Thanksgiving

While I am thankful for many things including our health, our family, our clinic, and being back in Chicago...Thanksgiving is not the same as it was when I was a kid! We always had TONS of family around, since the Vest side of the family would come out and we would go to my Uncle's Northwestern Football Games. We had tons of food and lots of laughs! Now since I have to do all the food by myself and since we only have our little family of five, I just feel overwhelmed! Since Matt can't have any grains or dairy, we have VERY simple holiday foods to begin with. And, on top of that, John and I have very different likes for Thanksgiving foods! Especially Stuffing!! So I have to make 2 kinds of stuffing--He likes the Stove Top stuff in the bird, and I prefer the hand broken dressing you bake in a separate pan! Oh well! We have actually been talking about just buying a pre-made one from Jewel or going to Old Country Buffet and saving us from all the work! At least with the Jewel Dinner, we would have leftovers! Anyway, we did have a good turnout for the food drive and we get to take the food and money over to the Community Care Center tomorrow! I want to do it all together as a family, since we did the food drive all together and we are looking forward to another one next year! Hope you all have a wonderful weekend and eat all your favorite Harvest/Thanksgiving Foods! And if you are crazy enough to attempt the Black Friday Sales...HAVE FUN!!

Walking Baby

Ok - It is official...Evie is walking. This is not something I was ready for, but she is 11 months now and will turn 1 next month.

For some new still pics of the kids, see below. I am still trying to get the rest of the Halloween pics to unload, and will have to do them later!

Traveling in style for the Ladybug and Cinderella!

Matt jumping on the leaves on the tramp

Our desecrated Pumpkins from our crazy squirrels!

Reading before bedtimeCan you believe this adorable girl?!?

Results of the indoor "snowfall" Matt created 2 days ago!

Hold Strong, Be Firm, Love Others, Stand for Truth

I recently have found several articles in regards to many individuals and families leaving the church to send a message against the church's involvement in the passing of Prop 8. I am saddened by this and hope they will see the light and come back. We are encouraged to love the Sinner, but not the sin. When we are confronted by our friends and family in regards to this issue, remember that our standards have been mocked for almost 200 years and Christ and Moses and many others throughout History! Today is no different, but we will have to account to the Lord for our actions and not to man! Draw your line in the sand and stand for truth! Love everyone, and screw peer pressure and worldly views! OK I am off my soap box, but do wish to leave you with 3 inspirational thoughts:

2 Tim 4:7 - I have fought a good fight, I have finished my course, I have kept the faith:

The war goes on. It is waged across the world over the issues of agency and compulsion. It is waged by an army of missionaries over the issues of truth and error. It is waged in our own lives, day in and day out, in our homes, in our work, in our school associations; it is waged over questions of love and respect, of loyalty and fidelity, of obedience and integrity. We are all involved in it—child, youth, or adult, each of us. We are winning, and the future never looked brighter.
May our God bless us in the work that is so clearly laid out before us. May we be faithful. May we be valiant. May we have the courage to be true to the trust God has placed in each of us. May we be unafraid. “For [to quote the words of Paul to Timothy] God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind. Be not thou therefore ashamed of the testimony of our Lord” (2 Timothy 1:7–8). President Hinckley
http://lds.org/ldsorg/v/index.jsp?vgnextoid=2354fccf2b7db010VgnVCM1000004d82620aRCRD&locale=0&sourceId=02303bc909592110VgnVCM100000176f620a____&hideNav=1


However out of step we may seem, however much the standards are belittled, however much others yield, we will not yield, we cannot yield. President Packer
http://www.lds.org/conference/talk/display/0,5232,23-1-401-8,00.html

Protests against the Mormon Church

Since my family has moved to California, I am now kept in the loop of a great many things going on there. My father sent me the article linked below from the online LDS Magazine Meridian. It is written by an LDS Police Officer in L.A. His perspective is a very interesting one and the article is a good read. He talks of tolerance, standing up for what you believe and turning to our Savior in these perilous times. Above all, it is so important for us to remember to love everyone since we are all sinners, but do not love or condone the sin. I have family members who live alternative life styles and one who even protested in Church Headquarters in Salt Lake last week after Prop 8 passed in California. I simply wanted to pass on this article, since it helped me know how to speak with others and remember that we are all God's Children with Free Agency and it is so easy to get caught up in the worldly way of hate and bitterness. Love to you all!

http://www.ldsmag.com/ideas/081110hate.html

My Baby is not so Baby Anymore

Evie is about to be 11 months and I and I am not ready! She is trying to walk everywhere and can along chairs and couches and people. She can make it accross the room and maybe fall once or twice! She is naming people: Ma = Matt, Maaaammmaaaa = Mom, Dada = Dad, and D = Didi. She wants to be just like her big brother and sister and follows them everywhere. Matt still plays well with her, and is mostly gentle with her. Didi is still learning to share (we have to re-learn it everyday!). She loves the leaves and doesn't mind walking or crawling on them. Next month she will be one and we are playing a simple family party. I am sure we will also celebrate in California after Christmas with the Sorensons. We will be heading there from Dec 22nd - Jan 2nd and it should be a grand holiday!

Random Mandi Thoughts

OK - when you were a kid - did you ever find yourself thinking, "When I am a parent, I will never say such stupid things like my parents do!"? My mom told me that she thought it, and her mom thought it, but here I am the 3rd generation and I am saying the same stupid things my parents said and even new ones that I make up on my own!

Happiness is a new broom!

We have the wackiest squirrels! They have invaded all 4 of our pumpkins (before we got a chance to carve them!) and eaten EVERY seed inside! If that wasn't enough, we have watched them fight over the right to go inside and collect seeds! My pumpkins! Even the one I was going to use to cook Rainee's stew recipe inside! How Rude!

Way too much TV - I want to boycot TV again! We got rid of it years ago and then we got it back and now we are dictating our schedules by it and not being as productive and I just want to scream!!! You know me and getting stuff done! I done have 50 things done by 9am, I have failed for the day!

Great movies - Notting Hill, CLUE!, Space Jam, Shrek, Overboard, The Hunt for Red October

I am again to the point I get to every 4 years! Part of me doesn't care who wins any of the elections, I just want the commercials to stop and the namecalling and mudslinging which EVERY candidate does whether they say they do or not! Can we just vote already!

I just want to add one more point and whether or not you agree or disagree, I don't care, I just want to say it! Mr. Obama, people who do not vote early ARE NOT LAZY!!! There are genuine people out there who simply are confused and DON'T KNOW which candidate will screw the country up less! There, I have said my peace and you can says yours on your own blog, just not my blog!

Nothing is anything without hard work or persecution!

I love squash! How I did not like it as a kid, I will never know! I was an idiot! (Just ask Jeff, I'm sure he'll tell you!)

Ok enough of my random thoughts! Bless you all for reading my jibberish! :)