to be THANKFUL for. and could this list be a little more random?

I hope everyone has a wonderful THANKSGIVING tomorrow. Please remember all that you have to be THANKFUL for. Please hug your family. Smile. Laugh. Know there is something greater than us all and HE is so aware of each and everyone of us. Please thank HIM. Eat lots of food. Enjoy yourself. and please find a way to GIVE to someone.
LOVE!

Getting Pregnant - Update

Okay so like I mentioned I went to my OB's office last Thursday to get my blood drawn to test my progesterone levels. I started testing right on day 9 and continued to test everyday until just a couple days ago. Every single test was a big fat negative.  So we were initially thinking I didn't ovulate. Well, got the results back yesterday and everything looked good.
argh!
So I did ovulate last month and missed it.
I have now immediately gone out to buy more digital tests. I should have done that from the beginning.  I talked to my doctor and we tried to figure out around what day I should pay closest attention.  He then told me to start testing mid-day instead of first thing in the morning. Okay so we start again.
Ms Flo has come so we are just counting down to day 9 to begin testing again.
I have a much better feeling about this month for some reason. I have no idea why. I'm not expecting anything but I guess I just have a bit more hope.

The Anniversary

We have thought for the last year about what we would do for our 5 year anniversary.  We thought about a big trip, a little trip, doing nothing... As this year has gone on we have changed our minds about a million times.  So as October came to an end and we had nothing planned I scrambled to plan something.  An email from our favorite Bed and Breakfast- Johnson Mill- came just in time.

50% off special!

WooHoo!

I was all over it.  I picked a different room than we usually stay in just for a little change.

The HONEYMOON suite.

Ryan and I both ended up working on our Anniversary but we took the next day off.

I woke up the morning of our big 5 year mark and came downstairs to...

Love Him

Ryan came and picked me up after I got off and we were headed to Midway.

We were both starving so we grabbed our romantic dinner of taco time to go.

Checked into our room.

Started a fire.

Watched a movie.

and had a great night.

The next morning we

Slept in then ate our breakfast in bed.

We laid in bed until the last possible second.

Checked out.

Stopped to visit my sister. I forgot all my fall decor for her at home so we improvised.

Headed to Ryan's heaven on earth (Cabelas)

Stopped by my OB's office to get blood drawn.

Ran into Zurchers party store to get a new helium tank.

Headed home to smoke some ribs.

Ate the yummiest romantic dinner.

Snuggled.

Then Ryan went to bed while I stayed up... 

Because... I went to the midnight showing of Twilight with my MIL and Sista.

BTW-- I loved the movie. Ah eye candy.

I can officially say Ryan and I had a very special day and fell just a little more in love :)

...

Life is definitely not perfect.

We have our issues I could write a novel about but what I love most about us... 

Is that we are a definite team. No matter what happens we end the day working together to get through it all.  I am so lucky to have a partner. and know we are in it forever.