Thanksgiving, Family Wedding and More Family Fun!

The past couple of weeks have been really good for us.  We got to see  a lot of family we don't get to see that often between a Wedding  and Thanksgiving.  We love our big extended families and feel pretty lucky when we get to hang out with all of them.

Jake's cousin Greydon got married the weekend before Thanksgiving.  Their family has lived in Arizona for many years and just recently moved back east.  We get to see them for some reunions, but not all of them.  It was really good to see all of them and visit for them for a bit at the wedding.  They couple was so happy and she seems like a great addition to the family.  It will be fun getting to know her a little better.  Lawson and Pierce busted all kinds of moves on the dance floor and had a great time.  It was fun to see everyone dancing.   A group got together at Grandma Coopers the next night to visit before family went back home.  It was a really fun time and we are glad we got the chance to visit.

The next week the kiddos had the day before Thanksgiving off, we had a fun time playing in the snow and they enjoyed having a few days off from school.  Jake worked every day that week, he is awesome like that and is such a great provider.  He was off in the early afternoon for some of the days.   It snowed on Thanksgiving and the 3 oldest had a fun time playing before we had to get ready to go. Jake made it home about 10 minutes before the Cooper Thanksgiving started.  We had a great time there, eating yummy food and enjoying everyones company.  After dinner we played games until pie.  Shortly after that it was time to go to my parents house for dinner.  We had fun visiting there and looking at the black Friday ads.  

Friday morning Ava, Laws and I went to Smiths to get a few black Friday deals.  We left about 4:45 to get there when they opened so we could get back for Jake to go to work.  Later that afternoon we went sleding with Steve and Kim and their family who were in town for the holiday.  We enjoy hanging out with them when they visit from St. George.  Sam's family was also came.  The kids had a great time.  Wes had a good time walking up the hill, I think partly because I kept slipping and he thought it was hilarious.  He was done in about 5 minutes.  He did not want to sled, he hated the wind and snow and was super cold,so I spent the last while in the car with him.  Everyone else really enjoyed themselves though.  We were able to go to dinner with all of them and also Ken and Mandy before they left for home the next morning.  It is always a good time!

Saturday we were invited to Frozen 2 with Grant, Sandra and Natalies family.  It was a really cute movie and my kids loved the recliners, drinks and popcorn.  The moving chair was a lifesaver for Wes during a long movie.  

Sunday we went to my parents for leftovers and to celebrate the December birthdays.  Nora turned 2 and the kiddos love to play with her, especially Wes.  Pirece already got 1 preasent there and he loved it!  He was pretty excited to get a present early.

This week the kids were back to school and doing well there.  Laws and Ava are getting ready for a science fair and Laws is also getting ready for his Christmas orchestra program.  They are already excited for Christmas break in a couple of weeks.  Pierce is making good progress on his online preschool and is getting excited for his birthday.  I can't believe he is almost 5!  Weston is getting a lot more opinionated about things.  Which can be super cute at times, and totally frusterating at others.  I am getting ready for finals and will be done for the semester come Monday. (taking a quick break from studies as we speak)  Yay!  

All of our Christmas stuff has been set up for over a week  and we are loving this time of the year!

(except maybe for the cold and inversion)

 Thanksgiving morning

 Made these turkeys for my parents house.  They are not nearly as cute as the picture with the recipe and the putting them together was not as easy as they made it sound.  

Too Soon?

We love holidays around our house.  All of them, from decorations, to fun activites, to spending time with the family.  We love Thanksgiving and the time to give thanks and gather together as a family for food and fun, but Christmas is always my favorite and we like to sneak a little Christmas in before Thanksgiving.  The music and movies of Christmas have already made their way into our home and I put up the outdoor lights a couple days ago before it gets to cold.  

I haven't decided if I will turn them on yet.  Jake said just do it!  

We have had a pretty good fun and busy week.  All but one of us have visited the dentist.  We went to a Veterans day concert at Wasatch that Ava performed in.  Jake has been busy working and I have been busy studying and we have had various activies with the kids.

