**November and December**
On Veterans Day the kids were out of school and the weather was in the 90's so we decided to get in our pool for a little swim.
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Some of my dearest friends that i've had since I was a teenager live in Arizona and our husbands have become close friends too. Once a month we all get together on a Sunday and each of us take turns hosting a dinner. November was my month. We decided to do an early Thanksgiving dinner. It was delicious and so much fun to be with our good friends. I love this tradition.
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Mid November it finally started to cool down. It was a long hot summer. We really enjoy the cooler weather when it finally comes along.
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Once a month the same group of friends get together for a girls night/craft night. November our craft night consisted of a glitter Bambi. I loved how it turned out! And it looked awesome in my house.
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Maggie showed off all her hard work in her dance concert. She did a fabulous job and looked as cute as ever.
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Our little Cindy Lou-Hoo x 2
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Thanksgiving day came and went and I may or may not have turned the big 3-0!! What a lame day to have a big birthday. Because of my birthday being on Thanksgiving Jake took me out to dinner the night before. We reflected on the past year and I cried and cried...it has been a very hard year for us--especially me and to be turning 30 just was too much that night. After dinner he walked me to the Pandora store where he picked out the most beautiful and thoughtful gift. He picked out a bracelet with each of our 4 children birthstones. It was just what I needed and each stone/charm was thoughtfully picked for each of our children. I haven't taken it off since.
Thanksgiving day I refused to be in the kitchen cooking for our little family--and I had just cooked Thanksgiving dinner the week before for a crowd. So instead of a traditional Thanksgiving day we went to see the movie Frozen (which we absolutely adored) and then headed to a cowboy town and had Thanksgiving dinner with our dear friends. It ended up being a really fun day and evening. (And Kaid was in heaven pretending to be a real cowboy ALL DAY in a real cowboy town.)
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The day after Thanksgiving, Christmas went up. We were able to add Millee's stocking to the mantle this year.
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It's tradition that each year the kids get their own ornament. The ornament represents something or somewhere we went that year. This year each of the kids got an angel carrying a lantern to remind them of Millee. On Millee's headstone it says "she will light the way home" so what a better ornament to help represent our year and our family goal.
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Every December 1st the pajama elf visits our home and brings new pajamas for the kids.
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On December 1st we start burning down our countdown candle as we read the scriptures and have dinner. This year our scriptures were all about the many names that represent Christ. I made an advent bag for 25 days that each had a name which included a different picture of Christ and a scripture. We would discuss each night what Christmas truly was about and why we celebrate the holiday. How grateful we are for our Savior!
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We had such a fun ward/neighborhood party. It was themed "Polar Express" They did an outstanding job-- and Santa was there.
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Family came to visit! We love visitors! We took them to see the amazing Christmas lights at the Mesa Temple. Can you tell that they are from Utah and we've been in Arizona way to long. (I think it was only 58* outside! ha!)
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Our home ready for Santa.
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December 11 was a very difficult day for me. It was the 6 month mark since Millee's passing. 6 months from the last time I held and kissed my beautiful girl. This week was hard as I reflected on the last 6 month and particularly on the week of her death and funeral--the last time I said goodbye to my baby girl while on this earth. The holidays were extremely difficult for me this year, but this week seemed just as hard. Somedays it feels like just yesterday my nightmare began, and others it seems like its been eternity. Grief is such a life long process full of good days and bad days, ups and downs, pain and joy. Its a process--a journey-- not a destination. How grateful I was for tender mercies that day that made it so much easier to bare. One of the amazing tender mercies I received that day was this heart pillow. It was ordered through a charity by a dear friend of mine months before this day, but it just so happened to come on this very heavy day. The pillow is the exact birth weight of Millee. I clench this pillow on my chest often and only wish that she was in my arms, not a pillow.
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Kaiden has worked so hard in Karate. He graduated to a yellow belt.
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This year for Christmas we decided to be with my parents in the mission home in North Carolina. But it got a bit complicated trying to figure out how to get all the gifts there without spoiling Christmas. But with boxes shipped to my parents home (of course I put down the wrong address) and two suitcases full of gifts we made it and everything got where it needed to be on time.
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A couple days before we flew to NC we had our own little Christmas with the kids.
Daddy read a story. We had our traditional breakfast, but for dinner and had the kids open presents.
It gave the kids a couple days to play with some toys before we took off for 16 days.
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