Turkey Day

We had a great Thanksgiving despite a few hiccups.  We went to Travis parent's house for Thanksgiving and went a couple days before to hang out and get things ready.  Of course the day we were supposed to leave McKenna came into my room early in the morning and told me her eye hurt.  I took her to the bathroom and it was really red and she said it was a little goopy so I thought great pink eye. I got her into the Dr. right away and we got medicine for it and put it in right away.  She was so good at not touching her eye with her hands though or on anything and if she did happen to touch it she washed her hands right away.  We still went up to Gram and Papa's house anyway so at least that didn't stop us from having fun.
Wednesday we spent a good part of the day cooking yummy food for thanksgiving.  After a long day of preparation and managing McKenna's eye, we got pizza and then just relaxed.  I was so tired though I could barely even function.  Travis was able to come that night too so it was good to have him with us.
Thursday morning Grandpa and Grandma made yummy cinnamon and pumpkin french toast.  It was delicious.  We got ready for the day and then kind of finished preparing last minute things and setting the table and all that jazz.  Gary and Suzanne had invited the missionaries over for Thanksgiving and Tyler and Melanie also came with the kids.  It was nice to have so many people there to celebrate with.
The food was soo good!  There was stuffing of course which was not your typical run of the mill stuffing.  It had cranberries and pine nuts int as well as celery onions and the bread part of it was perfect. We also had a really good goat cheese green bean casserole, rolls, mashed potatoes with Gravy, Apples and sweet potato dish, the best Turkey ever, and of course cranberry sauce and sparkling cider.  I love Thanksgiving food!
After dinner we talked and cleaned up a bit and then had pumpkin pie and some sort of cake that was pretty good.   We went around the table and said what we are thankful for, and not just the typical I am thankful for my family, but some deep thoughtful things.  The things I was most grateful for this year was making it through law school.  Travis is graduating and I am so thankful for all his hard work and dedication throughout this whole process and wanting to provide for our family and give us a good life by going to school to have a good profession.  I am also thankful for everyone who has helped us and supported us through it all.  I am especially thankful to my Heavenly Father because he knows each of us individually and what we are going through.  I could have gotten by without him these last four years.  We have never wanted for anything and have been blessed beyond what I ever thought was capable.  He has led us and been there for us this entire journey and I am so grateful for my Savior for sacrificing so much so that he could empathize with us in every situation we encounter.  He truly can understand and give the comfort that no one else can provide.  My kids too have been so understanding.  When daddy is home and needs to study, they know to leave him alone and are so good about it.  I love my family and my Savior so much.
We attempted to go see the movie "Frozen, but about 30 min into it Graysen said his stomach was hurting really bad and he wanted to go home.  He seemed like he was in a lot of pain.  We got tickets for the next day instead and headed back.
Graysen kept saying his tummy hurt above his groin and would cry out in pain.  I felt so bad and even when he tried to sleep he would wake up in pain and cry.  I decided to take him into the ER because I wasn't sure what was going on, it was so out of the norm.  Turns out it didn't end up being anything.  The Dr. said it was probably just constipation, but I don't buy it because he is so regular and hasn't ever had a problem with that.  I guess it is just something that I will have to keep an eye on.
Other than that we had a great day with family and I am so thankful for my many blessings.

Twas the night before Christmas

Twas the day before Christmas and all through the house, there was noise all around it was not quiet like a mouse.  The Christmas tree was decorated with presents galore, with excitement everywhere it was never a bore.

The house was filled with the smell of baked sweets, while the kids wrote some letters to leave Santa with a treat.  We decorated cookies and ate more than we should, the rest were for Santa to eat if he could.

The afternoon came round and it was time for more food, to BJ's we headed all in a festive mood.  We ate really good food and were in great company, then headed on home to get ready for more.
We watched a Christmas movie and played some games, and a special delivery from Santa came.  The kids were excited to open the box and it was open by them as quick as a fox.

 Inside were Jammies and a movie to see, they rushed up the stairs to change into them with glee.

After the movie we laid out the milk and the treats, then Gram told the story of Jesus' birth which was sweet.

The kids bid us goodnight as we went up the stairs, tonight they will sleep well without any cares.

I love making memories like these with my family, I love them so much, they are so dear to me.  Tomorrow will be full of more excitement and fun, I can't wait to see the look on their faces when they see presents by the ton.

Preschool pumpkin patch

Graysen had his first field trip while in preschool this year and we went to a cute little pumpkin patch.  He was so excited to be go with me for a little mommy son time.
Graysen wanted to take a picture with his face poking through the pumpkin, and actually had me take one of him in each hole.  He is silly, but I love him.

We went for a hay ride which he thought was so cool, and we got to see the whole farm.  He just wanted to snuggle up next to me the whole time which was adorable.  I will take any snuggles I can get.

We stopped at the pumpkin patch and the kids got to get out and pick out their own pumpkin.  Graysen chose a small one since he is small, and I think it's perfect.

His favorite thing was the slide.  He was afraid to climb up the hay stack at first to get to it and actually go down it, but once he saw the other kids doing it he had to try it and I couldn't get him off after that.  Hopefully he won't be one of those that succumbs to peer pressure right?

He also was really enthralled with the water pump which you did by hand and tried to get rubber ducks to the other side with the water. If it wasn't for the bigger kids coming and crowding him out he would have stayed there for a while.

We went through the hay maze and looked at the animals they had there.  There was a big box filled with wheat  instead of a sand box which Graysen of course had to stop to play in.  He loved just filling buckets and then dumping it out.  He could have played there for hours.

It was really fun and I am glad we got to have one on one time and do something fun like this.  Of course I had to get him a peanut butter m&m cookie to top it off, which he loved me for.  I am not opposed to bribing my kids with food to make them love me even more...haha.

