happy thanksgiving

its been so different celebrating American holidays in a country that doesn't celebrate them with you.  its a little bit sad to be honest. this Thanksgiving has been especially different.  We still dont have a kitchen and eat out for nearly every meal so what we were going to do for thanksgiving dinner had us all down in the dumps a little.  Thankfully that wonderful little american school pulled through for us.. again, just like for halloween.  They put on a fabulous feast, nothing like what i'm used to but i cant complain. turkey, mashed potatoes, stuffing and a few salads.  the only things they were critically missing were: gravy, homemade rolls and pies.  for our thanksgiving dinner tonight we went out for pizza, and its a good thing it was tasty, or else.



when trae and i sat down to write our list of what were thankful for this year we came up with so many things that we probably would have overlooked had we still lived in the US. most importantly we are grateful for our wonderful families, the gospel of Jesus Christ, our healthy and happy daughter, eachother, and the United States (although thats just barely skimming the top of our thankful lists).

please enjoy a piece of pie (or two or three) for me.

Happy Thanksgiving!

i love this face

how many different faces can you make in about 30 seconds?

thankful today

In the last general conference President Monson said, “Sincerely giving thanks not only helps us recognize our blessings, but it also unlocks the doors of heaven and helps us feel Gods love.” I’ve been trying a little harder to focus on my many blessings. It really is amazing how much we have to be thankful for, especially during this time of year. Heres a short list of a what i'm thankful for today.


i miss the changing colors of the trees
but
i love that the tree outside our front window is flowering right now.

i miss wearing fall clothes
but
I’m thankful that i can still wear shorts and a t-shirt every single day

i miss putting up fall decorations
but
i love that i don’t have to worry about a house to decorate

i hate that I don’t get to see my family more often
but
i love the family that i get to spend everyday with

i miss feeling really cold (thats a stretch)
but
i thankful that it is sunny here everyday

i hate that I can’t fluently communicate with others
but
i love that I have the opportunity to learn a new language

I hate the trim I just got that turned into a 5 inch haircut
but
I love that I no longer have any split ends

I really hate that we still have to eat out every day
but
I love that we always have full bellies

I’m a firm believer that happiness is a choice. My situations might not be exactly how I’d like them to be, but there is always something to be thankful for and reasons to be happy. Our experiences in Brasil have taught us how to be thankful for so many things that we took for granted before.

What are you thankful for today?

daddy's girl

there's almost nothing better than watching your husband be a dad.  its like i fall in love all over again and realize yet another reason why i married this guy.  i`ve loved this since the day she was born but it is getting even better watching them together now that she actually plays back. 

i hope that she`ll be a daddy`s girl when she grows up.

pumpkins

my pumpkin:

avery`s pumpkin:

trae`s pumpkin:

i know which one is my favorite.