Thanksgiving 2015 - Thankful ~ Grateful ~ Blessed

Thanksgiving is THE.BEST.DAY.OF.THE.YEAR. Hands Down. Always has been, always will be.

I absolutely love Thanksgiving. And that is thanks to the amazing and blessed childhood I had. I'm not sure how old I was when we started going to Fairfield for Thanksgiving, at my Uncle J'Earl and Aunt Donna's, but it is the only way I remember Thanksgiving ever being. If we could manage, we would drive down the night before. We always loved that best. That way, we had more play time. The girls played Barbies for HOURS. But really, we just set up the storyline and created our houses and dressed our barbies for hours. Then we would get distracted and do something different. Sometimes the boys would coerce us out of our hangout space to join them for Kick the Can and fun nighttime games out in the cul de sac. And of course there was always Monopoly and Chicken Foot and the Sign Game and trampoline fun and everything awesome in childhood.
Thanksgiving morning always started with a soccer game where we joined my cousins' friends and their friends and anyone. I was never good, but I loved this tradition! It was often cold, and wet. But it got us out of the house and away from our parents for at least an hour or more.
Back at the house was warming up, changing, and the beginning of the many tasks needed to get an incredible dinner on the table for the masses of family that we are. I always loved to see what we were going to do as place settings and table decorations. We would cram all of us in there and lengthen the table as much as possible so we could all be together. The food was always incredible (but what Thanksgiving Feast isn't?) The company was the BEST! My memories are filled with smiles and laughter and love.
In my family we all remember the one year where Uncle J really wanted to cook the turkey in his new smoker. The funny part was that he kept asking Aunt Donna how she wanted her turkey and she kept saying, "Just a little salt and oil" but then Uncle J would do it a different way instead. And then when it actually came down to dinner time, the turkeys weren't ready yet. So we ate without them. They finally came out when we were all done, and completely stuffed with everything else. We enjoyed them for leftover sandwiches the next day tho. Apparently, you don't have to have turkey to have a scrumptious feast!

As we got older, the crowd got smaller. The hardest part about getting older, I think, is that our memories become just that.

The reason I love Thanksgiving is because it is a day all about food, and especially FAMILY. To say I love mine almost feels like an understatement. I adore them! I am so richly blessed to call them mine. None of us is perfect, and I'd be the first to share with you all their quirks and idiosyncrasies and faults (including my own), but I wouldn't trade them for anything (even tho I did BEG my parents to let me be an only child back in my younger years. Never mind that I'm the youngest. hahaha!)

The thing I dislike the MOST about living in Nebraska, is that we aren't close to family. We've been blessed to have family visit us for 2 of our 4 Thanksgivings here, but it still isn't the same.

But I have still enjoyed my quiet (can I call anything quiet if Brek is involved?) day of gratitude and thankfulness with my 2 boys. The silliness in the simplicity of our celebration makes my heart happy.

This year we stayed in our pjs all day long. It snowed through a good portion of the morning, so Brek enjoyed some romping out in the snow and I got some piano practiced, books read, and pointless games played on my phone, plus a phone call with my sister. I got to eat cereal for breakfast (because we actually bought me some of my milk for the holiday weekend - never happens) and had some nice cuddle time with a comfy blanket and my son. He entertained himself pretty well for the morning, did some playing and watching of starfall and pbskids. We had a late lunch and then we all took naps. Well, Brek did "quiet" time. The boys watched a basketball game and as dinner time approached, I hopped in the shower and the boys set the table and made dinner and vacuumed. Dinner was deli meat and cheese panini sandwiches with pesto and a side of rotisserie (aka "crack") chicken, with some sparkling cider mixed with berry juice left over from our travels last week. Not a well balanced meal. But filling and delicious! Afterwards we played a round of "Hide the Turkeys" and sang a couple primary songs; then Joe asked to watch the movie "Fantastic Mr. Fox." Weird is all I have to say, but still enjoyable. Then Joe made us hot fudge milkshakes and Brek was off to bed after he finished his.

Definitely nothing traditional about our day. But wonderful in it's own special way.

