It's Thanksgiving - Bring out the Pecan Pie

So here is Thanksgiving and I thought I was going to get to sleep in this morning. Then I realized I am the father of six "sweet" children who don't believe in sleeping in when there is no school. Aaron came in at 6:00am and started beating me on my back. I adopted the Belle principle that if something is bothering you, ignore it and it will go away. Aaron finally went over and got some hugs from his fantastic mother who loves him so much. Andrew was in his crib trying very hard to sit up. I think Andrew is one of those kids who just wants to walk with all of his heart, he just can't figure out the whole getting up on his legs. He has learned how to wave his little hand and I think that is one of my favorite things, along with giving "knuckles" to Aaron. I finally got my lazy carcass out of bed and came downstairs to the smell of cornbread and the sounds of the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade. My wife has already made breakfast, fed the baby, and made an amazing recipe box for her sister. I am pretty blessed to have her as my best friend. She puts up with my creative binges, my long term building projects, and my fun with the computer. She tolerates my movie collection and she even likes being with me. I firmly believe any other woman would have committed hari-kari by now.
I had the opportunity to have Josh come and throw himself on me in what he describes as a hug. Josh is beyond excited today because it is his 12th birthday. He had his interview with the Bishop on Sunday and will be ordained a Deacon on Sunday. Josh had the Deacon's Quorum president and the Young Men's President come and speak with him and he is on fire about the whole thing. He really wants an electric guitar for his birthday. I told him they are really pricey and we might not be able to make it happen. I was able to trade for a pretty cool guitar and amp so I know he is going to be over the moon.
Kimi came up and gave me a huge squeeze. She is my soft hearted child and is always trying to help her mom and become more like her mom. I could think of a lot worse examples she could be following. Kim is a great student and puts her heart into school. She reminds me a lot of my sister Sara. She is very determined and has an attitude of self that is very positive. Kim tries everything and wants to do everything. She is always asking questions and many are ones I can't answer without using GOOGLE. She always makes me smile.
Ben is always cracking jokes and loves to be involved with things that command his entire attention. It is killing him right now because I have removed the video game and computer from his life because of his missing school work. I know he HATES homework. I use to hate it to. Why should I have to do all this crap because some teachers make me. He is a great kid and has a fantastic ability to make others happy. Ben can charm a baby better than a snake charmer can charm a serpent. He is very helpful taking care of Andrew when his Mom needs a break. Ben was a great help when we were putting the yard together this year. He is taller than his Mom and getting bigger than is Pop.
Emma is our actress girl. She is always putting on the drama over anything that happens. She loves to have fun and play with her friends. Emma still loves her Dad and she is at the door most of the nights when I come home. She is the little blonde girl that loves to dance and party when we have music on in the house.
I am pretty thankful for my motley crew. They are a pack of fun, excitement, and joy. We have been blessed to have a new house and to get the things done on it this year. I never thought having grass would be such a huge thing. I am thankful for all of the people who have helped us this year. Mom & Dad Lalliss for the time they take to come and help us on the house and watching our kids. Mom & Dad Price for dropping everything and helping when Belle needed to go to Oregon. To all the friends and neighbors we have that came and broke their backs to help us with our yard and our house. I feel pretty blessed. So there you have it. Lets score some turkey and bring on the pie!!!!

So, I am sitting in the living room yesterday with Andrew when the phone rings. Kim brought it to me and said it was Harmon's. I'm thinking, "I don't know anyone named Harmon." I answer the phone and indeed it was Harmon's - the grocery store. A few weeks ago they had a grand opening at the store in Roy. It has been there for awhile, but they did a little remodeling. They had papers that you would put your name, address, and phone number on and drop it in one of their boxes. They were for a drawing they were having for some give-aways. I filled one out and then promptly forgot about it, because I NEVER win anything (except for the heart of my husband). Anyway, guess what I won?

We went over last night to pick it up, and I was shocked at how big this thing is!

It hold eleven cups of stuff! It can make bread, slice, shred, you name it! Mike looked online and found out that you can buy one at Ace Hardware for $199.99 plus shipping. Now I just need to find a place to put it!

Things I'm Grateful For-

Last year I did five things I'm grateful for every day of November. I'm not going to do that this year. I will, however, post some things a few times throughout the month.

Today I am grateful for-

1. Super creative kids. For Halloween Ben was the scariest thing he could think of - Homework. He got two sheets of poster board and made a sandwich board that he wore around. Then we wrote homework problems on it. Some of them were,

-Make a diorama of an atom.

-If a baby is 8 pounds at birth, and grows at a rate of 1% per day, how big will the person be on it's 20th birthday?

-Divide 276,532.791 by 5983.

-Write a ten million word essay explaining the cotangent of 2436.29873.

-Tonight you need to read chapters 5 through 27 for the quiz tomorrow.

-Write a paper explaining the import and export practices of Ghana. Be specific and comprehensive.

-Write an essay about the complete works of William Shakespear. Compare and contrast the similarities and differences between all the major players, all the secondary characters, and the plots of each play. This essay should be at least 5,000 words long.

2. A new adventure and a new member of the family for Sara and Isaac. We love you guys and are so excited for you. Can't wait to meet her!

3. Online classes. I've never taken one before, but I am excited to learn and expand my horizons!

4. A super wonderful husband who loves me and takes good care of me.

5. A warm home. I realize that on rainy cold days like today not everyone can say that.

6. This beautiful earth to live on.

7. I am so glad that the elections are over! Even though not everyone I voted for won, I am still glad that we live in a country where we can decide who will lead and make decisions for us. I know that Heavenly Father will bless our nation and our communities if we take part in the government and the choosing of our leaders.

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That brings me to another thing. Awhile ago, Josh sent a letter to President Bush. He realized that there was a Mother's Day and a Father's Day, but no Kid's Day. (I told him that everyday is Kid's Day.) He wrote to the President to suggest that he create a National Kid's Day. Today he received a reply in the mail. He got a large manilla envelope that had the return address of the White House. Inside was a letter that said -

October 23, 2008

Dear Josh:

Thank you for writing and sharing your views. I always enjoy hearing from young Americans, and I appreciate your thoughtful suggestions. The future success of our Nation will require the creativity, innovation, and energy of you and your peers. You can make the future of America brighter with your confidence and compassion.

Mrs. Bush and I send our best wishes for every success. May God bless you, and may God bless our great country.

There was also this picture -

Josh was so excited, I thought he might have a heart attack.

Have a Super Fabulous Day!