..sparkle, sparkle..

ever since lance was a wee one, he has always been fascinated by sparkly things. he used to carry one of his mom's *sparkly* brooch's around with him everywhere he went...he called it - get this - his "sparkly." ohhhh cute lancey poo. anyway, you get the point. lance likes sparkly things!

needless to say, one of lance's favorite parts of christmas is all the pretty...and yes, sparkly...lights. which works just fine with me, because i love being all festive and decking the halls with as many christmas decorations and lights as possible. i am posting these pictures more for my documentation purposes than anything. i have this funny feeling my house may not be this festive for many years to come - people tell me that when you have little ones, you can't decorate quite the same. sad for me, but i am sure it's all worth it!!!

and there you have it - our very sparkly home!!!

oh how i LOVE this time of year!!

..thanksgiving..

our thanksgiving was really splendid this year. actually, this was the first thanksgiving lance and i have EVER spent together. crazy, i know! in all the years we have known each other, we have never once spent this holiday together. it was so nice this year to be with my cute husband, who i am so very thankful for.

we decided we would go to my family's party for dinner, then head on over to lance's family party for dessert. my family party was at the hansen's and, boy, was it delicious! thanksgiving dinner has always been one of my favorite meals. you just can't go wrong with a bum load of mashed potatoes, gravy and rolls....mmm mmmmm, delish! unfortunately, i ate a little too much. well maybe a lot too much. i have never been so uncomfortably full after a thanksgiving dinner before. maybe it's because i am sharing my tummy with baby finn??? i don't know. all i do know, is that there wasn't room in my tummy for all the food i consumed.

after eating and visiting with family, we left and headed on over to the keller's to have dessert with lance's fam. well, lucky for us, by the time we got there at approximately 3:30, they hadn't even started eating dinner yet!! so we got two meals. since i couldn't fit much more in my belly, i just had a small plate. i hope i didn't offend anyone...the food looked delicious. after meal #2 i was even more uncomfortable, so i just had to sit and relax for a while. thank goodness they didn't start dessert right away, or i woulda been in huge trouble. the thing i craved the most this year was pumpkin pie!

after dinner we relaxed, played some ping-pong, which btw.......i whooped lance's bum in! i pretended like i didn't know how to play, and truth be told, i haven't really played since i was a freshman in college. i guess i just must be naturally good?! haha jk, l.b.. then lance dressed up in the yeti (sp?) costume and scared the little ones. it was kinda sad but kinda hilarious at the same time! maybe i will feel differently when he is scaring his own children? dunno. we finished the night with some delicious pies then headed on home where i feel asleep unusually early. mr. phobs and mr. drawers were sure glad to see us. we didn't even think to bring them home a plate of food...rude, i know. i hope everyone's thanksgiving was as great as ours!

..halfway there, baby..

here i am 20 weeks prego! wow, how the time flies. i can't believe i am 20 weeks already. we were able to see the little guy the other day and everything looked good. i started feeling him move a couple weeks ago, and i don't think there are many things in the world that compare. it puts a smile on my face every time my belly twitches. we love our little finn so much already!

..hawaii..

lance and i had the AMAZING opportunity to go to hawaii a couple weeks ago. it was an absolute blast and a much needed vacay. we spent three days in oahu and three in kauai. while we loved every second spent on both islands, both of us would have to agree that next time we go (if there ever is a next time), we will spend the whole time in kauai - that island is incredible. here are some of the highlights.................

..sunset dinners on the beach....waikiki....cruisin around town in this monster....dinner @ dukes w/ the clarks & the mcconnels....the world's dumbest luau - not so much a highlight, more of a lowlight....exploring the beautiful island of kauai....our sweet ride....view from our hotel room....kayak/hike tour to a secret waterfall....exploring kauai by helicopter....laie, hawaii temple open house....playing in the monsterous waves on the north shore..

there were so many other things we loved about our trip. one of the days in oahu there were killer waves up on the north shore. professional surfers were flying in town that day, that's how huge they were. the north shore was jam packed with people that day. although i much prefer it when it isn't so busy, it was really cool to be there and see the 30 ft waves.

we were bummed the temple wasn't open for sessions, but grateful we were able to see it in the open house. last time we were in hawaii it was like 3 weeks before our wedding and neither of us had our endowments so we couldn't do a session. this time we were here it was like 3 weeks before the dedication, so we missed doing a session again, but at least we got to see the inside.

it was so nice to just spend time with each other, and what a beautiufl place to do so. i only cried 5 out of the 7 days we were gone because i missed the dogs, haha. ;) and while it is always nice to come home, i must say i do miss the sunshine and warm weather.