Thanksgiving 2011

We spent Thanksgiving Day with the Strobelt's this year. Tiffany always does a fantastic job of hosting everyone for dinner. The best dish by far were her yummy, yummy yams. Wow they were amazing! Next was the zucchini casserole, a Strobelt classic. I get it once every two years and I love it. Lets just say I ate A-LOT but it was so worth it. The best part of being pregnant is eating that much food guilt free. You know, the baby really wanted seconds and thirds:)

The best part of Thanksgiving... Black Friday. I have been online looking at ads for about a week. I had my list already. I was focused. I conquered! I stayed with in my budget and got Christmas shopping done. Yes, done. A present for every person on my list and some for me (of course). So lets talk deals. I got all of Scarlett's new kitchen food around 75% off and Melissa/Doug food is not cheap (don't worry my mom kept on called it Harry&David food all weekend). I got an Anthropology bed cover, 2 pillows, and a bed skirt for $160. What? That set would normally cost around $500-600. Some stuff for Nick (but that is a secret, he reads this sometimes). Toys and toys super cheap. It was just so fun I want to do it again tomorrow! Getting great deals with my sisters and mom is really my idea of a great time, even at 2 am. Till next Black Friday.

Of course Thanksgiving is about giving thanks and I have much to be thankful for. I live the most wonderful and peaceful life. Things will be little crazy with us moving in 2 weeks and baby number 2 coming but really those are blessings. Thank you!

Thanksgiving Day

A day at the park- Scarlett loved flying and watching the kite

Scarlett life in pictures

I grabbed these from all our photo taking electronics (phones, i-pad, cameras). I just love her at this age. Cute, independent, opinionated, and copies everything I do. She is learning so fast. It seems everyday she can say a new word. Right now she is hauling Dixie's food around calling "Dixie kitty fuuud". It melts my heart!

In no particular order...

Happy Birthday to Me!

I turned 26 on the 10th. I am closer to 30 than 20 and I feel old. Maybe it is my sore back and ever growing belly that makes me feel closer to 60 these days. Nick gave me a present that I have wanted for years... a cannon DSLR camera. It was a splurge but I am so glad he surprised me with it. I can not wait to take good quality pictures of the girls. I realized that I had only my 25th birthday not pregnant. No one tells you when you have your first that you better prepare to start a family, not just have one baby. I will probably be pregnant over my birthday for the next 10 years. Should I be excited about that?

So to talk pregnancy. It has been going great. I have less heart burn than Scarlett but more back pain. No more nausea and I can eat pretty much whatever I want. Which has come back to bite me, I gained 13 pounds last month. Yikes! But everything is going about as good as it can. I have energy to run errands which is fantastic and am still working. This little girl is not a mover. She is just content to hang out in there. Scarlett was in constant motion, always kicking. She has no name yet, not even close to one. I find myself thinking " oh ya I am pregnant. What I am having another baby?" This baby will come and I will be like "what, when did I sign up for another one?" I am just so busy with life it is hard to have a moment just to think about her. But still we are excited. Two little girls, it is going to be a party!

Octoberfest

October went by fast and was filled with some very fun activities. Here is what we did...

Playdate with friends

Scarlett and I got together with friends and went the park. It is so much fun to be able to chat with friends and watch all our girls play. It is funny that all my close high school friends are having girls. I love it! What little friends they will be

(Scarlett with Katelyn and Julia Young and Chole Clemons)

Century Ride

Nick is awesome. For the last couple of months he has been training for a 100 mile bike ride with my dad. His training included weekday rides where he woke up early before work and then long, long rides on Saturday. He worked so hard. Oh, did I mention that during all this he also started his masters. It is a good thing he loves to be busy.

Red Rock Hike

The Saturday after the big bike race Nick wanted to do something as a family. We went out to Red Rock near our house and went for a short (very short) hike. Scarlett loved it but made us go so slow, all she wanted to do was pick up rocks every 5 feet.

