We had a wonderful Thanksgiving Day at Grandma and Grandpa Allen's this year. The food was fabulous, and it was a great day to remember all of the things we are blessed with.
Justin read the kids some Thanksgiving stories while the food was being prepared
The kids' tables
The grown-ups' tableOne of our family's favorite Christmas books is the Polar Express, so it was such a special treat when Grandma and Grandpa got us all tickets to ride it. The kids were all dressed in their pajamas and it was so fun to ride the Heber Creeper up the the "North Pole" while we sang Christmas carols and drank hot chocolate. It was especially fun to be able to go with the Millers while they were here. What a great way to start the Christmas season!
We re-read the story while we were on the train
And the kids all had a chance to meet a special someone when we got there
He gave each of the kids a jingle bell
It was so cute how the kids kept shaking their little bells and asking the grown-ups", "Can you hear it? Do you believe in Santa?". What a fun evening!
Late Sunday night the Millers arrived in Utah. As always, the cousins were so happy to see each other. We had pictures taken, a sleepover, family dinners and many other fun activities. It was so fun to be together.
Justin reading the kids some bedtime stories
The girls looked so cute in their matching dresses that Grandma got for them
Lunch at one of our favorite places: Pace's!Last Sunday Brighton gave his very first talk in Primary. Since it was the Sunday before Thanksgiving he talked about the things he was grateful for. After we got home from church he gave his talk again for his sisters (who were in nursery), and his Grandma and Grandpa.
He did a fabulous job, and we were so proud of him!On Saturday we went to see "Disney On Ice: 100 Years of Magic". Chelsea and I loved the Disney On Ice production so much when we went to see a different one earlier this year, so this time I decided to take all three of the kids. Grandma Allen was so nice to come with us and help me with the kids. It was a spectacular show!
I wasn't sure how Siena would do, but she was as enthralled as the other two. The kids told me what their favorites were: Brighton loved the Incredibles and Toy Story and Nemo scenes, Chelsea loved Beauty and the Beast and Mulan, and Siena squealed with delight whenever Mickey and Minnie came out. We had a really great time!Justin and I got home last night from our 6-day trip to Orlando, Florida. With young children and busy lives, it was nice to have a chance to spend so much uninterrupted time alone to remind us why we married each other. Of course, this would not have been possible without our fabulous babysitters, Grandma and Grandpa Allen. It definitely made the vacation all the more relaxing and enjoyable knowing that the kids were happy and well cared for at home. The kids had so much fun with their grandparents, and we can't thank them enough!
Among our many fun activities, we got pretty soaked on several rides at Universal StudiosI just had to post these hilarious pictures of the trick-or-treating aftermath:
Brighton, medicating himself with candy
The girls were hiding and eating all the candy they could before I put it away
Ready and waiting to go trick-or-treating
We drove to show off costumes at a few family and friends houses...
And then we cruised around our neighborhood
They really scored a lot of candy!On Thursday night we went to our Ward Halloween Party. They had pony rides and puppet shows, a costume parade, and lots of fun games for the kids. We had a great time.
On Thursday Brighton's preschool class had a field trip at the pumpkin patch/corn maze. I volunteered to be one of the parent helpers, and since I was taking the girls along, Justin came, too. 
We went on train rides and wagon rides, picked out pumpkins and saw lots of animals. They had these HUGE slides and a bouncy house, and the kids had so much fun. We were glad we were able to make a family outing out of it! 
