so, thanksgiving happened...

There are about a thousand reasons whyThanksgiving is among my favorite of all the holidays. I think the only reason Christmas trumps Thanksgiving is because of the music and the twinkle lights...?

I took the week of Thanksgiving off. I've tried working the week of Thanksgiving, and I'm always sorely disappointed because I end up getting no-showed a lot. And that does not help me to feel thankful.

So I spent the entire week leading up to Thanksgiving with my family in Utah. And that helps me to feel extra thankful.

Abby and I saw Catching Fire.
We may or may not have screamed at the monkey part.

Fraggle Julie

Jane helped me make dinner;
when we put on our aprons, she said, "We are adorable."

Holy crap, Emmett kills me dead with his cute smile.

"Normal" is quite rare for a picture with me and Seth...

Told ya.

Jackson and his sock gloves.

We had a tickle fight. I feel like we both won.

Also: Jackson ate ham! PROTEIN, baby!

Mom, Dad and I visted with Gramma the day before Thanksgiving...

Kaylee painted my fingernails (and Mom's) after Thanksgiving dinner.

She also painted Mom's nails.
We loved how she'd grab one finger with her entire hand to hold it still :)

Checking to see if it's dry...

Oh, golly, this boy Derek has got my heart...

I love Marshall and his toothless smile.
My mom told him, "If you lose any more teeth, you'll have to eat baby food!"

I shellacked Janel and Kaylee's fingers and toes.
Marshall wanted to feel the warmth of the UV light (or, as we liked to call it, the "oov lamp.")

Jane put that banana there to make a face.
Isn't she awesome?

Jane helped me peel/core/slice the apples.
Her payment was bits of apple, plus some of the skin.

This cute little nugget wouldn't go down for a nap one day,
so I treated her to some popcorn and milk. Naturally.

 I also spent a lot of time with the adults in my family, but they're less adorable than their offspring, or their offspring's offspring...

Mom and I went to see The Book Thief in Ogden on Black Friday (away from the stores and the throngs of shoppers!). We cried. It was fantastic...

I was with my family for nearly nine days, and leaving them in Utah as I drove back to Idaho was a big bummer for me. Good thing Christmas is just around the corner. AND it's a good thing there are lots of fun and awesome things happening between now and Christmas. 

It really is the most wonderful time of the year...