Thanksgiving Prep

So a little out of order and too tired to switch the pics, but this is how we entertained everyone....playing the wii, and watching the first two star wars movies

and melting beads

We hosted Thanksgiving this year with our great friends from Buffalo, they are as close as family (since we dont have family close)

So many things to do, but I enlisted my kids help, we had a great time.

Of course I would start with the pies (please note, I didn't put the coconut cream pie on, it got the better of me, and it would be more appropriately named coconut cream soup).

DELICIOUS! Cheesecake with Graham cracker/pecan/cinnamon crust and topped with fresh apples and pecan....mmmm... I can still taste it.

Tasty Apple pie

Seeding the pomegranate for our apple and pomegranate salad

k called this the 'buffet bar' we had turkey, ham, homemade rolls, mashed potatoes and gravy (compliments of jeremy), green beans, green bean casserole, my nana's stuffing, raspberry pretzel jello salad, apples and craisin salad, corn and a delicious cran/raspberry slush. So good.

Waiting for the feast. They did their hair the same and changed to matching purple ruffle shirts

ooohh, the anticipation

let the feast begin!

please? a dull moment....

The scene near our house the other night.

Right before this, we were sitting down to eat dinner when a HUGE THUNDEROUS BOOM was felt and heard, and then our lights flickered and then darkness!

Two minutes later we hear sirens screaming and getting closer and closer.....

I guess what happened an older lady had just left a church, hit the gas instead of the brake, went barrelling down the lawn, and going the wrong way on a one way street, she went down a curb, across the street, jumped the other curb and crashed into a telephone pole and somebody's porch.

I just kept hoping I would have power to start getting thanksgiving ready the next day.

Power came back on at about 3 am, when every light on our main floor came on, luckily i was up with c, so I turned them off. :)

Another exciting night!

(sorry about the blurry pics, I had my camera on a weird setting and didn't notice until it was too late)

NYC, day seven

WE went back to NYC the last day she was here. The kids were troopers.

We went to trump tower

the kids in front of the waterfall at trump tower

k loved this building, it curved at the bottom

FAO Schwarz

We went to the famous fao schwarz toy store, it was amazing

J loved these giraffes

G of course, loved the legos, i love that he slung his arm through the whip

walking the streets of NY

One day I was watching the Food Network 'the best thing i ever ate' one of the chefs said, that Wafels and Dinges in NYC is one of the best desserts she ever ate. I googled it and we walked to it, right in columbus circle, INDEED! It was one of the best things I ever ate. They even had spekuloos spread, a delicious dutch caramelly topping, piled with whipped cream, ooohhhh SOOOOOO tasty!

More at FAO Schwarz!

While we were walking the streets, the kids saw this ferrari store, C couldn't help but take the kids in. Ohhh, to dream....

J finished the night off eating a delicious drum stick :)

so much fun having lissy here! thanks for visiting!

thanksgiving play

G's school had a big thanksgiving dinner and play, it was pretty cute.

fun with lis

C's niece came into town, it was fun to have her.

WE took her to Hershey's chocolate world

We had fun on the ride

And painting with frosting, and

eating tasty treats

We saw them building their GIANT gingerbread house, all made with CANDY

We also went to NYC

and went to the top of the Empire State Building

We went to Time Square and found a tim hortons! Yummy doughnuts and hot chocolate!

DC Temple

On Saturday, our stake had a ward temple trip. We were able to go. C technically was the one who 'went' into the temple. I walked around outside with the kids. We visited the visitors center and walked around the temple grounds. It was a gorgeous day!

Inside the visitors center

LOVE LOVE LOVE this picture!

wish the sun wasn't behind them.

Outside the visitors center

Going to the temple is never an easy task. It is at least 6 hours of driving, round trip for us. Because we don't have family around, we always have to take the kids with us and we aren't able to go together, which is not my favorite. But, I felt blessings all around on this trip. The kids did AMAZING in the car, B and C as well. They were so good at the temple while we were walking around. I know Heavenly Father was blessing us in trying to do what is right.

This temple is amazing!

disney on ice

During the flood, I checked my email late one night and found tickets on sale for disney on ice (i happened to get the email the last day the tickets were on sale), but I got tickets for J and I, and we finally got to go.

She was so excited!

We went to dinner before hand, and then to the show.

Enjoying a hard as rock snow cone that had to be chipped away at. There were ice chunks flying and syrup dripping, it was a mess. BUT, it was tasty

One of the shows they did was tangled, it was very cool

The closing act, complete with fireworks.

It was so fun to have a 'girls night' and spend time with her. She really is so sweet and so grown up for her age. She brings me so much happiness!

oh my

He's up to his same tricks, this time, the wipes were the victim

Two of our latest casualties of 'the destroyer'-carbon monoxide detector and princess cd player

His favorite thing to do is to find items and then drop them from the top of the stairs down onto the hardwood.

If we all die of carbon monoxide poisoning, you'll know why....