Thanksgiving

Ryan has been traveling more than usual this year and we feel like we haven't seen much of him around here.  We were all very happy for him to have the day off and we decided to do our own Thanksgiving by ourselves.  We really just wanted time to be together as a family. 

We started our day with pumpkin chocolate chip pancakes for breakfast.  Ryan took Cannon to Taylor Park for a few hours while I cooked and had a mini nap.  Our feast was ready by 3:30 and we were ready to eat!  I even pulled out the fine china and sparkling cider! 

Ryan talked about what Thanksgiving means and we started a gratitude journal that will hopefully be a tradition every year.  The other thing Cannon wanted to do was decorate for Christmas.  Ryan got out our Christmas box and Cannon sorted out what was a decoration and what needed to go on the tree. He is so excited for Christmas this year!  We finished the day with some homemade pumpkin pie. 

Cannon's favorite part of the meal he said, "The rolls and marshmallows!"

Veteran's Day

On the Saturday before Veteran's we had a day of service at Bay Pines VA.  Some of the families helped with the grounds keeping and gardening.  The children took some time to make cards for the veterans.  When they were done making their cards they sang in a choir for the veterans.  They sang songs such as America the Beautiful.  It was special to hear Cannon sing them proudly!

 

Cannon and his good buddy Anna

 

 

 

Afterwards we headed across St. Pete to visit my friend Rachel who just had her baby.  She went into early labor on Friday, but her husband was still out of town.  I stayed with her on Friday to keep her company until it was time to have the baby.  Our other friend Elisabeth was able to be with her during her C-section and I anxiously waited in the room for little Eli's arrival!  Since he was born just shy of 36 weeks, we were worried that he would have to go to the NICU.  But he was a perfect 6lbs 3oz!  It was special to be there right after he was born.  

 

Baby Eli's first picture!

 

He's such a sweet baby!

Halloween

Cannon's preschool had a little Halloween party for the kids and families.  He was excited to dress up for school.  Previously, he wanted to be a wolf.  So I made him a wolf costume.  But he changed his mind to be a super hero, which is just fine.  His wolf costume still gets use with his other dress-up items. 

 

The kids sang a few songs and then there were some crafts to do.  Afterwards they got to play outside and do the activities that were set up (bean bag toss, treasure hunt, etc).  He had so much fun and was happy that I was able to come.  This was his last day of school, but that's a story for another day.  

 

 

 

 

That evening we went to Brian and Keia's house for trick-or-treating.  We took baby Logan around with us, but I forgot to take a picture of him!  He was so cute dressed up like a pumpkin.  Blue went as the classic hot dog.  Cannon spent most of his time at the house across the street because each year they build a maze in their garage for the kids.  Cannon loved it, he loved the music, and he loved the bubbles.  

Utah

Early in October we got the sad news that my big brother Jesse had passed away.  Because of a very generous family friend, Cannon and I were able to quickly leave for Utah and spend two weeks with my family. 

It was rough.  One of the hardest things I have ever done.  It made it harder because Ryan wasn't with me.  And Cannon got croup.  But I got through it all and I summoned inner strength that I didn't know I had.  It was one of those times that I could actually say that the Savior was my rock.  I was glad to be there with my family and support them.  And I feel humility and gratitude to everyone who blessed our lives in big and little ways.  The plane tickets were a big one, I'm not sure how we would have been able to get to Utah otherwise.  It was comforting to come back to my mom's house with a fridge full of nourishing food that friends and church members provided.  And every thoughtful expression of kindness through cards, flowers, prayers, and words, were very much appreciated.  It ALL helped in some way.

The funeral went well and I even spoke.  I hate public speaking, but for some reason I felt compelled to speak.  The Relief Society sisters in my mom's church provided a luncheon for us afterwards.  It was probably a small act of service for them, but it meant so much to me.  I was so emotionally drained and it felt so good sit down with my family and eat good food.  My dear sweet sensitive Cannon had a major meltdown at the church during the luncheon, but other than that everything else went smoothly. 

The rest of the trip was nice.  After we visited Jesse's grave with the kids I felt a lot of peace in my heart.  The weather was gorgeous, just enough cold to get the autumn feel, but lots of days were sunny and warm.  And Cannon was able to play in snow!  Something he has been wishing for.  We spent a lot of time outside, which was healing.  And we were able to celebrate Kennedi's fourth birthday! 

Jesse was buried next to our grandfather

Mimi holding my cousin Haley's baby, Dallin.  She's 90 years old!

I think this is my favorite picture because there are no words to describe the feeling of watching pure joy within your child!

Our first day in Utah was drizzly, so we drove up the canyon until the rain turned to snow!

Hiking fun!



Cannon and I drove up to Snowbird to find more snow!



I took Cannon and Kennedi to Wheeler Farm

Tractor ride

Drilling our pumpkins!

Crazy geese at Sugarhouse Park!



He LOVED to just play and roll in the grass!

He loved the skate park by Nana's house

We took a day trip to Temple Square



On Kennedi's birthday we went to the dinosaur museum at Thanksgiving Point



For Kennedi's birthday dinner the kids made their own pizzas

Here are a couple of pictures of Jesse with Cannon:

Cousin Time

Back at the end of September Kristina and her kids took a road trip down to see us!  The kids had the best time together and we did so many fun things! 

We went to Lowry Park Zoo in Tampa which I think all the kids enjoyed.  Don't let Cannon's long sleeved shirt fool you, it was still pretty hot that day.  But the snow cones helped!  The crowds were low that day so the kids could pretty much ride the rides all they wanted.  It was so nice to just go at our own pace.

The "flying bananas"

The bumper boats were a big hit!

The kids also really enjoyed being able to see and pet the animals.  There were brushes for the goats and Cole in particular really enjoyed brushing them.  Lyla was fascinated with the horses.  And they all enjoyed feeding the giraffes.  

Carousel ride 



Stingrays!

Cole felt brave that day and he and I rode the tiger roller coaster!  No pictures of that, but I could tell that he was very proud of himself!

High priority on Cannon's list was to take his cousins to Largo Central Park, his favorite park.  We can spend hours there!

And what's a trip to Florida without a day at the beach?  We went to Redington Shores and we ended up finding lots of jellyfish.  We stumbled upon the first two and Lyla sought out the other three or so.  These ones were a lot larger than other jellyfish we have found in the past.  Some of them still had their tentacles.  It was pretty cool! At Lyla's request we took home the jellyfish which stunk up the backyard.  I didn't realize how fast they evaporate, but it was fun while it lasted!



Amazingly enough we were able to fit all three car seats!

And when we weren't playing outside there was plenty to do in the house!  I found these cool hollow blocks on Craigslist and the kids enjoyed building and creating with these. 

The kids play so well together and it's sad when we have to separate them.  Cannon is already asking when he can see them again.  But we will all get to play again in February!