Traditions, we love 'em!

Thanksgiving went really well this year. We went to my sister Lorri's house to eat dinner and then we spent 2 nights there. Her husband had gone hunting in Northern Idaho and she didn't really want to be alone. The only thing missing for dinner was my brother Sam and his family. They went to his wife's family this year. All in all it went smoothly.

A few years ago the kids and I started a tradition that on Thanksgiving night we make gingerbread houses and watch a Christmas movie we have not seen. It was so busy at Lorri's that we did not get to our gingerbread houses until Saturday night but we did watch a movie. It was called "Snow". It was a very cute movie about a man who had inherited the job of Santa from his father and then he lost a reindeer. He had to figure out how to get him back after he ends up in a zoo. It was fun for everyone!

The best part was Saturday night!! The kids and I made our gingerbread houses. This year we included a train, 3 houses, and a tree. We had SO much fun. We laughed so hard. Nicole and Holly were in charge of the train. They struggled keeping it together. It was very funny. As you can see in the pictures soon to follow. Grant and I started a house together and Grant kind of took over. He did a great job. Courtney and Jaycee did another one of the houses. It was hard to reach both sides of their house without moving around so one side definitely got favored over the other. :) Amber and Rebekah did the tree. Once they could stop laughing and get focused it turned out really cute. Surprise surprise, this year I got to do a house all by myself. It was fun!! I love to do things on the kids level. The best part? No one was fighting, no one's feelings were hurt, and we laughed a lot!!

I love this time of year, as many of you know. I love the decorating, I love the family time, I love the traditions, I love the music, most of all I love that we can take the opportunity and share the Savior with people who we might not otherwise get to. I hope that all of us can keep Him in mind during the mad rush to celebrate the way the world does. There is so much to celebrate!!!