Gratitude

I hope that everyone had a great Thanksgiving Break. We had fun. It was nice not having to travel anywhere and being able to get everything ready at home. My cousins came here for Thanksgiving day and we had a really nice visit. I really enjoyed the company, laughs, and of course the food. But, now back to everyday life.
You just can't let Savannah out of your sight for a minute. But at least she is happy about whatever she is doing. I was making lunch and everyone seemed to be busy, when my mom said, get your camera and come see where Savannah is.
I guess she was thirsty? She does like eating lotion, unfortunately.

Ryanne wanted to have her picture taken too, and this is the face she made.

Later, Savannah was playing peek-a boo and smiling.

One of my cousins shared a thought with us on Thanksgiving about gratitude and writing down what you are grateful for.

It has been proven that if you actually write down and record the things that you are grateful for each day, you will be happier, more positive, exercise more, and hey, I could use a little more of all of that.

I have done it before in my journal, writing down 10 things each night that I am thankful for and I think I am going to start doing it again.

So, here goes- my gratitude list for today-

1- socks, to keep my feet warm

2- warm soup

3- low gas prices

4- my family

5- the ability to laugh

6- glasses

7- my mother-in-law, who raised such a wonderful son

8- holiday breaks from school

9- nights when Savannah doesn't wake up screaming and sleeps in

10- hugs

Savannah's Birthday Party

Savannah turns 2 on Thanksgiving. I wasn't sure how that was going to work, so we had a little family party on Saturday instead. That way, it wasn't very stressful and that was the only thing that we were focusing on. Plus, she is still little enough that she doesn't realize exactly what date her birthday actually falls on. She wanted a Tinkerbell theme, so we got some fun Tinkerbell accessories.

I posted the other day about my Grandma Beckstrand. After she passed away, my grandpa was lucky enough to find Sanona. They were married and she became our grandma. She took care of us and my grandpa for 17 years, until he passed away. We love her and thought it would be fun for her to come out and participate in our little party. Lar picked her up so she was able to join in the festivities.

We didn't do anything too extravagant, just ate lunch, had cake and opened a few presents (Thank you Audrey for saving the day there- she loved the little horse, princess, and carriage, you left here for her)

We had a great day- Happy Birthday, Baby Savannah!

Coldplay

Matt and I went to see Coldplay last night with my sister Laura Dawn and 2 of her friends. I had to beg Matt to go with me since Utah was playing BYU and he had free tickets to the game. He finally gave in and went with me. Later we realized that was the first time he has chosen me over football. He quickly reminded me that if it had been a Georgia game, I wouldn't have won. Gotta love true fans!!
I haven't gone to a concert in a long time. Matt and I used to go to concerts more often than we do now, not really all the time, just to see groups or people that we really liked. I prefer to attend concerts when the group is actually talented. That is why I decided to go see Coldplay. You can kinda tell just from listening to their music that Chris Martin truly has a beautiful voice, he can really play the piano and guitar, and the other members of the band are equally very talented. Plus, the song Yellow has special meaning for Matt and I. It is kinda like our song. Well, one of them. On the morning of our wedding, when I was getting ready and my sisters were fixing my hair, that song was on in my hotel room, so whenever I hear it I think of Matt and the day we were married.
I had a few songs I really wanted to hear- The Scientist, Fix You, Clocks, and I have to admit that I really haven't heard anything, except the songs on the radio, from their last 2 albums. It used to really bother me when people went to concerts and they only knew 1 or 2 songs that the group sang, and those were ones that always played on the radio. Well, that was kinda me, but I don't care.
Lar was really excited. I think she might be in love with Chris Martin. He is the lead singer and he is super talented in real life. He seemed really humble and nice too, which was also nice. Here is a little clip of him talking, from last night, that someone posted on Youtube. It was so fun and they sounded great, which made it all that much better. Here is an excerpt from Speed of Sound and The Hardest Part.

Needless to say it was a fun and much needed date. I heard everything I wanted to hear and more. We had a wonderful evening and got to hang with Lar.
And of course, the best part was the encore, when they played Yellow. The perfect ending to a great concert.

Dance Party

Here is a little preview of Savannah's b-day cake. I know her b-day is on Thanksgiving, but we are having a little family party today.

Jacob came home yesterday to help my mom put up some curtains. He got out his fave CD, that he used to jam to when he was 4. Mannheim Steamroller. Yes, Jacob turned it up loud and let's just say that there was a little bit of dancing going on. Jonah took the CD player outside and had a little jamfest, then after dinner, they were at it again. Aud, please tell me you remember Jake jamming to MS when he was so little!!!! Check out these moves!

When they moved the party inside, Jonah got a little too warm and well, I don't know what happened to Bana's pants-?

The Cat Syrup Dish

After mentioning my grandma's cat syrup dish, It just looked like it was begging for a photo shoot. Isn't it cute? It made Saturday morning pancakes all the more fun!

My Grandma Beckstrand

Today is my grandma Beckstrand's birthday. She passed away 7 days before my 8th birthday in 1985. I remember how snowy and cold it was the night of her viewing and how cold is was when we went to Meadow to her burial.
I remember being so sad that I was baptized a few weeks after she had died, but I remember feeling and sensing her presence at my baptism.
But I also remember what a fun grandmother she was.

