Thanksgiving

Thanksgiving was very different this year. It was the first Thanksgiving without my family, and without the girls. The girls went to Boise to see their grandparents, and Chad and I went to St George with his family. I was having a hard time, and feeling pretty sad about the weekend, so Chad decided to surprise me with a night in Vegas! We had a wonderful Thanksgiving dinner with his family and then that night at 11pm, his mom, sisters and I headed to the outlets! We shopped til 3am then head home for a little sleep. At 8am Courtney and I headed out for some more shopping!!!

Then Chad and I headed to Vegas around 2. I was a zombie, and felt bad since this was supposed to be our night of fun in Vegas! I could barely stay awake, but managed to stay out til midnight. We had a delicious fancy dinner (I got my favorite-lobster!) and then went to see The Blue Man Group. We went back to the Hotel and crashed, and tried to sleep in, but there was a crying baby next door-seriously!? Then we went to the Vegas airport to pick up the girls! It was so good to see them and have them back.

We then met all of his family at Mandalay Bay Hotel for Lion King! We debated about whether to take Taylor or not because she is so young, but we are glad we took her! She LOVED it! She loved sitting in her own chair, with her snacks, watching the show. She clapped with everyone, laughed and danced. This girl loves entertainment! Then it was the drive back to St George.

Sunday we woke up and hung out for a little bit, then got on the road to deal with holiday traffic. Chad took Katelyn to play tennis and she loved it! She loves to play tennis with Chad, and she is picking up on it really well! I tagged along to take some pictures. Chad is great at teaching her-she listens to him and is patient with him. There is no way I could teach her-she does not like listening to me:)

We are now home safe and sound and it's good to be back! Time to get ready for Christmas!

Thankful...

I am thankful for all of my blessings....but especially grateful at this time in my life. I really can't believe that I am remarried and living in Utah! I really can't believe that the girls are so happy, and so am I! My life right now is more than I could have ever imagined and I am so grateful...here are a few things I am REALLY grateful for this Thanksgiving-

The best family in the world! Without their unconditional love and support I would have not survived the past 5 years! I only wish I still lived so close!

These two precious girls who have been entrusted in my care. I don't know what I did to deserve them, but it is very humbling and I only hope I do a good job while they are with me. I also survived because of their unconditional love and smiles. They are what got me up in the morning and kept me going. They always love me, no matter what and remind me of it every day!

A second chance...at love. I am so grateful for an eternal companion who loves me for who I am and who loves the girls the same. I look forward to eternity with Chad. I love him for who he is and for who I am when I am with him.

But most of all, I am grateful for my Savior and His atoning sacrifice for me. I didn't know how I would survive, but I knew I wasn't alone-and that meant EVERYTHING. I am so grateful for the gospel and for my faith and knowledge of Jesus Christ. I am grateful to know that I am a daughter of God and that he knows me personally.

Disney on Ice

Chad got the girls tickets to Disney Princesses on Ice. It was a lot of fun and the girls loved it. I was worried about Taylor sitting through it but she loved it and was clapping through the whole thing. Then she crashed on Chad's lap for the last half hour since it was nap time. I asked Katelyn which part was her favorite and she said, "The witches!" I then asked which princess was her favorite and she said, "Mickey Mouse!" All of the princesses were there and she could care less. Katelyn is not into that stuff and isn't a girly girl. She likes the witches!

Snowmen

Taylor's Snowman is on the left and Katelyn's is on the right...

For Grandma and Grandpa

This is for Grandma and Grandpa...my mom sent the girls a little package and this penguin was in it. Taylor LOVED it, and has been playing it and dancing to it ALL day! It was adorable at first, but now the song is really old. I am glad I got it on video though...enjoy and thank you!

Moving up in the world!

Taylor has been growing up so much this past month! She started biting holes in her binkies and losing interest-hallelujah! She won't give them up entirely yet, and still wants one to sleep, but I don't think it will be a HUGE event to get rid of it (like it was with Katelyn). And Taylor is having such an easy time with potty training! She has been going #2 in the toilet since she was 2o months, and has been wanting to pee in the toilet for the past couple of months. I have been the lazy one-not wanting to run and find a bathroom in the store. She could be potty trained by now if I was good about it. So, I bought some pullups, and she is doing great!

It's weird for me to go through these milestones with Taylor, without it being a HUGE deal. Every milestone with Katelyn was monumental and very difficult for her. There was gnashing of teeth, meltdowns, fights and tears, but we survived. I was so worried about them with Taylor, but she takes it all in stride. I think it helps to have a big sister as an example, but Taylor also has such a care free and bubbly personality. Katelyn is way more cautious and nervous.

The past couple of days the girls have just been joys, and so cute! They are so lovey and give me kisses all day and say "love you mom!" Why can't they always be like this? It sure does make the hard days easier! Taylor has a permanent smile on her face and waves at everyone she passes. She gets lots of compliments and attention, and she LOVES the attention! Along with it she is LOUD and very vocal-just a ball of energy! Katelyn laughs at her all the time and says, "Taylor is so silly!"

The weekend

Chad and I went to a Jazz game over the weekend and had a great time, even though the Jazz lost:( It's just always nice to get away without the kids sometimes.The girls and I went to Aunt Joan's house and they had so much fun jumping in the leaves! Joan took some cute pictures-I just love Taylor's face in these-pure JOY!

Because you asked...

Here are two awesome websites that I used to order my decoration stuff. I am lucky enough to have these places in SLC, but you can order everything online! You will LOVE it!

www.thewoodconnection.com

www.scribbleitonline.com

Time to decorate for Thanksgiving!

I am having so much fun making Holiday decorations this year! There are so many stores and resources here-so it makes it easy and addicting. Here's what I have done for Thanksgiving...

Happy Halloween!

The night before Halloween, we went to Chad's mom's house for a party. She always goes all out for the grandkids and even dresses up! They had fun singing, reading stories and making spooky dinner and snacks. Here's Grandma and all the kids-can you find the ONE boy in the family!?

We had a fun filled Halloween! We spent the afternoon trick or treating at This Is The Place and a shopping center. By the time it was time to do the real trick or treating, Katelyn was done. But Taylor was rearin' to go and could have gone forever! She is the cutest age to watch trick or treat. She would run up to the door, push her way to the front, hold up her pumpkin so proud and say in her cute voice, "Trick or Treat!" Then she would say "Happy Halloween!" The cutest was when she ran back to me and said, "Look mom! I got some candy!" She said that every time and was just as excited every time! They sure were some cute kitty cats!