Tree-Fetching

We weren't sure where we were going to end up getting our Christmas tree this year. We took the truck the day after Thanksgiving (after Greg and I did some black Friday shopping) and struck out with the couple places we tried but then just followed a sign we saw out towards Eagle Creek for Wildhare Tree Farm-- $30 any noble fir. We hit the jackpot--$30 was a steal, considering we paid a ridiculous $80 for our tree last year.  It was a cute little family-owned tree farm.  They cut, hauled, and baled our tree for us and even had cookies and hot cocoa for the kids. Apparently, they have been closed the last few years due to low inventory, and they sold out just days after we got our tree--popular place.

Thanksgiving

Our Thanksgiving didn't go as planned, but it turned out ok in the end. We had planned to go to Sisters to have our Moffat Thanksgiving, but weather forced a change of plans. A big snow storm rolled in and made traveling an impossibility for us. The kids were disappointed (one was especially upset and struggled with her attitude for 2 days before accepting it for what it was), but we made the best of it. We went to the see Frozen 2 in the theater on Wednesday (when we were supposed to be driving over the mountain) and enjoyed some time at home that night. It turned out to be an Arnold Thanksgiving this year, and we had a very nice day together. I was especially thankful this year that Emily is sober and on the road to recovery from her addiction. It's been 10 years since we've had that, and it was a welcome change.

Another thing I was thankful for this year was the good reports we received from all the kids' teachers at their conferences that week. They are all excelling in their classes, and what made my heart especially happy was to hear that our kids are kind, respectful, and that their teachers appreciate having them in class. My greatest hope and prayer for our kids is that they will know and walk with Jesus and that they will shine brightly for Him. I'm thankful for the ways in which they are growing in their faith. It's not always easy or pleasant to grow (this last week with our eldest as evidence), but it's what we ultimately need and desire.

We had a game night with the Wilsons and Langleys over the weekend. We laughed a lot and had a great time together playing Guesstures, Catch Phrase, and a couple other games. The phone basket was impressive. We tried to not be on our phones for the evening, and it felt great! So very thankful for wonderful friends we get to do life with.

And because it's just cute, here's some of Grant's writing that was hanging in the hallway during conferences: 

Thankfulness Tree

This is a tradition I enjoy a lot. It's such a good thing to be reminded to be thankful and to think of all the blessings in our lives.  My favorite tag from this year came from Grant:

"I'm thankfull for egecation"

:-)

Driver's Ed

Kari passed both the written and the driving test for driver's ed! And she passed the written test at the DMV, so now she's all ready to go get her license on her birthday. Driver's ed added quite a bit of stress to an already full, stressful fall for Kari, but now it's done!

Water Polo

Grant got moved to the deep end of the pool for water polo, so he is now playing with the big kids, a lot of them 5 years older than him. He's learning a ton and loving every second of it. He doesn't seem to notice or mind being the tiniest one out there.

Ladies Beach Getaway

Jen invited me and three others to the beach for the weekend. We had such a good, relaxing, uplifting time together. We chatted, ate good food, relaxed, and explored a little. It was good for my soul. I'm thankful for good friends!

XC

Kari ended the cross country season side-by-side with her friend, Kaylee, at districts on that cold, windy fall day. She earned a varsity letter again this year and was in the top 10 on her team all season. She finished strong.