Seattle, Thanksgivings, and Finishing Up Football

The day after we got home from Boise, I left for a quick work trip to Seattle.  Luckily, these three days were the first days where I felt almost normal all day long.  I can't imagine how it would have gone if I was sick all day everyday.  We may have turned a corner on the morning sickness!  I didn't take many pictures there.  They are supposed to be posting some at work, but I haven't seen them yet.  One night we went down to the waterfront for dinner.  Some of guys pile of seafood dumped on your table meal.  I wasn't sure what fish I am allowed to eat, so I went with chicken!

After I got home, we celebrated our first Thanksgiving meal with the Taylor clan.  My nephew leaves on his mission on the 19th so we had an early Thanksgiving to celebrate with him.  Multiple Thanksgivings...I won't complain about that!

I made an apple pie!  It was one of my best ever!

Post Thanksgiving sleeping...

This is real...they were both really asleep!

I was back to my old self for the last two football games.  The problem now was the second to last game was FREEZING...24 degrees I think it was.  So we only lasted until halftime again.

Stopped a Sensuous again for dinner!

So so soooooo so cold

The last game was in the afternoon, so it was warmer, but it did rain some and it was BORING.  It was something like 48-0 at halftime.  We made until just after the 4th quarter started.

I feel like my Cougar fandom was a little half-hearted this year, which makes me feel bad a little.  I do love them.  They make me crazy, but going to games is really so fun.  Next year I won't be just starting to grow a baby for the whole season, so it will be much much better!
The night before the real Thanksgiving, two of my aunts were in town so I sort of invited James and myself over to Dedo's for dinner so we could spend time with them.  I failed to take any pictures again, but it was so fun to just sit around and talk and catch up with family!
For the real Thanksgiving day, James and I were with the Taylor fam again.  The first one went so well, we just repeated assignments for the most part and had a very relaxing and enjoyable day.

Sophie helped me make the apple pies for this Thanksgiving.  Such a cute little helper!  There was flour everywhere!

Look at those beauties!  One for Dedo Thanksgiving (#2) and real Thanksgiving (#3).

I absolutely love this time of year!  I love the time with family.  I love eating delicious food.  I love all football to watch.  I love to be reminded of all my many blessings.  I love that I only have to work a few weeks before I'm on vacation again!
This year I am especially grateful for James.  He is the most caring and kind man.  I don't know if I would have made it through the last few months without him.  I probably would have just laid on the couch watching Food Network and HGTV and barfed myself into non-existence.  I am also grateful for this little baby growing inside me.  I love him so much already!  (Oops...yes, it's a HIM!  We had our ultrasound the day before Thanksgiving.  I'll be posting about that next.)  I know once I can feel him move and when I finally get to hold him, I will forget how miserable this has been.  Hopefully I'll be able to forget enough to want to have another one or two!  I'm so grate for our famlies!  They mean the world to us and we love each of them!  I'm so grateful for my Savior who makes it possible for me to be a better person and especially who makes it a reality that I can be with James and this little baby for eternity!  Happy Thanksgiving!

Halloween and Birthday

James asked me a few weeks ago what I wanted for my birthday.  I told him all I wanted was to go to Boise.  So he made it happen!  We left on Halloween morning and got there a little after noon.  We met Ryan and one of Kara and my old roommates from BYU for lunch.  It was so fun to catch up with her.  I could kick myself for not taking a picture!  Then we went home and waited for trick-o-treat time.  Halloween is not one of my favorites, but it sure is a lot more fun with kids!

Wolverine!

This bunny suit has lasted through the ages.  I'm pretty sure I wore it when I was 1.

The boys had fun trick-o-treating, but I'm pretty sure the highlight of the night was passing out the candy to people who came to the door.
It was a really relaxing weekend.  I was still really hit or miss with the morning sickness, so I might not have been much fun.  Lots of laying around!
On Sunday we celebrated my birthday.  Deeds and Kim came over for dinner and we had cake and ice cream.

 On Monday morning, James made me my birthday purple cow.  Yumm!

 We hung out for the morning and then hit the road to head home.

We stopped in Ogden for some In-N-Out for my birthday dinner.

 

It was such a nice relaxing weekend.  It was just what I needed!  I only barfed twice while I was there, so I'm calling the trip a success.  I had to drive both ways because not driving makes me car sick, but we had a wonderful time!  Can't ask for a better birthday than that!  Thanks for having us Ryan and Kara!

This is the birthday present I got from James...

This was very much needed as about 95% of my clothes don't fit anymore.  Isn't he the best husband?  I thank Heavenly Father for him many times a day!  I also got  money from parents and James' parents for the same thing.  Look out maternity sections of all nearby stores!

The one sad thing about being gone over this weekend was that we missed little Lukie Toots first birthday.  He turned 1 on Nov. 1st.  I sure love that sweet little boy!  We share the same birth month...that means he's awesome!

October Fest

October has been rough on our Cougar hearts.  We went from talk of Taysom being a Heisman contender and BYU possibly busting in to the College Football Playoffs to being the biggest joke of a team in a matter of 3 hours.  Taysom broke his leg and we lost to the Aggies for the first time at home since the year of my birth.  This all happened in the game against Utah State where we were "royal", strong and true.

At least we had a cougar tail to help our woes!

It was a good thing General Conference was the next morning to rescue a weekend that started off so poorly.  James made us this most delicious breakfast before the first session...

We got to babysit our little niece during the second session, which I didn't take any pictures of sadly.  Tricia and Olivia came over that evening for a little girl time while the boys were at Priesthood session.  It was so fun to catch up with them!  Again, no pictures taken.
We joined the Grossen fam for Sunday morning session.  The kids were so good playing their Conference bingo, and little Luke loved crawling up to the TV and helping Mack Wilberg conduct the Mo Tab.  Conference is one of my very most favorite things.  It was a wonderful weekend!

The next devastating home loss came a couple of weeks with a loss to Nevada...ugh!  We started the game off right with some Sensuous Sandwich...a downtown Provo classic!  My dad went to this very same restaurant when he was a student.

I sat with my nose plugged almost this entire game as my bionic pregnant nose smelled every single hot dog in the whole stadium.  Football games aren't very fun when you feel miserable, but we never missed a game!  We definitely didn't stay until the bitter end of any of these either though.  The little bambino wouldn't permit such late hours, strong smells, and lack of laying down.

This same weekend, James arranged for me to get my hair cut by one his friends.  It was part of my birthday present.  I had been complaining about my hair for weeks.  Look how disgustingly long it was...

 

 

 Prenatal vitamins make my hair and fingernails grow like madness.  I am in love with the finished product!

 

 

This last weekend, we had the Taylor family annual Halloween party.  This was my first time being able to attend.  It was so fun!  My mother-in-law is so wonderful! She spent weeks getting everything ready for this, and it was awesome!

James and I are both pretty anti-dressing up for Halloween...a little boring.

A little monkey in a tree

Pirate Devin

Rosie the Riveter Hilary

Wind-up doll Aubrey

Noelle as Little Red Riding Hood

We played a few minute to win it games...

 ate yummy food...

 and played more games...

 and finished the night off will all the yummy treats that Sondra and Hilary made.

Family time is really the best time!

James was starting to feel like he was coming down with a cold right before the party, and within a few days, he was a mess.  He can't be a mess!  He's the only one keeping our boat afloat over here.  We finally went to the instacare and he has bronchitis.  Luckily the doctor says its not super contagious so I have been spared thus far.  Being pregnant sick and having bronchitis would send me over the edge I fear.  Good times around here!