ThANKsGiVinG in COLORADO

For Thanksgiving this year me and Branson went to Colorado to spend the Holiday with my family. Almost all of my family was there. It is ALWAYS so good to be "home" with my parents and my siblings. It is even better when you get to be with nieces and nephews!! There were seven little ones running around my parents house. It's so fun playing with them! It was really nice that Branson was able to get to know my family better on this trip. This was only the second time my brothers Shonn and Nate and their families have seen Branson.(The first time was our wedding) So, it was a much needed trip! We got to play lots of card and board games, relax, build a snowman, play with all the kids, and most importantly, strengthen relationships with family.

Branson got to play football on Thanksgiving morning with my Dad and Brothers. They had fun, but everyone was sore the next couple of days. Branson hurt his shoulder in a tackle and my poor Dad pulled his Hamstring. It was so sad because he couldn't even bend over at all so he had to have someone put his shoes and socks on everyday.

For Mom and Dad's Christmas present this year they really wanted their fireplace redone. So, the boys redid it with new tile and it looked absolutely beautiful! My parents loved it!!

As tradition, all the girls spent the night before Thanksgiving making homemade pies and listening to Christmas music. We made 10 pies! They were delicious! Apple, Cherry, Pumpkin, Banana Cream, Coconut Cream, Boston Cream, and Lemon Meringue! YUMMY!

Thanksgiving dinner was amazing!! Thanks Mom!(And everyone else who helped!) We ate so much food! We peeled almost 2 bags of potatoes...do you know how many mashed potatoes that is? It's ridiculous! We definitely did not finish those. We had lots of leftovers!

We were so glad that we got to go spend time with my family. I am so thankful for our family and all they do for us. FAMILY IS THE GREATEST GIFT OF ALL!

PuMpKin PaTch

I told Branson that I really wanted to go to a pumpkin patch to pick out a pumpkin before Halloween. So, one Saturday we stopped by the cutest little pumping patch to take a look. When we got there, we were trying to find our way to the patch when we saw a giant trailer with tons of reptiles in it. It was pretty random, but the Phoenix Herpetological Society was there to show and educate kids all about different reptiles. It was actually really fun to see all the different animals and be able to touch and hold some pretty crazy reptiles! After we looked at all the reptiles, we finally made our way to the PuMpKiN PatcH!!

The following Monday we had Family night with Alvin &Jessie, Nelson & Kelsey and carved our lovely pumpkins. Aren't they gorgeous!! What a fun night!

Here is a close up of our pumpkins by our front door. Obviously Branson did almost all the work. That's why they look so professional. He hand drew both of them! I was really impressed!