Thanksgiving was terrific. Great family, great food and an opportunity to reflect on all we’ve been blessed with. Our group wasn’t too large this year (we were especially missing Andrew in NC, Coleman in AZ, Cathy in PA and Ron in OR), but we were grateful to have auntie DD and Johnny with us.

While we all pitched in a little, Kristie did the Turkey and the lion’s share of the food and prep this year. She did an absolutely fabulous job of making the traditional staples healthy and delicious.

In addition to the food, she also prepared two phenomenal homemade pies. The first had a crust made of nuts and dates, with a filling of apples, raisins and spices. The second was a strawberry masterpiece, with a cashew, agave and vanilla whipped topping. Nobody even ate the store-bought pumpkin pie I grabbed last second.

This November we took a two week vacation out to Massachusetts. Even though we see the McConnon’s in Cape May each summer, it had been about a year since we’d been to Acton, so we were really excited to head home. Those of you who know Rita (Nana) can imagine how excited she was to have Lilah around, and be able to show her off. Oh yeah, and Wicky (Grumpy) too. Grump mumble.

One of the best parts of the trip was watching Lilah enjoy the farm and all the animals. She spent hours running around the property, pointing a pudgy index finger at horses, chickens, cats and birds, imitating the sounds they make. Her ‘rooster’ is priceless. Here are a few shots from around the farm:

This trip was the first time she got on a horse. Nana was delighted. One of the perks of being Rita’s granddaughter is that if you want to ride a pony, you just say the word and it’s yours. The girls around the barn were really sweet to let Lilah share their horses and let her play.

When we were indoors, we were either hanging out or helping to organizing the house. Nana and Grumpy were terrific entertainers, and Lilah loved being around them.

We also got out and about for a few trips. Here’s some fun stuff from the library and the nursery at church:

We’re really grateful for friends that have helped us out this week – from meals, to visits, to advice and support – it’s made the whole transition really nice.

Lilah has been wonderful, and we love having her with us. Here are a few pictures from the week:

Bobby and Kathryn rallied the troops for a little Gurus and Imagine Dragons get together.

In attendance, not pictured: Mac, Julie, Justin.

This weekend we took Coleman up to BYU-I in Rexburg. On Friday night we decided to spend the night at Grandpa and Grandma Haworth’s, where they treated us to dinner and some fun stories. Before taking off in the morning, we took the four-wheelers out for a ride, and saw the sunrise over their family farm. Really pretty.

Our next stop was Rexburg, ID, where we helped Coleman move in and set up. We met his roommate Dallan, a really cool kid from a town nearby. Here’s a shot of them from behind.

I didn’t want to feel like a mom on her kid’s first day of school, so I kept pictures to a minimum.

I think he lucked out with his housing situation…especially because one of his roomates has a TV about as big as me, with a sweet surround sound hookup. We got to spend some time with Lacey, who’s also a freshman up there, and the Tanner fam. I’m pretty sure they’re gonna love college. They might even go to some classes too!