November

We had a pretty amazing month of November...lots of great moments and memories spent together.
 Jordan had an orchestra concert one night (she plays the viola) and a choir concert a few days later.

So thankful for these musical opportunities!
Jordan and her cute friend were also selected to be featured in our school district showcase- there are just a small group of students chosen from across the district to share an outstanding accomplishment.  Jordan and her friend started a recycling club at their school.  They created 3 different presentations to share for the different grade levels and presented them to many of the classes at their school.  It was a lot of hard work.  I am so proud of these girls for the motivation they have!  It was nice to see them recognized.

This cute boy is obsessed with playing catch all the time!  With the weather turning cold, he has had to take his game to the garage or even the living room.  He is always looking for someone to play baseball with!

This guy hit the 7 month mark and has mastered the art of sitting up!

Lots of basketball games with my two Wildcat girls...both teams are playing up a division this year, so it has been a challenging season so far...but it's good for them!

Each year, Tod and I try to go to one college football game at a stadium we haven't been to before...last year was Utah State at Wisconsin and this year it was BYU at Notre Dame!  What an amazing experience...made even more memorable by the fact that it was the coldest weekend of the year so far...and to say it was cold is really an understatement....it was freezing, bone-chilling, indescribable cold!  But we managed and even had a good time!

Keep in mind that making a fashion statement was the last thing on our minds- I was wearing about 7 layers of clothing!

This experience was made even sweeter since my dad, my brother and 2 nephews came out from Utah for the game...I wish that we could have shown them better mid west weather, but they were good sports about the whole thing (especially my nephews who didn't complain at all- I keep sharing that fact with my own children!).

Our traveling partners Greg and Stacy are always fun to be with...no matter the weather conditions!

And of course, sneaking away for a whole day with this guy is a rare and special treat...especially without the 5 kiddos.  I have to give a shout out to our fabulous friends at home who babysat for the whole day and did a fabulous job!

Lucky for us, my dad got to come home to Iowa with us for a few days...oh, we LOVED having him with us so much.  We were all "over the moon" about it!  The kids adore Grandpa, and he was a very popular visitor!  I loved having time to talk and visit with him, laugh about old memories, Christmas shop, go to church together and just let him in on our day to day lives (a bit crazy, I know!)

 I asked him to pose with each of the kids before church.  I love this man and admire him so much.

We got to celebrate Tod's 37th birthday (didn't quite have the right candles, so had to get creative!)  We had a few friends over for dessert and then Grandpa treated us to Outback the next day!

Grandpa got to tour the school, meet teachers, go to tumbling class and watch an indoor softball practice!

We did not want to see this guy go...but we knew we had to share him with other family (including Grandma Patsy!) waiting anxiously to see him in Texas!  Our trip to the airport was made a little less sad by the fact that we got to welcome home a family friend who was returning from her 18 month church mission!  It was so exciting to see her!  We are so proud of all she has accomplished while she served.  What a great example to my children.

For Thanksgiving, we got to go to these same friends' home for a delicious feast.  It was wonderful to be with dear friends who are our "family" out here.

On Thanksgiving night, Tod's sister and family came up...we were able to do our traditional Black Friday shopping and had a great time together.  For some reason, when they are around, I just never seem to take many pictures...I think it is because we are having such a good time, I don't even think about it! I did get a photo of my darling niece, Leah.  She and I and Baby Luke stayed home while everyone else went to the movies and she was my little cleaning and cooking buddy.  Regan was in heaven with her best little cousin Kayla by her side for a few days...why do I not have a picture of them??

We had some neat Thanksgiving decorations around the house this year- a couple of my favorites were Regan's turkey and Ashton's centerpiece.

So that was our November...if you are still reading, then you managed to get through a very long post!  I have been thankful for many things this month and have enjoyed time to focus on blessings.  A few to remember:
-The opportunity to spend time with my Dad- I got to see him in September in Virginia and in November in Iowa!  Tried to soak it all up until the next time!
-Good friendships- I am thankful for my friends I see often and my friends that I don't get to see very much.  I have a darling neighbor who always lends a listening ear.  I have another friend who is always willing to take my kids places.  She never acts like giving them rides is a burden.  Another friend has moved away, but she called me for a recipe the day before Thanksgiving and we talked and laughed and visited as if I had only seen her yesterday.  What a gift to feel the constancy of her friendship.  On Thanksgiving morning we skyped with friends who used to live here...it was so fun to see them, to see how their kids had grown...and to feel like nothing had changed, though they are hundreds of miles away now.  How we wished they could just pop over for the day!  I could go on and on...I have always been blessed with good friends.
-Teachers who love my children and sacrifice to teach them and be patient with them!  Teachers are so special, from preschool on up to middle school (especially middle school!)  When I took Ashton to her parent teacher conferences, I was so impressed with the teachers.
-The opportunities to serve and be served in our church.  Tod is about to hit his 3 year mark as Bishop of our congregation.  He is gone a lot but is a wonderful leader...and what an opportunity for me to work on my patience and commitment.
-Tod's job- This year, working for the government has had it's ups and downs, but I am so thankful that because of this job, I am able to stay at home...one of my greatest desire is to be home to raise my children.
-I am thankful for all of my children...but especially for Luke at this time of year...last year I was pregnant with him...now we have a healthy 8 month old to enjoy the holidays with.  I don't take it for granted and see it as a big miracle!
On to December, we go!!