Pumpkin Patch

Our annual tradition of going to Lake View Farms has come and gone.  It is so fun to be able to have traditions with my own family, and i look forward to those traditions every year.

The kids always love riding on the train through the spooky tunnel and going to the pumpkin patch to pick out their pumpkins.  They love trying to help with the wheelbarrow of course too.

I was so glad it wasn't raining when we went, and actually so far every time we have gone it has been pretty nice.  I love getting pictures of the kids and capturing those fun memories.  They ran through the hay maze and loved playing on top of everything and just running around.

We took the boat back to the other side and for the first time, the sea monster's didn't pop up for us so the kids were a little disappointed but they soon got over it when they got to go ride on the barrel train.  I love how much fun they have on it and they feel so big since they get to ride it by themselves with no parents.

We had a lot of fun and we were glad we could spend it with grandma and grandpa Allen and Aunt Melanie and Kennedy and Connor.  We also had to go to McDonald's afterwards and get our traditional ice cream as well.

Yay for traditions and pumpkin patches and yay for getting to spend time with family and have fun with our kids.

My little Kitty and Cow

For Halloween this year McKenna decided she wanted to be a cat.  I am just surprised she waited this long to be one since she has been obsessed with cats for a while.  She looks so cute though, and it just fits her.

Graysen wanted to be a cow, he picked he costume out himself.  I love it, and he looks so cute in it.  He has the perfect face for something like that.

We had a trunk or treat at the church and chili feed the night before Halloween at the church.  We ate and then headed out to the parking lot where they loaded up their pumpkins with all that sugar.  They had fun though and they loved seeing all their friends.

On Halloween grandma and grandpa Allen and Aunt Melanie Uncle Tyler and Connor and Kennedy came to go trick or treating with us.  We had pizza for dinner and they brought doughnuts for after trick or treating. the kids were all gunge ho and were having a great time looking at all the decorations and getting candy.  They were so polite and always said thank you which I appreciated.

They got tons of candy, but Graysen had it and so we decided to call it a night.  He didn't even want to finish the houses on the way to the car he was so tired.  He kept saying his legs hurt.  McKenna was pretty good but was ready to go home too.  It's nice when your kids are the one to cut it off then you don't have to and look like the bad guy.
Of course the best part was dumping out all the candy and sorting it and seeing what kinds they got.  We had doughnuts and visited and then it was time for bed. It was a really fun time and I am so glad we have family around to be able to share it with.

Surprise

So we found out what the baby was going to be, and boy was I surprised.  I went to the ultra sound appointment by myself since Travis had school.  My mother in law was kind enough to come down and watch the kids for me while I went.  Since the kids were really excited to find out what we were having, and the fact that Travis couldn't be with me, I decided to wait to find out what we were having until Travis got home from school.  I had the ultra sound technician put it in an envelope for me so I couldn't see it.
I gave it to Travis mom when I got home and she made a cake and put the corresponding color of what the gender was in the middle so we would find out when we cut into it.

When Travis got home the kids were so excited to cut the cake so we gathered around the table and Travis and McKenna cut into the cake.  When they pulled out the knife, there was blue frosting on the knife revealing that "it's a boy!" I was actually kind of shocked because I thought it was going to be a girl, so did Travis.  Graysen was really excited because that is what he wanted, but McKenna was very dissapointed.  It was so sad because she just put her head down and cried saying she wanted a baby sister.  She had her heart set on it being a girl and I just felt so bad.  I think I convinced her that being the only girl had it's up side, so she seemed to be in good spirits after that.

I am so excited to have another little boy though, even though I never would have pictured myself with two boys.  It is nice that I will have two boys next to each other too, so we are all excited here.
Now all that it is left is to decide on a name.

Oregon State fair

My mom came up to visit us for a week and were so glad we got to spend time with her.  The Oregon State fair was going on, so of course we had to go.  I remember going to fairs when I was younger, and I loved it.  There is nothing like the smell of fair food and hearing all the buzz and excitement of the people and the rides.  The best thing is the memories I get to make with my family.

We looked at exhibits and the kids were amazed at the big huge produce that was grown and the awesome cakes that people made.  It was really cool to see all the things people did.  The kids got to make their own quilts on a piece of paper which they thought was the best thing ever.

We got some yummy corn dogs and fries for lunch and then the kids had Hawaiian shaved ice while we had ice cream.  It was refreshing since it was kind of warm outside. We sat on the metal bleachers and listened to the band play as we ate.  The kids were enjoying their time very much.

Since there were so many animals, the kids had to see all of them.  There was a little petting zoo with baby pigs and goats, a huge llama, sheep and even a wallaby.  Graysen and McKenna could have stayed there forever brushing their hair and trying to chase after the baby pigs and goats.  The babies really were the cutest things ever.

In the arena there was some horse shows which we watched for a little bit and then viewed more animals, sheep and cows and we even got to see a Tiger.  We were very fortunate however because we came just as the trainer was telling us that Tiger's could spray up to 30 feet, and what happened but he lifted his tale and this unfortunate man next to us was sprayed and he was wearing a nice shirt and slacks.  My thought was thank goodnesss it didn't happen to me, that would suck, I am sure the guy it happened to wasn't too happy after that.
The highlight for the kids though and what they had been looking forward to the whole time we were there was of course to ride some rides.  They only cost an arm and a leg, so we opted to have them choose only two that they wanted.  They both rode on the plane together, and then McKenna wanted to ride the Tiger roller coaster and Graysen wanted to ride the Helicopter.

 They were both so excited and I loved the big grins they would get on their faces.  McKenna would put her hands up every time the roller coaster would go down, it was so cute.

We had such a fun time and I am so glad grandma could be with us to share in the joy and excitement of it all.  It is always fun when Grandma comes!