In a flash, I give you......

November!

A flash because, I have no idea where time goes anymore? 

I had such good intentions to have a quiet and "thankful" month.  The kind where I sit down with my children at my feet every night and read them stories about thankfulness.   And then we gather together to do brainstorm bubbles on paper of all the things we have to be thankful for.  Next we would have culinary class as they would participate in making cranberry sauce from real cranberries and pumpkin pie from a real pumpkin - making sure to toast the seeds and share the magic of Thanksgiving and.......

you get the point!

Our version of a "thankful" month came by a quick trip  to the library to pick up a few books on the 1st Thanksgiving (my kids DO know what the Mayflower is and who Squanto was), a family home evening on thankfulness came and went and that is all folks!  The pumpkins from Halloween (that were never carved) are still sitting on the porch next to the Thanksgiving Decorations and now that Thanksgiving is over the Christmas Wreath is waiting by the door to be put up and the pumpkins will still be sitting on the porch because Jake is quite sure he would like to blow them up when we go shooting guns again.

So,

now that November has come and went,

   I marvel at the simple fact that it is not Christmas yet!

 Because I am sure I would have missed it!

In a nutshell........

I got to go to Price and Salt Lake for a couple of days by myself!  

Met up with one of my best friends Shan and shopped and ate tell we were happy!

I drove through a scary blizzard,

( So scary - that I wonder why in the world would I take a picture while driving down a snowy road - umm, not thinking!)

That scary storm ended up beautiful,

magical!

November also meant scouting trips for these,

(look closely he is a big one)

Making memories like this,

I don't want to admit this really, but.....I like shooting this gun!

November was also thought provoking..

I pondered to myself and asked the question,

"why do my boys love blowing up stuff"?

Hmm

I think it makes them "thankful"!  Wink Wink

Thankfulness comes in all forms and for Layla she was THANKFUL to find some of  "Great Grandma Gressmen's" old clip on earrings.

Notice the gorgeous bracelet she is sporting too!

This thankfulness carried on every morning throughout the month!

Lu Lu was also thankful for the small things in life.

Like the opportunity to be extra girly every day like this,

(she can paint toes and fingers with the best of them)!

and

my thankfulness came in the form of a round shaped apple pie that only my hubby can make!

My thankfulness was not, however, in the mustache he sported on his face.

 We celebrated with the entire Pollock clan  for Thanksgiving in Enterprise this year!

(I did not get one picture of Thanksgiving but did not miss the picture opportunity of a perfect crusted Apple Pie)

 So "farewell" to November and "cheers" to the idea of making December a month of service and gratitude.  I am already behind the 8 ball seeing how it is Dec. 5th and I am just setting goals for a month that started five days ago!