A week ago the kids had their annual primary program and they all did awesome!  They all read their parts well and knew all the words to the songs.  Pierce belted the songs out as loud as he could with so much feeling even when he didn't know the words.  It was great!  I couldn't be more proud of all those kids.  Wes enjoyed watching with me and yelled a lot of their names throughout the program.

Ava and I got to attend a stake activity days night this past Saturday.  I always enjoy the girl time we get to spend together.  She is my only girl and it is just nice to be able to do things like that with her every now and again.  We had good food, learned some latin dances and had a great time visiting with Will, Riley and Grandma Julie as well as a few others from the stake.  

I have a test tomorrow, but thought I would hurry and jot this down before I get back to my studies.  We are excited for Thanksgiving next week and then for the Christmas season to be in full swing.  The lights, the love, the decorations, family, fun, music, movies 

and remembering the reason for the season.  

Trolley Square already has decorations up😊

Wes and Nora at Family dinner

Ava at her concert

Dentist Time 

Wedding and All Sorts of Family Fun

So it has been way too long!  We have had so much going on and I just kept pushing blogging back.  But it is here now.  Whew! In no particular order....

Megan & David got married!  Yay!  We are so excited for them.  It was good to have them in town for a bit before the wedding.  It was also good to see Liz and Becca and her family.  I love Jake's sisters and I was so glad I was able to spend some time with them.     We had a fun family game night with Pizza  a couple nights before.  Then a lot of wedding prep and then the big day!  It was a wonderful family affair.

We have had many fun adventures lately.   A few friends birthday parties, plenty of Halloween fun, family gatherings and just life!

Laws and Ava had parent teacher conferences and they are both doing great!  Wasatch is wonderful and they are learning a lot and making great friends.  I think the main thing we miss about Bennion is playing (or for me chatting) with the Woolf's and Cousins afterschool and some of the teachers of course.

Wes and Pierce have a great time playing together it is is a joy to see them bond.  They are good friends!  Pierce has also started an online preschool and really likes it and is doing pretty good so far.  Wes loves to count to 11 and can sing his ABC's.  And Paw Patrol is his new thing.

Jake is just busy providing for our family, his church calling and  trying to squeeze as much fun out of the rest of his time.  I love him so much and so do the kiddos.  He is a great companion and Dad!  He is so many good things and I want to be more like him when I grow up.

As for me I have been busy with school and the Mom Life.  I feel like I have been slacking in some areas and I really want to be better.  A few weeks back at church I went to the new youth program broadcast with Ava and Lawson.   There was a teenage girl that said something that really hit me.  I don't even remember what question they had asked her, but she said she wanted to live a life where she could be proud of the choices she and made and she wanted to live the kind of life she would want her daughter to have.  Boy did that get me!  I love my kids so much and I want them to have the best life so I need to be doing the things in my life to have the best life not just for me, but for my family as well.

Anything else about these last weeks you can see in the pictures below.  

I will write about some of them, and the rest explain themselves.

He could not keep his hands off the mints! 

The next few pictures are at a fun Halloween activity we went to with Becca and her family while she was in town.  Ava was so excited to have Ellie to play with for a few days.  Will and his family, Julie and Tonya and her family also came!  Spooky Woods, hot chocolate, donuts, family and fun!

Jake and I were able to go to a Beatles Vs Rolling Stones Concert  with Sam and Tonya

In was a lot of fun!

Jon and Tati had a spooktacular Harry Potter Party.  We all dressed up as characters and partied the night away.   I made some chocolate pretzel wands and we loved the butter beer!

Daddy date night with Pierce.  They had a great time!

Jake got this Lawn Mower for Wes a while back and he did not let go of it for days.

This next one is the best.  Wes fell asleep in a squat position playing
with the mower with flip flops over his footsie pj's.

Last backyard fire of the season.

Park with the Woolfs photo by Ava

Zoo with Amy, William and Maya.  So much fun!

 Ava and Nora and just the first of many Halloween Activities

 I was not ready for this :(

My Treat for my Aunt Becky's Annual Halloween party!  I love my Aunt and her family and we always enjoy the times we get together with them.