Thanksgiving, my favorite pre-season activity..

It's no secret that Thanksgiving to me is really just the official start of the real holidays.  I always cheat a bit and put up most of the Christmas decorations prior to the big meal because I love to spend the majority of the long weekend basking in the beauty which is my holiday decor.  Also, Thanksgiving should really be a few weeks earlier.  By the time it rolls around I no longer feel "harvesty", and am ready to move on to winter.  Despite all that, we had a WONDERFUL Thanksgiving!

It started out with small Thanksgiving programs put on by each of my girls' classrooms.

 

 

We also spent alot of time outside, enjoying the snow.  Ty could barely walk with his big boots on in the snow, but he really loved when we went sledding.

Thanksgiving day was so much fun.  We had dinner at my in-laws.  There were crafts for the kids, great conversation, and delicious food.  It really was perfect until Ty THREW UP all over my mother in law!  And I mean projectile, it was awful.  Don't worry though.  Their dog was quick to clean up the mess.  UG!

 Another highlight of the weekend was the girls performing at the Festival of Trees with their ballet class.  They both did soooo well.  I was a very proud mama!  

 

 

I couldn't be more thankful.  Life is great right now.

Starting a new decade...

Well, as you know, I wasn't excited about turning 30.  But I did get one really great consolation prize.  A family vacation in Texas to celebrate the big day with my twin!  We had sooooo much fun.  And the cherry on top was how well behaved the kids were.  Seriously, they were great.  All 3 zonked out on the flight home even.

Hilary was such the cute hostess, and printed up a bunch of cute pics of us through the years.  The top picture is us the morning of our birthday.  The bottom pic is us our last day of being in our 20's.  Can you even tell that we are trying to make our age with our fingers?

My first twin-less birthday was when I turned 22, and Hil was on her mission.  I quickly learned that opening presents by myself was something I had no idea how to do.  ALL the attention was on me, and it just felt weird.  I have gotten a little more used to it over the years, but this was one of the most fun present opening times of my life.  So much loot (thanks, mom!) and sooo much fun!

But the big day was just one of the many awesome things we did.  We spent a day at the aquarena, riding in a glass bottomed boat.  The kids LOVED it!  And let's be honest, so did the adults.  The water is so clear, flowers bloom underneath it.  You can also see fish and turtles, and springs bubbling at the bottom.  A geological prize for sure!

 

Ty was totally adorable on the boat.  He just kept screaming "FISH!".

We were going for a cute mother-daughter picture here, when Ty decided to take center stage with a little strip tease.  Seriously laughed my butt off!

I don't know why, but so many family members of mine are moving to Texas... so weird.  But I did get to see one of my closest cousins, Michelle.  It was so wonderful!  We have been tight for years, and did alot of embarrassing stuff together as kids. 

Our final big outing of the trip was to a place called Wonder World.  We were able to climb through the cave systems, and it was awesome.  I just love stuff like this!  My kids were really excited and did such a great job, too.  We got to be cave scientists for the day, and it ROCKED.  Pun absolutely intended.

My rock-star hubby carried Ty through the entire cave!

Magsy loved feeding the animals on the train ride through the zoo.  Me, I couldn't even bring myself to touch the food...

Back in the day of prohibition, these caves were a popular spot for getting tipsy!

Ty also got his first cowboy hat.  Can you say adorable?!

Thanks for a great visit, Auntie Hil!  But now that we have all seen Texas, feel free to move back home!

Oh how the years go by....

Do you remember that song by Vanessa Williams? 

"Oh how the years go by
Oh how the joy brings tears to my eyes..."

As I contemplate turning 30 this weekend, this song is really ringing true.  How can I be turning 30?!  Remember when a year seemed so long?  Now the years just fly by.  My kids are growing like weeds, and I am aging like one!  (More on that later...)

And the crying, oh the crying!  I used to NEVER cry.  I was so stoic.  I still try to be, but that lump in my throat is really starting to take over.  I was reading "The Giver" last week, and read the phrase "Thank you for your childhood".  This is turn put me into a tail-spin of picturing my children graduating from high school, and me thanking them for their childhoods.  I was flying to Vegas while reading this, and spent the majority of my flight crying as I thought of how quickly my children were growing, and how I am so thankful for their precious childhoods.  Ug, here comes the lump again!  Moving on!

I really should be proud to be 30.  I have reached the expected milestones. 

Loving husband: check

Offspring:  check

Mortgage:  check

Career I love:  check

On the domestic side of things, life honestly couldn't be any better than it is right now!  

I also have some of the greatest friends in the world.  (If you are my friend, and not in any of these pictures, please know that you are included!)

I think I have more friends than I have ever had, and really good friends at that.  They are so fun!  Love you all!  Add in the awesome relationships I have with my family and Todd's family, and I am super blessed.

 

But still, I am getting OLD!  And I don't like it.  I don't like knowing that my physical fitness and beauty have peaked.  It's all down hill from here.  I will now spend the next 30 years trying to stay young.  Exercise, diet, wrinkle cream, and Spanx are my future now.  It's hard to admit that body-wise, things can only get worse.

I also hate knowing that I am getting more prone to disease.  And not to get too down about it, but if I die at the age my dad did, my life is more than half over.  My bones are getting smaller, but my stomach is getting bigger.  For the rest of my life it's just trying to stay balanced and healthy.  It won't get easier, just harder.

And did I miss all the Young Women lessons on enjoying middle age?  Because all I remember are the ones about temple marriage and raising a family.  So now what?  Sure I look forward to being a grandma and traveling with Todd after retirement.  But what about middle age?  Where were the lessons about loving your life even though all your kids are teenagers and hate you?  

This will definitely be an adjustment for me.  

Rationally I know that the next 30 years will bring much joy.  Even now I find myself getting happier and happier the older I get.  So why does it bother me so much to be getting older?  Who knows.

But it sure does bother me!~

VEGAS and HALLOWEEN!

This really is the year of little getaways for me!  This past week I flew to Vegas for a whopping 40 hours!  Hilary and my mom were there for a CURVES convention, so I tagged along to see Donny and Marie, and do some serious eating and shopping.   :)  My mom bought me the white sweater I am wearing above, and let me say that I am obsessed!  I love it!

I am not a fan of Halloween at all.  A:  It's not a real holiday.  Doesn't celebrate anything.  B:  It's gross.  I don't even allow my kids into the Halloween stores because of all the disgusting, bloody, and inappropriate things they will see.  C:  If you lose a family member in the month of October you will see how disrespectful it is to decorate your house with tombstones.  Not to get all high and mighty, but it really makes light of sensitive topics.  So I hate it.

However, I know I am in the minority big time with this one.  So we obviously still celebrate Halloween.  It is fun to see the kids get excited and all dressed up.  We had a blast at our ward's Trunk or Treat, and I was such a fan of it I wonder if we will ever go trick or treating again.  :)

The girls and I even got an honorable mention for our witch costumes.  :)  Now I am happy to see October go, and look forward to several real holidays coming up!