Thanksgiving

One of the biggest perks of our new house is that it can comfortable host a lot of people, which is why we ended up getting to host part of Jon's family for Thanksgiving. There are too many people scattered across the country to get people all in one place, but we got to have Daniel's family, Stephen's family, Mom & Dad and Jacob & Joanna. So 20 people total! Aaron and I did some serious shopping to prepare for our guests:

(And this was only round 1)

But Jon's not prone to letting his family stay here rent-free. In order to pay for room & board, he enlisted everyone in our massive yard project: lining and mulching the landscaping. It was DESPERATELY needed. 

Aaron was super helpful.

He generously shared his rake with Joanna so he could use the big one.

The huge pile of mulch. 

Yes, we used it ALL. 

I didn't take many pictures while everyone was here, but we had a lot of fun just hanging out together. One night there was a rousing game of charades, which is always fun when played with toddlers and four-year-olds.  

Claudia, Brianna & Catherine watch the action

Eowyn doing a really impressive puppy-dog charade.

But only Claudia could guess correctly.

I failed at taking pictures on Thanksgiving (too much cooking and craziness). The only picture I got was this coconut creme pie, which was AMAZING. We had family, a ton of food and a ton of leftovers, which is exactly as it should be on Thanksgiving! 

We Are Thankful For

Angels!

Jon had one last week-long trip to Dugway. After all the 2-3 week (or longer) trips, one week should have been a piece of cake. But it was a hard week and I was feeling overwhelmed. And I may have whined on social media. The next day I heard a knock on the door and found one of the sweet Activity Day girls from my ward on my doorstep delivering a simple-prep meal the girls put together. I was so touched that they would think of me!

Another knock and my friend Melissa was there to help clean and set up beds for our Thanksgiving guests. That evening there was a third knock and my friend Bente was there with her daughter, Kaia, who volunteered to help play with/get kids ready for bed. I was overwhelmed by the love I felt from such awesome people. I don't deserve to have all these angels watching over me, but I am so grateful for them.

Feasts!

I LOVE Catherine's preschool and all the fun things she gets to do. For Thanksgiving they had a feast and invited parents/grandparents to attend. Catherine was so proud of her work for the feast--she made a teepee centerpiece and her class helped make the muffins. I'm so glad I was able to be there with her (thanks to Melissa for taking Aaron so I could attend--no siblings allowed). 

Catherine & Mommy selfie

This is her class singing their Thanksgiving songs for everyone. Catherine initially refused to go up, but Miss Crystal lured her up by promising that Catherine could stand right by her. So this is a picture of the back of Catherine's head as she stands next to Miss Crystal (so thankful for wonderful teachers).  

Cars!

These are Christmas presents for cousins.

But they were also excellent entertainment during a long shopping trip.

Good thing toddlers have short memory spans...

Family Pictures

When we bought my fancy camera, it was with the idea that I would be able to take family pictures instead of paying to have someone else do them. Despite not caring to be photographed when pregnant, my friend Melissa convinced me that we needed to have a joint Blood/Knox family photo day and take pictures for each other. 

We headed to a local Christmas tree farm before church (one of the few benefits to 1 pm church) and hoped for the best. I was very happy with how everything turned out! We are so not professionals, but I am more than happy with our pictures.  

Photo dump time!

This kid has got to slow down with all this growing up.

Love his smile!

Catherine was not very interested in cooperating for pictures. 

Shocking.

"Say cheese!"

Big blue eyes

Looking very proper

Aaron was also not interested in getting his picture taken: 

"I am way too cool to smile, Mother."

Those cheeks...I'm in love.

Of course I would get a great smile AFTER I put his dorky jacket on: 

(Always the hood. He insists).

My three babies

I LOVE this one! Melissa did a great job!

What? A picture of us without kids? 

Also, I like to buy long shirts and pretend they're maternity clothes. 

Cheaper, plus I can wear them next year when I'm not six months pregnant! 

Our family: 

Pose #2: 

(I love Catherine's pose)

Now for some behind-the-scenes shots: 

Aaron loves Anna!

Catherine gets dumped in a Christmas tree: 

She loves her Daddy: 

But she hates looking at the camera: 

Anna's job: keep all the kids from falling in the pond: 

Catherine's job: dance in the sunlight and ask Mom why she keeps taking pictures: 

Looks like Knox/Blood family pictures will have to become tradition!

Bowling with Daddy

Our family was invited to a birthday party for the girl next door. My kids were ecstatic to find out it was at a bowling alley. Seth had a great time making friends with everyone who would talk to him, and Catherine loved pushing her own ball down the alley (sloooooooooooooowwwwww...so sloooooooooooowwwwwwww). But it was Aaron who really loved it. At first he just wanted to watch, but after the third time I had to chase him away from the bowlers, I realized he was ready for a turn. 

Discussing which ball he would like (Jon let him choose every time)

Giving it a push

Watching the pins fall

He LOVED it. And Jon was a great dad, very patient with him. Guess we need to go bowling more often! (And I need to take pictures of my other two children. Sorry, children). 

The Green Bean of Doom

I was a very picky eater as a kid. VERY picky. And I grew out of it sometime during college. So I never stressed about the fact that my kids were picky eaters, figuring they would grow out of it, too. But when we hit the point where they were refusing to eat foods they had eaten for years, I decided we were done with this game. New rule: they are required to try the vegetables at dinner. It was traumatic at first, but I figured they would quickly realize that I wasn't kidding. Seth did. Catherine...Catherine likes to do it the hard way.

It started with a one-inch piece of green bean. She refused to eat it. Daddy put cheese sauce on it. She thought about eating it, then decided against it. She was warned that she would be getting nothing else to eat until her green bean was eaten. Which meant she skipped dinner, dessert, and breakfast. 18 hours of not eating. 

Finally, she gave in. After a brief moment of "losing" the green bean and claiming to have eaten it (Mom is not a fool), she was ready to go. She had her juice at the ready to wash down that horrible green bean taste: 

Hooray! She survived! 

We still have our battles occasionally, but the kids are learning to try new things.

Can't say they LOVE their vegetables, but we'll get there!

November Aaron

Day After Halloween

Alternate title: Mom Don't Even Care

Milk is good.

Water is good, too.

Water and milk at the same time? Winner!

Total iPad junkie