Gratitude

We're heading into a crazy part of the month- Jared is traveling the next 2 weeks, and we're going with him :). I still have laundry to wash, and invitations to make, and it's always difficult for me to be away from home in December, because there are so many things I think I need to do right at home. But I would rather be with Jared in a hotel than at home without him. :)

We drove down to my parents' for Thanksgiving, and were able to see my dad and mom, Burke & Amber and their kids, and Kyle & Emmeline, Joy, and Alyson. My brother Burke brought his deep fryer, and cooked a turkey in it. You can see he had a lot of help from the other guys :) Morgen is in the bottom corner, petting her newest friend, Cassie. The guys pretty much stayed outside to watch the turkey, and keep the kids [and the dog] out of the hot oil. Removing the turkey took some serious discussion [which my dad was happy to help with]: Hyrum's in the orange, getting some cooking pointers from his dad. We also had an oven-cooked turkey, and both of them were delicious. There were a lot of great pies, and home-made stuffing and cranberry sauce, my mom's delicious turkey gravy, mashed potatoes, and candied yams.

This is my favorite picture from Thanksgiving this year: my nephew Carson enjoying the filling in his lemon tart:

We played "Bohnanza" which is a trading game involving beans. :) Lots of fun- Kyle and Emmeline always have the best games! We also played "Ticket to Ride," and "Imagine If..."

Friday we drove down to Fillmore [about 2 hours] to buy a tree permit, then headed back up toward Scipio to the Fish Lake National Forest to cut down our Christmas tree. Growing up, my family either had an artificial tree, or a fir tree we'd bought at a tree lot. But Jared got pinyon pine trees; their scout troop would cut and transport a bunch of trees back to town, and sell them. Not only is he great at finding, cutting, and transporting trees, he's also pretty good at picking out the perfect one for our living room. And I have to admit, it smells divine :). We went earlier than we did last year, so the weather was cool but not snowy. Here's my kids, helping Jared load the tree on top of the SUV.

I can remember carrying Myles through the snow while we looked for a tree last year. He wanted to walk- he always wanted to walk once he figured out how. But, he had slippers on, and the snow was wet and slushy, so I kept him in my arms, where he fussed and squirmed. Holidays are hard this year, because I have memories of Myles from the last two years, and I won't get any more chances to make them with him.

Gratitude List:
* The times we are allowed to travel with Jared when he works.
* Good food, a wonderful family, and the opportunity to spend time with some of the people I love.
* That I get along w/my family.
* Continuing a tradition we began last year, of cutting down our family tree.
* Memories of Myles, even though they sometimes bring tears, because I'm happy we had him as a part of our family for 19 months.
* My knowledge of life after death, knowing I'll see Myles again.
* Memories we are making as a family now, because I realize how precious they are.
* My husband and my 4 children.
* My family and friends.
* My faith in God and His plan for me.