This is the first year that I have participated in a theme of thankfulness on social media, and I am so glad that I did. Although there are many things I am thankful for that I have not mentioned, I decided I wanted to find and mention something specific from throughout my day, so that I could focus on the positives and the blessings, even if things weren't really going well. Sometimes life has a lot of challenges, and it is hard to move our focus away from the negative things. My life has not been easier, but I can honestly say that I have felt happier. There have only been a few days where I have really had to dig and find something that I was thankful for. I do have so much to be grateful for. I do have so many people and things and events in my life that God blesses me with. And as I work to improve my relationship with the Lord, I repeatedly recognize the love that He gives me, even tho I am undeserving of it. He is the reason for all that is good and great and wonderful and lovely in my life. And He is the one that pulls me through the crappy parts as well. He is the happiness that fills my heart.

A while back I saw a sign that read "Thankful ~ Grateful ~ Blessed." It has filled my mind on many occasions and I guess I could say it has become my personal motto. I am Thankful. I am Grateful. And yes, I am Blessed. Happy Thanksgiving to you and all of your many blessings!

The Last Day of Our Vacation - aka New Year's Day

Brek enjoyed helping Grandma Jensen shovel the snow:

That evening we went over to Peter and Marisa's. Brek ran into the wall. He temporarily wore an ice pack:

You can see the bump in this next picture. And cousin Jessica gave Brek nail polish to paint my nails, and Joe's nails, and Joe's toenails. And then we made sure he painted Jessica's nails before she left for her blind date.

And someone else gave him a candy to turn his tongue blue:

It was a fun night. And a wonderful end to our visit to Utah. And a fun start to our 2015!

December Part 4 - The rest of our vacation and New Year's Eve

One morning Brek convinced Grandma Jensen to pull out her cello. This is one of Brek's favorite things to do when we visit.

Then Grandma suggested we get out one of the old broken violas hanging on her wall and turn it into a more appropriately-sized cello for Brek. She pulled out an extra cello bow and go to work teaching Brek proper position and technique.

And then they started playing duets:

This is one of my favorite pictures:

Another day Joe & I had a date and when and did some shopping. We went to lunch at Zupas like we always do which is my favorite restaurant and I got the same thing that I always get. So yummy!!! We did some clothes and shoes and Costco shopping too. It's nice to visit a city after living in rural country. Then we met up with my sister and her family and saw the new movie Annie. Very cute!

On New Year's Eve day, we drove up to Salt Lake and went to the zoo. It was a free admission day. I knew it was going to be cold, but I wasn't quite expecting freezing. Brek was pretty whiny and unpleasant. There weren't as many animals out as we had hoped. But we hung in there for an hour or so and called it good. We did get to see the gorillas (inside, thankfully), and an elephant out playing in the snow, and the sea lions and seals (not even the polar bear was out!), but we did see the brown bears, and then the tigers too. They were pretty active.

Trying to get a picture with the tiger. Not such a good one:

Then inside. Brek liked the big turles the most:

Before we left we stopped and got hot chocolate in the zoo cafe.

That evening cousins arrived!!!

Playing with Jensen, Eliza, Mara, and Olaf

It just so happens that Mara and Eliza's new Christmas pjs are the EXACT SAME ONES that my mom got for my nieces, which match Brek's pjs. So they wore them on New Year's Eve together.

Tea party with cousins and Olaf:

Brek, Eliza, Mara, Lizzie, Olaf, and Sabrina

Our brother-in-law Matt got a race car driving simulator for Christmas, so he brought it over for our New Year's Eve party. As the evening dwindled down and got later, even Brek took a turn. His cousins Rose, Nora, and Mara were helpful so he could have several turns. Apparently he's really good at crashing:

It was fun partying with the Jensen family to ring in the New Year. It was the first time Brek has gotten to stay up until Midnight, which he of course thought was totally awesome (and of course made for a cranky boy the next day). We're grateful that Brek has such wonderful cousins that play so well with him. Happy 2015 to our family and friends!!!

