thanksgiving recap

well, we're back!  what an awesome break it was.  nothing better than cousins to entertain our two busy girls!  it actually felt like a vacation for me.  wahoo!

we spent most of the time in idaho with the brunts, but a few days in utah on each end with the neffs.  hazel and i had perfect snowman-building snow to play in....

we opened christmas jammies early this year, so they could be enjoyed through december rather than opened christmas eve and only enjoyed a handful of times.  i'm pretty sure cora has worn it during the day several times already since we've been back!

some highlights:
hanging out with the girls in mimi and grandpa's new hot tub
petting horsies during our family photo shoot with randi
my turkey relish tray
the blow-up playground mimi and grandpa got for the occasion that kept my girls busy for hours
seeing my girls in their new superhero capes from honey
making a snowman with hazel

hazel's thankful tree

a little snapshot into our 3&1/2 year-old's little brain.  doing this thankful tree was such a great teaching opportunity with her.  i was so proud of her for coming up with "Jesus" and the "scriptures", as well as "music", "school", and "disneyland".  i can't wait to see what great things she comes up with next year :)

a dodgers game.

if you had asked me before today if i liked baseball, the answer would have been decidedly "no".  but after last night's dodgers game, i realized that baseball can be really fun, if you're watching the pros, and the atmosphere is exciting.  i guess those bees games growing up in utah just didn't do baseball justice.  

john got free tickets to a dodgers playoff game, (AT&T entertainment group perks) so we scrambled for a babysitter, and made it by the second inning.  we got the most delicious hot dogs, and shouted and cheered, even though i didn't care who won.  hey baseball, maybe you're not so bad after all.

halloween duds

this year for halloween, we were probably more mainstream than ever before.  (usually we dress up as something that's more vintage, as seen here and here.)  of course, there was also this more "classic" year, and this year, which was easily recognized by some (the cool people), and then totally lost on others (the not-so-cool people ;).

thanks to pokemon go, we had no problem being recognized this year.  anyways, without further ado, ash ketchum, misty, pikachu and squirtle.

our thankful tree.

not to brag, our life is so good right now.  

don't get me wrong, it is so SO hard, and we have lots of {unseen} challenges, just like everyone else.

but it's also incredibly good.  we are so blessed.

cora is right at this very moment crying in her crib, fighting a nap she so desperately needs.  (don't worry! i won't let her cry for long:) and i have anxiety about some things that just can't be fixed right now.  there's endless projects and to do's that need to be done, and i'm feeling inadequate and vulnerable and hopeful all at once.  but if i sit back and look at my life, it is easy to see how incredibly blessed we are. 

friday, i had this brilliant idea that we should start a thankful tree.  hazel is the perfect age for that right now, and i thought it would be a great way to teach her such an abstract concept.  i bought a stack of colored construction paper, and cut out the cutest bare tree for our wall.  hazel has been impressing us with her scissor-cutting skills and cutting several leaves each day for us to write on what we are thankful for.  the tree is filling up so fast, and i can't wait to show you what it looks like when we're done.  it's been an exercise in remembering our Savior, and our Heavenly Father from whom all our blessings come.  it's helped me recognize friends and loved ones who are such an influence of love and good in our lives and are such good examples to our girls.  truly, i am so grateful.

and here's some things these girls love right now....

cora

brown bear, brown bear what do you see

pointing and saying "this" (ie. this way) to tell me where to go

petting the neighbor's cat {i actually don't know who that cat belongs too, and i'm just hoping it's been vaccinated ;}

coming with me to get the mail

putting little objects in holes - she frequently finds sticks to put in the wire at the playground

bubbles

yogurt {obsessed}

dragging her bunny around on a blanket

saying "up" as we climb each stair

chasing birds on the beach {hazel loves this too!}

the tram at disneyland is hilariously maybe her favorite "ride" that we go on there.  i think peter pan is also beloved

hazel

loving smile, her after-school program with some cute friends

puzzles

playing games

reading - she is turning into such a bookworm and can sound out lots of words already

ham {LOVES it, and asks to have it in her lunch every day.  i usually send her with a homemade "lunchable" complete with ham, cheese, and crackers;}

talking about holidays, and getting very excited to go to mimi's for thanksgiving!

disneyland

listening to music in the car - from princess songs to my old school playlists and everything in-between

talking about "our schedule" and looking at what is coming up that day and week

life lately

some pics about from our fun and crazy life.

 these three praying together... aka the best sight in the whole wide world :)

 hazel picked a pumpkin at school at their pumpkin patch, and i take a picture of cora napping almost every single day.  not even joking.

cora brings me flowers.  she also kicks and fights to get down and run away in line for the rockets.  you decide how i feel about those two separate situations ;)