A Utah Thanksgiving

I can't remember the last time we spent Thanksgiving in Utah. It made sense to meet in Bountiful this year rather than try to get Ariel all the way to Vegas, for just a few days. My sisters from Bozeman came with their families. We were missing Stephen's family, he's still working in Australia. Michelle went to Idaho to meet her soon to be in-laws and Lisa's family was sick and unable to come, we felt bad about that. We still had a big crowd. Wednesday night I made coconut cream pies and a chocolate cream pie. 

 Ariel and Megan were busy making these edible acorns for the place settings

 We sampled a few spoonfuls of the pie after we put it in the shell...can I just say...it was beyond delicious!

On Thanksgiving morning, I ran my first 5K race with my brother, Jon. I was excited but a little nervous too. I wanted to have a good finish time and I didn't know what to expect on an organized race. I was used to running on the treadmill. I knew the higher elevation would be an issue for me and the fastest time I had run a 5K in Vegas had been 31 minutes. I was expecting to finish around 35 minutes but I was secretly hoping to run it in 30 something.  

 A little stretching...

 Even my mom got excited about the stretching part

 Sterling came to cheer us on

 Jen, Spencer and my mom woke up early to come too

I was expecting Jon to leave me in the dust after the first 30 seconds, but I managed to stay with him for seven minutes. Jon had told me the course was flat, but it wasn't. So by the time we hit the first incline, I bid Jon's back a good-bye and good luck, and was on my own. It was a hard race, at times I thought I would throw up, at times I wanted to walk for a minute...but I didn't do either. I just concentrated on the songs coming from my "race day" play list and kept going. Jon finished in 27 something and I finished in 30 something (I don't have the seconds) I was so happy to have made it in 30. I was surprised considering the inclines and the elevation. I was so glad when I crossed the finish line! I felt a huge sense of accomplishment. What a great way to start Thanksgiving day. I am thankful for my health!

 What a great brother, he gave me a lot of encouragement!

 Getting ready for dinner 

 We  got two exciting announcements at dinner. Jon and Meg are expecting baby number 4, we also got this picture from Australia announcing Stephen and Brooke are also expecting baby number 4. They are both due in June. So all of my brothers wives are expecting babies right now. Mark-David and Jessie are due in January.

 Thanksgiving was also the first day I got to meet my newest nephew, Tanner Romain Cochran. He is so sweet and I love that he was given my dad's middle name.

 Ariel made each family member a name card and asked us to write what we were thankful for on the back of it and hang it on the "thankful tree" some of them were very creative!

After the delicious meal, a crowd gathered on the driveway for a game of basketball. It was a super competitive game...imagine that? 

 Jon didn't even give the younger kids a break, he was doing all sorts of illegal plays

We had such a wonderful day together, I hated to see it end. I am grateful for all that I have to be thankful for.

GPL's Visit

GPL (Grandpa Lonny) came to visit from Georgia in November. We had a great time, it seemed like a really short visit though! We were very boring while he was here and didn't do anything exciting. He was a good sport about it and said he was happy just visiting with us! Todd was able to take most of the days off that he was here. That was good for GPL because it prevented him from doing home repair projects! He was sorry that Ariel was too far away for us to go up to visit for the day. We miss seeing Todd's family more often and love when they come to Vegas!

Halloween

So here is a little update about the greatest holiday in October. A few years ago, I didn't go shopping for pumpkins until Halloween day. That was a huge mistake that I hope to never repeat. There were no pumpkins left in the grocery stores, not one. So I had to go to one of those expensive pumpkin patches and paid over $20 for one pumpkin. Each of the kids carved a side that year. In order not to re-create this tragedy in my children's life, I asked Todd to pick up some pumpkins about a week before the big day. Here is his story in his own words:

"I am now officially one of (add reverb to James Earl Jones' voice) "The People of Wal-mart." Regardless of how I feel about this, it's my new reality. Friday night I got sent out to do some errands, which included buying two pumpkins from Wal-mart. Right as I pull into the parking lot, somehow my water bottle empties all over my.....um.....crotchal region. I sat in the car for a minute staring at my light green cargos against my dark green lap. Then I realize, "I'll fit right in." I walk down the aisles with only two pumpkins in my buggy, looking for some other stuff, which they turn out not to have. I see a shifty employee pretending to shuffle merchandise around, all the while cutting his eyes my way. At that moment, what comes over the speakers, "Hey Soul Sister." So now I have a headache too. I feel a little better when I get all the way to the check out stand. I look over at the eye glasses place and see someone even more curious than myself. An older lady, surely somebody's beloved grandma, dressed to the hilt in all wedding white. White brimmed hat, white shawl, white blouse, and the whitest-tightest spandex pants I've ever seen-oh yea, along with some of those white granny high heels, the ones that look like bookends with straps. I love me some Wal-mart people." 

We got a good laugh when he came home and told us what happened. We missed having Ariel home with us this year. She carved her pumpkin with my brother and his family and they were nice enough to send me a picture. Aaron and Megan did an excellent job as usual. Aaron made the Grim Reaper and Megan made the cat.

This year was the first year I wasn't able to make it to trunk or treat. Aaron went with some friends and made his own costume, he was a super creepy zombie!

Halloween night the kids went off with their friends. Unfortunately, I don't have a picture of Megan. She dressed up as Hermione-on the run, but she ran off before I could get a picture. I stayed downstairs to hand out the treats and watch the football game. I even watched 15 minutes of "The Gremlins." That's all I could stand, I don't know if it was a hit back in the 80's, but it wasn't as good as I remembered it to be. Two days after Halloween, Aaron brought his pillow case full of candy into our room. Meg and I were on the bed, he threw it down and said, "Divide the rest among yourselves." I can handle that arrangement, he does all the work and we reap the benefits. Maybe this is a sign that he has outgrown trick or treating, and deep down, that makes me sad. They grew up too fast.

Every year I think how great it would be if I were to put on an awesome Halloween party like my mom does. My parents always did such a great job with their parties. Over the years, they came up with the most creative costumes each year. We couldn't wait to see what they were going to be, it was always a secret. This was our second Halloween without my dad. Even though it's been hard to do, my mom has carried on the tradition alone. I admire her so much and even though we weren't able to be at her party this year, I have to include a picture of her. She was the most adorable...Mary Poppins.