Dallas, TX

The highlight of our month (really the past 6 months) was our family trip to Dallas. Since I was so sick this summer with pregnancy I really had no fun. So when we found out my parents were going to Dallas the end of October we jumped on it. We all needed a good vacation. It was a blast. Oh my gosh was it fun to see my siblings and their families. My brother and his wife were so nice to let us stay at their house. Scarlett loved, loved playing with their kids and all their amazing toys. I also got to see two new grandbabies that have been born the last couple of months. One of my favorite parts of the trip was staying up way late and playing Settlers of Catan with the whole family. Who knew a board game could get so competitive. I also loved watching the Rangers play (on TV) play in the world series with my brother. He gets pretty intense. Here is what we also did...

The girls with kids all went to the Dallas Arboretum. It was filled with thousands of pumpkins in colors I never knew pumpkins could be. We had a picnic lunch and let the kids run wild.

This is a whole house made of pumpkins.

Nick and I with Brady, Abe and his boys, and my dad went to the BYUvsTCU football at the Dallas Cowboy Stadium. I don't let many people know but I am a huge football fan. I love to watch any good football game, especially college football and especially BYU. So to be able to see BYU play live in the biggest football stadium in the world was a dream come true. I have heard about this stadium the last couple of years and never thought I would be able to see it. But I did. I was so excited I even got a little teary while approaching this massive building. I was amazed at how beautiful it was inside. It is no concrete, dirty sports arena. It is like the Ritz with resturants, sports bars, and elite players clubs. It is posh. Okay I should stop writing it is making me look a little weird. But overall it was an experience I won't forget (even if BYU got creamed)

Just infront of the Cowboy stadium is the classic and traditional Rangers Ball Park. It was so ironic to have these two buildings next to each other. One is so modern and the other good old fashion brick. It remindes me just how classic baseball is, it really is Americas game. I watched the Rangers play all post-season so it was so fun to be in Dallas while they were in the world series. I was there during the last two games of the series, when they played in St. Louis. In fact, the night of the football game the Ranger lost the world series 3 games to 4. I was very depressed. And to think the night before they could have won, all they needed was one strike

AHH. I wanted to get a picture of me in front of their stadium the day they won their first world series. But alas they lost. So I like sports!

The next day we all went to breakfast and then to the park. We fed ducks and played football. It was a great morning. I then went to see Kim's new home in Prosper and spent the afternoon with her. There is no doubt that Texas is a beautiful state, very flat but beautiful.

While at the football game Scarlett went to my sister's trunk or treat. Is she not the cutest little kitten?

On Sunday it was brunch at Kim's home, church, and then home. I am also sad to go home after a fun vacation. Guess we will just have to come back a visit again!

And that folks was our adventurous October!

Halloween 2012

(before mom's trunk-or-treat)

It was a super fun Halloween for us this year. It pretty much lasted a week. We went to my mom's ward trunk-or-trick the Wednesday before, then my brother's trunk-or-treat on Saturday (more on our trip to Dallas later) and then finally Halloween. Scarlett was not so good about trick-or-treating. All she wanted to do was eat the candy as soon as she got it or would throw a fit. Finally, we just put her in the stoller with her bag of candy and walked around. Happy as a clam. She would point to the decorations and say "spooky". She was one cute little lady bug!

Scarlett with "papa"

Oh this little bear. It dances and sings. She has been playing it constantly! It makes my ears hurt but she sure loves it. Have a feeling it will be out till Christmas.

Cutest lady bug ever!

Watching me

This child watches everything I do

She learned to do this.

And man is she proud of her self. She can even do it with out spilling these days!

Little Girls

I really, really wanted our second to be girl. Every girl needs a sister. I have four of them and they are my best friends. So it looks like my wish has been granted (thanks Nick). Scarlett will have a sister come the end of February. We are all so excited. There is something so sweet and special about little girls. They possess this power to simply melt your heart. More than anything I love the relationship Scarlett has with her dad. Those two are quite the pair and all she wants is to be by his side. Nick really is the perfect dad for two little girls and they will be so lucky. Growing up I always wanted a big bunch of boys but I was wrong, I need my girls!

When I showed Scarlett a picture of her sister. There may be some rivalry.

But then she wanted to give the baby a kiss.

And then she went running wild around the house. She does that these days.