Happy Thanksgiving 2009

What a festive, colorful, beautiful, fun time of year- I really love fall!! I am so grateful this year for family/friends. We are so blessed to have good families and be close to our families. We also have tons of friends who are so good to us- we love you guys!

This year was a little bit different than previous years....we had thanksgiving without my parents around. Since they were down in Arizona and decided to spend it down there with Renee and her family, we did the entire dinner all by ourselves. It was really fun!! Doesn't the table look so festive and fun!!! We started the afternoon with yummy little appetizers and treats just to hold us all over until the BIG dinner occurred. We spent all afternoon hanging out together- cooking, watching movies, playing, and napping. The whole dinner which included: turkey, mashed potatoes, sweet potatoes, traditional Grandma Taylor salad, homemade rolls, stuffing, sides of pickles/pickled carrots/olives, rhubarb slushy pop, festive water, apple crisp, and pumpkin pie. There was so much food and everything was delicious. We had the dinner at our house here in Okotoks and my sister Nadine took on the task of turkey, stuffing, and rolls. She is the BEST!!! I have never had such moist yummy turkey before- Nadine I am so thankful for you!!

I loved having most of my sisters & brother around this weekend. It was so much fun to all get together and hang out- I LOVE them! I had so much fun preparing the meal together and stressing before everyone arrived... "where is the turkey baster?? i have to have a baster or it won't turn out" haha...."go to walmart and buy wine glasses, my table has to look beautiful, and then we'll return them afterwards" haha...and the examples could continue on!!! I am so grateful for family! (we missed you Renee, mom & dad)

I LOVE Jared!! I am so grateful for him and the hardworker that he is. I LOVE that he has the best job ever...he is able to be home with us so much. It's really fun and I love that he comes to mommy playgroups with us just so that he can spend time with his girls. He's the greatest dad and husband EVER!

I am so thankful for my girls too! I LOVE our little family. These little girlies are the greatest blessings to our family- they bring so many laughs, smiles, and sweet moments. We have so much fun together and so many things to be thankful for.

The woman of the year!!! She was so amazing- and look at her perfect turkey!!! Love ya Dean and thank you so much for all your hard work.

Somebody call 911!!!

We love going to visit our Daddy at the Firehall! He has been all over the city this past year and finally is at a hall that is closer to home. We have visited him 2 times in the past week....my girls are LOVING it!! They love sitting in the trucks, ringing the bell (on this cool old fire truck that's at the hall), seeing the flashing lights on the truck, eating the treats that all the guys share with them, and seeing their daddy in his (hot, I might add..haha) uniform at work!! haha. I guess that there is just something about Jared being dressed up in uniform that I find so attractive- ha! What fun times we have visiting the firehall.

Random

Everyone has to do at least one random post right??? I am so in LOVE with my girls...they make me smile all the time! Since I watched conference this past weekend, I have really tried hard to enjoy my life..and stay calm during times of chaos. So far, I've been pretty good. Today Elle was saying to me "Mommy don't get mad" becuase I asked her to help me be a better mommy. She really is the greatest and cutest little girlie!!! What can I say, I have alot to learn- but great reasons to be my very best!!!

These are my sugar ghost that I made...I had these when I was younger and thought that it would be fun to have Elle make them with me. We are LOVING halloween at our house!!

Elle was riding her bike around the island singing " I have a baby boy in my tummy"...look closely and you can see the baby poking out of her shirt. haha.
My new plant. I am horrible at keeping them alive, so I'm hoping that I can keep this on alive- I am loving it! It even has red in the leaves that match my couch.

These 2 really LOVE each other...sometimes Elle just has to be the mommy and say "hey babe, you need to be by me for the picture, ect" haha. It's so funny!

Fall- I love it all!!

I LOVE fall...the leaves, the colors, the wear whatever you want because the temperature is all over the place, the smell, the freshness, the decorations that match my house, the back into scheduling, and the approaching holiday seasons. I LOVE it all!!! It's the most amazing season to me. It makes me so happy!!!

This fall we decided to FINALLY hit up a corn maze. I have heard of corn mazes since I was little and have never been to one...until we went on FHE night. I am so happy that I have waited to go to the Calgary Corn Maze with Jared (who also had never been), Elle, Paige, Nadine, Ki, and Nate. We had such a good time and were entertained the entire time. There were so many things to do there....obviously corn mazes (a more junior one and the big one shaped as a T-Rex), small mazes out of hay bales & ropes, slides & playgrounds, a train ride with a lawn mower pulling water barrels, petting zoo, little kittens running around, pig races, plastic duck races by pumping old fashioned water pumps, cow milking, and lots more. It was just a really fun environment and VERY festive. We had a blast! and by we, I mean the adults and kids. I definitely want to go back next year.

Aren't these pictures so cute!!! I LOVE that my girls are getting so big..they are such good friends already and have both really grown taller this past summer/fall. I LOVE them!!!

Ok, so those pictures are a little bit freaky...I know. BUt it was this HUGE slide made out of some farming equipment thingy and was so much fun....not super fast, but fast enough. You had to first climb up all these stairs to get to the top...and I mean alot of stairs! We all were able to go down it. haha.

Elle LOVED feeding the goats and bunnies. She kept giggling when they would nibble at her hands. It was really cute!!

Looks kinda weird to see Jared milking a cow...he is such a city boy!! haha. I LOVE him!

Fun in the Sun...We LOVE AZ!!

We had such a fun week flying down to visit my sister in AZ!! It was so HOT there still and we were able to swim, enjoy being outside, shop
, and play with cousins. We had so much fun. Jared got tickets to the Colts vs Cardinals NFL game (which was most amazing to him) and a friend of his joined him for the fun at the stadium! We got to see my parents new house down there too and enjoy every minute of staying there....we LOVE it!! It's decorated so cute and was so nice to have our own space for the week. The girls LOVED their cousins and seeing "Auntie Nay". Thank you so much for letting us come play with you for a week guys and for picking us up from the airport. We LOVE visiting you and AZ!!!Elle is a true suntanner...she insists that she is COLD when it is 41 C outside. She LOVES being outside and LOVES being in the water, but just gets cold really fast. She LOVED laying on her towel soaking up the rays.
Honest, we aren't bad parents....Paige was loving all the Splash Pads. What a fun place to live!
Enjoying eating lunch outside with cousins....I kept telling Elle to be outside as much as she could becuase it's going to be cold out when we got home.

My parents arrived a few days earlier than they had planned, just so that we could spend a few days with them before we left! I LOVE them!!!
On our wilderness walk in the morning! What an amazing landscape.
Jared thought it would be a good idea to kick the cactus down...let's just say he was pulling needles out of his flip flop for a few days. haha.

He was like a little kid before the game and when we came home...he was so excited! This is one of his dreams come true...watching a INDIANAPOLIS COLTS game. I'm so glad that he LOVED it!!!

And this is what we returned home too...I'm so COLD!!! I can't believe the difference of temperatures. It makes me so sad, but at least I can start getting in the Halloween and Christmas spirits!!!

Zoo Days R' So Fun!

We went to the Calgary Zoo with some friends here in Okotoks....it was so much fun! Elle LOVED having other kids her age to look at the animals with and to hang out with ALL day long. It was the perfect weather, not too hot or too cold! We LOVE the Calgary zoo!

Spruce Meadows

We had such a fun time visiting Spruce Meadows...and it was my first time there!!! There is so much stuff to do and look at. The girls LOVED all the horses, the different food, all the people, the beautiful gardens, and the dog races/tricks!!! We will definitely be going back soon.