Family Photo Shoot

On Saturday we walked around Gardner Village. Meghan & Steven wanted to get a picture for their Christmas card and we ended up taking lots of fun pictures. It was a beautiful day and we had a good time looking through the shops and just spending time together.

We Finished It!

So here's the finished product! Too bad we actually finished it the same night I complained that it would never get done (11/13)! So, here's a run down of the materials (it's impressive, I know): siding: Tootsie Rolls; roof: Skittles; red, white & green end: Cadbury chocolate balls; brick end: Hershey's Miniatures; candy canes: Starburst Strawberry (yum!). Gavin made the frosting and it is so amazingly strong! This house will stand through the holidays for sure. It's too cute not to keep it as a Christmas decoration!

Thanksgiving with the Family

Here are a ton of pictures from Thanksgiving! I had a full house--Meghan & Steven arrived on Tuesday afternoon and Jeremy came in on Wednesday. On Thanksgiving, Amanda, James, and Tyler & Jenn came over to spend dinner with us. It was a Fenn Family Fiesta!

Me and the turkey heart. I laughed the whole time I was getting the insides out!
The finished product!
Lots and lots of broth

Steven & Meghan helped so much!And Bo carved the turkey!

L-R: Jeremy, Jenn, Tyler, Meghan, Steven, Amanda and James. It was a tight squeeze! Lots of good food (I'm still eating it)
Amanda was in charge of dessert and she done good! Pumpkin & Key Lime Cheesecake from The Cheesecake Factory! Yum!Everything was SO good! I was a little nervous that the turkey wouldn't turn out, but it was pretty good for my first one. The dressing was delicious, and Meg made yummy mashed potatoes. Okay, so it was all good and I can't wait to cook another meal like it!

A work in progress

I feel like this gingerbread house is a lot like the road construction on 106th...it's never going to get finished! Just kidding! Gavin & I started making this gingerbread house on Friday night after our date to the Festival of Gingerbread Houses at Thanksgiving Point. We got the walls up and the roof on, held together with Gavin's amazing frosting-glue. On Saturday we got the roof decorated, although the frosting started to drip and we lost part of the red & orange skittles. The siding is done (not in this picture) with tootsie rolls and it looks so cute! We have intentions of finishing the decorations, but who knows when it will happen!

We laugh a lot when we're together. And smile too. Maybe that's why the gingerbread house isn't done!

Simple Joys

A common exclamation at home in Benson is, "Sunrise alert!" or "Sunset alert!" And I'll be honest, Arizona does have beautiful sunrises & sunsets. But this morning I think I saw the most beautiful sunrise ever. I had to call 3 different phones to get in touch with mom and dad but when I did, it was so fun to say, "Sunrise alert!" I was so happy as I drove to work, watching the clouds & sky & mountains and talking to my parents. A simple joy...but it made me smile all day!

I love apples. Granny Smith are my favorite. But I don't like to eat apples unless they are already cut up. I was getting my lunch ready this morning and couldn't find the apple slicer. I had a small panic attack! Amy told me it was in the dishwasher and she'd had it at work for a while. I was happy to know I didn't have to cut my apple with a knife, or worse yet, eat it whole. As I ate my cut up apple at work, I sent Amy a text and told her how happy I was to eat my cut up apple! Another simple joy.

I got a cute text today from a really cute boy. Part of it said, "When do I get to see you again?" How adorable is that? (Gavin, I know you'll read this, so just know your text was another simple joy!) I love finding simple things that make life so happy!

I'm a slacker, as always

Every day I think of updating my blog, even if I don't have anything profound or exciting to share. It's obvious all I do is think about it! I am going to update it this next week and hopefully keep it up-to-date for at least 2 weeks. It's my goal. Maybe I can do it for the whole month of November. Anyway, I just got back from Disneyland so I have fun things to share. The pictures are all on Val's camera so I'll have to wait for her to share. We had a great time! We also had a Fenn Family dinner on Tuesday before Marcus went to the MTC. I'll update soon!