What A Difference A Year Makes

About a year ago, this little nut was wrapping herself up in the vacuum cleaner cord. Now, thank goodness, she's old enough for us to put her to work.

Now if I could just get her to empty the dishwasher...

Thanks-remembering

True to my nature of skipping over holidays that aren't Christmas, once again I let Thanksgiving come and go without so much as a peep. (Or should I say gobble?) In the interest of posterity, (and because I truly am thankful) here are some pictures of my favorite things to be thankful for:

Since these sweet girls are so happy to help, it was natural 

for them to swoop in and give me a hand with the rolls for

 Thanksgiving dinner. At first, Savanna claimed that she could 

only make snakes out of the dough that I was asking her 

to roll into a ball.  After they both got the hang of it, though,
they made the most adorable baby rolls for

 themselves in a mini-muffin pan. 

Yummier than rolls, that's what Alexa is.

Kind Craig set up shop in the playroom 

and kept me company during my last-minute 

cleaning and dessert-making on Thanksgiving Eve. 

I have been trying to focus more lately on recognizing (and taking the time to enjoy!) all of my wonderful blessings, particularly my children, who are the biggest sources of joy (and utter frustration) in my life. As a very welcome answer to much prayer, little moments of joy have been popping up all over the place. I am grateful beyond grateful to say this. Thanks to a tiny focus on my part on trying to be more in the moment with them, they have responded with full heart and I am finding myself blessed exponentially. 

Snuggling up with Savanna has yielded me a "favorite favorite favorite Mommy" status. Singing one or two extra songs with Lex before bedtime has given me some extra moments to soak up all her fleeting, adorable baby-ness. And sharing childhood stories with Julia has allowed me to begin to see the beautiful, caring person that she is turning  out to be. 

Utter, unreserved gratitude. That is what I am feeling every single day. And I couldn't be more thankful for that.

P.S. We Love to Eat

Us Monson girls know a good thing when we see it...
And then we put it in our mouths.

...And Then There Was Halloween

You would think that I would give Halloween a little more attention, seeing as how I like free candy so much. And yet, it has slipped through the cracks once again, leaving all the uneaten Dots and Mike and Ike's in its delicious wake. Since we're in the brief pause between Thanksgiving and Christmas, I'll squeeze in our Halloween fun and try to do better next year. (No promises, folks.)

We'll start with the GCU carnival:

The girls thought this giant slide was great. I concur.

Lex was feeling a little protective of her candy.

Our little rock stars.

Cutie #1

Cutie #2

(messy) Cutie #3

Next was the school carnival:

(Lex loves her Cheetos)

(Mommy loves her Vanna)

She ain't afraid of no cupcake

She liked the animals in the petting zoo about 

as much as she liked the Disney characters.

Craig, having a cow. (As usual.)

(Just kidding.)

The girls and their friends, Ermanie and Kekoa along 

with a Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle that we don't happen to know.

Then there was actual Halloween. We went trick or treating with friends and the girls stayed up so late past their bedtime that Julia fell asleep twice at school the next day and took a two-hour nap when she got home. (These girls need their 11 hours, that's for sure.)

"Uh...hey guys...can someone open this 

delicious peanut butter cup for me?"

It took Lex a while to get the hang of trick or treating, 

but she figured it out. They always do.

I just love her royal cuteness.

The whole gang.

This is cute Gentry. He's Alexa's age. I love that he was 

amused by our friend Frank's creepy half-man zombie 

while all of the other kids ran away screaming.

The after-party at Holly's was a happenin' scene.
No wonder Julia was so tired.

Disney Day 6

Here it is folks, our very last (very tired) day at Disneyland, bringing up the proverbial rear. I'm not sure we went out with a bang...in fact, I'm pretty sure it was more like a slow, sleepy fizzle. But it sure was fun while it lasted.

Alexa and I on our favorite ride, Ariel's Undersea Adventure. 

Lately when Lexa throws a fit, she calms down as 

soon as I pull up the ride footage on youtube.

Julia and La on Heimlich's Chew-Chew Train, also known 

as "the best smelliest ride" at California Adventure.

(Don't worry, it's smelly in a good way.)

(Oh! Mein stomach is so empty!)

The gang at the Aladdin show. 

(Um, didn't Aladdin and Jasmine used 

to actually fly over the audience?)

This is actually where the memories ended, but you get the point.

Getting ready for dinner at Goofy's Kitchen

I was relieved to see that Goofy wears 

gloves while preparing our food...

Yes, even little girls dressed as mice are 

expected to use silverware at this fancy restaurant.

Doodling in her autograph book

Ready for a feast

Alice in Dinnerland. 

Alexa did not wish to be part of the spectacle.

The only time it is acceptable to see a dog wearing clothes.

What are the chances that Lex and Minnie would 

pick the same exact outfit on the exact same day?

Julia's reaction to the buffet's peanut butter and jelly pizza.

No words were needed.

Happy Birthday to Laura! Our gift to her was to embarrass 

her with a very public rendition of the happy birthday song. 

I hope we got the right size.

Julia and her edible Mickey Mouse head.

This was right before she spit it out 

and told us it was "deesgusting."

This guy again. At least this time we knew his name.

Aladdin promised the girls a Whole New World, 

but I have my doubts.

Minnie hearts the Monsons

This is what a tired Daddy looks like after 6 days at Disneyland.

One last hurrah on the Ariel ride. 

See you again in a few years, Disneyland!

(We miss you already.)