This morning when I was leaving for the gym I noticed how Tayson was sleeping and had to snap a picture.  That can NOT be comfortable.  Also, I love that he still sleeps with his shadow puppy.  He has had that since he was 1!  Melts my heart.

Every year when we set up the Christmas shelf it makes me happy.  I could sit and look at the twinkling lights for hours.  This year Todd didn't have time to help me finish it before he left for Jackson so Timmy came over and did it with me.  It feels like Christmas - now all we need is some snow!

Last week at my cleaning my dentist noticed that one of my old silver fillings had a crack in it so it was time to replace it.  When he got in there it was quite a bit deeper than he thought - you could see the nerve.  He put in a pulp cap then a new filling and off I went.  Then several days later my tooth started hurting and I could taste blood in my mouth so I went back in.  My bite was a tiny bit off which caused bruising, swelling, something got stuck in the space created from the swelling...it was a big mess.  So he gave me a strong anti-inflammatory w/a mild steroid to get things back to normal.  It was a 6 day prescription and by day 3 I wasn't feeling so hot.  My gut hurt so bad I just wanted to lay in bed in fetal position and I was having hot flashes.  Luckily George was in town so he told me to go off the pills since the side effects were so bad and my tooth wasn't hurting anymore so there was no need to finish it off.  The next day my gut started to feel better but then I starting feeling anxious and felt like I was going to have a panic attack at the smallest things. I guess I now know that steroids are not in my future.  

On a side note:  this was the first time I've ever had them give me laughing gas - it seemed to help ease my mind during the work.  But I felt a little loopy for a while after so I'm not sure if I'll do it again.  I guess it depends on the amount of dental work I'm having done.

Another favorite Thanksgiving tradition is having Danny Taco's one night.  The boys do all the prep work and cooking while we girls are out shopping.  It's awesome.  And the taco's are soooooo good!!  I over eat every time but can't get enough.

This year Danny made some extra spicy ones and Megan and Ginger were the only ones tough enough to eat them.  Although Steve wasn't home to try his luck with them - he loves spicy food :)

Most of us who were there but not all of us

What an amazing day. My mom got permission from the First Presidency to do my Grandma Giboney's temple work a few weeks early so we could do it over Thanksgiving.  George baptized Kenadi, then Brandon confirmed Emma.  Then I got to be the proxy for the initiatory and my mom officiated.  What an incredible experience for me.  Sherry did the endowment then we headed over to do the sealings.  The spirit was so strong in the sealing room and my mom was glowing.  It was so amazing being in the room with my parents, Todd and 8 of my 9 siblings. I am so grateful for eternal families!!  All during the sealing I could feel my grandpa so strong.  He and my grandma were so in love until the day he died and he waited a long time for this day to come.  I kept thinking about how proud he always was of his grandkids and his posterity.  I could hear his voice talking about his beautiful family while the sealer was talking to us.  My mom and aunt Danna were also sealed to their parents - seeing my mom's chain completed was so special to me.  I know how much this meant to her and I am so grateful for my testimony and that I was able to be a part of it. 

In case you don't know how the numbers work. Everyone has a number based on when they came into the family.  Each of us 10 kids are our number - so I'm #4.  My mom and dad had to be 0 and 00 because if they were 1 & 2 it would have thrown us 10 kids off.  There is no way I can be #6.  Then as you entered the family by marriage or birth you get your number so there are grand-kids above in-laws.  My family is Me - 4, Todd - 21, Tayson - 25, Luke - 31, Claire - 35 and Sophie - 40.  Eli is #49 so the next baby born is going to get an awesome number.

I love this holiday.  It is my favorite holiday of the year.  We get a 4 day weekend, we eat, shop and don't have the stress of buying presents.  I love how relaxing it is and how much time is spent with family.  Every year as my kids get older it just keeps getting better.  Todd even said this year he played more computer than he has since going to Spokane.  I have so much to be thankful for and am truly blessed.

Then we had brunch at my house.  Kami made a delicious egg & sausage casserole and we had a crepe bar.  George and Ginger made all the crepes for me - sweet!  The crepes were delicious.  My favorite combo was Greek Yogurt with cherry pie filling or homemade peach jam.  The tart and sweet combo was perfect.

I made 4 pans of Spaghetti Pie for Wednesday's dinner, 3 deserts for Thanksgiving night, and did a crepe bar for brunch on Thanksgiving morning.  It all turned out great and I ate way too much food before, during and after!

Welcome to the family sweet Eli.  You are going to have your work cut out for you coming into a family with 4 big sisters.  I am so glad I got to be there for his birth.  Heidi went into her check up in the morning and found out her blood pressure was high and with a few other signs her doctor thought it would be best to induce her that day.  She called me that morning a little after 9:00 to let me know.  I got to the hospital around 5:00 pm and she was rockin' and rollin' with some serious labor.  They turned off the pitocin right when I got there and the contractions just got stronger.  At 6:40 the nurse came in to check Heidi and said she was dilated to a 7 then a few minutes later Heidi said she felt the need to push so I peeked down there and I could see his little head starting to come out.  I ran out to get the doctor and by the time we got in the room Eli's head was already out so her doc grabbed a towel and finished the delivery.  Only Heidi could have a baby that fast!!  He was born at 6:44 pm and was 6 lbs 1 oz and 19 inches long. He came out strong and healthy and was lifting and turning his head to look around.  As always I'm in awe with how strong Heidi is and so excited for another nephew. 

Tayson just started his first season of competitive basketball.  He is #6.  His coach is awesome and I'm very excited for the chance he has to really learn to play some ball.  They won their first game and even though he was on the bench for a lot of the game he got some minutes and he left the game determined to practice hard so he could get better and get more minutes.  

I love that while waiting for the next conference all of my kids grabbed their new books and sat reading.  Todd and I both love to read and I hope they all catch the bug too.  

All the meetings went great.  Tayson is right in the middle with everything and seems good.  His teacher is dealing with family issues right now and he has a long term sub but things seem to be running smoother now for him.  

Luke's was the usual - he's a perfect student.  His teacher was excited to tell me that he got tested for the gifted program but we aren't sure what our plans are with him yet for next year. 

Claire was great in hers too.  She is reading ahead of grade level and even read a paragraph to me in Portuguese then told me what it meant in English.  I was very impressed.