Thanksgiving (or at least what I remembered to take pictures of :)

The Thanksgiving holiday flew by as it usually does.  Lots of playing with the cousins and the new hockey table.  

Isla was especially excited to have doting aunts to play babies with.  Sophia and Isabella are always so sweet and attentive.

And they have cute boots that Isla insisted on stealing over and over again.

Taylor volunteered to be in charge of the deviled eggs for the main meal and since this man doesn't know the meaning of just doing the basics, he made deviled eggs with blue cheese, peppered bacon, and black olives.  They were delish and he was in heaven creating these culinary masterpieces.  If his company ever goes belly up, we may have to send him to culinary school because I'm pretty sure he's missed his calling in life.

Miles was very excited to try out his remote control car that was a birthday present we neglected to open earlier.

And of course, I'd be remiss in not mentioning the fabulous company we had all weekend- my sister Kelli and her husband Dana.  They drove down from Washington and we the best holiday present I could receive.  Dana and Taylor are two peas in a pod and went golfing together.  Kelli and I snuck away to do a little Black Friday shopping and then we all went to the BYU/USU game and then the Hunger Games movie.  It was a fantastic weekend and we can't wait for next year!

Air Hockey Table

Part of our plan for the basement was to turn the living room area into a game room for the kids as they get bigger.  We inherited a foose ball table from Taylor's parents but had enough space to fit in one for big game table.  And since we travel every Christmas, we decided to fill the space and give the kids their big Christmas present a little early this year.  And it worked out perfectly to have Taylor's cousins coming in town for Thanksgiving and the boys had plenty of competition.

It's nice to have 4 paddles so all the kids can play.

And it's nice that the cousins are so patient with them and happy to let them make up the rules since they'd rather play that way.

And Isla's just happy to drag in her babies and toys from the toy room so she can hang out with the crowd.

Lovin' the Leaves

How does fun somehow turn into work when you become an adult?

Leaves used to be so much fun to see changing and falling, and then to get to play in.  Now I watch the 5 30+ foot tall trees in our backyard dropping their leaves and I just groan.  They're lovely, but they're a lot of work too.

Do my boys think so?

Nope, just another fun afternoon in the sun and warm weather while mom blows leaves on us and then sucks them up and takes away our pile.

Can you spot Isla in there?  She's actually in both pictures if you can spot the tiny bit of her pink shirt and blond hair escaping from the pile.

The Fork

Isla has discovered THE FORK.  It is now the ONLY way she will eat.  If her food cannot be picked up with a fork, she does not eat it.  Liquids being the exception and she's pretty happy to drink anything.  

Grapes?  Check.

Right in the mouth.  And my hands don't get slimy.

Strawberries?  Check.

Cheetos?  Apparently that's a check too.  She loves her fork and cheetos too so she was pretty determined to make this work.  Congrats, girl.  Even cheetos can be eaten without messy fingers now.  Did I mention I LOVE her desire for clean hands- especially after 3 boys who could care less.  When I get her out of her high chair she always says to me "was" and I am happy to carry her to the sink and "was" her hands and face.  Love this cutie!

Love the fall, love my house

When winter comes and it's snowy and cold and cloudy outside, sometimes I don't like my house.  It's still big enough for our family and very functional, but hard to keep well heated with so many windows.
But in the fall, and actually in every season BUT winter.... I LOVE my house- and especially the windows.  They let in so much light and warmth and color.  COLOR!
I was sitting in the office helping these 2 cuties with their homework and couldn't pass up the chance to go grab the camera and snap a picture.

We are surrounded by trees, in a dessert of all places, and when they all change colors it is just a breathtaking hug of yellow.  And since yellow is my favorite color, I'm a pretty happy gal.

Okay and my kids make me smile too, but it's nice to have the beautiful background behind them.

Football Boy

Ethan has loved playing football this fall.  I have loved hanging out on the sidelines and letting Isaac, Miles, and Isla get lots of playtime outside with friends while I chat and make my own friends.  It's been great to see Ethan make new friends too and learn a lot about the game.

I love his tiny legs and how the shoulder pads actually make him shapely instead of just being a beanpole.

At the end of the 3 month season, the team mom threw a party for everyone.  Here's Ethan with his good friend Tate.

They all passed around footballs and signed their name so everyone would get a keepsake of the season.

Then the coach called them each up individually to tell the team what they'd been really good at during the season and how they'd improved.

I love how the coach treats him like his own son.

His coaches consisted of 1 grandfather of a player, 1 dad, 2 uncles and then 2 other player's dads.  It was a great group and I have never had seen amazing, devoted, kind, fun coaches.

After dinner and all the actual football stuff it was time for dodgeball- coaches and adults vs. all the players and siblings.  

Hilarious fun!