She always made us delicious, warm breakfasts and let us use the "cat" syrup holder (which my parents now have- I will have to take a picture)
She made us beautiful homemade gifts for our birthdays.
She always would get down on the floor and play with us.
She always had a smile on her face.
She would sneak us pieces of gum from her purse.
When she lost all of her hair from the chemo and radiation, she would let us feel her soft, bare head, when she removed her wig.
She let us watch The Price is Right and Charlie's Angels with her.
She made the best chocolate chip cookies ever.
I have lots of memories of her, but I guess the one that sticks out in my mind the most, is just how she was the most loving, charitable person, who always worked hard and smiled. She never complained, even when she was so sick with cancer. She always wore a smile and was just a great grandma. I love her and hope to be like her. Happy Birthday Grandma Beckstrand!

What happens when....

I try to get a picture of Ryanne's hairdo since it is a little bit different?

Savannah wants to get a picture taken too!

What happens when Jonah hears the adults talking about serious subjects?

He makes a survey and asks everyone for their vote or opinion

What happens when I try to get a picture of the kids after their primary activity and tell them to just "smile" normal?

They had a great time going on their "MTC" adventure. They received their mission call in the mail, earlier in the week and really had fun.

What happens when I tell Bana to go and get her shoes on?

She ends up throwing the shoes out of the basket, placing herself in the basket, eating shoes, and she gets totally distracted making funny noises and funny faces.

It doesn't matter- I think she is so cute anyway, I just take picture after picture and worry about the shoes later!

Thanksgiving Recipes

I know it probably isn't that big of a deal, but the last two nights Savannah hasn't woken up screaming in the middle of the night and has also slept past 6 am. I was beginning to wonder if I would ever get to sleep for more than 3 hours at a time again, but the past 2 nights have been lovely. She has even fallen asleep in her bed and not on the floor right by the door! Yeah, Savannah! I am really excited about this development in her life.

I was also thinking that I would link up a few recipes that I have tried for Thanksgiving in the past, if anyone is having trouble finding things to fit into their menu or wants to try something different. I will try to keep it short. :)

Recipes I have tried through the years-
Roast Turkey with Sage and Orange Gravy- this a great recipe to use if you are cooking your turkey for the first time. It has a few shortcuts that makes it a little more flavorful and delicious
Broccoli with Lemon Crumbs- nice, different side
Vanilla Sweet Potatoes- twist on sweet potatoes
Apple-Sausage Stuffing- also has a few shortcuts
Rosemary Cornbread
Chocolate Harvest Cake- very chocolately, with a little pumpkin
Sourdough Stuffing with Pears and Sausage- nice twist on stuffing
Pumpkin Pie Cake- I have made this cake twice and it is delicious. Tastes just like pumpkin pie and is light
Blue Cheese and Bacon Twice-Baked Potatoes- delicious
Smoked Gouda Grits-wonderful
Red Velvet Peppermint Cake- really nice presentation
Cinnamon Struesel-Topped Pumpkin Pie- yum!
Triple-Chocolate Cheesecake-worth the trouble
Pomegranate Pound Cake- something a little different


Recipes I want to try this year-
Dorie's Thanksgiving Twofer Pie
Southern Corn Bread Dressing
Shredded Brussel Sprouts with Bacon and Hazelnuts
Butternut Squash Soup
Butternut Squash Risotto (probably not, because it is so good, I don't want to share...evil laugh)
Cranberry-Strawberry Jicama Salad
Gingered Ambrosia
Spiced Pomegranate Sipper
Chocolate-Pumpkin Marble Cake
Pumpkin Cake with Whipped Cream and Pecan Praline

A really good movie

I love watching a really good movie. bella was wonderful. I picked it, not really knowing what it was about and it really moved me and Matt. It is absolutely clean. There is no vulgarity, no profanity, no drugs (1-2 scenes with someone who is smoking), no crass or crude remarks, absolutely no sex, and it just really makes you feel good about people. It is rated Pg-13, but the only reason I can think of, is because it really is for adults. Kids wouldn't understand the story.It is all about family and how much we need each other, and how we can help each other. I highly recommend it. I think it was wonderfully shot and portrays Latinos in a wonderful light, which is what the director and producers were trying to do. The music and cinematography were so beautiful. I won't go into too much detail about the story, but it shows how one moment in time can change your life forever and the effects of our decisions. Wow. This morning I am still really moved by this film.

Fun Photo Tag

This is a fun tag. I saw it over on Heidi's blog. You just put the answer to these statement on google and search images and pick a picture from the 4 pages (I chose from the first page that came up)

My name
My age

Place I'd like to visit-(again) Estonia

My grandmother's names

Olive

my first job

Pet's I've owned

not really a monkey, that was our cat's name

not really a cookie, that was our dog's name we found an orphaned baby lamb in the desert when I was little and took it home for a few weeks. My sisters and I, got up in the night and took turns giving her a bottle- Loni the Lamb.

Nickname of my best friend- Mattie

my Favorite Food

my Favorite Color

Things I have always loved