november (For lack of a better title)

I was originally just going to write a thanksgiving post, but as I was sorting through my photos I realized I'd be leaving out some good things. So I'll just lump all of November together.

In the beginning of November, we went to a pretty park near us, scouting picture locations for our family photos. The park has a Ferris wheel, a carousel, a couple other little carnival rides, and a train that circles the perimeter of the park. So we made a fun little afternoon of it and walked around, played on the playground, then rode the train. I wanted to take some of our family pictures by the Ferris wheel and carousel but Jared wasn't having it!

Emmett also went to the dentist, and it was the first time he laid back on the chair by himself like a big boy.

 

Now every time I brush his teeth at night we have to play "dentist" and he loves me to pretend to put on his glasses and lay him back.

 

Here are a few shots of Tate while he was 3 months old

I love that chub picture in the bumbo. He was just checkin out Emmett's morning cartoons.

 

 

As you can see, month 3 was when this guy really started smiling and laughing

 

And a few shots of brotherly love

 

Despite what it looks like, Emmett does have underwear on in the big picture. Some day its just hard to get clothes on that boy (as evidenced in all shots above)

 

Morning snuggles are the best

Can you tell how much Emmett loves his baby brother?

 

(and Me too!)

 

Emmett had his share of fun in November

Fishing with Dad by our house (and catching one while we weren't paying attention!), playing in the rain, and taking another Pee Wee PE class. It amazes me how coordinated and athletic he is.

 

And now... we've finally made it up to Thanksgiving!

 

I wanted to add some more Thanksgiving décor this year. I've accumulated some Halloween and Christmas, but had nothing for in between. The problem was I didn't feel like spending money on it! So I was proud of myself when I pieced this together with scraps in my scrap bin.

 

 

For the first time in our married life, we didn't do Thanksgiving with our families this year. We decided to save our money and travel time up for Christmas Break. Fortunately we were invited to share Thanksgiving with our friends Josh & Aubrey and their extended family, so we weren't alone!

 

Josh's family all traveled in from out of state, and they rented a "guesthouse" while they were here. The owner of the main property was an ex tennis pro, and often uses his guesthouse to bring players in and train them.  So needless to say the compound (as I like to call it) was very nice!

 

 

Though the weather was still pretty nice (around the 60s), it was too cold for pool. The kids were happy to spend their time in the hot tub.

 

And playing on the tennis court

We also had a fun minute to win it competition, and I'm sad I can't find this cute picture I had of Emmett swinging a tennis ball around from a hanging pantyhose on his head.... lol. Can you picture it?

 

And  I didn't even take any obligatory food or table pictures! That right there tells you it wasn't your typical Thanksgiving :) We all ate outside buffet style since there were so many of us, and between that and the nice weather, the absence of our own families, and the mini resort we were at, you could almost forget it was Thanksgiving! I didn't actually didn't mind though, because being a little different than our traditional Thanksgiving around the table - made us not feel homesick the way I was afraid we might be. And Emmett had SO much fun, we had to carry him kicking and screaming to the car on the way out.

 

We have so much to be grateful for this year, and I swear the list of things just keeps getting longer and longer with each passing year. Since moving away from home I've been particularly grateful for my sisters (not that I'm not grateful for the rest of the family!), and the close friendship we share. I realize that not many people are blessed to have a relationship like us four. Since moving here they've each already been out to visit us here in Arizona, and I'd be concerned if a day passed and I hadn't heard from any of them! I'm grateful for Jared's job and this great place we live. I'm so thankful the move went pretty seamlessly, and despite never having stepped foot in the state other than coming to look at rental properties, it became home surprisingly quick. I almost don't even want to write about being grateful my pregnancy went well and Tate arrived safely, because I know no words can express that gratitude properly. I'm very grateful for our health and that of our extended family. I'm grateful for Jared and the great husband and Dad he is, and the opportunity he provides me to be home with our boys. I'm grateful for the new friendships we've made, and the ones that are just blooming. And lastly I'm grateful that to know that Heavenly Father knows me individually and all my wants/needs/strengths and weaknesses.

 

I think we will always remember this Thanksgiving, as it was a big milestone year for us and our first away from home. And I'm glad to say it was wonderful! :-)