December Part 3 - Biggs Family Time & Bennett's Blessing

Like I have previously posted, we felt very blessed to get to see my parents and my sister and her family within the month before Christmas. That made not spending Christmas with them bearable for me. I still had a rough time on Christmas Eve during the day, missing my family and wishing I could be with them. Normally, we would have travelled out to California after Christmas to spend several days with my family, but with my sister's holiday and travel plans, it just so happened that they were all coming out to Utah after Christmas so they could spend time with her in-laws and planned to bless my new nephew Bennett. So my parents and my brothers came out too. So, although we weren't with them on Christmas, we still got to spend 2 days with them in Utah.

We met my parents up in Lehi at my cousin's house where they were staying. We got to have a 2nd Christmas with them. Brek got official Christmas pjs which match his cousins. (Despite loving his penguin Christmas pjs from last year, he still has been quite upset that he didn't get cupcake ones like the girls so they could match. So my mom made sure they matched this year.) Grandma and Papa also gave him a CD player for his room and some CD's to go along with it. He has LOVED it! He will put on his music and jump on his trampoline and play for much longer than he used to.

Joe got some new long-sleeved shirts and a laminator that he's been wanting for his Primary chorister calling.

I received a warm fuzzy blanket, a new sewing ruler, and 2 new purses. 

Plus we received a new Christmas book, some games, and a new movie. We felt very spoiled and very loved.

That evening we met up with my older brother Mark and his wife Eliana (their kids weren't able to come out) and my sister and her family, and we "rode the train" aka Trax, up to Temple Square to see the Christmas lights. It was cold, but we had fun. And I just loved getting to be together.

On the "train":

We went into the Visitor's Center first because Papa didn't think it was dark enough yet. But it was cool to see the models of the inside of the temple and we got a couple cool pictures. We also lost kids a couple times.

Love all these cuties!

Amy and Brek:

Rori and Brek loved picking the ice off the garlands. And then complained about their hands being cold. Yet we couldn't convince them otherwise to stop. Gotta love 4-year-olds!

At the big Christmas Tree of Lights with Uncle David. We thought it was cool that those aren't all lights, but they have large sequins in between the lights to help it sparkle and shine more. So pretty!

Group picture:

Mommy and Brek with the temple in the background:

We went and saw the Christus statue in the other visitor's center and in an attempt to warm up. We caught the train back to our cars and then went to Village Inn for dinner for most and hot chocolate too And then we drove by the "Tree of Life" in Draper before going home.

The next day, we met at my brother-in-law Dustin's brother's house in Springville for Bennett's Baby Blessing. His full name is Bennett David Aaron Belt. Bennett is my mom's maiden name. David is Dustin's middle name, along with his father's first name. (It also happens to be my brother's name, and my mom's father's middle name.) Aaron comes from Dustin's best friend, and also Brek's middle name. Tracy really wanted Bennett to wear the same outfit that Brek wore when he was sealed and blessed. We were worried that it would be too big since Brek was 7 months old at the time and Bennett was only 2.5 months old, but it mostly fit him really well.

A photo shoot of Brek and Bennett. You never know if they will turn out well so I just took a bunch:

These are all the men that stood in the circle to bless Bennett:

Aaron Patty, Kerry Belt, David Belt, David Biggs, Joe Jensen, Mark Biggs, Dustin Belt, spacing on friend's name, Bishopric member from Kerry's ward, Guy Biggs, Dustin's nephew - Jacob? Belt

It was very sweet and wonderful. I'm so glad we were able to be there and with our family for such a special event.

Then Joe and I hijacked the baby and I took more pictures:

We finally shared with my dad:

It was nice to sit and chat with family and friends throughout the day. At one point, one of the little boys fell asleep and his dad (Aaron) put him down on the stairs and he stayed asleep there. It was cute!

All the boys with Aaron in their name:

 All the boys with David in their name:

 Bennett with Grandma and Papa Biggs:

 Bennett and his wonderful Mommy and Daddy:

 Bennett with his daddy and his Grandma and Grandpa Belt:

And just a cute picture of my daddy who I love so much!

It was a really nice day and weekend. I sure love my family! It was much harder saying goodbye to my parents. (Less hard to say goodbye to my sister because we were getting together during the next week and caravaning home together too.) I'm so blessed to have such a wonderful family!